DVD Review: Cinematic Titanic - The Wasp Woman - Page 2

But is it as funny?

The main difference you'll notice for the new format is that the movie is the entire event. For many fans, this may be a relief, as the original sketches in between film segments could range anywhere from amusing to completely unnecessary. With Cinematic Titanic, the cast makes some quick banter while entering the theater and then it's right on with the show. Although there are a couple of moments where the film stops and they "take a break", they are very short, and it's all still done in the theater and in silhouette. I think the concept is that they're stuck on a ship - hence the name - but it's never really explained.

As for the riffing, it's handled equally by all five participants sitting or standing around the edges of the movie. The banter and pop culture references that carried the original show are still intact. After all, these guys and gal were all writers as well as on-air talent. Some members come across as more natural than others. After all, Joel and Trace basically helped invent this job.

The Wasp Woman is your typical Corman flick. Lady wants to be young again; gets in touch with a doctor who extracts goo from wasps that supposedly helps retard aging; she agrees to be the human guinea pig to recapture her youth. Yes, something goes wrong. Yes, she ends up becoming a hideous monster. And yes, they all eventually learn that they shouldn't have tampered in God's domain. It's the classic B-movie tale.

The riffing in the movie, unfortunately, just starts out slow. In fact, the start really drags. The members seem to search in vain for things having to do with bees and wasps, and it's a bit more tedious than funny. Things begin to pick up much better around 10-15 minutes in. After a while, the team seems to gel a little more and the overall riffing and level of jokes increases, and you begin to settle in for the ride. Quality-wise, it equals some of the middle-of-the-road episodes of MST3K. Not great, but not bad. Just okay, and funny enough to accompany your dinner.

This is the second Cinematic Titanic release. So although not their first time out, it's still early on. I'm hoping that the writing and acting kinks naturally work themselves out, as they seem to do even in the course of this episode.

Article Author: David R Perry

Lost somewhere in the rolling hills of Tennessee, David R Perry can occasionally be found doing dark, unspeakable things to words. Printed words, spoken words, electronically mangled words... really any kind but twittered words.

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