Frank Conniff

The Bateman Lectures on Depression

Scott Bateman

Lane Moore, Frank Conniff

Scott Bateman has suffered from depression most of his life, so of course now he has made a funny and visually-inventive autobiographical documentary about how his depression feels. The film is structured as a fast-paced 100-question test and includes appearances by Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut), Frank Conniff (Mystery Science Theater 3000), comedians Lane Moore (Tinder Live) and Dave Hill (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and more. Made on a budget of $5000, the film is packed with visual effects and animation created by director Scott Bateman, who also wrote, composed the music, edited and shot The Bateman Lectures on Depression.

RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion Show

Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy

Mike, Kevin and Bill were joined on stage by their MST3K colleagues at the State Theatre in Minneapolis to bring it back to their roots in an MST3K cast reunion the likes of which have never been seen before! Joining the guys are their old cohorts Frank Conniff (TV's Frank), Trace Beaulieu (Crow, Dr. Forrestor), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), Bridget Nelson (Nuveena, Mr. B), as well as Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson, AND the host of the revived MST, Jonah Ray, for a hilarious night of riffing for RiffTrax's 20th Live event. Taking turns in various permutations to riff on a slew of old-timey shorts, the show culminates in a Super Riff-A-Palooza finale with all nine riffers on stage at once!

Cinematic Titanic: The Alien Factor

Tim Ford, Stoney Sharp

Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff

Warning: Baltimore is no longer safe. Meet Leemoid, Zagatile and Interbyce. They're the three aliens whose spaceship has crashed in a small town outside of Baltimore. Soon the town folk are turning up mutilated and dead - and even in polyester pants. Then a stranger arrives to save the day. But is he who he says he is? And what about all the polyester pants? See this film they way it was meant to be seen - on the big screen live with Cinematic Titanic.

Poopie!

Joel Hodgson, Frank Conniff

A selection of bloopers from cult TV favorite "Mystery Science Theater 3000", taken from seasons 2 through 6.

Cinematic Titanic: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

sharp-ford

Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu

The children of Mars are in a funk, and nothing on the red planet seems to be able to cheer them up. Martian King Kimar comes up with the only reasonable solution: kidnap Santa Claus from Earth's North Pole and bring him to their planet to make toys for their joyless, listless little green kids. Meanwhile, two Earth children get wise to the plan and are abducted along with Santa to prevent them from talking to the authorities. Luckily for them, Dropo, the Jerry Lewis of the fourth planet from the sun, is there to help them. The fiendish plot doesn't go according to plan, and there's plenty of intrigue, double-crossing, mistaken identity and stock footage for kids of all ages and planets to enjoy. Poorly conceived, sloppily made, and unfailingly bizarre, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" is the ultimate Christmas movie-riffing classic (as fans of MST3K know) which is why Cinematic Titanic chose to revisit, re-riff, and release this holiday hamfest with all new jokes. Merry Crap-mas!

Cinematic Titanic: Blood of the Vampires

Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff

The Escodero family is cursed!The mother, whom the Escodero children assumed to be dead, is actually an undead vampire who lurks in a secret basement/dungeon hidden from the rest of the house. When the kids discover this dark truth, all hell breaks loose...literally! The mother bites the son, who grows fangs and becomes consumed with blood lust. Meanwhile, all this vampire activity wreaks havoc on the daughter's romance with her handsome, dashing fiance. It all leads to a foray into the occult that ultimately proves true love can live on forever, but not before a mob of angry villagers and avenging priests take on the Devil himself in a climactic battle between good and evil. Set in nineteenth century Mexico and performed by a Filipino cast, "Blood of the Vampires" has something for everyone: blood-soaked action for the guys, tender romance for the ladies, and unleashed demonic rage for the frightened child within us all.

Cinematic Titanic: Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks

Tim Ford

Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff

Things get a bit randy in this version of Mary Shelley's immortal classic about... immortality. Just as our resident mad scientist is about to bring his creature back to life, he is forced to use a sub-standard brain. The Cinematic Titanic crew offer more hilarious commentary as they set their sights on a Frankenstein's castle chock full of angry villagers, grave robbers, and skinny dippers.

Cinematic Titanic: Doomsday Machine

Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu

American spies discover the Chinese have built a weapon capable of destroying planet Earth, a "doomsday machine" if you will, and that they plan to use it within a matter of days. Will the human race survive?

Statical Planets

Joel Hodgson

Joel Hodgson, Frank Conniff

A 15 minute short that teases a strange (and difficult to describe) feature that was never made. The story involves the Frank army and a caveman rocker who saves the day. Filmed in Static-A-Matic around 1996/97

RiffTrax Live: Day of the Shorts: SF Sketchfest 2019

Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy

Bill and Kevin are joined onstage by the great Paul F. Tompkins, and together they host and riff an amazing set of bizarre short films. The shorts cover every subject under the sun (y’know, because “Day”), from workplace safety to childhood safety to sentient talking pillow safety. And that’s not all - we’ve got more guests, riffing teams and legends galore! John Hodgman, Frank Conniff & Trace Beaulieu, Cole Stratton & Janet Varney, and Bridget Nelson with Sean Thomason, RiffTrax Senior Writer, making his live riffing debut.

Cinematic Titanic: Rattlers

Stoney Sharp

J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff

Something is very wrong in the Southwestern desert! It starts when rogue rattlesnakes attack two young boys, and it goes downhill from there. The local authorities summon herpetologist Dr. Tom Parkinson to investigate why the snakes are being such jerks. With the help of photographer and fledgling feminist Ann Bradley, the two of them embark on a haphazard and half-assed investigation – and romance. The hunt leads them to a nearby army base and its uncooperative commanding officer, Colonel Stroud. But when marauding rattlers kill two soldiers, the medical officer on the base can no longer keep silent and reveals the terrible secret, unleashing a chain of events, which lead to all kinds of explodey 1976 action, putting an end to the deadly rattlers. Maybe...

Monty Python's Best Bits Celebrated

Dennis Allen

Seth Green, David Cross

Monty Python’s influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles’ influence on music, a pivotal moment in the evolution of television humor. Celebrating the cultural legacy and influence of the troupe, this special pairs their original material with new and entertaining commentary from celebrities who consider Monty Python hugely significant, both personally and to the history of screen satire. Celebrity humorists discuss, laugh, and reminisce about various Python segments and bring a fresh perspective to the material, connecting Monty Python’s work to today’s most successful television humor. In a time when a few moments of escape and laughter couldn’t be more sought after, this special reminds viewers of Python’s cultural impact, and that PBS introduced them to American viewers.

The Frank

Trace Beaulieu

Frank Conniff, Trace Beaulieu

THE FRANK is a light-hearted music video featuring many of the original cast and crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000, with a special appearance by Dave (Gruber) Allen. A misguided Mad Doctor misses one of his oldest and deadest friends. Goaded by the demands of the children in the neighborhood, and assisted by his ghoulish, yet whimsical butler (Gruber), he sets out to reboot his old pal and bring him back to life - in a song. Featuring the song "Do the Frank".