Rating: 
Summary: Another excellent assortment of MST fun!
Review: Just as with the first MST DVD Collection, someone did a fine job choosing the four discs to include in this collection. "Pod People" and "Cave Dwellers" are both excellent episodes from Joel Hodgson's tenure on the program and perennial fan favorites. And while "Angels' Revenge" (I can't get used to leaving out the apostrophe) is not as remarkable a product of the Mike years, it's still a pretty good show, memorable mainly for the cheesy "Charlie's Angels" knock-off it featured. The short-subject films that frequently graced MST episodes were the venue for some of the show's best comedy, and the "Shorts" disc brings together examples from seasons three through seven for some seriously good entertainment.As other reviewers have noted, these DVDs don't include the uncut versions of the movies that were included in the first collection. But that hardly seems to matter. The real MST fan has always been more interested in the host's and the bots' reactions to the films than in the films themselves. And while that may encapsulate some film fans' objections to MST in the first place, it doesn't take away from the greatness of the show or the value of this collection. If you don't already have these episodes on video from Rhino or on your own carefully-hoarded tapes made so long ago -- or, heck, even if you do! -- this is a great set to add to your MST shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Rhino Misses Mark on Volume 2
Review: Last year I made a discovery... MST3K. Well, not really, I'd been watching the episodes for years. I only became VERY interested last year because I discovered Rhino had started issuing the MST episodes on DVD and including the original unedited films on the flip-side of the disks. The first four episodes Rhino put on DVD, I Accuse My Parents, Red Zone Cuba, Mitchell and Manos had lacked this feature and I had not been interested in getting those. As a collector of odd-ball films I own a ton (many of them are Rhino tapes), but when Rhino started putting out double-sided DVD disks I became a died-in-wool MST collector too because for me the MSTied versions are like really, really good commentary tracks added to the disks. They are the kind of commentary tracks that all good DVD commentary tracks should aspire to be! But now I discovered beginning with MST3K - Collection Volume 2, Rhino has reverted to the old practice of only one-sided disks!! Shame!! Tragedy!! On top of that, they've left the retail price in the same ballpark as the first collection which contained both versions of each film! Oh yeah, I've read posts from others, "Rhino doesn't need to put the un-MSTied versions on the disks, those films are not worth viewing anyway! TRUE MST fans only want the MST episodes, blah, blah, blah…" Well, here is one person who is really saddened that Rhino has lowered the value of their disks (and not lowered the price!) Shame! Who was the marketing genius at Rhino who dreamed this one up? I think there are other folks like me who enjoyed having the original films on the disks. I thought Rhino staff were people who (like me) who had a genuine love for off-beat cinema! Maybe Rhino has marketing-types running the show at company headquarters now instead of people who have a love for the product. Here's the short version: Rhino won me over by putting out MST WITH the uncut films. Yes I'm still a big MST fan, but when allocating scarce dollars I will think twice about what gets purchased first. You know what? I don't own any of the single-sided disks. Rhino can sit on 'em! I'll buy them when they show up in the $5 cut-out bins. Pisstified in S.F., Bob Burns
Rating:
Summary: Rhino Misses Mark on Volume 2
Review: Last year I made a discovery... MST3K. Well, not really, I'd been watching the episodes for years. I only became VERY interested last year because I discovered Rhino had started issuing the MST episodes on DVD and including the original unedited films on the flip-side of the disks. The first four episodes Rhino put on DVD, I Accuse My Parents, Red Zone Cuba, Mitchell and Manos had lacked this feature and I had not been interested in getting those. As a collector of odd-ball films I own a ton (many of them are Rhino tapes), but when Rhino started putting out double-sided DVD disks I became a died-in-wool MST collector too because for me the MSTied versions are like really, really good commentary tracks added to the disks. They are the kind of commentary tracks that all good DVD commentary tracks should aspire to be! But now I discovered beginning with MST3K - Collection Volume 2, Rhino has reverted to the old practice of only one-sided disks!! Shame!! Tragedy!! On top of that, they've left the retail price in the same ballpark as the first collection which contained both versions of each film! Oh yeah, I've read posts from others, "Rhino doesn't need to put the un-MSTied versions on the disks, those films are not worth viewing anyway! TRUE MST fans only want the MST episodes, blah, blah, blah…" Well, here is one person who is really saddened that Rhino has lowered the value of their disks (and not lowered the price!) Shame! Who was the marketing genius at Rhino who dreamed this one up? I think there are other folks like me who enjoyed having the original films on the disks. I thought Rhino staff were people who (like me) who had a genuine love for off-beat cinema! Maybe Rhino has marketing-types running the show at company headquarters now instead of people who have a love for the product. Here's the short version: Rhino won me over by putting out MST WITH the uncut films. Yes I'm still a big MST fan, but when allocating scarce dollars I will think twice about what gets purchased first. You know what? I don't own any of the single-sided disks. Rhino can sit on 'em! I'll buy them when they show up in the $5 cut-out bins. Pisstified in S.F., Bob Burns
Rating:
Summary: Those are big dogs!
