Customer Reviews

The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of the three Film Crew DVDs available at the time of this writing, this one seems to be the most consistent throughout, though let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed all three of The Film Crew DVDs and like to watch them repeatedly like a good episode of MST3K. The movie itself, Wild Women of Wongo, is less dark and disturbing than Hollywood After Dark (easy to do!) and less dull than Killers From Space (also really easy to do!), so while this is not saying much, it is a "better" movie all on its own than the other two from a light amusement standpoint. That said, however, no one is buying these DVDs for the movies alone, but for the hilarious Film Crew commentary that's been added and Kevin, Mike and Bill deliver some pretty good laughs on this one. Besides delivering great commentary during one of the goofiest movies ever made, the host segments are also very entertaining. I particularly liked the "lunch break" segment in the middle of the film wherein Kevin Murphy presents his map of how to get to Wongo and the final host segment in which the Crew says goodbye in the style of the final scene of the film is a blast. The extra feature, which recalls the "Dance...DANCE!" scene from the film also proves that these fellows still have a knack for physical comedy. Wild Women of Wongo is a forgettable little film that fails miserably at its deliberate attempts at humor, but The Film Crew turn it into an entertaining comedy treat in spite of that. Keep them coming, guys!

This was the first "Film Crew" DVD I've seen, and I was highly satisfied. Mike, Bill and Kevin haven't lost a single step since their days on the Satellite of Love, making with the funny just as much as they did back in the day. And boy, did they have their work cut out for them... this movie was ATROCIOUS. Stupid, sexist, superficial and lots of other negative adjectives beginning with "S" all apply to this clunker. With the exception of the skinny-dipping scene (yowza) there isn't a frame of film here that would be viewable to a sentient lifeform without the Crew there cracking jokes. This was a lot of fun to watch.

SO far my favorite by The Film Crew. This is the perfect film that was just bad enough to be watchable with the crew's humor. The guys from MST3K bring you their next project The Wild Women of Wongo where mother nature has separated the beautiful women on one island to be with brute and and the pretty men with the "non" beautiful women. One of the women reminds us of Chris Farley. The skits are a little dry as usual but most of us get it for the commentary anyway. The group also has Rifftrax. Downloadable commentaries for mainstream movies if you like the idea but find it too difficult to sit through. The DVD is exactly what it is, a bad movie with funny commentary to make it watchable. And remember Dance....Dance.....Dance. You will have to see to understand.... then again I still don't understand, and I am OK with that.

The Beatles had 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and the Beach Boys had 'Pet Sounds'. And so it is with The Film Crew and 'Wild Women of Wongo.' Of their output so far, this one is the most satisfying through and through. As one reviewer said, the movie is just bad and fun enough to be watchable and Mike, Kevin and Bill are highly amusing as they riff on a film that looks like it was shot with a Super 8 mm camera on a public-access beach. Even the bumper segments are funny (Mike and Bill take lunch appreciation to new heights). I think, too, for me, the appeal is the fact that Mike and Kevin and Bill have some age on them. In a decade when comedy is represented by hair gel and those slim, black faux horn-rimmed glasses, these three still 'keep it real'. It's jeans and t-shirts and not the merest hint of hair coloring in the 'world headquarters of Bob Honcho.' Like MST3K, we never forget that this venture is home-grown and put together by talented people who are also friends. You can imagine them calling it a wrap and then going out together with their wives and sharing an appetizer at Applebees (though Bill did go to Yale and may not actually be familiar with chain restaurants). Film Crew and 'Wild Women of Wongo' is, to date, the best mix of bad movie and comedy talent. I am optimistic that things will continue to get better. After all, the Beatles managed to get in a White Album. And p.s. -- The Wongo good-bye as demonstrated by Mike and Kevin and Bill is hilarious.

I have a fondness for cult cinema, but not when it is intentionally "campy" in the way "Wild Women" tries to be. Very few film makers can pull off "intentional" camp. Camp (and kitsch) are usually something that happen to a movie in spite of the earnest efforts of the creators, not something a movie can aim for, and frankly, "WWOW" stinks on ice. The least harsh adjective I could come up with for it is "genial". I wouldn't waste a moment's thought on it as a standalone film.But Mike, Kevin and Bill had chose it as the third selection in their comeback as "The Film Crew". So I was more than happy to support their new series with my hard earned dollars.

