The Trailer Dump, Issue No. 15

Greetings and salutations dear readers. Like Iron Man's armor, the Trailer Dump has leveled up and taken a massive leap forward. It's now a self contained entity, encapsulating all the good that you've come to expect, including cheesy trailers, intermission bumpers and solicitations to visit the, sometimes frightening, concessions stand. I've assembled all this on one platform: my iPhone (damn I love technology). Still a work in progress, I'd appreciate feedback.

 

I'm also writing a new weekly series for Mania entitled Saturday Shock-O-Rama. You can find my first go around right here: Count Yorga, Vampire

See you on the flip side.

 

Damn You Invisible Chicken! - Talking w/Rikk Wolf

Hey Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, what riffing show do you plan on spending your excess disposable income this week? No, there isn't a new Shout! Factory release this week that you forgot about (that's in July). I'm talking about a brand new release of Incognito Cinema Warriors XP; it's the modern riffing show that you've been missing in your fragile little life. I'll have a review of the episode next week. Today I've got a special treat for you ICWXP fans: an interview with the man behind the metal magic, Rikk Wolf!

Q: How did you decide to make the leap from riff show fans to professional riffers extraordinaire?

I’ll let you know when and if we do, ha ha!

We got our start pretty simply. After binging on every MST3k episode I could get my mitts on, I started checking out the fan content floating around online. There were actually a few fan-made episodes I discovered which were produced ages ago under the MST3k name with Tom & Crow replicas and someone playing Mike. I was surprised to find that kinda thing has been going on since before MST3k went off the air!

I had a video camera, studio space, a green screen and some hilarious friends and thought it’d be a blast to get in on the fun, but to put my own spin on it - just for one episode. I love zombies, Mega Man, MST3k and heavy music. So there you have ICWXP.

It was done just for fun thinking virtually no one would see it, but after putting it online and getting a massive response, it was clear a fan base could be built if we really put our backs into it and honed our craft.

Before our second episode even dropped, we’d heard from hundreds of people and even Rifftrax. A few years later and thanks to incredible fan support, the show’s being seen in theaters after screenings of MST3k episodes. It’s overwhelming.



Q: You've got a popular show, you're part of a band; what do you do for an encore? And what does a member of CORPS do for a real life living?

Freelance graphic design, mostly! It’s definitely a battle to make ends meet with the financial burden of producing an online television show, but I manage. I make flyers for bands and promoters and the occasional album cover. I only occasionally get my legs broken by loan sharks.




Q: What's your favorite host segment from MST3K? (or perhaps, which ones have been most influential on ICWXP's sensibilities?)

That’s a tough one. My favorite episode is “The Final Sacrifice”, so probably one of its segments. If I had to choose one as inspiration for ICWXP, probably the one in which Tom Servo delivers his Canadian Pride song from the same episode. No, we don’t hate Canada (though we’re no fans of Nickelback) but the vibe there is something I’d hoped to capture - puppets being inappropriate.




Q: I've described ICWXP to people as a "Heavy Metal, Zombie Apocalypse MST3K", most for ease of analogy. How would you better describe it in just one sentence?

Grown men playing with puppets in a barn? Some of our fans have taken to saying “It’s MST3k for Metal Heads” or “Resident-Mega-MST”. The show’s definitely a tossed salad mash up. I’d say either works well.




Q: What is the real life theater you're using for the exterior shots of the Cine-A-Sorrow?

That’s a real-deal abandoned Dickinson theater in North Kansas City that’s been collecting dust for over a decade now. I actually saw movies there when I was a kid. I never thought of it until recently, but there really is an abandoned theater just a few minutes from where I live. Seems it was meant to be.

It’s a rather mysterious building, tucked away behind a closed down Best Buy, tucked away behind a dying mall with a closed down theater inside and flanked by yet another defunct theater across the road. Abandoned theater alley, that part of the city.

The owners are impossible to reach, probably because it’s slated for demolition. If I had the money I’d buy the place, set up ICWXP shop there and show cult films while producing the show.




Q: You seemed to have switched up formats from season one to season two, with one being a more traditional riffing show (short, full length film with wrap around host segments) to a more live action comedy show with a short film being riffed in the middle. What prompted this shift?

