Rating: 
Summary: Mega-success
Review: Being the person that always reads books months after their new I bought the book that one of my favorite comedians decided to publish. At this time I found out it was a June 2000 release and I bought it in May of 2001. Anyway I decided to read it anyway even though I was behind the times (sort of). To someone that has never seen or even heard of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the humor could be misunderstood. But for those who are accustomed to the show, like myself, just imagine yourself sitting next to Crow and Servo ripping on the major crapitude that invades our country every year. Some movies I hated I still hated after this book and some that I did like (Twister, Adam Sandler movies) I began to hate with sincerity! The fact that I read it in one sitting was a god sign that I was hooked to the book and though it wasn't exactly like the beloved show I watched for 10 years on TV, it feels like a tiny installment of Mike Nelson humor in a world where he doesn't have much to do but watch cheesy movies....the worst he could find. From being a mass reader of Home Theater magazine in which Nelson used to write for, I noticed a few of the chapters re-published from the monthly magazine release but mixed in with the original work its still funny. Nelson possesses that smart-allec kind of humor that can be off-putting to some but outrageous to the masses. I recomend this book to the people that know Mike Nelson because they will appreciate the humor and the common disrespect for the below average film strips that come to our theaters every year and for those who have never heard of Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Mike Nelson because it will open these types of people to a new form of comedy or at least a more mature version from an expert where others have faltered in trying to deliver.
Rating:
Summary: More Mike!
Review: The dry, intellectual wit of Mike Nelson is as endearing in print as it was on film. The former host of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" has once again stepped forward to show the rest of us that--yes--bad movies can be fun!"Movie Megacheese" is a collection of essays focusing on movies that are endearingly devoid of plot, character development, proper lighting, and occasionally, dialogue. His tone, though, is never condescending. If you look beneath the humor, you will find a man who does not hide his affinity for these film-makers. Talent? No, they don't have it...but dang it, they're not going to let that stop them! I do think you will enjoy this book, even if you are not familiar with "MST3K". It is laugh out loud funny, timeless and enjoyable to read. And hey,...it even makes a lovely drink coaster when you're done!
Rating:
Summary: A hilarious look at the cinema
Review: Mr. Nelson's first book, Movie Megacheese, is a laugh-out-loud ode to the cinema, full of wit and scathing barbs for the worst that the movie industry has to offer. Be sure no one's sleeping nearby while you read this book or you will be keeping them awake. Well planned and well executed jokes appear throughout this book. For example, I especially liked how the humor sort of "arcs" through the book on the movie Roadhouse, a film that was the subject of much humor on Mystery Science Theater 3000. A must read for MST3K fans who enjoyed Mr. Nelson's humor on that show.
Rating:
Summary: Mike Nelson, Contemporary Pop Culture Humorist
Review: Mike's book is hysterical! No really, it's a collection of lunatic rantings about movies, pop culture figures, TV shows, and other significant events of the early 21st century. It's also pretty damn funny, and it's great to see non-MST material from such a beloved comedy writer. His comedy writing skills of course are honed by a decade as head writer of MST3K. That series unfortunately is ending (as I write this) in January 2002; hopefully Mike will find new life as a writer, or perhaps he'll get his job at Chili's back. The book consists of 1-2 page book reviews, which makes it perfect for the no-attention-span soundbite-reared Gen X audience. Stylistically it's sarcastic, frequently deadpan, and reminds me of the dry wit of Thurber, Twain, and Gallagher. Mike even delves into Rooney-esqe critiques of modern living. For example Mike points out, correctly in my opinion, that hamburgers are hamburgers no matter how you dress them up. Which brings me to mustard. Did you ever notice that yellow mustard stains your v-neck t-shirts when you...oh, nevermind. In all seriousness, the only drawbacks of "Movie Megacheese" is its brevity and the fact that it's printed on paper stock normally used in the Pennysaver or the Singles Roundup. Some illustrations would have helped, bekawz I luv pitchres. I look forward to Mike's post MST career, and I'll mindlessly buy any tootsie roll wrapper that he scrawls his name on. I suppose you could say that I'm an enthusiast...but since I'm 6'5" and 250 pounds, you'd have to articulately defend your point of view in a vigorous debate... A tip of the hat to Michael J. Nelson for this hilarious book.
Rating:
Summary: Box Office Blockbusters are Funny Too!
