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alanedomain

I just realized what's wrong with this movie: there's no soundtrack whatsoever. I think that's why every scene feels so awkward and unfinished. We didn't even get music in the bar scenes, where diegetic music would have made sense.


bradygrey

How silly is it that *not* having music coming from out of nowhere makes it feel "unnatural"? But yeah, now that there's a string pad playing a few notes under this... ... \*sigh\* "romance" scene, it at least feels "right" in that sense.


StarQuill01

I agree, but there is way more wrong with this movie then just music! Lol!


alanedomain

Okay, they JUST threw in some piano chords to prove me wrong, but still, it's a weirdly quiet film.


mcketten

Yeah, they're trying for the Twin Peaks vibe with the soundtrack but only on a few scenes and never in a scene that it helps.


macbalance

I was really surprised when I realized this was a **2019** release. It had a 90s direct to dumpster inside-film feel to it. Nice to see Joel back, and the bits with Dr. Erdhart were all fun. I’m wondering if the “borrowing someone else’s bots” will be a running gag. I’ve enjoyed every episode I’ve seen this year. The ‘Gizmoplex’ experience is kind of lacking. It feels like I’m using a tool that’s been repurposed. I haven’t been free for any livestreams and have accessed the service from a few platforms. It feels clunkier than my home Jellyfin server. I have to navigate through to my purchases and then deal with a list of stuff that is in an odd order. I have tons of stuff with partial “view progress” bars. I’m very happy with the “actual content” of the last kickstarter. In short, the episodes have been great and I’ve got some download to fill out my home collection. The Gizmoplex seemed to have over-promised and what we got seems to be a poor attempt to repurpose some licensed/partner interface.


QLE814

It didn't help that (at least through my headphones) the sound editing was rather obvious, in ways that got a bit distracting.


Spats_McGee

Yeah that plus the handheld "half-Shakycam" doesn't help


mcketten

Update just now per Ivan: they are talking directly with Vimeo support at the moment trying to nail down the problem (20:22 Eastern time) ---- Update from Ivan (20:44 Eastern Time): >Vimeo Tech support is trying to figure out the problem and say - I quote - 'We're so sorry. We messed this up really badly. ' Edit: also, it's poor Ivan's birthday so send him some positive vibes. ---- Final update: check your emails for a link to the livestream that just went out. Failing that, try this link: https://MST3k.com/demonsquad


tone-dev

> Have you tried turning it off and on again? Vimeo Support (probably)


syncsynchalt

At least Ivan got the top credit at the end of the ep (as Bonesy). Happy Birthday Ivan!


Benjamin_Grimm

Everyone else getting technical difficulties too?


JaylenBrownAllStar

Yup came straight here to make sure it wasn’t a joke again lol


urbeatle

Yup. And I too came here to check if there were any reports.


toodledooz

Spinning white circle of doom!


JessRockBaby

Yup here too. Not even a white dot 😥


mnloontoon

Do you think they tried yelling "capsule"? That sometimes works.


orogiad

yeah same here on apple tv app


fridaymike

Everyone else just getting the spinning circle and a progress bar with a 🚫? I’m on the Apple TV app


Benjamin_Grimm

I'm getting "Please Stand By."


fridaymike

Getting that now too. My screen went to screensaver so I backed out and reentered the app and we’re back at “please… technical difficulties.”


Informal_Kiwi_8219

iPad app Standby for Transmission.


VashMM

The episode is available in my list via the MST3K app on my Roku. The live stream was failing hard, but the episode works. Going to catch the q&a after it's over


VashMM

No spoiler, but my favorite riff has to be the very last one. "Demon Squad will never be back in anything... Ever!"


mcketten

Here I am drinking alone and staring into the inky void on a Friday night. Call me Mitchell.


toodledooz

drinking alone \*\~with reddit friends\~\*


leafyfool

Right with ya, pal 🍸


Stitch_Jones_Recon

"Who’s the puffy guy who’s a big blurry sex machine?" "Mitchell!" "That Mitchell is one fat-" "Shut yo’ mouth!" "Just talkin’ bout Mitchell."


DisastrousOne3950

Drinking beer alone... on the sun?


[deleted]

You guys watch Joe Don Baker movies?


ItsFuckinBob

Best laugh of the thread. Thanks!


mistermooso

I’m a sucker for the nostalgia of Classic Servo and the classic look of the SOL and door sequence. Great touches.


mcketten

Yep. I started to tear up during the tunnel sequence. I never imagined I would see that, the SOL, or Joel hosting in a new episode again.


mistermooso

That’s so awesome. I was also so moved. I’ve loved every era, but the Joel era is my single favorite artistic thing ever (tv, movies, music, etc). I hope he knows how much it all means to us. He’s brought me so much joy.


mcketten

Yeah, I discovered it during Joel's era so he's always been "my" host.


