Cinematic Titanic
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| Cinematic Titanic | |
 Cinematic Titanic Logo |
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| Written by | Joel Hodgson Trace Beaulieu Frank Conniff Mary Jo Pehl J. Elvis Weinstein |
|---|---|
| Starring | Joel Hodgson Trace Beaulieu Frank Conniff Mary Jo Pehl J. Elvis Weinstein |
| Distributed by | Cinematic Titanic |
| Running time | Approx. 90min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Cinematic Titanic is a project by Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) creator and original host, Joel Hodgson.[1] The project involves "riffing" B-movies, in a manner similar to that of MST3K.[2] Joining Hodgson are many of the original MST3K cast, as well as some cast members who joined later in the show's run. These include Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff and Mary Jo Pehl.[3]
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[edit] Description
Like Mystery Science Theater 3000, the series uses black silhouettes of the riffers placed over the films, but in the case of Cinematic Titanic they sit on both sides of the screen rather than just on the lower right.[4] Visual gags are frequent (such as Beaulieu's use of a cherry picker in The Oozing Skull), and there are even two or three host segments per episode, all performed in silhouette.
Whereas Mike Nelson's own RiffTrax project produces riffs for a wide variety of films, Cinematic Titanic has to acquire the rights to the films it riffs (since the format does not allow for the riffing content to be delivered separately from the film), and as a result has tended to focus on the same sort of B-movies that MST3K did during its lifespan. The fact that Cinematic Titanic involves just about every MST3K writer and performer aside from Kevin Murphy, Mike Nelson, and Bill Corbett, who happen to be the regular cast of RiffTrax, has prompted fan speculation about a rivalry between Hodgson and Nelson surrounding the two projects, but the pair have consistently denied that such a rift exists and expressed praise for each other's projects, pointing out that they fill different niches and there is more than enough room for both of them. Furthermore, Mary Jo Pehl has guest starred in some RiffTrax releases, so the two projects do overlap somewhat.
[edit] Plot
The actors essentially play themselves as they participate in an experiment for some unknown, possibly shadowy corporation or military force. The story currently provided to the cast is that there is a tear in the "electron scaffolding" that threatens all digital media in the world.[5] Their experience doing MST3K is key to the organization's plans. The riffing for each film is recorded to a "nanotated disc" and inserted into a "Time Tube" by Hodgson that descends into the frame at the end of every episode. The unknown organization is very firm on keeping the cast focused on their duties, providing no time frame for completion and requiring them to stay within the facilities at all times. They apparently have massive resources and an autonomous military force, which they use to keep the cast in line. As of now, the cast is inquisitive of the true purpose of the experiments but have no major problems, as aside from having to watch bad movies, they are well-treated.
[edit] Releases
[edit] Release history
The first live performance was a private show for employees of Industrial Light & Magic on December 7, 2007.[3] After the live show, the cast reworked some jokes, delaying the original December 10 release date. The pilot episode of Cinematic Titanic was released on DVD to the public at midnight on December 21, via the download-to-burn company EZTakes. According to the Cinematic Titanic website, due to rights issues, the episode was not available for download until April 2, 2008.
Both the private show and the first release feature the B-movie Brain of Blood.[4] One of the original film's producers, concerned that creating multiple versions of the film could create marketplace confusion, requested that Cinematic Titanic's version have a different name. To alleviate his concerns, Cinematic Titanic re-entitled their release The Oozing Skull.[6]
[edit] Release list
Releases as of June 2008 have been available to purchase as a physical DVD, and also as a download and burned DVD version.
| Movie | CT Released | Original Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Oozing Skull | April 2, 2008 | 1972 | Original release called Brain of Blood, changed per producer's request |
| The Doomsday Machine | June 19, 2008 | 1972 | [7] |
| The Wasp Woman | August 7, 2008 | 1959 | A film by the "B-Movie King" Roger Corman[8] |
| Legacy of Blood | October 9, 2008 | 1971 | Original release called Blood Legacy |
| Santa Claus Conquers the Martians | November 20, 2008 | November 14, 1964 | The film had previously appeared on an episode of MST3K |
| Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks | January 8, 2009 | 1974 | |
| Blood of the Vampires | March 19, 2009 | 1966 | |
| Dynamite Brothers | Upcoming Release | 1974 | Billed in live shows by its alternate title, "East meets Watts" |
[edit] List of live shows
- December 7, 2007 — Private show for Industrial Light & Magic employees.[3]
- April 26, 2008 — Public show (sold out) as part of the 2008 USA Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, at the Angelika Film Center, Dallas. Movie shown: The Wasp Woman. The crew, sitting in the front row of the theater, with microphones and scripts, announced that the performance was being recorded for an upcoming DVD release. They signed autographs for the enthusiastic crowd after the show.