Review: This book is hilarious. There were times went I felt like I needed an oxygen mask because I was laughing so hard. If you're familiar with Mike Nelson from MST3K (rest in peace!), then you might be a bit surprised because the riffs here focus on modern day blockbusters and the such from the past decade instead of the cheeseball efforts they mercilessly ridiculed. He even tears into marketing hype machines and action movie logic (you'll never see a Jean Claude Van Damme film the same way again, not that you probably should). Oh, and his review of Val Kilmer-Michael Douglas's "The Ghost and the Darkness" is even funnier than the film itself. There's even sections devoted to television and celebrities (he even has the cha-chas to review the Penn family). And as an added bonus, there's even a review of MST3K: The Movie. If you're really knowledgeable about pop culture and need a good laugh, I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Hysterical, satiric entertainment essays from page one!
Review: Mike Nelson, head writer on the classic television comedy "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and its host for five and-a-half seasons, takes center stage in this hysterical book of movie reviews and other related ramblings. His Midwestern sensibility and sharp but homespun sense of satire make most other popular "humorists" publishing today look pretty weak by comparison. Mike Nelson is the real deal: here's a book that will have you laughing from the first page, even if you've never heard of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (and if you haven't, go buy some of the DVDs...NOW!). This book collects new movie reviews along with a scattered collection of reviews that Mike Nelson first published in "Home Theater" and "Entertainment@Home" magazines (which explains the frequent references to DVD technology in the reviews). Most of the movie reviews are not really plot-intensive or meant to tell you much about the films at all; they serve as springboards for Nelson's hysterical observations on entertainment, Hollywood, romance, and life in general. Take for example his bitter commentary on Nora Ephron's romantic comedy "Sleepless in Seattle": "The tag line for the film was, 'What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew, was the only someone for you?' Well, then we're all hosed, because we've never met, seen, or known this magical person and we're all stuck with the horrid beasts we've got now. What are we supposed to do about it anyway? Keep up a run of unprecedented infidelity until we find that one someone? And what if she lives in the Australian outback or deep in the rain forest?" Some of the reviews do go deep into analysis of their films, and the essay on "Patch Adams" is lengthiest, funniest review in the whole book. Nelson tears this one to shreds, and it's a riot. ("I think we can say with some certainty that anyone who's ever seen a balloon animal act is thinking, somewhere in the back of his mind, how nice it would be to die.") The book is divided into helpful, although somewhat weird, sections. In the introduction, Mike Nelson explains his philosophy of film direction (basically, don't have Adam Sandler in your film and don't do a remake of "Lost in Space.") The sections that follow focus on action films, TV programs, science fiction movies, families of actors (Baldwins, Wayans, etc.), "chix flix," the legendary stinko actors and filmmakers (Van Damme, Carrot Top), a few bits of miscellany, and -- to top off the irony, a review of "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie"! All right! Mike's a stand-up guy to subject himself to his own brand of criticism. I hope to see another movie review book from Mike Nelson in the near future. His next book, "Mike Nelson's Mind over Matters" contains non-film related essays, and the recent "Mike Nelson's Death Rat!" is a novel. Both are great, but I think Mike Nelson shines best when he's slamming the obnoxious bilge that keeps flowing through our multiplexes and DVD players. Fight on, brave Minnesota Man! Fight on!
Rating:
Summary: If you love Patrick Swayze, you may not love this book! :)
Review: The best part of this book is that you don't have to be a MiSTie, or even have watched an episode of MST3K to find this book to be side-splittingly funny. Mike Nelson's clever barbs and insights into many of pop culture's favorite movies and over-hyped studio blockbusters are something that people of all walks of life can enjoy. I read this book cover to cover - twice! And then I would just randomly open it to a page and the tears of joy would just start to flow... The only bad part of this book is that it's just 304 pages. So many movies, so little time, I guess! Kudos to Mike Nelson for consistently delivering such a quality product!!