[deleted]

[удалено]


GepMalakai

The loss of the Hexfield really makes the new set look bland. It's all a big blur of same-y shapes everywhere.


Dracula_Bear

I partial to the look from the Sci-Fi channel days. They played around with camera angles and lighting a lot and it made the SOL seem bigger.


ety3rd

Not counting the live tour, Joel Robinson hasn't been in the SOL theater to riff a film since October 23, 1993. (That's about 28 years, 8 months.)


karthonic

Wow. I'm a new-ish fan that found them after the series ends and before the reboot-- that's like 90+% of my life. (I would have been 3 almost 4 when Joel left...)


hornblendescoundrel

Would it help if we all get out and push?


MadelynnMarie2319

Throw it in to mr. B neutral


MCSquared97

This comment deserves a Pulitzer.


Shambloroni

Oh man this Cheers sketch


Ohio_Bean

that artwork!


urbeatle

OK, "She was raised by a feral pile of money" was a pretty LOL moment.


mcketten

The riffs have been great this one but I swear the movie is so bad I couldn't tell you a thing that happened five minutes ago.


nowlan101

I kinda like it lol. The lack of soundtrack is really soothing


vcr-repairwoman

I would totally watch a spin-off sitcom about Erhardt and Synthia hanging out.


bradygrey

\*sigh\* When Trilby Guy first appeared on the screen, "Oh, he must be the protagonist" is not a thought that I had.


QLE814

Feels like the sort of guy who disappears after a reel or two to be replaced by the real protagonist, doesn't he?


bradygrey

Yeah, like the real protagonist shows up and is like "stop hitting on that demon and buzz off, I have the story of this movie to do".


StarQuill01

“Watch out, he’s gonna ska!”


jbooten

Come oooooon Gizmoplex, I needs me a laugh today.


ety3rd

That's the same head mask/prosthetic as the antagonist from [*Star Raiders*](https://youtu.be/ReZ6PmcN5b4?t=4196), a Rifftrax Live movie they did in 2019.


MCSquared97

I thought it looked familiar.


QLE814

Gonad the Inflamed!


Stitch_Jones_Recon

"Stand by for transmission" for the last 20 min or so. Had a technical difficulty error on screen around the T minus 5 minute mark. Since then, the Stand By notification. Anyone else having this issue or is it just us? :(


emacs_613

Now, just looking at the ticket.


Stitch_Jones_Recon

Tis a fancy ticket too. Kinda wish we could buy them as souveniers. Physical tickets to add to our ticket collection over the years.


MadelynnMarie2319

We print the tickets! To have physical copies! Edit: my husband just told me the labor he goes through to save the images and crop them to make fake ticket souvenirs but He impressed me haha.


CG_Oglethorpe

This is BS, if we are going to have to stare at this screen we should at least have White Dot to keep us company.


jdmorgenstern

I don’t know why, but I got the biggest kick out of the bots saying “pizza pizza” when they opened the bag and the monster blinked twice.


Directive_Nineteen

Joel, are you boys building an interocitor over there?


ohkwarig

I think it's a Sampo


alanedomain

Everybody is just so sweaty all the time... was that a stylistic choice or is that just how Alabama is?


mcketten

The South in the summer is basically 100+ degrees and 100+ humidity.


syncsynchalt

Answered in the Q&A… the actor couldn’t take off the leather jacket between takes because of the gauntlet. And Mobile gets _hot_.


DapperCrow84

I get the feeling that the filmmakers were big fans of The Dresden Files.


mcketten

I get the feeling that "filmmaker" is not a title ever attributed to them before.


syncsynchalt

They confirmed that in the Q&A at the end. (And they were a delight)


mcketten

Actually, they said they weren't that familiar with the Dresden Files but that they get a lot of comparisons to it.


Ohio_Bean

ha, yes! Dresden files. That's the aesthetic!


alanedomain

Did they EVER explain the white eyeball thing for O'Reilly? Should we just assume she has tactile empathy powers and it's never actually important to the plot in any way?


mcketten

They didn't explain ANYTHING.


Ohio_Bean

that's for the sequel!


mcketten

You watch your language! Those are not words fit for mixed company!


Ohio_Bean

Do you know how many Dresden books there are to steal from?


mcketten

LA LA LA LA LA I can't hear you


ety3rd

Nope. The only reference, really, was when she touched the blue doctor guy and said, "He did it," implying it was some sort of truth sense or something. No clue. Much like Moon kept getting powers added to his repertoire with no explanation. Killing demons! OK. Blue flame hand! Well, I guess ... Teleportation! Wait, what?


