This Movie Sucks!
Encyclopedia
This Movie Sucks! is a Canadian comedy
television series hosted by Ed the Sock
, premièring on May 28, 2010, two years after Ed's Night Party
went off the air. The show is similar to another former Ed the Sock series, Ed's Nite In
. This Movie Sucks! features his Night Party co-host, Liana Kerzner and another MuchMusic
personality, comedian Ron Sparks. Currently being produced and broadcast by CHCH-TV
Hamilton
, it is also being shown on CJNT-TV
Montreal
and CHEK-TV
Victoria
, as well as Movieola
and Silver Screen Classics
.
A third season of This Movie Sucks! is under development. It will feature six new one hour episodes, as the cast stated that the original two hour format was "killing" them. Reruns will cease on CHCH-TV
until that time, although they still will be played on other channels. New films will include Raiders of Lost Atlantis and The Wild Weng, a film that like the previously featured The Impossible Kid
stars Filipino
actor Weng Weng
.
which was shown in between the screening of The Manster
.
When not making fun of the movie, the cast also engage in humorous interludes, including such notables as tellings of the stories of "Roninja" and "Lake Erie Pete" and even a fake telethon to help alleviate "Cheap Bastard Disorder". Occasionally the cast also wander away from their studio to attend events such as Anime North
or to go to a different studio where Liana gets filmed in a giantess
video. The show is filmed in a deliberately low-budget manner, and much of the work behind it is even done by student volunteers. Similarities have been noted between the series and Mystery Science Theater 3000
and also The All-Night Show
.
efforts. It has also been consistently criticized for somewhat disorganized scheduling. As time went on the show has been considered to be improving however, and there have been some positive reviews, with the second series supposedly "pretty much been bashed into shape", with much credit being given to Ed's improved movie selection (including at least one "by request" choice, Manos, as well as one fan request) and to the cast finding "their stride" with their jabs during the movie, with Sparks's comedy getting particular praise.
A SquidWho poll found that 32% watched for Sparks, 29% for Ed the Sock and the rest watched for Liana or "other" reasons, with 15% of replies saying they do not watch the show. The page also featured a manipulated picture of Ed the Sock smoking his trademark cigar while a film reel unspooled around him with 70% of voters replying "yes" to the question "should this be This Movie Sucks new logo?" A number of replies to the poll seemed to indicate that many of those voting "other" watched the show for the bad movies themselves. It was also named one of the five best TV shows of 2010 by Toronto Entertainment and one of the three best new shows of 2010 by Excalibur Magazine. The series was also nominated for both the 2010 and 2011 Canadian Comedy Awards
for Best TV Show.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series hosted by Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner, that became a Canadian television personality in the 1990s, best known for his appearances hosting programming on MuchMusic and his own talk show, Ed's Night Party, later renamed Ed & Red's Night Party...
, premièring on May 28, 2010, two years after Ed's Night Party
Ed's Night Party
Ed & Red's Night Party is a former Canadian talk variety show. It was hosted by Steven Joel Kerzner as Ed the Sock and Kerzner's real-life wife Liana K...
went off the air. The show is similar to another former Ed the Sock series, Ed's Nite In
Ed's Nite In
Ed's Nite In was a short-lived TV series on Citytv in Toronto, Canada, hosted by Ed the Sock. Ed would screen bad movies with his co-host/wife Liana K and invite friends/guests over to watch and make comments on the films....
. This Movie Sucks! features his Night Party co-host, Liana Kerzner and another MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
personality, comedian Ron Sparks. Currently being produced and broadcast by CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, it is also being shown on CJNT-TV
CJNT-TV
CJNT-DT is a Canadian multicultural television station in Montreal, Quebec. The station is owned and operated by Channel Zero and uses the on-air brand Metro 14.-History:...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and CHEK-TV
CHEK-TV
CHEK-DT, channel 6.1, is a television station based in Victoria, British Columbia and broadcasting to all of southwestern BC...
Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, as well as Movieola
Movieola
Movieola is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Channel Zero Inc....
and Silver Screen Classics
Silver Screen Classics
Silver Screen Classics is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Channel Zero Inc. Silver Screen Classics broadcasts films from the 1930s to the 1960s; including feature films, silent films, serials, shorts, and more.-References:...