Rating: 
Summary: Cheesy clunker, and unfortunately it's the book
Review: Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese is a book of supposedly funny essays on movies. However, it also brings in some TV shows and some essays about celebrities and some celebrity families as well. I thought it would be a book filled with wry and funny comments on films similar to the comments made on Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show where Mike was the head writer for 10 seasons and the on-air host for 5. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep the magic that the television show did. Instead, this book is such an eclectic mix of both subject matter and quality that my head hurt after a while. There would be a couple of funny entries, and then dead silence from me for another two or three. There didn't seem to be any middle ground. The book is divided into nine sections, most with obvious titles. First, there are action movies (where he takes aim at the rather large target of Jean-Claude Van Damme, for one). Then there are the animal movies, though for some reason Batman is included. I understand the "Bat" motif with the animals, but with all of the other movies being actually about animals in some way, this felt a little forced. Then Mike starts talking about television shows. Then there are science fiction movies, acting families (like the Baldwin brothers), Chick Flix, the Legends (like Brando), a catch-all chapter with movies that don't fit into his subjects, and finally "megacheese." This chapter consists of two movies: The Blair Witch Project, and the movie version of Mystery Science Theater. The book starts out on a good note, with some good and funny essays about action movies. Then again, these are the easiest targets. He takes some easy potshots at Steven Seagal as well as Van Damme here. The essays are better in this section and the book hasn't slowed to a crawl, though there are a couple of clunkers here. When he talks about Val Kilmer's The Saint, he continually (and annoyingly) makes fun of the original author's name, Leslie Charteris. He constantly changes his name to "Margaret," "Rachel," and others. I didn't find it funny in the slightest, though he did make some good points about Kilmer and how he always gets the girl even though he acts in ways that no real woman would fall for (like stealing the Evil Russian formula from her bra). The animal movies chapter has the wonderfully funny essay on Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas' The Ghost and the Darkness, where he hits home run after home run with his witty comments. He comments on the stupidity of some of the things they do, like trying to lure the lions into a trap by dousing an abandoned hospital with blood and then lying in wait. Of course, the lions attack the hospital that the patients had been moved to. Some of his best essays are in this section. Unfortunately, the book hits a brick wall when it starts talking about television, and it never recovers. I don't think I laughed once at any of these. In the essay on "Savannah," the Aaron Spelling soap, he spends more time talking about "Melrose Place." In fact, this is one of Mike's problems in almost all of his essays (even the good ones). He starts going down tangents and then milks them for all they're worth. He spends two or three paragraphs on them sometimes, and they're pointless and not funny. In an essay that only goes two or three pages, two paragraphs can be a lot. I could forgive him if they made me laugh (Mark Steyn, my favourite newspaper columnist, does this all the time, and they're usually hilarious), but they don't. I found myself wondering when he'd get back to the point. Then again, in some of the essays, even the point isn't that interesting. He has a couple of good essays after this section, but they're hard to find. The one on the Sheen family is pretty good and his tearing apart of What Dreams May Come almost equals The Ghost & the Darkness, though I could have done without the gratuitous "Mork & Mindy" bit. He points out that every time he found himself laughing out loud at the corny imagery in the movie, something tragic happens (like Robin Williams' wife killing herself). He said it ruined the fun, and from the way he describes the movie, I can only agree. Finally, his essay on the career of Joe Eszterhas is really good too. I especially like how he says that the people protesting Basic Instinct got it completely wrong. Since it's such an awful movie, protesting it is pointless. As he says, "If you find something offensive in an episode of, say, 'Webster,' it's best to just leave it alone and let the problem disappear by itself." But that's really about it. There are some other amusing moments, but nothing major. He is capable of a truly wickedly funny aside, as long as he doesn't dwell on them. Sometimes, they come out of left field and make you laugh despite yourself, such as when he's talking about Blade and he makes a comment about vampires being all over the place with "the Count from 'Sesame Street' being just the tip of the iceberg." It may not be funny on it's own, but in the context of the essay and the suddenness that it hits you as you're reading, it really works.
There's not enough meat in this book. Perhaps I've been spoiled by other humour writers. Or perhaps I've been spoiled by Mystery Science Theater 3000. Whatever the case, I thought this book would be a lot better than it is. If you find it in a bookstore, check out the essays I mention. If you can get it at the library, even better. Otherwise, give it a pass. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Take it away Mike
Review: He's smart, he's charming, he's funny, he is of course Mike Nelson!
I just can't get enough of this guy. He never fails to reduce me to hysterical laughter.
Mike Nelson has also succeeded at making me feel incredibly stupid for liking certain movies(Event Horizon) and justifying my hate for others(Volcano, Stepmom).
Filled with halarious essays on poplular movies as well as T.V. personalities, all with blazingly witty and comedic stabs at the faults their faults.
This is the best lecture I have ever recieved.
Rating:
Summary: Not like the Mike of MST3K...
Review: I was really excited when I heard about this book -- MST3K was one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and there's no pasttime I enjoy more than the skewering of bad movies. This book wasn't what I thought it would be, though -- a clever, insightful ribbing of lousy movies. It was much more mean-spirited than even your average MST3K episode, and a great deal of the criticism Nelson offered was of the "I'm too good for this movie variety," which as far as I'm concerned, is NEVER valid criticism. He kept returning to the same comments over and over again... I swear, if he'd called someone "doughy" one more time I may have hurled the book through the window. And a lot of the personal attacks felt wholly unnecessary. I dunno. I guess without the filter of two brilliant robots, I just don't find Mike Nelson all that funny.
|
