Rating: 
Summary: "You want the paint in your face? That's optional, ya know"
Review: Here is yet another example of an excellent non-science fiction MST3K episode.
Here's the deal:After an opening credit sequence featuring John Carradine belching out the theme song, Coleman Francis stars as Griffin, an escaped felon who teams up with two illegal tire-changers named Cook and Landis. After they bond over beans and coffee, the trio decide to join up with the local army to invade Cuba. They hire a rather uncharismatic fellow named Cherokee Jack ("I'm Cherokee Jack") to fly them to the military base. After the absolute worst training session in history, which consisted of wrestling, climbing a rope and jumping off a cliff, the impressive force leave for Cuba. The riveting beach landing scene is a close second to Saving Private Ryan's as far as intensity goes (uhhh...not really). As the invasion force of 8 guys gets picked off one by one by the Cubans, led by a faux-Castro in the worst fake beard of all time, Griffin, Cook and Landis are captured along with their injured "friend" Sergeant Justine (Chastain, actually). They have to spend time in a little shack with "Viva Cuba" scrawled on the wall (so you know it's really Cuba), and all the while watch their fellow soldiers get paint thrown in their faces. After an ingenius plan to strangle the guard that gives them a bowl full of water, the guys escape and fly in a plane back to good ole US of A, leaving Justine behind. When they get back home, they track down Justine's wife, who rather naively gives them directions to and offers to help them with the plunder of the family's tungsten mine. Cook and Landis are captured by the cops, Griffin and Mrs. Justine are shot, and Justine himself makes a triumphant return, only to find his dead wife in the back of a pick-up truck. A dark, dark movie, is this one. I really love Mike and Bots treatment of this one. It is so disjointed and mistake-riddled, that it must be hard to sit through, but somehow they manage it, and make it my favorite episode in the process. Much like Mitchell, I think the fact that the main characters are so loathsome, that the writers cruelty was unfettered. A true classic.
Rating:
Summary: "Red Zone...New Mexico?"
Review: RED ZONE CUBA is from the "Coleman Francis Trilogy" of films shown on MST3K's 6th season. Having also seen THE SKYDIVERS, I have to say this is the worst of the two I've seen (though I've heard BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS is worse!). With Dr. F all beat-up, TV's Frank unleashes this film by himself on Mike Nelson and his robot buddies Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo. Following the short SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARNACE (Crow: "POSTURE PALS is the definitive last word on posture."), we are engulfed into RED ZONE CUBA (alias NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE). Mike and the 'bots make fun of the lack of exotic locations (Mike: "So they flew all the way from New Mexico to...New Mexico."), the idiotic army training (Crow: "Is 25 minutes of training really gonna help?"), the age of John Carradine (John: "'61, ah yes." Tom: "Which century?"), the nonexistent plot (Mike: "What needs resolving?" Tom: "There's the guy in the well." Crow: "They gotta do something about Cuba."), and Coleman's resemblence to Curly Howard of Three Stooges fame (Crow: "Moe's gonna be mad!"). Not to be missed are Crow's nature documentary handling of Coleman's death ("And when a Curly dies in the wild, he makes food for other Curlies."), Dr. F's manhandling by the mob who mistake him for Frank, and Mike's lapsing into Carol Channing (ew!). The only bad thing is the stinger which is a shot of a morbid resturant owner's daugher. My friend who I mentioned in my POD PEOPLE review watched this with me and we were rolling on the floor laughing. Reccomended to people who are already MSTies. Newbies might not handle the MANOS-like badness of this one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest, funniest episodes. A must have!