Review: Oh what a beautiful day! Angels Revenge, Cave Dwellers, Pod People, & Shorts Vol. 1 together in one glorious set. Three of these titles are personal favorites and the fourth (Cave Dwellers) has some good momemts. Angels Revenge: What do you get when you add 7 busty babes, the skipper (Alan Hale), Mr. Haney (Pat Buttram), Thurston Howell (Jim Backus), Peter Lawford and Jack Palance? A laughable piece of poorly acted fluff. The seven jump-suited hunnies (they looked like Evil Kneivel groupies) couldn't act their way out of a paper bag. The plot(?) revolves around these curvacious cuties deciding that they'd take on a drug cartel run by Peter Lawford and his main henchman Jack Palance. Mike and the bots are spot on with their riffing throughout. It makes you cringe seeing poor Jim Backus, a beloved character, sentenced to do this movie. Cave Dwellers: Stars Miles O'Keefe in your typical low budget sword & sorcery flic. The movie is slow, confusing, and poorly acted but the segments by Joel & bots are priceless. In particular, their version of the movie's opening sequence with credits. Pod People: What a disjointed collection of celluloid! The movie jumps around more than a jackrabbit on pcp. The story, such as it is, starts with a light in the sky crashing to earth. Three poachers cross paths with some goofy looking alien. Of course these dullards try to kill these long snouted bipedal creatures. A small boy with an annoying voice finds an alien egg and decides to take it home. It hatchs and lil' Trumpy is born. Meanwhile, the movie goes way out in leftfield by jumping to some putrid "rock" group singing the most incomprehensible song. Oh forget it! Joel & co. do a great job dissecting this corpse of a movie. Shorts Vol. 1: Some of the best MST moments are these hilarious education shorts from the 50's & 60's. A sometimes innocent, sometimes disturbing window into America at that time. Buy this volume when it is released, you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: chief?
Review: ok look. even if i told you these movies [are bad]. even if i said "these are the worst mst3k episodes i've ever seen." even if i said that the case fell apart in my hands and ants poured out and ate me alive, you'd still buy it.
youre here because youre an mst3k fan. so stop with the foreplay and go shell out for this one. if you think it costs too much, take the price and divide by 4. thats the amount youre paying for each movie. not too bad.
get it!
oh, and by the way, the guy that said the cases were hard to use... i agree. whatcha gotta do (what worked for me) is you press down the center thingy, and pull up on the upper edge of the dvd. pops right out.
"good? he's the BEST!" -tvs frank
Rating:
Summary: MST3K lives on
Review: Rhino brings us three more great MST3K episodes and MST3K shorts collection 1 in this handy dandy boxed set.
it's well worth the price for any MSTie. the only problem i've had with these are the packaging rhino chose to put the dvds in. I've found the packaging is so tight and poorly constructed, that it's difficult to remove the DVDs, so much so that i've cracked the inner ring of the DVDs and scratched the surface of it struggling to get them out. i know this makes me sound ..., but i assure you, these cases are pretty .... otherwise, hooray for the re-releasing of MST3k!
Rating:
Summary: Keep circulating the DVDs, Rhino!
Review: Rhino continues producing MST3K boxed sets, and I can't thank them enough. They foster my MST collecting habit with each release. I adore the boxed sets and recommed them for any devoted MiSTie. That said, on to the Film Blecch in this set. Angels Revenge (bad puctuation not mine): a blatant, charm-free Charlie's Angels poser. The 'angels' aren't even remotely attractive, but they use their womenly wiles to bring down the drug trade. The real surprise in this one is the --ahem-- famous names, like Jim Backus, Alan Hale (he's shown up in a BUNCH of MST-treated flicks), and good heavens--Mr. Haney. Summary: cheesy 70s T&A theme flick, with as little story as possible, so as not to burden the audience. A dippy teacher rounds up a model, a scary stuntwoman, a lousy Vegas singer, and some other person to defeat the pushers. This one takes more than one viewing to enjoy the jokes, because it is JUST that bad. Cave Dwellers: Rhino was smart to package this movie in the set that houses its sibling, Pod People. This cinematic train wreck has the same jumbled production values of Pod People--you'll recognize it immediately. Signature element: scenes from some other movie play behind the opening credits. Cave Dwellers gave Miles O'Keefe a set of fringed boots, a tiny loincloth, and not much else. You will HOWL during the host segment when Joel & the Bots do a half-screen action sequence of the guy with the fruity hat.
