Cinematic Titanic

Cinematic Titanic
Cinematic Titanic logo
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
Release date(s)	December 22, 2007
Running time	Approx. 90 min.
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.^[3] These include Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff and Mary Jo Pehl.^[4] It was first performed live on December 7, 2007 and first aired on December 22, 2007.

Description

The cast of Cinematic Titanic at a live show

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.^[5] Visual gags are frequent (such as Beaulieu's use of a cherry picker in The Oozing Skull), and there are two or three host segments per episode, all performed in silhouette.

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.^[6] 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.

Relation to RiffTrax

Michael J. Nelson, who took over as the star of MST3K upon Hodgson's departure from the show, has his own movie-riff series, titled RiffTrax. Nelson's project produces riffs for a wide variety of films, including many current and well-known movies, such as Twilight, The Matrix and Lord of the Rings.^[3] He then posts the audio for sale on the RiffTrax website.

The fact that Cinematic Titanic involves almost every MST3K writer and performer aside from Nelson, Kevin Murphy, 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. Speaking with Associated Content in 2009, Mary Jo Pehl, who has worked in both projects, denied knowledge of any animosity between the Cinematic Titanic and RiffTrax groups. "I have no idea if there's some sort of family feud between the Joel vs. Mike factions. If there is, people ought to find better things to do with their time, like debating which way the toilet paper should hang on the spindle, or if the opening of pillow cases should face the outside of the bed or the inside when placed. RT does their thing, and Cinematic Titanic does theirs."

When asked about potential collaborations with those involved in RiffTrax, Hodgson told New York magazine, "I don’t know. I think those guys — Bill, Kevin and Mike — are really talented, obviously. I think anything’s possible, but I thought it might get confusing to try to merge them together or do crossover projects. I would never rule it out because it’s all kind of the same universe. But RiffTrax, the idea of riffing on topical movies, is a different thing. And I like that the movie-riffing universe got bigger when they decided to do that, but we just do weird movies you’ve never seen before."^[7]

Studio / "Live" DVDs

The cast riff on the movie East Meets Watts at a live show in NYC

In a question and answer session at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, it was announced that Cinematic Titanic would begin to release recordings from their live shows as "Live" DVDs in an effort to bring the energy of their on stage antics into people's living rooms and further promote the stage show. When asked if this meant the demise of the studio produced DVDs, J. Elvis Weinstein said, "No, studio releases will return at some point in the future." The first of these "Live" DVDs to be released was East Meets Watts, which was recorded in front of a live audience during one of the group's performances in Los Angeles.

Releases

Release history

The first live performance was a private show for employees of Industrial Light & Magic on December 7, 2007.^[4] After the live show, the cast reworked some jokes, delaying the original December 10 release date. The first 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.^[5] 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.^[8]

Release list

Releases 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	02007-12-21 December 21, 2007	01972 1972	Original release called Brain of Blood, changed per producer's request.
The Doomsday Machine	02008-06-19 June 19, 2008	01972 1972	[9]
The Wasp Woman	02008-08-07 August 7, 2008	01959-10-30 October 30, 1959	A film by the "B-Movie King" Roger Corman[10]
Legacy of Blood	02008-10-09 October 9, 2008	01971-03-17 March 17, 1971	Original release called Blood Legacy.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians	02008-11-20 November 20, 2008	01964-11-14 November 14, 1964	The film had previously appeared on an episode of MST3K.
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks	02009-01-08 January 8, 2009	01974-02-19 February 19, 1974
Blood of the Vampires	02009-03-19 March 19, 2009	01966 1966	Original release called Whisper to the Wind.
East Meets Watts	02009-12-16 December 16, 2009	01974-05 May 1974	First DVD featuring a live performance rather than a studio version.[11] The film was titled The Dynamite Brothers at the live shows.
The Alien Factor	02010-02-23 February 23, 2010	01976 1976	Second DVD to feature a live performance.[12]
Danger on Tiki Island	02010-06-15 June 15, 2010[13]	01968 1968	Third live DVD; originally titled Brides of Blood.
War of the Insects	TBA	01968-11-09 November 9, 1968	Also known as Genocide.[14]
Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World	TBA	01961-10-31 October 31, 1961	Original release called Maciste alla corte del Gran Khan.
Rattlers	TBA	01976-04-23 April 23, 1976	Riffed under its original title, Rattlers.[15]
The Astral Factor	TBA	01976 1976	Riffed under its original title, The Astral Factor.[16]

List of live shows

The following is an incomplete list of live performances by Cinematic Titanic.