Review: This DVD of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" offer up the movie "Red Zone Cuba" (which was originally released under the title "Night Train to Mundo Finé"). This awful, incomprehensible, and completely bizarre 1961 film (re-released in 1965) made for one the greatest episodes of the show. This is classic comedy, a must-have for fans, and a must-see for anyone who has never watched an episode of this hysterical TV program. For those of you unfamiliar with "Mystery Science Theater 3000," (MST3K for short) it is a ninety-minute show featuring a silhouette of a man and two robots in movie theater seats projected in front of a terrible movie. The hosts provide side-splitting, satiric, and culturally-savvy wisecracks to accompany the movie. Each episode also includes sketches and songs and adds up to some of the most hilarious comedy you will ever see. This DVD offers up episode #619, from late in the show's run on Comedy Central. Mike Nelson had been the host for a full season at this point, and he had really hit his stride with his two robot co-hosts (Tom Servo, voiced by Kevin Murphy, and Crow T. Robot, voiced by Trace Beaulieu). The riffing is razor sharp and wickedly biting, and "Red Zone Cuba" is possibly the best Mike Nelson episode of all time. This is the second of three movies from director Coleman Francis that MST3K took on. Thanks to his exposure on the show, Mr. Francis has become a bad-movie legend on the level of Ed Wood. But Coleman Francis's flicks make Ed Wood's look like Stanley Kubrick movies by comparison! Coleman Francis was originally a bit-part movie actor, appearing in many Westerns and other b-programmers in the 40s and 50s. He decided to take a crack at movie directing himself, and along with his producer/drinking buddy Anthony Cardoza, crafted three mind-numbingly horrendous yet startlingly bizarre films: "The Skydivers," (available in DVD the collection: "Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. 1), this movie, and "The Beast of Yucca Flats" (not on DVD, but it should be some day). Francis's films have a weird atmosphere: bleakly washed-out gray, packed with scenes of cars approaching, planes landing, people walking, bursts of sound and silence, and plots that are impossible to follow. The acting, from Francis's buddies like Tony Cardoza, is so wooden as to be unbelievable (third grade Christmas pageants have better acting), and the characters are so inexplicably bizarre and the editing so blunt ("I think my neck just got snapped in that jump cut!" Mike screams at one point) that his films seems to take place in another universe. In the hands of the MST3K team, his movies achieve a level of sublime comic entertainment. "Red Zone Cuba" is Francis's finest (in other words, worst) hour. A runaway convict named Griffin (played by the greasy, obese Mr. Francis himself) joins two drifters, Landis and Cook, somewhere in New Mexico. They fly down to Florida (which looks like New Mexico) to join the Bay of Pigs invasion. It fails because the U.S. only hires eight insurgents and gives them twenty minutes of training in how to jump before unleashing them on Cuba. Imprisoned in Cuba (which looks like New Mexico), Griffin and his buddies stage a daring escape, fly all the way to...New Mexico, I guess...and then stuff a guy down a well, find a mountain of pitch blend, have trouble with a convertible top... Well look, your guess is as good as mine as to what in the heck is going on in this film. I can't really describe what a wonderful experience this movie is with the MST3K team heckling along. Oh, and did I mention John Carradine pops up in a cameo and actually sings? Because he does! The film eventually drives Mike Nelson insane, and he thinks he's Carol Channing. As a bonus, the MST3K boys watch a short film before the movie, "Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance," designed to help the salesman of the 50s present a speech effectively by putting his hands on his knees and rotating them. (I'm not kidding.) As with most short films on MST3K, this one is hilarious. If you are new to MST3K, this is one of the best episodes to start with - it's as funny as they come! If you are fan, this is one of the MUST HAVES of the whole series run. But you already know that, Cherokee Jack!
Rating: 
Summary: Night Train To Mundo Fine...
Review: This is, quite possibly, the worst movie evr put on mst3k. Yes, even worse than "Manos." First off,the acting,as always, is too horrible to comprehend. Second, the plot is about as lucid as Courtney Love is chaste. First, we're in New Mexico, then we're suddenly in Florida for Army training, which lasts all of two minutes. Then they're fighting Castro himself (yeah,right), only to be captured and sent to what looks like the world's most easily escapable tool shed. They fly back home, and start killing people for no reason, and that takes up the last fifty percent of the movie. Did they even need to go to Cuba? Worst of all, the editing is terrible. Certain shots happen twice in a row, many crucial scenes are skipped over, and the films so riddled with jump-cuts you'll break your neck just watching it. Needless to say, Mike & co. deliver some choice commentary. Unfortunately, it's not as funny as it could be, which is why it gets four stars. Still, for the avid mistie, it's a great way to kill some time. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: 'Mundo Fine' is right
Review: A song in this film (and the movie's alternate title) is 'Night Train to Mundo Fine,' which my rudimentary Spanish translates to 'End of the World.' Even if that's not exactly right, it should be, since that's where films by director Coleman Francis tend to take us. Like 'Skydivers' and other Francis films MST3K has featured, 'Red Zone Cuba' is an exercise in confusion and despair. The 'acting' (really, standing around and mumbling lines) is bad, the editing worse, and the plot seems never to have made it onto the set. Fortunately, the bleakness is leavened somewhat by a great little short, 'Platform Posture and Appearance,' which highlights two favorite topics of MSTed shorts, posture and public speaking, and the classic 'Happy Upbeat Song' the Bots perform at the end. This is a decent example of MST as it approached the end of its Comedy Central years. Not one of their absolute best, but still worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE!!!!!!!