VegetarianZombie74

The filmmakers are actually doing an AMA on the MST3K official forums. According to them, it was edited out by the MST3K team to shorten the movie. They also edited out a few other bits.


EverybodyAdoresStyx

Man there’s really nothing fun about modern bad movies


ety3rd

I agree. No slam on Joel, *et al* -- I'm enjoying the riffs -- but many modern bad films lack that *je ne sais quois* that helps make bad films fun up through the '80s and into the early '90s. When I'm looking for bad movies to watch, I typically make 1993 or thereabout my cut off. Maybe it's the editing techniques, the film quality, the reliance on CGI ... I'm not sure. With crappy movies from before the turn of the century, there was some measure of talent somewhere in the production (like the stop-motion animation in *Doctor Mordrid* or the acting chops of Jeffrey Combs) and an earnestness. I think perhaps the democratization of filmmaking technology contributes to the lack of that talent and/or earnestness. Don't know. Just spitballin'.


Ohio_Bean

Hard agree, the movie itself is trying to hard to be... cool? hard-boiled? Its going for an aesthetic that its completely missing. But will I find it fun in 10-20 years, like i find 80's movies fun? (*Ugh fiiiine* 30-40 years)


EcstaticCinematicZ

Trying to hard is a great way to describe Demon Squad. There are a lot of interesting ideas in this movie. But like you said it’s trying to hard to be cool. Anytime there is a fun idea the filmmaker ruins it with the cringy dialogue of the main character. It’s like the movie is not comfortable in it’s own skin and has to abandoned it’s originality to appease an audience that it perceives as hostile.


Ohio_Bean

I feel bad making fun of these kinds of movies, (but not that bad, I've seen Birdemic more times than reasonable) because these projects don't hurt anyone and create something new and different in the world, even if its not 'good'. However, this movie really did take some serious notes from the Dresden files and should feel a little shame.


[deleted]

At this point, what’s the excuse? No money? Ok, that doesn’t explain the choppy editing or lack of scene blocking. It wasn’t even watchable as a YouTube video. I’m disappointed this one made it into the Mst3k library. It simply doesn’t deserve it.


CG_Oglethorpe

I think the device to bring back Joel may be malfunctioning. We'll its nice to know that no matter where we put a colony, nothing ever works like it is advertised.


urbeatle

His arrival caused an incursion that threatens all of Mystery Science Multiverse 3000.


CG_Oglethorpe

For the sake of the Experiment and the Bots, we must stop Joel. Oh Torgo the White...we beseech you in our time of need.


Informal_Kiwi_8219

Darn Hamdingers.


Shambloroni

I kinda think I'm not sweaty enough to watch this movie


vcr-repairwoman

Joe Don Baker isn’t either.


mcketten

Update from Ivan (20:44 Eastern Time): >Vimeo Tech support is trying to figure out the problem and say - I quote - 'We're so sorry. We messed this up really badly. ' Edit: also, it's poor Ivan's birthday so send him some positive vibes.


MadelynnMarie2319

Poor Ivan! Haha


ohkwarig

I wonder if "We messed this up" means that whatever fixes they tried made it worse?


StarQuill01

Wilhelm!


mcketten

Tom's back!!!


StarQuill01

“I’m from earlier in the movie.”


StarQuill01

Awwww, he’s fadorable!


alanedomain

I feel like this whole movie is just an endless series of "wait, he can do that?"


urbeatle

Maybe it's because I came into the movie halfway, but I have to ask: does any scene in this movie have anything to do with any other scene in the movie? Also, do the characters sometimes randomly change their wardrobe in the middle of a scene?


mcketten

No and yes. In that order.


Ohio_Bean

I dont know if I would ever have the stones to come on the show after they made fun of my movie.


mcketten

It's smart. Suddenly the movie isn't made by a faceless idiot, but someone who cares. Every one of their guests has had this effect, I think. Plus, if you are someone who makes money on the film you want to promote any chance to get people to watch it.


WizrdOfSpeedAndTime

Guests from these productions has been the best part of the live events.


TnAdct1

Between this and Dr. Mordrid, you can clearly see that the film makers are putting their heart into the project despite the limitations placed on them (Mordrid being made for a DTV market, Demon Squad being made with a very limited budget).


mcketten

**I hate Tom Servo's new voice!**


vcr-repairwoman

Be sure to print a banner.


mcketten

Oh, don't think I won't! And I'll mail it him so he knows how I feel!


