CinematicTitanic is Joel Hodgson's latest project, and it kicks ass. Hodgson is the creator of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 — one of the greatest TV shows in history, in which Hodgson and friends screened insanely bad old movies while making hundreds and hundreds of snarky, convulsively funny jokes (someone once clocked it at 200 jokes an hour).
CinematicTitanic picks up where MST3K left off — much of the original cast are back, along with some new voices, except this time, it's direct-from-net distribution of DRM-free DVDs and (soon) DRM-free downloads (Hodgson says that the delay for downloads is — incredibly — due to the rightsholders for these unspeakably crummy movies worrying about piracy — don't flatter yourself, guys).
I just finished watching a DVD of the premiere episode, "The Oozing Brain," and it was like stepping into a time-machine and going back to the day that my pal Tom Marcinko mailed me a VHS cassette full of home-recorded MST3K episodes and I sat down on the sofa and began to laugh until it felt like I was going to throw up.
CinematicTitanic is artist-owned and was financed out of Hodgson and co's pockets (the DVD features a lovely and warm take on the stupid fake "FBI" warnings that blight other DVDs). Check out the free trailer!