.
A third season of This Movie Sucks! is under development. It will feature six new one hour episodes, as the cast stated that the original two hour format was "killing" them. Reruns will cease on CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
until that time, although they still will be played on other channels. New films will include Raiders of Lost Atlantis and The Wild Weng, a film that like the previously featured The Impossible Kid
The Impossible Kid
The Impossible Kid is a Kung Fu movie made in 1982, starring Filipino actor Weng Weng. This movie is a sequel to For Your Height Only. Part of the comedic premise of this film involves the viewer’s suspension of disbelief during the fight scenes...
stars Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
actor Weng Weng
Weng Weng
Ernesto de la Cruz , better known as Weng Weng, was a Filipino actor and martial artist. Only 83 cm tall, he is listed in the Guinness World Records as the shortest adult actor in a leading role...
.
Premise
In each two hour episode Ed has guests over to watch (and make fun of) a bad movie. The movies are often edited for time and also to include humorous sound or film effects or to point out significant details. Examples of this include an often used joke of speeding up certain boring sections of a film and playing them with the addition of a music track. Sometimes things other than the main movie are also featured, such as an episode of DoDo, The Kid from Outer SpaceDoDo, The Kid from Outer Space
DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space was an animated cartoon series that was syndicated to television from 1965-1970. DoDo was a young extraterrestrial from the planet Hena Hydro, who came to Earth in his flying saucer and had numerous adventures...
which was shown in between the screening of The Manster
The Manster
is a tokusatsu 1959 horror film, a co-production between the US and Japan, starring Peter Dyneley. The film was notable for its creative use of special effects...
.
When not making fun of the movie, the cast also engage in humorous interludes, including such notables as tellings of the stories of "Roninja" and "Lake Erie Pete" and even a fake telethon to help alleviate "Cheap Bastard Disorder". Occasionally the cast also wander away from their studio to attend events such as Anime North
Anime North
Anime North is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming , Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances...
or to go to a different studio where Liana gets filmed in a giantess
Giantess
A giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality ....
video. The show is filmed in a deliberately low-budget manner, and much of the work behind it is even done by student volunteers. Similarities have been noted between the series and Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
and also The All-Night Show
The All-Night Show
The All-Night Show was a television series starring Chas Lawther and produced by Jeff Silverman which ran from September 1980 to August 1981 on CFMT-TV in Toronto.The show ran live nightly from the end of other programming until 6 am...
.
Characters
Main cast
- Ed the SockEd the SockEd the Sock is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner, that became a Canadian television personality in the 1990s, best known for his appearances hosting programming on MuchMusic and his own talk show, Ed's Night Party, later renamed Ed & Red's Night Party...
is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner. Ed has a scowl, a cigar sticking out of his mouth and a rough, gravelly voice. The show is alleged to be set in his apartment or basement, although as Ed himself has noted, everyone knows they are in fact shooting everything in a studio. - Liana Kerzner (stage name Liana K) is Ed's co-host, and is actually the wife of Steven Kerzner. Unlike the other characters, she was never referred to as a guest, likely due to her previous role as co-host on Ed & Red's Night Party.
- Ron Sparks is a comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who has appeared in almost every episode alongside Ed and Liana. He sits behind the couch, usually accompanied by a drink, and is known for making off the wall comments. In one episode in which he was unable to attend, the rest of the cast try to find him an understudy, with Max Brand eventually earning the coveted title.
Recurring characters
- Andrew Young is one of the writers on the show who has been in several episodes. Andrew dressed up in a starfish alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
costume at Anime NorthAnime NorthAnime North is a non-profit, fan-run anime convention, held every year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its major attractions, activities and events include a Masquerade, a Dealers Room, an Artists Alley, Guest of Honor presentations, Gaming , Panel Discussions, Video Presentations, Contests, and Dances...
even though he didn't want to because Ed insisted. Ed has also gotten Andrew to dress up as a two headed monsterMonsterA monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
and a mummyMummyA mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, with Andrew frequently yelling at Ed that he hates doing that. Andrew is an internet radioInternet radioInternet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
host for Geek Hard Radio and a filmmaker. Ed broadcasts one of Andrew's short films at the end of the third episode after Andrew agrees to dress up in costume, or at least find someone else to do it for him. In another episode he auditions to be Ron's understudy, but he loses to Max Brand. - Larissa Drobot is an intern who often helps out with projects in the show. In The MansterThe Mansteris a tokusatsu 1959 horror film, a co-production between the US and Japan, starring Peter Dyneley. The film was notable for its creative use of special effects...