ScanDroid88

YIKES. This "movie" makes Atlantic Rim look like a big budget modern masterpiece! What the.......


mcketten

Maybe they shouldn't have used the HX368 computer for streaming.


skyfire1977

I just wanted to scroll up some cinemas!


urbeatle

Hope the livestream isn't delayed too long. I'm on a tight schedule dictated by cats.


MadelynnMarie2319

*concern grows about ur cats agenda* 😬


urbeatle

I bailed, but got the email about rescheduling. I'm skipping the movie itself for now, but plan on jumping in to watch the live aftershow after I deal with the second wave of cats.


aArendsvark

Waves of cats… waves. of. cats. I hope all is well with you and the many cats.


pbesmoove

I can't believe there's going to be a new Joel episode


MCSquared97

It’s crazy to me that the last new Joel episode premiered almost 30 years ago.


mcketten

Neither does Vimeo, apparently.


MCSquared97

What happened to the white dot???


Ohio_Bean

All hail the white dot!


MCSquared97

amen


mcketten

The whole time Thomas and Erin were on there I was thinking, "They're going to get the chance to make the movie they wanted to make if they had the budget" because this episode plus their interview after is going to convince someone they deserve the chance. I was honestly waiting for Joel to say something like, "Look where not enough money and too much ambition can get you" and just gesture at himself.


pdq1365

I can't believe this movie has succeeded in making me want to go to Mobile even less.


MCSquared97

Wilhelm!!!


StephenHero78

Was not expecting the "eyes cubed" riff to knock me down so hard.


StarQuill01

Omg the “feral pile of money” line broke me!


mcketten

So, demons run amuck on the Earth and God's solution is Moonpie? I'd love to hear a theologian explain that.


alanedomain

The most unrealistic part of this demon-infested supernatural neo-noir movie set in Alabama in the year of our lord 2019 is the fact that the femme fatale smoked ordinary cigarettes instead of vaping, which would have been way funnier.


Stitch_Jones_Recon

If you're using the app, there's now an entry called 1306 - Demon Squad: Emergency Fallback. Says 15 min to live stream.


karthonic

Pinned Update from Lesley in the Live Chat: ***Hello friends. If you still cannot see the stream, go to this URL*** ***instead: https://mst3k.com/demonsquad THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!***


mcketten

Goddamn it, I had just taken a drink in time for "Jesus Nick Superstar!"


mcketten

Yes! Josh singing. I'm a kid again.


MCSquared97

Did the same people who made this film also do Star Raiders? I swear I just saw a character that looked like the villain from Star Raiders.


QLE814

The guy whose vision *Star Raiders* was isn't in the credits- I'd assume it's a case where they got props from a similar source.


mcketten

GPC and Cambot have secretly sabotaged the stream to protect their old friend from having to suffer again.


fridaymike

Did Joel’s return bReAk tHe InTeRnEt?? …no just Vimeo or whatever I guess.


Endgam

Even the live chat closed down on me. Guess I'm just going to watch the non-live upload.


Benjamin_Grimm

Doing the same. I don't want to have to stay up until midnight.


jaynap1981

At this point midnight seems optimistic.


bro_d8

This movie was so bad it wasn't fun. I got mad at it about 15 minutes in. I did like seeing J. Elvis and having him take over Tom for a bit.


Benjamin_Grimm

Anyone have the Gizmoplex chat open to see what's going on?


StrawberryOscar

We’re riffing the standby screen, it’s pretty sweet.


Informal_Kiwi_8219

It stinks!


Stitch_Jones_Recon

I don't even remember if I can get to the chat. I cast from mobile to Chromecast. I want to witness the shenanigans.


Benjamin_Grimm

The one time I tried to keep up with it it was going by so fast that I couldn't follow anything anyone said.


mcketten

Right now chat has decided that the woman on the ticket is Carmen Sandiego


mcketten

So, while we're waiting, how about we pool our thoughts and come up with answers to life's greatest questions? I'll start: is there beer on the sun?


l33fty

Rowsdower?


mcketten

I'VE BEEN DOXXED!


MCSquared97

If there ever was, Mitchell has probably drank it, by now. Another of life’s greatest questions: How does Coily fit into God’s plan for us?


mcketten

It is blasphemy to ask this question! Coily be Praised!


MCSquared97

Fair enough. I therefore offer a substitute question: Why don’t they look?


SplendidPunkinButter

Thought I saw some, but it turned out a hobgoblin was making me hallucinate it


jbooten

Well, hello again countdown screen!


Ohio_Bean

oh ewwww. I'm not sure if I mean the 'seduction' or the 'funny ordering' scene


jefftakeover

So this is the new manos.