Many factors. Mostly, it’s a time & budget thing. Producing a quality riff of a 20 minute short film is much less time consuming than an hour and a half movie. The show was struggling greatly financially between releases because of the long production times that were a result of being understaffed and overworked. With the shorter format, we can get new episodes out faster and manage to not go broke between them, though we still do rely greatly on fan donations. Some of our core cast was uncertain if they would be able to continue devoting the time it took to work on a full length when the decision was made, as well. There was concern about the show having to take a dirt nap for awhile unless we shortened it down or recast people. We chose to shorten. We hate recasting.




Q: What's the fan reaction been like to that shift and do you plan to keep the new format or move back to something akin to season one?

It went over much better than I personally thought it would, but I can be a worrier. I was up at night thinking there’d be riots in the streets and ICWXP DVDs burning on front lawns. Turns out a few of ourloyal fans politely suggested we offer a little more theater time in the new formula, and starting with Episode 203 that’s exactly what we’ve done. That said, people generally seem to smile a little more now that we have something new to digest out faster.

Season 2 will wrap up with at least one full length episode. Budget allowing, the live action segments will be pretty epic, but of course imbued with sarcastic silliness and goofy characters at every turn.




Q: If you could riff any one film without worrying about rights issues, what would that film be?

Easy! Zardoz. Sean Connery in thigh highs? The riffs will write themselves.


Q: I'll admit that I've only recently come into the ICWXP fold. So tell me: what's the deal with Topsy's ever changing voice (or instead my "perception" of his voice)?

The show’s always been charity work, and with that sometimes comes great uncertainty. No one has network contracts forcing them to appear for a number of episodes, so people are free to come and go as they please, or if we so chose to stop asking them back for one reason or another. Nick Evans (the new voice of Topsy) has bent over backwards for the show time and time again and I’m happy to finally have someone we can absolutely trust at the helm with that character who loves the show and is a pleasure to work with.




Q: I've seen Mike Nelson's quote about ICWXP already; have you gotten any other feedback from former MST3K alum?

We have, actually. They had very nice things to say as well as some constructive criticisms. I’m not at liberty to reveal whom, however (sorry!). The MST cast alumni are some truly unique and amazing people. I’d like to one day meet them all, shake their hands and thank them for changing my life (thusly causing a pitying stare and vigorous hand washing after I leave).




Q: What are you most proud of in Episode 202?

Probably the segment involving Soapy after the short film. That was a real collaborative effort and everyone’s ideas came together to produce a scene that seems to both disturb and cause laughter. I really love the current team we have on the show now.

Thanks again to Rikk Wolf from ICWXP for taking the time answering my questions. Take a long, loving gander at the clip below for a taste of the madness and if you're interested in getting you mitts on an episode head here.

 

I'm Nuts about Fortress

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Looking Back at a Year of Repertory Hosting '11 (part 1)

As some of you may know, I help select and host repertory cult and horror film showings at the humblingly atmospheric Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. If you're unfamiliar with this spectacular venue, the Colonial is famously remembered as the theater featured in the 1958 Steve McQueen horror flick The Blob, which they gloriously celebrate each year with a weekend festival dubbed "Blobfest". As you can imagine, it's the perfect local for a monthly late night horror show, which was started in mid-2008 by then local cinofile, Bob Trate. First Friday Fright Night (FFFN) has been an enormous draw for the theater and has been going strong for the past three years.

I've been a rabid attendee since I first heard about it prior to their 3rd show, a 35mm print of the immensely popular Evil Dead, in June '08. In July 2010 I began hosting a bimonthly showing of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes which was not my first hosting duty at the Colonial but has grown to be my favorite (I love coming up with absurd, embarrassing and fun contests for the pre-show prizes!).

I'm bringing this up because it would become the jumping off point for an entirely separate cult film series (Colonial Cult Cinema) in the middle of this past year (which we'll discuss to in part 2 of this retrospective).

And so it's with all this in mind that I'd like to take a look back at all the cult and horror which has been lovingly showcased at the Colonial Theatre in 2011. Consider this my own "end of year list".

January

Dark City - Ah Dark City! Such a fantastic work, summoning qualities both noir and scifi then painting with a brush of gothic mystery- this flick is an amazing ride which didn't get the recognition it deserved upon release in 1998. The director's cut was screened on Blu-Ray, since there isn't a 35mm print of this version.