Date	Movie	City	State	Notes
02007-12-07 December 7, 2007	The Oozing Skull	San Francisco	CA	Private show for Industrial Light & Magic employees.[4]
02008-04-26 April 26, 2008	The Wasp Woman	Dallas	TX	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.
02008-06-21 June 21, 2008	The Doomsday Machine	Hollywood	CA	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.
02008-10-25 October 25, 2008	Blood of the Vampires	Minneapolis	MN	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.
02008-11-01 November 1, 2008	Santa Claus Conquers the Martians	St. Charles	MO	Public show at the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was the film shown, and Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act.
02008-12-18 December 18, 2008	Santa Claus Conquers the Martians	Chicago	IL	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.
02008-12-19 December 19, 2008	Blood of the Vampires	Chicago	IL	7:30 pm show
02008-12-19 December 19, 2008	Blood of the Vampires	Chicago	IL	10:30 pm show
02008-12-20 December 20, 2008	Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks	Chicago	IL	7:30 pm show
02008-12-20 December 20, 2008	Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks	Chicago	IL	10:30 pm show
02009-02-13 February 13, 2009		San Francisco	CA	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.
02009-02-14 February 14, 2009	East Meets Watts	San Francisco	CA
02009-02-19 February 19, 2009	War of the Insects	Royal Oak	MI	Two public shows at the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, MI. The first show was War of The Insects, followed by Samson and The Seven Miracles of The World. 30 minutes into the first film, the screen went black. Music Theatre staff scrambled for 5 minutes or so to re-establish visuals, giving the group time to ad-lib (most commonly at Detroit's expense). Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act.
02009-02-19 February 19, 2009	Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World	Royal Oak	MI
02009-02-20 February 20, 2009	Blood of the Vampires	Somerville	MA	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.
02009-02-21 February 21, 2009	East Meets Watts	Somerville	MA
02009-05-22 May 22, 2009	East Meets Watts	Mesa	AZ	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.
02009-05-23 May 23, 2009	Danger on Tiki Island	Mesa	AZ
02009-06-12 June 12, 2009	The Alien Factor	Philadelphia	PA	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.
02009-06-13 June 13, 2009	Danger on Tiki Island	Philadelphia	PA
02009-09-10 September 10, 2009	East Meets Watts	Chicago	IL	Three public shows at the Lakeshore Theater in Chicago, IL, with East Meets Watts (movie title of Dynamite Brothers), The Alien Factor, and Brides of Blood billed as Danger on Tiki Island, with Dave (Gruber) Allen and the "Best of" reel.
02009-09-11 September 11, 2009	The Alien Factor	Chicago	IL
02009-09-12 September 12, 2009	Danger on Tiki Island	Chicago	IL
02010-02-20 February 20, 2010	War of the Insects	Milwaukee	WI	Two public shows in Milwaukee, WI at Turner Hall. The 7:00pm show featured Genocide [1] billed as War of the Insects, and was sold out, according to the Turner Hall website, and an announcement at the start of the show. This show is notable not only as a return for Joel to his home state of Wisconsin (he was born in Stevens Point, and grew up in Fort Atkinson and Green Bay,) but also because it was his 50th birthday. The enthusiastic crowd sang "Happy Birthday to You" for him. The 10:30pm show featured Samson and the 7 Miracles [2]. Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act, with a special appearance at the 10:30pm show by actor/comedian Patton Oswalt, who had just finished performing in town, and was recommended to come see the performance. Oswalt gave a short opener prior to the start of the film. Cast members were on hand to sign autographs after both shows.
02010-02-20 February 20, 2010	Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World	Milwaukee	WI
02010-04-15 April 15, 2010	Danger on Tiki Island	Northampton	MA	One public show at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA with Brides of Blood billed as Danger on Tiki Island, Dave (Gruber) Allen performed as the warm-up act.
02010-04-16 April 16, 2010	War of the Insects	Princeton	NJ	One sold-out public shows at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, with Genocide [3] billed as War of the Insects.
02010-04-17 April 17, 2010	Danger on Tiki Island	Manhattan, New York City	NY	One sold out public show at the Nokia Theater in Manhattan, NY, with Brides of Blood billed as Danger on Tiki Island, with Dave (Gruber).
02010-10-29 October 29, 2010	Rattlers	Boston	MA	One public show at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA, where they premiered their treatment of the movie Rattlers.
02011-01-29 January 29, 2011	The Alien Factor	Concord	NH	Two public shows at the Chubb Theatre in Concord, NH, where patrons could buy tickets for either an early (7:00PM) show or a late (9:30PM) show. There was a discounted "double feature" price for those wanting to see both shows. The early show was the movie The Alien Factor and the late show was the movie Genocide [4] billed as War of the Insects. J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff, Trace Beaulieu and Mary Jo Pehl, in that order, all performed warmup material.
02011-01-29 January 29, 2011	War of the Insects	Concord	NH
02011-02-19 February 19, 2011	Rattlers	Milwaukee	WI	One public show at the Pabst Theater
02011-03-30 March 30, 2011	Blood of the Vampires	Newark	NJ	One public show at the Victoria Theatre.
02011-03-31 March 31, 2011	The Doomsday Machine	Newark	NJ	Two public shows at the Victoria Theatre.
02011-03-31 March 31, 2011	The Astral Factor	Newark	NJ
02011-04-19 April 19, 2011	The Alien Factor	Princeton	NJ	One public show at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ with The Alien Factor and warmup material from the cast, including a live performance of the Mystery Science Theater theme song.
02011-05-06 May 6, 2011	Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World	San Francisco	CA	Two public shows at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CA. The early show was Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World; the late show was Rattlers. Warmup material by Mary Jo Pehl & Dave Gruber, Frank Conniff, and Trace Beaulieu & J. Elvis Weinstein, finishing up with a performance of the MST theme song by Hodgson and Weinstein.
02011-05-06 May 6, 2011	Rattlers	San Francisco	CA