The riffing is...pretty good. Without the entire "Bad Brains" writing team to supplement their efforts, without the goofy robot personas to hide behind and the wild science fiction framing devices that made the the MST enterprise seem somehow larger than life, the Film Crew commentary just doesn't have quite the zip and freewheeling madness of MST at its peak. It's basically just a bunch of guys making dryly witty remarks off camera. Even the "bumpers" are scaled way down...instead of an intro, 4 or 5 skits and movie or pop culture parodies, the summary segment and the "stinger", we get a very mild intro, a "lunch break", a concluding segment and a "bonus extra". None of those segments look like they took more than 5 minutes to come up with and film. The net effect is like switching from a steakhouse dinner to an Arby's value meal...it's a decent product, but it's just not the same,

Still, this is Mike, Bill and Kevin doing what they do better than anyone else I can think of. It's close enough to the original to be enjoyable, and the crew does get off some good ones. I enjoyed this release a lot, and will await further releases with anticipation.

In the latest release from The Film Crew, the guys take on not one, but two, disparate island cultures. The premise is simple: two tribes, Goona and Wongo, inhabit an island. The women of Wongo are beautiful, while the men are ugly (by which I mean average looking), while, predictably, the women of Goona are ugly (really ugly; one of them looks like Divine on a bad day) and the men are handsome. This paves the road for great conflict, but also paves the way for long boring stretches of canoe paddling and stupid subversive plotting just yearning to be mocked.

The film opens with amusing credits done in a cave painting motif, and notes that one of the star Wongo women, Wana, is "Adrienne Bourbeau" (Barbeau) in a very early role. The other Wongo women get monikers like "Omoo" and "Ahtee." Needless to say, these names are mocked extensively, with Bill even referring to one woman as "Mitochondria" at one point. The central fixture of Wongo life is worshipping a "dragon god" which is actually a small alligator. (This was filmed at various tourist traps in Florida.) Women go talk to the alligator, and then interpret the alligator's instructions for the tribal leaders in between frolicking in their authentically native sun dresses and bikinis.

This film has loads of filler, and manages to get boring at an alarming pace. Frequently featured is a highly annoying parrot that mostly squawks, but also encourages the women to wrestle each other (with much hair pulling.) The parrot is so annoying that it turns Bill Corbett against the entire animal kingdom before the end.

Of course a man from Goona shows up on Wongo and the Wongo women swoon while the men plan to kill him. The women foil their efforts in one of the least plausible screen moments in history. Trivia buffs please note that as the Goona man makes his escape (by canoe) the background music is the exact same music as used during the "resurrection of the dead" scene in Ed Wood's infamous "Plan Nine From Outer Space." This is at least a welcome break from the rest of the soundtrack, which is highly tuba and bassoon intensive.

As the film winds down we see a woman wrestling a small alligator for what seems like an hour, followed by a call-and-response sacrifice ceremony reminiscent of the loyalty vows in "The Wild, Wild World of Batwoman." This leads ultimately to a unique fight scene featuring men with clubs against women with spears against an alligator. (The alligator wins.)

Of course everyone knows how this is going to work out: the ugly men and women pair up, and the attractive men and women pair up. This leads to much rejoicing, mostly from the audience, as the conclusion draws ever nearer.

This is a very lame movie that gets big laughs from the commentary track. There are also extras on the disc, most of which involve very bad interpretative dance, as well as a "Wongo goodbye" from The Film Crew, which is hilarious. The "sacrifice dance" scene, which features the Wongo women writhing about led by a Queen in an alligator headdress combined with the great commentary earns this a five star rating. I have not laughed quite so hard in a while: I highly recommend it, especially to fans of "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

I'm looking forward to the next Film Crew releases already!

Three of the masterminds behind MST3K return to skewer the mind-bogglingly ridiculous, absurd and sexist 1950's anti-classic "The Wild Women of Wongo". The premise -- a tribe with ugly men and beautiful (in this case, only in the loosest sense of the term) women meet a tribe where the converse is true -- is incredibly lame, even for the time. Mike, Kevin and, especially, Bill, tear this thing to pieces with some truly hilarious remarks worthy of some of the best MST3K episodes, although with a slightly more risque tone than on the TV series.


The only problem that I found is with the comedy sketch the guys insert halfway through the film. It's similar in tone to those on MST3K. This sort of thing could be cute and silly when the actors were voicing robot puppets. However, when they're, basically, playing versions of their real selves, it comes off as a bit juvenile and embarassing. The brief bonus material, on the other hand, is fun, because they do some funny take-offs on a couple of the dumber aspects of the film.

Still, that's only a minor nitpick -- you can always just skip the sketch, because the commentary on the film is so entertaining. MST3K fans won't be disappointed, but anyone who enjoys sarcasm at the expense of camp cinema will also have a great time.

I ended up getting the final round of Film Crew discs after enjoying The Giant of Marathon" and "Hollywood After Dark". This is the final of the four discs, "The Wild Women of Wongo". Judging from the title and the number for animal print bikinis on the cover I had a feeling this was going to be really funny or really painful.