MST3K episode #813 "Jack Frost" - This Mike episode centers on lambasting a badly translated dub of what appears to be a beautifully shot Russo-Finnish fairy tale piece. As is typical of all the MST3K shows which I host, there was a pre-show contest for prizes. In this case, I held a "Ricochet-off", where those brave souls who joined me on stage had to out "Ricochet!" each other in the manner of Mike's invention from the Starfighters episode.



February

The Fifth Element - I adore this film. It's marvelous scifi never feels forced and all parts humor and action are as tightly woven strands, marking this as a crowd pleaser that holds up very well. And I'll just throw this out there: Chris Tucker at his absolute best.



March

In the Mouth of Madness - Our first true horror film of the year is commonly held, as host Bob Trate noted at the time, to be the last "good" John Carpenter film (I disagree, but we'll table that until another time). Drawing heavily from H.P. Lovecraft's body of work, we're treated to that special sort of madness which lies outside the limits of man's mortal bounds. Sam Neill turns in an amazing performance.




MST3K episode #417 "Crash of the Moons" - This wonderful episode contains exactly what I always think of when conjuring images of what MST3K means for me: Black and White 50's science fiction with cardboard sets and campy premise. Sure there are better episodes out there, but I dearly love the fun Joel and the bots' have with the adventures of space ranger Rocky Jones. Before the show our contest was an honest to goodness invention exchange. As I recall, the winner created the "Nerdvent Calendar" - in homage to both Advent calendars (with little gifts contained in each day) and all things geek leading up to Blobfest itself. Marvelous!



April

The Terminator - Our third scifi film of the year in the Fright Night spot is a true classic, catapulting it's director James Cameron and star Michael Biehn Arnold Schwarzenegger on to super stardom. Even better, the 35mm print was very clear and well preserved!



May

Maniac - This was an experience, more than just a screening. We were able to showcase a brand new 35mm print of this niche classic. If that wasn't cool enough, we had director William Lustig on hand. He both introduced the film and stuck around for an incredibly informative question and answer session at the conclusion (moderated by cohost to be Joel Rickenbach of You've Got Geek podcast fame). Even more fun for us was the chance to have dinner with Bill Lustig before the show. He was pleasant company and quite the affable chap! Hopefully he'll come back this year for Blobfest (he was floored when he found out he was hosting his movie at "The Blob theater"!)




MST3K episode #1008 "Final Justice" - This Joe Don Baker stinker is perfect fodder which we punctuated with a preshow Cowboy and/or JDB costume contest. Thankfully, no one dressed as Joe Don.



June

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzi across the 8th Dimension - Which is more an impossible situation? For me to do this film justice in simple text form or for you to never have seen it? This amazing original film works so many angles, you might think you're being taken in by some nefarious con. You are being taken for a ride, but you aren't being grifted out of anything but your ignorance. Topping off my first chance to see this gem in 35mm was a showcase of props and collectibles on display thanks to Film Buff Online writer (and dear friend), Rich Drees.

There you have it, part one of our year in repertory review for the Colonial Theatre. Look for part two coming shortly, detailing the changing of the guard that took place and how the Colonial Cult Cinema night took shape.

The Trailer Dump, Issue No. 10

Oh boy do I loves me some cheesy trailers. The menacing voice over, the focus on action, one liners, scares and nudity. It's a whole 80 minute bad movie with the 50 boring minutes having been stripped out, leaving us with a bombastically edited look at the remaining awesome bits, made from concentrate. Enjoy.

Deathsport - 1978

Leprechaun in Space - 1997

Demonic Toys - 1992

Undead - 2003

Phases 1-6 Will Leave you Unprepared for Phase 7

I originally posted about Phase 7 back in July. Now that it's been released to DVD, I felt it was a good time to bring it back to your attention. Take a read through my original post. It's a great watch if you're big into the reactions of the humans in a given horror situation - so fans of George Romero take special note. Check out Phase 7 on DVD, it's an excellent time of year to do so.

