Mike Nelson in ‘MST3K: The Movie’

Friday, April 19, 1996

"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie"

Written by Jim Mallon, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy and Michael
J. Nelson

Directed by Jim Mallon

Starring Michael J. Nelson and Trace Beaulieu

You have religiously watched every episode of "Mystery Science
Theater 3000" on television. You know their twisted humor. It
doesn’t surprise you anymore that a human and two robots watch bad
sci-fi movies together as an evil scientist giddily observes them.
Just because all of this is so familiar to you (and especially if
it isn’t), don’t let it keep you out of the movie theater.

The creators of "Mystery Science Theater" have expanded the show
into a feature film, and have creatively called it "Mystery Science
Theater 3000: The Movie." Besides the unoriginal title, it is a
hilarious new adventure for the passengers of the space cruiser The
Satellite of Love.

The story goes like this: a demented evil scientist named Dr.
Forrester (played by "MST" writer Trace Beaulieau) holds clean cut
Earth boy Mike Nelson and his two robot friends captive on the
Satellite. Forrester’s plan is to destroy Mike, and ultimately the
entire Earth, by subjecting him to the worst films ever made. But
each time, the doctor’s experiment fails. Mike and his robots,
named Tom Servo and Crow, outwit Forrester by actually enjoying the
movies ­ or at least they enjoy making fun of them.

It seems like two hours of looking at three people talk back to
a movie screen could get old, but it doesn’t. The writers (all
seven of them) consistently maintain the humor at a steady pace.
They come up with such good anecdotes that the cheesy 1950s movie
they watch is more than tolerable ­ it’s fun. It’s what most
people do at home when they see a bad TV movie with their friends.
The only difference here is that a blonde jock and two robots do it
for you.

"Mystery Science Theater" itself really has no plot, as far as
action, character development, and that all important climax. It
doesn’t really need one. The story comes from the sci-fi movie that
the characters watch, and in this case it is a "classic" called
"This Island Earth." Even this sad excuse for a movie is made into
a good time by the humor of "Mystery Science Theater." Dina Gachman
A-

"For the Moment"

Written and directed by Aaron Kim Johnson

Starring Russell Crowe, Christianne Hirt and Wanda Cannon

The prolific library of World War II films is just like "The
Blob" ­ it keeps on growing. From comedies to dramas,
filmmakers have continued to do and redo their favorite tales from
the tumultuous time period.

The latest addition to this cinematic fungus, Aaron Kim
Johnson’s "For the Moment," has found yet another way to portray
this era. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.

Set in a small Canadian town, the film focuses on what happens
when pilots from around the world are called to an air base and
encounter war-weary locals. These two passionate groups and their
interaction with each other comprises the film plot .

Basically about a romance with other storylines that never quite
tie together, the film features Russell Crowe as an Australian
daredevil pilot, Lachlan. With a tough yet vulnerable countenance,
Crowe makes his unbelievable character somewhat credible. He brings
a realistic edge to fearless rescues and otherwise impossible
situations with earnestness and intensity. His romance is
particularly convincing with the help of his co-star, Canadian
television actress Christianne Hirt.

As Lill, the lonely wife of a soldier who has been fighting in
Europe for three years, Hirt makes her lonely romps through the
rugged Canadian landscape with Lachlan touchingly bittersweet.
Wanting to be faithful to her husband, yet drawn toward Lachlan’s
irresistible charm, Lill’s anguish seems heartfelt.

But the rest of the film is hollow as a drainpipe. The issues of
suicide, racism, homophobia and adultery flair up and die away so
sporadically that the film loses a central theme. In order to
compensate, the film bashes its viewer over and over with Lachlan’s
philosophy that life is just a series of moments, hence the film’s
oh-so-clever title. Although it seems to want to, this continuously
condescending reminder fails to give the film some sort of overall
purpose.

Basically, watching "For the Moment" is like talking to a nice
but spacey person with a really annoying twitch. For the patient,
accepting viewer, this film might have sentimental merit behind its
unsuccessful attempt to capture every relevant issue and wrap it up
with an ambiguous philosophy about the sporadic nature of life. But
for anyone else, "For the Moment" is just another drop in a tired
genre’s bucket. Emily Forster D+

Mike Nelson stars in the hilarious "Mystery Science Theater
3000: The Movie."

Russell Crowe in "For the Moment."