episode Liana did special effects make-up on Larissa's face. In the Wild Women of WongoWild Women of WongoThe Wild Women of Wongo is a 1958 American film directed by James L. Wolcott, featuring low budget, stereotypical portrayals of fictional tropical islanders. The movie was released on DVD in 2004.- Plot summary :...
episode she shared a story. In the fake telethon episode, she tried to have her birds do some tricks. - Amusing Duck is a cheap foreign import toyToyA toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
which the cast found in a novelty shop. First introduced in The MansterThe Mansteris a tokusatsu 1959 horror film, a co-production between the US and Japan, starring Peter Dyneley. The film was notable for its creative use of special effects...
episode, the duck is capable of excreting plastic eggs out of a plastic flap representing the bird's buttocks, with the toy's box stating in broken English "Lay egg is true!". It later appears after the showing of The Killer ShrewsThe Killer ShrewsThe Killer Shrews is a 1959 science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg. It has been released on DVD and is considered a cult classic. It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as the first season of the similar show This Movie Sucks!.-Plot:Thorne Sherman and...
, after it bashes through the wall in parody of several scenes in the movie, although it was quite clearly pushed through by Andrew Young. - Naked Dave is a friend of Liana's who likes to take off his shirt for no reason, which Ed hates. He is very proud and protective of his sports car (to the point where he kills Steve the intern after Steve threatens to egg the car). Naked Dave was a guest in the The MasterThe Master (TV series)The Master is a short-lived ninja-themed action-adventure TV series created by Michael Sloan which aired on NBC. The show focused on the adventures of John Peter McAllister, an aging ninja master , and his young pupil, Max Keller...
episode, but at the end of the episode he is killed by Roninja. He does, however, appear later during the fake telethon to fight "Cheap Bastard Disorder". - Bandito appears during the Mexican movies double feature special, after Ed invites Mexican wrestlerLucha libreLucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
Bandito on the show as a guest because he is the closest guest he has to a real Mexican person. Despite being a luchador, his only piece of costuming is his wrestling mask so Ed makes fun of his T-shirtT-shirtA T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
and shorts. The first movie features The Robot vs. The Aztec MummyThe Robot vs. The Aztec MummyThe Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy is a 1958 Mexican film directed by Rafael Portillo, starring Ramón Gay and Rosa Arenas. It blends elements of science fiction and horror...
, so Liana dresses him up in a robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
costume. Ed later sends him to the most dangerous neighbourhood in HamiltonHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
to pick up some Mexican food. He is then attacked and possibly killed by Lake Erie Pete after Andrew Young is supposed to fight him dressed as the mummy but leaves. He is also later seen in the fake telethon episode, manning the phones. - Max Brand was a frequent guest on Ed's old show. He appears in the telethon episode as a dancer who also works answering phones on the phone bankPhone bankPhone bank can mean:*A collection of telephones within an organization such as a call centre.*A banking institution that does business solely or mostly via telephone. See telephone banking....
. In another episode he returns to audition to be Ron's understudy and wins the part, in that episode he introduces himself by saying "I'm Ron Sparks but I'm coloured."
Other characters
- Charlene Zacks was a regular on Ed's old show who Ed always puts down. They frequently pass insults back and forth with Ed coming out on top. She was a guest in the premiere Gorilla episode of TMS! but has not been back since.
- Steve is another intern who enjoys eating bags of potato chips. He is killed by Naked Dave the zombie after threatening to egg his car, as instructed by Ed. Steve never talks.
- Emily Schooley is shown in the fake telethon episode, where she plays a phone operator coerced into helping Ed and Liana out. She sometimes works behind the scenes as well - in the Roninja episode, she did Naked Dave's makeup as well as working as set continuity/PA. In real life she is an actor and improviser.