See also

• RiffTrax
• The Film Crew
• Mystery Science Theater 3000

References

1. ^ 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 2008-06-15. 
2. ^ Ellis, Mary Beth (November 18, 2007). "Ex ‘MST3K’ stars, writers fill hole left by show". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21761730/. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Hoevel, Ann (September 6, 2010). "Cinematic Titanic's struggle with 'Weisenheimer's'". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/09/06/dragoncon.cinematic.titanic/index.html. Retrieved September 6, 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Hodgson, Joel. "Greetings Friends". Cinematic Titanic. Archived from the original on 2007-11-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20071119161559/http://www.cinematictitanic.com/page11.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02. 
5. ^ ^{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 2007-12-15. 
6. ^ 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 2008-12-11. 
7. ^ Joseph Brannigan Lynch (April 16, 2010). "Mystery Science Theater 3000's Joel Hodgson on His Second Go-Round As a Movie-Mocker". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/04/joel_hodgson_interview.html. Retrieved April 29, 2010. 
8. ^ Hodgson, Joel. "It's on!". Cinematic Titanic. http://cinematictitanic.com/wpmu/blog/2007/12/21/its-on/. Retrieved 2007-12-21. 
9. ^ "Cinematic Titanic Episode Two Promo - Doomsday Machine" (video). YouTube. Cinematic Titanic. 22 May 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc2eAZV2Mn0. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
10. ^ 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 2008-08-07. 
11. ^ "Live Cinematic Titanic DVD Coming; New Tour Dates Announced". Satellite News. 2009-12-09. http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=4516. 
12. ^ "Next from Cinematic Titanic…". Satellite News. 2010-02-16. http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=5070. 
13. ^ "Show Guide - Danger on Tiki Island". Cinematic Titanic. http://www.cinematictitanic.com/showguide.php. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
14. ^ "Live Tour". Cinematic Titanic. http://www.cinematictitanic.com/livetour.php. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
15. ^ "Live Tour". Cinematic Titanic. http://www.cinematictitanic.com/livetour.php. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
16. ^ "Live Tour". Cinematic Titanic. http://www.cinematictitanic.com/livetour.php. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 

External links

• Cinematic Titanic
• Official Youtube
• The Cinematic Titanic Wiki
• MST3K.info for Cinematic Titanic

Interviews

• Interview with Joel Hodgson at IFC.com
• Interview at StarWars.com

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