- June 21, 2008 — Public show (sold out) as part of the 2008 LA Film Festival in Hollywood, California, at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. Movie shown was scheduled to beThe Wasp Woman, but changed without prior announcement to The Doomsday Machine. No screen interaction, the team sat onstage with their scripts.
- October 25, 2008 - Public show at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The movie Blood of the Vampires was shown for the first time. Dave (Gruber) Allen was the warm-up act.
- November 1, 2008 — Public show at the Family Theater in St. Charles, MO. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was the film shown, and Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act.
- December 18-20, 2008 — Public three-night series in Chicago, IL at the Lakeshore Theater. The December 18 show at 7:30pm featured Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, the December 19 shows at 7:30pm and 10:30pm featured Blood of the Vampires, and the December 20 shows at 7:30pm and 10:30pm featured Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks. The latter two movies were promoted as 'Unreleased Titles' until a few days before their Chicago appearance. All five shows were reportedly sold out, according to J. Elvis Weinstein through the Cinematic Titanic email Newsletter. Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act. As this appearance marked the first anniversary of Cinematic Titanic, a "Best of" reel was shown after each performance.
- February 13-14, 2009 - Two public shows at the Marine's Memorial Auditorium in San Francisco, CA. The February 14 show featured Dynamite Brothers. Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act, the "Best of" reel was shown.
- February 20-21, 2009 - Two public shows at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA. The February 20 show featured Blood of the Vampires. The February 21 show featured Dynamite Brothers. Both shows were sold out, according to an on-stage announcement. Dave (Gruber) Allen] performed as the warm-up act, the "Best of" reel was shown.
- May 22-23, 2009 - Two public shows at the Mesa Arts Center, Dynamite Brothers billed as East Meets Watts, and Brides of Blood billed as Danger on Tiki Island, with Dave (Gruber) Allen and the "Best of" reel.
- June 12-13, 2009 - Two public shows at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia, PA, with The Alien Factor and Brides of Blood billed as Danger on Tiki Island, with Dave (Gruber) Allen and the "Best of" reel.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Meyer, John P. (January 12, 2008). "Good news for bad movie (and good humor) lovers: The MST3K crew are at it again". Pegasus News. http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/jan/12/good-news-bad-movie-and-good-humor-lovers-mst3k-cr/. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Ellis, Mary Beth (November 18, 2007). "Ex ‘MST3K’ stars, writers fill hole left by show". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21761730/. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b c Hodgson, Joel. "Greetings Friends". Cinematic Titanic. http://www.cinematictitanic.com/page11.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ a b Lewinski, John Scott (December 7, 2007). "Cinematic Titanic Steams Into Mystery Science Theater Waters". Wired. http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/news/2007/12/cinematic_titanic. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ Ryan, Maureene (December 11, 2008). "Joel from 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' is back with a new cinematic experience". Chicago Tribune. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/12/mst3k-joel.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ Hodgson, Joel. "It's on!". Cinematic Titanic. http://cinematictitanic.com/wpmu/blog/2007/12/21/its-on/. Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
- ^ ""Cinematic Titanic Episode Two Promo - Doomsday Machine"" (video). YouTube. Cinematic Titanic. 22 May 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc2eAZV2Mn0. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Weinstein, J. Elvis. "There's A Lot of Buzz Around Here"". Cinematic Titanic. http://cinematictitanic.com/wpmu/blog/2008/07/23/there%e2%80%99s-a-lot-of-buzz-around-here/. Retrieved on 2008-08-07.
[edit] External links
Interviews
Reviews
- Review of Cinematic Titanic and its first episode
- Review of Doomsday Machine, the second Cinematic Titanic episode
- DVD Talk discusses the first Cinematic Titanic episode
- Cinematic Titanic: The Oozing Skull (2007) at IMDB.com
- Review of Episode 7: Blood of the Vampires
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