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A bittersweet release for MST3K fans

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume that the law and Chip’s gang are both (I was hoping for Plan 9 from Outer contains the segments the following XXXIX looking for her. Space) the crew does a really good job episodes: Shout Factory. $59.97 This musical/drama had a bit of with this. They riffs are pretty funny 201 - Rocketship X-M potential for being a great installment throughout and there are some really 213 - Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

It’s a bittersweet day for Mystery of MST, but it ends up being just so-so. hilarious scenes like when Diabolik 309 - The Amazing Colossal Man Science Theater fans. Shout! Factory There’s not a lot that Mike and the bots and his girlfriend are having sex on a 311 - It Conquered the World has released the last collection of can say during the several songs that pile of money. “They got pretty injured 416 - Fire Maidens of Outer Space episodes from the original show. pop up, and the film doesn’t have that when they tried this with gold bars.” 418 - Attack of the The Eye Creatures

While it’s great that three new ludicrous element that makes for the Even with the solid riffing, the 807 - Terror from the Year 5000 episodes (and a disc of bonus material) best riffing. It’s alright, but not better highlights of this show are the host 809 - I Was a Teenage Werewolf are out on DVD, it’s sad that there are than that. segments. Knowing that this was 905 - The Deadly Bees 11 installments that have never been • Experiment 623 - The Amazing their last episode they crafted a good 906 - The Space Children released, and probably never will be, Transparent Man with the short Days of set of skits to wrap up the series and 913 - Quest of the Delta Knights because of copyright issues. Still, these Our Years: complete the stories of Mike, the bots, Note that the segments from Godzilla three shows from the Mike years are Crow: So, the leading causes of Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy. These were vs. Megalon (Episode 212) are not solid, and the set, rather aptly, includes accidents are joy, sex, and old age? funny, sweet and touching. included. Though that episode is no the very last episode. The short, made by Union Pacific to • Disc Four - Satellite Dishes: As longer available, it was released for a

The shows included in this set are: promote safety among their workers, mentioned earlier, there were some short time in Volume 10, but Toho’s • Experiment 601 – Girls Town shows three examples of people who movies that Shout! Factory just lawyers took umbrage and forced Mike (referring to Mel Torme): He’s like a youthful Jabba the Hut! This first episode from season six features the DVD REVIEW were careless and caused an accident. Mike and the bots have a great time with this, pointing out the ridiculous nature of some couldn’t get the rights to. It makes sense in some cases, like the Godzilla movies or The Space Children (which is owned by Paramount) but the copyright owners of Quest of the Delta Shout! to stop publishing it. Once again Shout! Factory has added some nice featurettes to this collection. First up is Chuck Love and the Anatomy of a Theme, an interview with the man installation of the Umof the setups. This was a Knights (which has only had a VHS who wrote the music to the opening bilicus, a tube that runs from the Sat-ellite of Love JOHN very good short. The feature itself was release in the USA) wouldn’t take a few bucks so the MST version could be and closing themes for the show. It was interesting to hear his reminiscences to Deep 13, and allows items to be sent between SINNOTT decent too, but not a classic. The story revolves released? Okay, whatever. Though Best Brains doesn’t own on creating the iconic songs. There’s also a look at the production of The the Mads and the SoL. It’s around Joey Faust, an the rights to the movies, they do have Amazing Transparent Man in Beyond a nice addition to the show and it will expert safecracker, who is broken out of control of the host segments, and Transparency, and Showdown in Eden be used for the rest of the run of the prison by a mad villain, Paul Krenner. Shout! has graciously put those on Prairie: Their Final Experiment is a short show for various gags. Krenner has a Nazi scientist working the final disc. Overall, it’s three hours’ featurette concerning the final episode

The movie is pretty lame in and of for him to perfect a ray that will make worth of content, and a nice addition of the series. itself, but does have a pretty impressive people invisible, and with that Krenner to the MST collection. The disc cast. It stars Mamie Van Doren, Mel can create an invisible army that can Torme and Paul Anka. There are brief take over the world. The only problem appearances by Harold Lloyd Jr. and is that he needs nuclear materials Charlie Chaplin Jr., and there’s even a secured in highly secured government performance by The Platters. vaults. So he strong-arms Faust to steal

Unfortunately none of them can save them for him, while invisible. The this movie from the dull and plodding, more he gets to know Krenner, the less not to mention predictable, script. Joey likes the man or his mad plan so

One evening Fred (Torme) takes his he schemes to stop him. date to the local make-out spot when This plot is wacky enough to give they see his friend Chip trying to rape the riffers plenty of material, and they a girl. They laugh gently to themselves come up with some good lines. There – good ‘ol Chip is always up to some are several that fall flat, but there are mischief. Fred doesn’t think it so funny more hits than misses. when he discovers that Chip has died, • Experiment 1023 - Diabolik: falling off a cliff after his date pushes Crow: Y’know, this music would be him away. better with women in bikinis shaking it

Having caught a glimpse of the girl, all over the place... well, I guess that’s Chip falsely thinks it was Silver Morgan true of any music, really. (Van Doren) who had defended herself. A bit of a strange choice for the Silver, being out of jail on probation, is last episode, Diabolik is a European brought in for questioning and though crime/action flick based on an Italian she has a solid alibi, she’s given the comic strip. Directed by Mario Bava, choice of going back to jail or being the film follows the adventures of the remanded to Girls Town, a home run master criminal Diabolik, who lives by nuns for young women, mostly in an underground lair where he plots orphans, who are at risk. and schemes to steal money from the

There she has run-ins with the other government and make fools of the girls, but things get worse when she police. discovers that it was her kid sister who While I would have preferred a truly was with Chip on the fatal evening and awful film for their final installment