Turns out "Wild Women of Wongo" is both. This movie's budget was really low, with most of the money going to hire women willing to wander around in furry underwear for 90 minutes and the rest spent on renting a parrot and maybe even an alligator or two. This left roughly a quarter or maybe fifty cents for a script and crew. The result is a movie in the most basic sense of the word. The pictures move and there is sound, but the plot is well... dumb.

You see Mother Nature shows up and tells us a long time ago she and Father Time created the tribe of Wongo. It was comprised of lovely women and ugly men. Then on a neighboring island they set up just the opposite. Then they stood back and watched the sparks fly. And fly they do. One of the pretty boys shows up in Wongo and the women go ga-ga over him. The Wongo men won't stand for this so they plot to kill the young punk. Well this doesn't sit well with the women and things go wrong - an alligator god is toppled and the girls are sent off to become human sacrifices.

But the movie doesn't end there. You still have to have an invasion of ape men, a crazy priestess who loves interpretive dance, men getting roped by Wongo women and lots of people running round in fur clothing.

This is a bad movie. No use in beating around the bush here. Compared to the previous three Film Crew discs, "Wild Women of Wongo" is the worst film of the bunch. It's production values are bargain basement, the script is wretched, the acting is worse, the dancing is hilarious and the ending is so stupid you'll be scanning back to see if you just witnessed a proto-Mentos wink-a-thon. Add a really annoying talking parrot into the mix and you've got a movie that is punishing.

It's perfect for the Film Crew and they jump right in, riffing at everything in sight. And boy is there plenty to work with. Unlike the previous three flicks, there are no dull spots in this film. Each new scene brings forth something perfect for mocking. It could be the strange hair die on the Wongo men - is that supposed to make them ugly? It could be the Wongo women who can't seem to remember any of their lines and were obviously chosen for other assists than acting ability. It could be the endless fight with a pigmy alligator. It could be priestess who is so over the top and yet so bad of an actress that every line is pure riffing gold.

This disc felt most like Mike, Bill and Kevin's previous work at MST3K and future work at Rifftrax. And that means it's a real winner. If you're a fan of these guys and want to give Film Crew a try, this is the disc I recommend - lots of laughs to be found here.

The three host segments break down this way. The first is the intro with Bob Honcho telling the crew about the film. The second has Kevin interrupting lunch again with a detailed discussion on exactly where the island of Wongo is. Kevin knows it's somewhere on the map near the Island of misfit toys and Narnia. The finale has Bill with a machine that will match anyone up with his or her perfect mate based only on appearance. Yeah, I don't see e-harmony using that any time soon.

The extras include the Film Crew being compelled to dance, just like the characters in the movie. Hey if that nutzoid priestess was shouting at me, I'd obey her commands too. There is also a bit where the Crew attempts to recreate the ending using cardboard hula girls and lots of cheesy facial expressions.

This was my favorite disc by the Film Crew. The previous three movies all had slow spots in them, and these ended up thwarting the riffing. But "Wild Women of Wongo" is full of odd moments, goofy acting and well, just poor film making. With all that to work with the Film Crew strikes gold. Not quite a five start effort, but really damn close.

Well, maybe just a little "bot"... But I sure as shine-ola didn't miss the rarely amusing or even tolerable "intermission" sketches with their evil captors, "Dr. Clayton Forrester" and especially his always annoying and ever putrid replacement, "Pearl"! This new format is leaner, meaner, and a whole lot funnier, (to me!), than the "Sci-fi" schtick I'd enjoyed for a little while, but which got really tired, (to me!), by the time Joel split. And a perfect example of my point made herein is on this dvd as a "bonus" feature. I dare any and every MST3k loyalist not to at least give up a chuckle at the "Crew" members individual "choreography" as they are commanded to "DANCE-DANCE-DANCE!" And so, in conclusion, "The Film Crew" was equally as much fun, (to me!), and this was a nice way to catch up with some old friends that are still "FUNNY-FUNNY-FUNNY!" - S->

In the 1980s came a television empire called Mystery Science Theater 3000. I call it an empire because it, and it alone, allowed Comedy Channel, later to become Comedy Central, to survive for so many years. For years it WAS the only thing on that was fresh, new and funny.
Then the show went to the Sci-Fi Channel, which allowed it to be reborn, and giving it a few more years of life. The Sci-Fi Channel did force them to do more sci-fi, but hey, I like sci-fi, so that's good.
Now the show is gone. But the people behind the show, the people with the minds, the souls, the heart that created the empire are back in The Film Crew.
This seems to be the third DVD put out by Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett in which they... well, mist bad movies. And they do a great job. But one warning - as the show goes right to DVD it is unrated. Many of the jokes are very adult and contain words little kids should not hear.
The movie in this case is Wild Women of Wongo. Not sure I even have to explain that. Or what to. The DVD also has some funny bonus features. If you are a fan, buy it. If you have no clue what I am talking about, go buy a used MST3K tape or DVD.