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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mitchell

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $17.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: M-M-M-M-Mitchell
Review: Not one of my most favorite MST episodes but still a classic. This is Joel Hodgkins farewell show. The movie is about a cop (played "brilliantly" by Joe Don Baker) a hooker (pre-Dallas Linda Evans) and a drug ring. I'd love to tell you the plot, but there isn't one. No matter-- Joel and the bots make it entertaining with their non-stop wisecracks. The best ones are poking fun at the sloppy, out-of-shape hero. At one point, I actually started feeling sorry for Joe Don Baker. As Crow puts it best...."Now I know why there was never a Mitchell 2".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Was this filmed at a studio in the Florida Keys?
Review: A hilarious episode.
Sort of reminds me of Final Justice (also with Joe Don Baker), in that the seemingly same scene gets repeated about three or four times - Mitchell showing up at Martin Balsam's house. (In Final Justice, the repeated scene is Sherrif Geronimo Jefferson [Baker] getting up from his jail cell cot.)
If I remember right, the climactic (term used loosely) scene at the end of Mitchell is a fight on a boat between Baker and Balsam; that very, very closely resembles the fight between Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson at the end of Key Largo.
Hmmm.... Anyone else notice this?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Adios, Joel Hodgson: a fun farewell
Review: Make a good movie, say "Dirty Harry", and a thousand bad imitations will follow. Mitchell is a rather dull and formulaic cop drama about yet another police officer who "doesn't play by the rules", but the gang at MST3K manage to provide entertainment where the movie fails. The host segments really shine and are cleverly scripted to remove Joel Hodgson as the host and insert head writer Mike Nelson as his replacement. Although fans of the show at the time (myself included) were most sad to see Hodgson leave his brainchild, it doesn't diminish the quality of the laughs scripted in this episode. Not the funniest MST3K episode ever, but definitely worth repeated viewing. Look for Linda Evans in the film, but you may wince when she's "makin' it" with Joe Don Baker!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: My, my, my, my GOD!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!
Review: Mitchell, like Manos: The Hands of Fate, is a classic example of how NOT to make a movie, this time in the cop thriller genre. Mitchell (Joe Don Baker) is a slob and a cop (makes me feel better about who our police picks to be on the force), who stumbles into a drug caper executed by lawyer John Saxon and millionaire Martin Balsam, who send a hooker (Linda Evans) to try and get Mitchell to stay away. Amatuerish direction, bad writing, and subpar acting doom this one. The MST3K version is hella funny, with the cracks on Joe Don and the movie itself (Joe Don hated the MST3K version so much, that he threatened to beat up any of the crew if he saw them. Whatsa matter, can't take a joke?). the host segments involve a Three's Company-like misunderstanding that has Gypsy believing that the Mads want to kill Joel, so throughout the episode she tries to come up with plans to free Joel. Memorable quotes: "Mitchell, even his name says, 'is that a beer?'", "My, my, my, my apartment", and "MITCHELL!!!". The only redeeming quality to this piece of crap is the title song by Hoyt Axton, who probably needed the paycheck. The song is just catchy, and I find myself humming it quite often. If the plot seems totally confusing, get the unMSTied version, as it clears up most of the confusion.

The DVD is a mixed bag: the host segments are crisp and clear, while the movie itself is scratched, dirty, and a bit faded, which is what MSTies, like myself, like. The supplement on this disc is the trailer for the feature, which makes this look like an enjoyable movie. Oh, Hoyt, how could you? (Even though the MST3K version is good, I will be rating based on the movie alone. MST3K gets 5 stars, while Mitchell gets 1).

MITCHELL
(1975, R)

Mitchell: Joe Don Baker
James Arthur Cummings: Martin Balsam
Walter Deaney: John Saxon
Greta: Linda Evans
Benton: Merlin Olsen
Salvatore Mistretta: Morgan Paull

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writer: Ian Kennedy Martin

MOVIE: 1

VIDEO: 3
AUDIO: 2
EXTRAS: 2
MENUS: 3
OVERALL: 2

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another classic MST3K episode
Review: Besides the fact that it was the last episode Joel did (not counting his cameo in the "Soultaker" episode) "Mitchell" is just a classic MST3K eppie for what it is: funny, and hilarious.