Review: Oh, man. This is a painful one. Production values worse than Manos. Plot less coherent than The Hellcats. Coleman Francis. And theme song sung by John "Oh, to be blessed with such an instrument" Carradine! I personally love this movie, as it is THE worst example of film production I have ever seen, but it isn't for everyone....you have to work up to this one....if you can watch Manos and Hobgoblins back to back, you are ready to try this one. Do not use sharp implements after viewing. Interestingly enough, I recently had the opportunity to speak to Mike Nelson. I asked him which were his most and least favorite episodes were. He said this was, by far, his least favorite because "It's basically watching three guys in a room talking for an hour." He is, of course, correct. This is why you must be prepared for the stench that is Red Zone Cuba.
Rating:
Summary: "Red Zone...New Mexico?"
Review: RED ZONE CUBA is from the "Coleman Francis Trilogy" of films shown on MST3K's 6th season. Having also seen THE SKYDIVERS, I have to say this is the worst of the two I've seen (though I've heard BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS is worse!). With Dr. F all beat-up, TV's Frank unleashes this film by himself on Mike Nelson and his robot buddies Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo. Following the short SPEECH: PLATFORM POSTURE AND APPEARNACE (Crow: "POSTURE PALS is the definitive last word on posture."), we are engulfed into RED ZONE CUBA (alias NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE). Mike and the 'bots make fun of the lack of exotic locations (Mike: "So they flew all the way from New Mexico to...New Mexico."), the idiotic army training (Crow: "Is 25 minutes of training really gonna help?"), the age of John Carradine (John: "'61, ah yes." Tom: "Which century?"), the nonexistent plot (Mike: "What needs resolving?" Tom: "There's the guy in the well." Crow: "They gotta do something about Cuba."), and Coleman's resemblence to Curly Howard of Three Stooges fame (Crow: "Moe's gonna be mad!"). Not to be missed are Crow's nature documentary handling of Coleman's death ("And when a Curly dies in the wild, he makes food for other Curlies."), Dr. F's manhandling by the mob who mistake him for Frank, and Mike's lapsing into Carol Channing (ew!). The only bad thing is the stinger which is a shot of a morbid resturant owner's daugher. My friend who I mentioned in my POD PEOPLE review watched this with me and we were rolling on the floor laughing. Reccomended to people who are already MSTies. Newbies might not handle the MANOS-like badness of this one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the MST3K top ten best.
Review: Some of the best MST3K episodes focus on films that have the Cold War as its subject (Invasion USA, e.g.)or when the entire production team takes itself so damned seriously (Cave Dwellers). In RED ZONE CUBA, Mike and the 'bots have the best of both worlds. A jailbreak movie that turns into a "road movie" that turns into commie-baiting, Cold War paranoia movie, RED ZONE CUBA must have been a field day for Mike and the other writers. For that reason alone, this skewering would rank among my top ten favorite episodes. But it's also the "bumper" scenes between commercial breaks that are a riot here. In that sense, I got the best of both worlds.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest, funniest episodes. A must have!
