Election Day video destress party! October 30, 2020 6:54 PM Subscribe
MST Club is planning a marathon of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, shorts and other fun things on November 3 that I'm calling... ELECTRON DAY! It will be in our usual video share room for MeFi members and anyone else to watch! AND Halloween we're doing an impromptu selection of spoo[k|p]y things in that same room! Click through for the deets--
ELECTRON DAY (Nov 3): The theme is science fiction, because it's fun, distant from the electoral politics we're trying to get people to relax over, and because at 9 PM Eastern time we'll be doing our twice-weekly Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode watch, of horrendously bad sci-fi movie MONSTER A-GO-GO, which is legitimately one of the very worst movies ever made, if you have never seen it I don't even want to spoil the amazingly awful ending, possibly the worst movie ending of all time. Of course, if you're a US citizen, you are forbidden from using our programming as an excuse to not vote this year. The stakes are incredibly high! If need be you can put the show on your phone while you're standing in line!
We did something like this four years ago, expecting it to be fairly low key and fun, but as the horrible news rolled in things got sadder and sadder as the full enormity of the awful thing that was about to happen settled in. Things are looking better this year, but they looked pretty good last time, and I feel like I've got some residual PTSD from it. The video room helped me out last time, hopefully it'll help this year too.
On Halloween, we have a much more low-key program planned, basically just some MST episodes and shorts. We might not even have people overtly "running" the thing that night, we've had a lot of shows lately and have ELECTRON DAY three days later. Think of it as snacks and soda, relative to the other's cheese and wine.
And this is as good a time as any to remind that we are still on for Turkey Day 2020 (maybe) and Christmas Marathon 2020 (which honestly is the big one). I try not to litter Talk with these posts, but I'll probably announce the Christmas show when we get closer to it. It'll be our 7th year doing a Christmas show! That's kind of worrying!
ELECTRON DAY (Nov 3): The theme is science fiction, because it's fun, distant from the electoral politics we're trying to get people to relax over, and because at 9 PM Eastern time we'll be doing our twice-weekly Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode watch, of horrendously bad sci-fi movie MONSTER A-GO-GO, which is legitimately one of the very worst movies ever made, if you have never seen it I don't even want to spoil the amazingly awful ending, possibly the worst movie ending of all time. Of course, if you're a US citizen, you are forbidden from using our programming as an excuse to not vote this year. The stakes are incredibly high! If need be you can put the show on your phone while you're standing in line!
We did something like this four years ago, expecting it to be fairly low key and fun, but as the horrible news rolled in things got sadder and sadder as the full enormity of the awful thing that was about to happen settled in. Things are looking better this year, but they looked pretty good last time, and I feel like I've got some residual PTSD from it. The video room helped me out last time, hopefully it'll help this year too.
On Halloween, we have a much more low-key program planned, basically just some MST episodes and shorts. We might not even have people overtly "running" the thing that night, we've had a lot of shows lately and have ELECTRON DAY three days later. Think of it as snacks and soda, relative to the other's cheese and wine.
And this is as good a time as any to remind that we are still on for Turkey Day 2020 (maybe) and Christmas Marathon 2020 (which honestly is the big one). I try not to litter Talk with these posts, but I'll probably announce the Christmas show when we get closer to it. It'll be our 7th year doing a Christmas show! That's kind of worrying!
Things are looking better this year, but they looked pretty good last time, and I feel like I've got some residual PTSD from it.
Thank you for nailing the source of the feeling I've been trying to find words for. Every time I feel optimistic I immediately feel equal-and-opposite dread. In 2020, hope is traumatic.
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:17 PM on October 30, 2020 [12 favorites]
Thank you for nailing the source of the feeling I've been trying to find words for. Every time I feel optimistic I immediately feel equal-and-opposite dread. In 2020, hope is traumatic.
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:17 PM on October 30, 2020 [12 favorites]
Sadly, the time difference between the US and Sweden means that I probably will miss most of this. That said, I am thrilled and excited that it exists and will keep it in mind as I attempt to do everything possible to stay away from all US news for at least the next seven days (for mental health reasons). Yes, indeed, thank you for your service!
posted by Bella Donna at 8:01 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Bella Donna at 8:01 AM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Halloween show went pretty well, it was mostly regulars but that fits in with the impromptu nature of the show, which I had literally decided to do the day before. I hope more people show up for "Electron Day!" My plan is to kick it off at noon, but usually not many people (if any!) show up until the evening.
posted by JHarris at 4:08 AM on November 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 4:08 AM on November 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm off the 3rd because I was planning to work polls (they didn't need me) so I appreciate having something to tune into besides election coverage.
posted by emjaybee at 9:55 AM on November 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by emjaybee at 9:55 AM on November 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Working on the material for the show now, thinking about rolling something to do with the death of Sean Connery into this.
posted by JHarris at 1:05 PM on November 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 1:05 PM on November 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best moments from Zardoz?
posted by biogeo at 2:46 PM on November 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 2:46 PM on November 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Noon EST? I’ll be there mostly likely. Yay!
posted by Bella Donna at 3:24 PM on November 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Bella Donna at 3:24 PM on November 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
The day has arrived, and preparations are almost complete. The playlist is actually running now. No one actually has to be in the room for it to go, but I myself plan to be around starting noon ET.
What can you expect? We have three major kinds of things today:
posted by JHarris at 2:06 AM on November 3, 2020
What can you expect? We have three major kinds of things today:
- Riffing. This takes the form of episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and such.
- Weird movies. Sci-fi strangeness of various types.
- Shorts, mostly riffed, a few weird examples not.
posted by JHarris at 2:06 AM on November 3, 2020
Oh! We should probably try to sneak in Operation Double 007 in there, since it stars Sean's brother Neil Connery, playing a James Bond type!
posted by JHarris at 2:08 AM on November 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 2:08 AM on November 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
I was gonna suggest trying to get a hold of Dr. No. Or Goldfinger.
posted by valkane at 5:54 AM on November 3, 2020
posted by valkane at 5:54 AM on November 3, 2020
I hope it was enjoyable for people! Thanks for making it out!
posted by JHarris at 8:38 PM on November 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 8:38 PM on November 3, 2020 [2 favorites]
Recap:
posted by JHarris at 8:29 AM on November 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
- Top simultaneous viewer count was 15.
- I got to spring Alfonso Bresca's weird but fun (although a bit problematic) Star Odyssey on people.
- MST episodes were Space Mutiny, Monster A-Go Go and (late) Operation Double 007.
- An infamous Sean Connery film had a prominent place.
- We also watched classic Doctor Who serial The Chase, the lowest moment of the Daleks: they get scared off by a haunted house, and one even gets killed by an animatronic Frankenstein's Monster.
- The Five Doctors was also watched, and I have to say, while it's poorly disguised Doctor Who fanfiction, at least it was better than the end of the most recent series, eep.
- Super late we tried watching a Neil Breen film but god that was interminable. His character was an omnipotent computer guy who hangs out in the desert with five laptops apparently controlling the world and with bioterror weapons set up so if he doesn't contact them every three days they'll kill millions and yet he's still the protagonist. It's hard to enjoy movies, even ironically, where the "hero" is a demonstrable asshole but the movie worships him. Thanks to the person who offered it anyway though.
posted by JHarris at 8:29 AM on November 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
Thank you for helping keep me sane! It was exactly what I needed. Up to and including discovering just how much weirder and grosser Zardoz is than I even remembered.
posted by biogeo at 11:47 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by biogeo at 11:47 AM on November 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by biogeo at 7:25 PM on October 30, 2020 [4 favorites]