Summary: ?? go to the ends of the earth, and you still won't get what this turkey is about. Images not to be missed: Ator & Thong's fight with invisible monsters, Ator hangliding, and the scene with the "Most Attractive Man of the Middle Ages--MY MY MY!" Ultimately, there is a short bit of the actual Cave Dwellers, but the film has zero to do with them. ?? Pod People: HUZZAH! A real crapfest, complete with a bargain basement Alf wannabe. Can you imagine the pitch for this film? I think it must've gone like this: let's have a cuddly but murderous alien, a bad rock band, a weird mountain family with a poorly dubbed child, and OH! for extra spice, POACHERS! If this leaves you saying, "What the hell?" -- you are ready to watch the movie.
Summary: cuddly Alf-like killers inconvenience a bad rock group's weekend in the mountains. Shorts, Vol 1: the best Shorts volume, IMHO. This set of shorts has actual hosting by Tom and includes The Home Economics Story, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, Body Care & Grooming (they're cops!), Cheating, A Date with Your Family, and Why Study Industrial Arts? A Date with Your Family is my personal favorite--"A violent argument erupts over whose day was more pleasant." This short couldn't get any whiter if it tried. Life in the 50s as introduced to us by the MST cast! A great boxed set--pop the popcorn and get ready for cinema's disasters to spin in your player. A must for MST collectors, and even the box design is cute!
Rating:
Summary: Keep circulating the DVDs, Rhino!
Review: Rhino continues producing MST3K boxed sets, and I can't thank them enough. They foster my MST collecting habit with each release. I adore the boxed sets and recommed them for any devoted MiSTie. That said, on to the Film Blecch in this set. Angels Revenge (bad puctuation not mine): a blatant, charm-free Charlie's Angels poser. The 'angels' aren't even remotely attractive, but they use their womenly wiles to bring down the drug trade. The real surprise in this one is the --ahem-- famous names, like Jim Backus, Alan Hale (he's shown up in a BUNCH of MST-treated flicks), and good heavens--Mr. Haney. Summary: cheesy 70s T&A theme flick, with as little story as possible, so as not to burden the audience. A dippy teacher rounds up a model, a scary stuntwoman, a lousy Vegas singer, and some other person to defeat the pushers. This one takes more than one viewing to enjoy the jokes, because it is JUST that bad. Cave Dwellers: Rhino was smart to package this movie in the set that houses its sibling, Pod People. This cinematic train wreck has the same jumbled production values of Pod People--you'll recognize it immediately. Signature element: scenes from some other movie play behind the opening credits. Cave Dwellers gave Miles O'Keefe a set of fringed boots, a tiny loincloth, and not much else. You will HOWL during the host segment when Joel & the Bots do a half-screen action sequence of the guy with the fruity hat.
Summary: ?? go to the ends of the earth, and you still won't get what this turkey is about. Images not to be missed: Ator & Thong's fight with invisible monsters, Ator hangliding, and the scene with the "Most Attractive Man of the Middle Ages--MY MY MY!" Ultimately, there is a short bit of the actual Cave Dwellers, but the film has zero to do with them. ?? Pod People: HUZZAH! A real crapfest, complete with a bargain basement Alf wannabe. Can you imagine the pitch for this film? I think it must've gone like this: let's have a cuddly but murderous alien, a bad rock band, a weird mountain family with a poorly dubbed child, and OH! for extra spice, POACHERS! If this leaves you saying, "What the hell?" -- you are ready to watch the movie.