Review: This DVD of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" offer up the movie "Red Zone Cuba" (which was originally released under the title "Night Train to Mundo Finé"). This awful, incomprehensible, and completely bizarre 1961 film (re-released in 1965) made for one the greatest episodes of the show. This is classic comedy, a must-have for fans, and a must-see for anyone who has never watched an episode of this hysterical TV program. For those of you unfamiliar with "Mystery Science Theater 3000," (MST3K for short) it is a ninety-minute show featuring a silhouette of a man and two robots in movie theater seats projected in front of a terrible movie. The hosts provide side-splitting, satiric, and culturally-savvy wisecracks to accompany the movie. Each episode also includes sketches and songs and adds up to some of the most hilarious comedy you will ever see. This DVD offers up episode #619, from late in the show's run on Comedy Central. Mike Nelson had been the host for a full season at this point, and he had really hit his stride with his two robot co-hosts (Tom Servo, voiced by Kevin Murphy, and Crow T. Robot, voiced by Trace Beaulieu). The riffing is razor sharp and wickedly biting, and "Red Zone Cuba" is possibly the best Mike Nelson episode of all time. This is the second of three movies from director Coleman Francis that MST3K took on. Thanks to his exposure on the show, Mr. Francis has become a bad-movie legend on the level of Ed Wood. But Coleman Francis's flicks make Ed Wood's look like Stanley Kubrick movies by comparison! Coleman Francis was originally a bit-part movie actor, appearing in many Westerns and other b-programmers in the 40s and 50s. He decided to take a crack at movie directing himself, and along with his producer/drinking buddy Anthony Cardoza, crafted three mind-numbingly horrendous yet startlingly bizarre films: "The Skydivers," (available in DVD the collection: "Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. 1), this movie, and "The Beast of Yucca Flats" (not on DVD, but it should be some day). Francis's films have a weird atmosphere: bleakly washed-out gray, packed with scenes of cars approaching, planes landing, people walking, bursts of sound and silence, and plots that are impossible to follow. The acting, from Francis's buddies like Tony Cardoza, is so wooden as to be unbelievable (third grade Christmas pageants have better acting), and the characters are so inexplicably bizarre and the editing so blunt ("I think my neck just got snapped in that jump cut!" Mike screams at one point) that his films seems to take place in another universe. In the hands of the MST3K team, his movies achieve a level of sublime comic entertainment. "Red Zone Cuba" is Francis's finest (in other words, worst) hour. A runaway convict named Griffin (played by the greasy, obese Mr. Francis himself) joins two drifters, Landis and Cook, somewhere in New Mexico. They fly down to Florida (which looks like New Mexico) to join the Bay of Pigs invasion. It fails because the U.S. only hires eight insurgents and gives them twenty minutes of training in how to jump before unleashing them on Cuba. Imprisoned in Cuba (which looks like New Mexico), Griffin and his buddies stage a daring escape, fly all the way to...New Mexico, I guess...and then stuff a guy down a well, find a mountain of pitch blend, have trouble with a convertible top... Well look, your guess is as good as mine as to what in the heck is going on in this film. I can't really describe what a wonderful experience this movie is with the MST3K team heckling along. Oh, and did I mention John Carradine pops up in a cameo and actually sings? Because he does! The film eventually drives Mike Nelson insane, and he thinks he's Carol Channing. As a bonus, the MST3K boys watch a short film before the movie, "Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance," designed to help the salesman of the 50s present a speech effectively by putting his hands on his knees and rotating them. (I'm not kidding.) As with most short films on MST3K, this one is hilarious. If you are new to MST3K, this is one of the best episodes to start with - it's as funny as they come! If you are fan, this is one of the MUST HAVES of the whole series run. But you already know that, Cherokee Jack!
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Classic
Review: Red Zone Cuba is, along with Manos The Hand of Fate, the best MST3k episode hands down. I would say Deathstalkers would be in the top three as well. The pace is slow and pointless. The dialouge meaningless and bordering on psychotic. It is such a pointless and non-sensical film you just have to turn away at points. Who could forget these lines: " My mother was a wood duck" " I'm Cherokee Jack" " Water, sick man, thirsty" Who could forget the classic scene with the old man and the well? The blind piano player? The invasion of Cuba? The prisoner camp at "Cuba"? The tire changing scence? The scene where you just hear crickets for 5 minutes and nothing else? How about the scene where they smoke cigarettes? How about the great scene where they "fly" from New Mecixo to New Mexico? How about the "dirt and the drainpipe" scene? The truth is, this is a hilarous, hilarious MST3k episode. It will make you spit up your drink and hit the floor in laughter. the cast is so stupid, the writing so poor and the editing so akward you won't believe it. " Hi,I'm Cherokee Jack"
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