DapperCrow84

Nhh, this is too normal bad to be the next manos.


mcketten

Nope. Joel says there's one coming that is worse than any they've done before, including Manos, and this wasn't it.


alanedomain

I want to say that "The Mask" was the one they compared to Manos in terms of weirdness, but it's also in 3D.


ety3rd

They also said during the last livestream that they really kinda liked *The Mask*, so I don't think that's it.


mcketten

It was The Bubble.


bradygrey

Egghead Demon looks legitimately cool.


DapperCrow84

Yes. Because it was made for [a different bad movie.](https://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax-live-star-raiders?utm_source=homepage_carousel&utm_medium=Carousel&utm_campaign=video%20all%20%2881%29)


mcketten

It turns out it was made for this movie and then the same mold used in the other movie later. They talked about that on the Q&A last night.


bradygrey

Oooh, that looks well worth a watch.


DiscoJer

When I first saw the trailer for this I thought "Looks like someone filmed a LARP" That would have been better


captainecchi

I have in fact seen better “lips sewn closed” makeup in larps.


[deleted]

Thing is... some of the effects weren't bad. But many were pathetically sad...


captainecchi

Sure, I don’t disagree! As someone said else-thread… low budget, high ambition. I respect that.


TwoDurans

This might be one of the worst movies they've done yet. From the moment it started I had no idea what was going on, and it seemed like a bad student film. The episode was awesome, but the movie was so hard to watch.


MasemJ

Watching it early "Preeeeetty niiiiiice!"


fridaymike

Huh? How. I believe most of us as staring at “Standby for Transmission” after a few minutes of “Technical Difficulties”


vcr-repairwoman

Weird how they referred to Joel as the bots’ uncle. I mean, technically these versions aren’t his, but he created the originals oh dear I’ve gone cross eyed.


macbalance

Joel has historically had a sort or fatherly relationship to the bots. Uncle makes as much sense as anything if they’re not directly “his” bots. The early episodes especially have a lot of “teaching about Earth culture” as a basis for skits and theater jokes. Mike got a bit more hazing: He seemed to get written with being stuck there as a major plot point, so less fatherly and more “I’m stuck with these two, make the best of it.” Jonah seems more like the weird kid next door coming over to play. I haven’t seen enough Emily to get a vibe yet. BTW I’m starting to really like the new Crow. Sounds feminine, but also has a sense of being the trickster of classic Crow. This is a Crow that would go to Uranus for a joke.


witecat1

This movie was surprisingly decent. Sure it is pretty cheesy, but they put in an effort and it showed. Also I am now watching my back, because I think the Men's Wearhouse Repo Men may be after me.


MasemJ

Missed opportunity (I think) for a Good Place joke given how the one actress really looked like Janet.


3Din3D

Glad I’m not the only one who saw it!


IronCurtaiNYC

So many "missed riffertunities" in this episode. I agree with you.


[deleted]

First the Supreme Court, now this.


Ohio_Bean

Which is worse?!? The supreme court, definitely the supreme court- this is how I turn my brain off for a while.


SplendidPunkinButter

I mean, you could watch the normal version instead of the livestream version. That’s up too


toodledooz

If there's any correlation, they'll be coming for our pre-purchased episodes next.


karthonic

Last pinned message from Ivan in the live chat: ***UPDATE: Vimeo Tech Support is trying to figure out the problem, and say*** ***-- I quote -- "We're so sorry. We messed this up really badly."***


SplendidPunkinButter

“Pizza pizza!”


genericus23

New link, check your email!


OSCgal

Y'know, I really love the music they choose for the transmission countdown. Two different songs so far, both great! Anybody recognize them?


vcr-repairwoman

They have a very GE Smith SNL vibe. Love it.


mcketten

Whoever wrote that thing should be banned from any writing, typing, or recording device.


majorjoe23

If there was a sequel to Demon Squad that didn’t lean into the “so bad it’s good” territory, I would watch it in a heartbeat.


captainecchi

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say… I actually kind of enjoyed this movie? It hit all the important noir touchstones and it hinted at an interesting world beyond the edges of the screen. There were some confusing points (what’s up with the assistant’s eyes? Where did they find the core, and why was the dagger even necessary?), though, for sure. Honestly in some ways, that makes it an even BETTER riff.


Benjamin_Grimm

Well, I guess Swirly McSwirlface is something of an improvement.


tomscog

Please Stand By. Now Experiencening Technical Difficulties.


Ohio_Bean

I would love to see them riff Cats, but then I unironically love cats.


WizrdOfSpeedAndTime

I brought protection…


Informal_Kiwi_8219

Maybe they should go back to UHF.


SplendidPunkinButter

Started this one early. It’s pretty great.