Before I even talk to you about the new post apocalyptic plague flick, Phase 7, I want to spend a minute directing your attention to the poster for it. It seems like movie poster art has taken a back seat lately, a travesty for which there is no excuse. As a lover of exploitation, the sort of poster style used here is my absolute favorite. Something featuring large and prominently in the top center, in this case the apartment building with "Phase 7" takes center stage in a stylized font. The central characters, facing out from center and overlapping, with more important players featured larger than the supporting cast. Star Wars is a popular example of this poster style, which in itself was a throw back to 50's promotions. Something about this layout just sings "Saturday Afternoon Matinee" to me and this brings me back to the days of my youth, seeing B-Movies at the Devon in Philadelphia, which was a second run movie theater near the house I grew up in.

Flash forward to the present. So here I am now, totally sucked into the film by the promotional art mixed with my own feelings of poster art nostalgia. I haven't read too much about it before hand. Phase 7 is the story of the occupants of an apartment building in Argentina, who have to survive in the aftermath of a plague that decimates humanity. It's at this point that you are probably thinking the same thing that I was: "oh boy, it's zombie time! Muhahaha!". It's true I cackle like a 40's serial villain when it comes to zombies. It's true also that the setup for this film bears a lot of similarities to Rammbock: German Undead, which we took an early look at HERE. Phase 7, however, is not a zombie film.

We follow the journeys of Coco and Pipi, two 20-something's with a bun in the oven (her oven, not his, luckily). They live in an brand new apartment building that only has a few occupants, since it's just finished construction. This excellent decision gives us the opportunity to examine each of the occupants in much greater detail than we would have been able to if there was a much larger pool of characters, such as in [REC]. As luck would have it, our happy couple just returned from a trip to the grocery store as the outbreak began. They are quickly quarantined in their building and told to stay and wait it out. Which they do, maxin' and relaxin' with their plentiful supply of food stuffs.

"Without zombies, what's the point of watching two people wait out a pandemic?" George Romero would be ashamed of you. For decades he has demonstrated that man is the greatest monster of all. So is it true here, where the folks in the building who are running out of supplies begin scheming. It's at this point we meet Horacio.

Do you often sit around, discussing what you would do in the case of a zombie apocalypse, with your friends? Have you written out a list of supplies you would need, where you would loot first and where you would hold up? No? Stop looking at me like that. You know you have. Horacio is you and your weird B-Movie friends come alive. He is Coco's Neighbor who comes equipped with hazmat suit, trip wire stun bombs and enough food and guns to survive well beyond the government and army. He's an Argentinean BURT GUMMER. Seriously, he's a balding, badass, Batman with guns. And you're gonna love him.

So what does Coco do in the face of humans resorting to anything to survive? He puts on a gnarly t-shirt and grows a rockin' facial configuration. Duh.

This SciFi thriller is a cool look at humans being humans in the wake of the end of the world. It's currently making the rounds as a limited release at AMC theaters around the country and will then be available on DVD in the beginning of October. If you're a classic Romero fan, you can't go wrong with Phase 7. With the spate of great horror coming out around the world, I'm surprised Hollywood isn't more paying attention.

The Trailer Dump, Issue no. 7

The Ice Pirates

• What a cast! John Carradine, Ron Pearlman, Angelica Huston and Robert Ulrich!
• The wide shots of the domed city is actually footage from Logan's Run.
• The sport the pirates watch over their lunch is footage from Rollerball.
• This is only Ron Pearlman's second film after A Quest for Fire.
• When I first subscribed to Netflix streaming, this is the first film I watched.

Galaxina

• Actress Dorothy Stratton, who played the titular (har har) Galaxina, was Playboy's Playmate of the year, 1980. Sadly, she was killed by her jealous husband in a murder/suicide. She was only 20.
• Laser sound effects were lifted right out of the original Battlestar Galactica tv show and shipboard door effects taken right from Star Trek.
• Received a Blu Ray release this past March as a double feature with Crater Lake Monster.

Ator, The Fighting Eagle

• This film contains a lot of O'Keeffe. How much O'Keeffe? Miles O'Keeffe. (sorry, couldn't help it)
• This is the first in a series of 4 films featuring Ator by occult director Joe D'Amato.
• The second film in the series was spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000 under it's American title, Cave Dwellers.

Until next time, here's hoping you spend Saturday night at the movies, who cares what you go and see.