Summary: cuddly Alf-like killers inconvenience a bad rock group's weekend in the mountains. Shorts, Vol 1: the best Shorts volume, IMHO. This set of shorts has actual hosting by Tom and includes The Home Economics Story, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, Body Care & Grooming (they're cops!), Cheating, A Date with Your Family, and Why Study Industrial Arts? A Date with Your Family is my personal favorite--"A violent argument erupts over whose day was more pleasant." This short couldn't get any whiter if it tried. Life in the 50s as introduced to us by the MST cast! A great boxed set--pop the popcorn and get ready for cinema's disasters to spin in your player. A must for MST collectors, and even the box design is cute!
Rating: 
Summary: There's Still A Clown In The Sky
Review: This four-disc set of MST3k episodes lacks a few of the extras available on the previous release, but that in no way makes this a lesser product. While I did miss having the trailers and the uncut versions of the film available on the disc, this is still a worthwhile product, combining three great episodes and one short-film collection. I love watching MST3k on these DVDs, as I can watch and rewatch, and catch gags and references on the second viewing that I missed the first time around. Here are some quick comments on each of the discs: ANGELS REVENGE: From the moment the disco music powers out of your speakers on the opening DVD menu, you should know exactly what to expect. This is the story of a cheap Charlie's Angels rip-off that increases the number of angels, but decreases the number of coherent plot points. Yeah, ponder that for a moment. Anyway, this is a delightfully awful movie with a surprisingly high number of celebrity cameos, including Jack Palance (as a drug kingpin's right-hand man), Alan "The Skipper" Hale (as a disco singer's vaguely sleazy manager), and Jim "The Millionaire" Backus (as the head of a right-wing militia). One wonders what hideous bet was lost on the set of Gillian's Island that forced two of its stars to appear. One wonders what on Earth the 70's did to Jack Palance to make him decide to star in this. A multi-ethnic plethora of busty babes rounds out the cast. Despite the title of the film, none of the Angels get anywhere near top billing. A middle-aged, male Hollywood executive's idea of what a feminist movie would look like. CAVE DWELLERS: This is the sequel to some other lousy film, and the lengthy flashback to that picture in the beginning of this turkey makes it out to be just as painful and bizarre. The back cover of the DVD Boxed Set doesn't even bother giving a plot summary, because there really isn't one - just some muscled guy wandering through a forest for an hour and a half. This is a film that would be a really, really painful experience without those soothing fellows down in the corner of the screen. POD PEOPLE: This ranks as one of my favorite MST3k episodes. A movie that's unbelievable goofy combined with the hecklers at their wittiest. The host segments to this one are a riot, and all directly mock the main feature. I laughed, I cried, I rewound and laughed and cried some more. I really think this is one of the sharpest commentaries that the MST3k gang recorded, so this is something not to be missed. SHORTS, Vol. 1: The short instructional films that the Satellite of Live crew occasionally tackled often resulted in some of their funniest material. These short features are hilarious enough in their own right, but when they get the MST3k treatment, they're even more painfully funny. Tom Servo hosts: The Home Economics Story, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, Body Care & Grooming, Cheating, A Date With Your Family, Why Study Industrial Arts? and The Chicken of Tomorrow. Rest assured that they are indeed as frightening as their names would have you believe. The small print on the back of the Boxed Set informs us that "the production elements required to include the films in their original format were not available". A pity, since a lot of MST3k films make for hilarity even without the commentary. But still, this shouldn't come as a major disappointment, since it's Mike/Joel and the 'bots rather than the dubious, cheesy films that make these Boxed Sets must-buys, although I must admit to a very sick desire to see the uncut version of POD PEOPLE.
Rating:
Summary: Top-notch collection
Review: This is a good collection of DVD's featuring some classic episodes, as well as the ultimate feature: a DVD with shorts on one DVD. The first two films - "Pod People" and "Cave Dwellers" are some of my favorite episodes. The skits are funny and so is the heckling, and I would definately invite people to introduce friends to MST3K this way. "Angel's Revenge" is...well, it's not HILARIOUS, but it is funny. I wouldn't suggest introducing some one to MST3K with it, but definately watch it after you've gotten into the series. It's kind of weak in the beginning but picks up better after a while ("So they just destroyed all the drugs in the world?"). The Shorts Collection - while perhaps missing "Mr. B Natural" - is still the funniest piece of the pie. I laughed through ever last one of them, and "Cheating" made me fall out of my chair. Such lines as "I will bring you down Johnny!" or "You've made some powerful enemies, son" will stick in my mind forever. The last short involving chickens was fittingly good as well ("Where's the driver? Oh my god the chickens are taking over!") In short, for MSTie or MSTie-in-training, this is an excellent volume. Get it. Got it? Good!
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