The movie is obviously a Dirty Harry rip off, and that only adds more fuel to the fire. Mitchell is a drunken slob ("I like to open up a beer with another beer.") and the bots have plenty of fun poking cracks at Joe Don Baker. Even though I liked their cracks in "Final Justice" better, its still hilarious.

Commissioner: "Mitchell, people don't like you, in fact I don't like you. Why do you think that is?"
Crow: "Um...our brief but bitter affair?"

Oh yeah, Joe Don Baker gets lucky in this movie. Crow puts it best when he sings:

"My my my GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"

If you like the series, definately collect this episode. You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Mitchell honey, put your shoes on. We're at grandma's."
Review: It's almost pointless writing a 5-star review for Mitchell, seeing as how there are already so many. Mitchell is the funniest MST out there - a continuous barrage of laughs from beginning to end!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: from "Walking Tall" to "Drunken Fall"
Review: Waka-Jawaka-Jawaka....

This is the one that had me rolling in my bed nonstop from laughing my head off!

The lines from Joel and the Bots are shotgun fast, spraying all of us with laughing pellets almost nonstop! Why, they carve Joe Don Baker a new orofice to deposit all that beer and BABY OIL!

From the opening scenes of "Johnny Mathes" robbing that house (Servo sings "It's not for me to say...",) to the confrontation of "Mathes"..Goon with gun: "Hey!" "Mathes"- "What?" Gun- BLAM! "Mathes"- "Oh!" Oh Lord, I was rolling over that one!

And concerning our "Hero," Mitchell? What a slob! The 'bots are contstantly merciless on that pizza-face! I used to like him in the "Walking tall" series, but after seeing him in this travesty, gee, he trashes himself without the 'bots help! He puts himself in the class of actors like Jim Bachus, Arthur Godfrey and Alan Hale Jr did in that sorry sot-"Angel's Revenge!"

Every move of Mitchell, every utterance, every action of him just invites the biting tongues of our robot friends!

Get this movie IMMEDIATELY! It is the Holy Grail of the Satellite of Love!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MST3K + Mitchell = A+++++
Review: Though partial to the Mike episodes, this is the movie that started it for me.

It is easily the best MST3K ever in the entire universe.

Mitchell is hilarious.

About 100 favorite lines from JOEL and the Bots,

"Ahh, that shook-up the beers pretty bad." (after rolling his car)

"Whaddaya mean you don't have any Schlitz onboard!"

"Ya like em' half-emtpy? Some of em' got cigarettes in em'."

"There's some chips in the couch, help yourself."

"Hey, can we play-through? We've got a headwound back here."

Hey! What? <BANG> Oh!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MST3K + Mitchell = A+++++
Review: Though partial to the Mike episodes, this is the movie that started it for me.

It is easily the best MST3K ever in the entire universe.

Mitchell is hilarious.

About 100 favorite lines from Mike and the Bots,

"Ahh, that shook-up the beers pretty bad." (after rolling his car)

"Whaddaya mean you don't have any Schlitz onboard!"

"Ya like em' half-emtpy? Some of em' got cigarettes in em'."

"There's some chips in the couch, help yourself."

"Hey, can we play-through? We've got a headwound back here."

Hey! What? <BANG> Oh!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Joe Don Baker is mittens!
Review: MST3k wise, this movie is AWESOME.

They couldn't have picked a better (or worse) movie to be in Joel's final episode (*Sniffle*) The wise cracking starts the second Joel and the 'Bots enter the theater and almost never stops.

Even the host skits are pretty good. But, as always, the movie is the best. Try NOT to laugh as Crow, Servo and Joel shell out comets such as "They're randomly loaded. it's a game I like to play." and "How do you like your scotch?" "By the quart!"

A real gem. Must have for MST3k lovers


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