- Roninja is featured in the episode featuring the The MasterThe Master (TV series)The Master is a short-lived ninja-themed action-adventure TV series created by Michael Sloan which aired on NBC. The show focused on the adventures of John Peter McAllister, an aging ninja master , and his young pupil, Max Keller...
(about an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Second World War veteranVeteranA veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
who was trained by the ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
). Ron Sparks tells the legend of the Roninja, a half RoninRoninA or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
/half Ninja who became a crime fighter after his parents were killed by "the YakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
gang". After the story Sparks suddenly disappears making it appear very possible that he is in fact himself the Roninja. Ed keeps saying that the Roninja isn't real, but Liana points out there is a Roninja page on WikipediaWikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
. It is obviously Sparks playing the Roninja (he has Spark's voice and drink), but it is not shown whether he is actually supposed to be the same person. At the end of the episode Roninja kills another guest, Naked DaveNaked DaveNaked Dave refers to a series of paintings created by Laura Molina, inspired by her relationship with illustrator and Rocketeer creator, Dave Stevens. A five-month long relationship between the artists ended in early December, 1978 after she miscarried their child at 11 weeks...
. - Lake Erie Pete is shown in the Mexican movies episode, during the Haunted Swamp feature. Sparks tells the legend of Lake Erie Pete, about a man who becomes a crime-fighting swamp monsterSwamp monsterSwamp monsters have been a staple of comics for years. From the 1940s to the present many murk-dwellers have made their muddy mark in comics. Swamp creatures are humanoid creatures similar to fish or resembling living piles of swamp mire. They live underwater and occasionally come to the surface,...
after his parents are killed by one. The story is almost exactly the same as the Roninja story from the previous episode. After telling it, Sparks again disappears then Lake Erie Pete shows up in a cheap Creature from the Black LagoonCreature from the Black LagoonCreature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
mask to ambush the Robot after the failed Robot/Mummy fight. - Crackers appears during the fake telethon episode, during which the clown plays a song on his accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and also plays back-up music for other performers to dance to.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Season premiere | Season finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 2010 2010 in television 2010 in television may refer to:*2010 in American television*2010 in Australian television*2010 in British television*2010 in Canadian television*2010 in Japanese television... |
May 28, 2010 | August 28, 2010 | |
| 2 | 6 | 2010 2010 in television 2010 in television may refer to:*2010 in American television*2010 in Australian television*2010 in British television*2010 in Canadian television*2010 in Japanese television... |
September 25, 2010 | November 20, 2010 | |
| 3 | 6 | 2011 | TBA | TBA | |
Season 1: 2010
| Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|
Season 2: 2010
| Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|
Reactions
This Movie Sucks! initially garnered a lukewarm reception, with it being criticized for having a bad choice in movies to mock and for it seeming generally weaker than previous Ed the SockEd the Sock
Ed the Sock is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner, that became a Canadian television personality in the 1990s, best known for his appearances hosting programming on MuchMusic and his own talk show, Ed's Night Party, later renamed Ed & Red's Night Party...
efforts. It has also been consistently criticized for somewhat disorganized scheduling. As time went on the show has been considered to be improving however, and there have been some positive reviews, with the second series supposedly "pretty much been bashed into shape", with much credit being given to Ed's improved movie selection (including at least one "by request" choice, Manos, as well as one fan request) and to the cast finding "their stride" with their jabs during the movie, with Sparks's comedy getting particular praise.
A SquidWho poll found that 32% watched for Sparks, 29% for Ed the Sock and the rest watched for Liana or "other" reasons, with 15% of replies saying they do not watch the show. The page also featured a manipulated picture of Ed the Sock smoking his trademark cigar while a film reel unspooled around him with 70% of voters replying "yes" to the question "should this be This Movie Sucks new logo?" A number of replies to the poll seemed to indicate that many of those voting "other" watched the show for the bad movies themselves. It was also named one of the five best TV shows of 2010 by Toronto Entertainment and one of the three best new shows of 2010 by Excalibur Magazine. The series was also nominated for both the 2010 and 2011 Canadian Comedy Awards
Canadian Comedy Awards
The Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
for Best TV Show.
External Links
- This Movie Sucks! at TV TropesTV TropesTV Tropes is a wiki which collects and expands on various conventions and devices found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video-games,...
- This Movie Sucks! at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...