Release Date: November 27, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Wow, chicken wings and corn. It's as magical as Boston market!" - Mike
Potter is magic: quick-witted and rife with material that references past efforts (I find "Bone Saw is reeeady!" funny as hell and could see it becoming the "Hi-Keeba" of this project).
The "witchcraft as evil" jokes are a hoot and reflect the attitudes of a few critics of the books and movies. It was cute how both Mr. McFeely and the Fed Ex man are used for a larf (“Now eat my mail!” – Bill), the sorting hat sequence garnered some of the best comedy of the film (Mike’s imitation was priceless) and I was pleased as punch to hear the return of an old MST3K standby, the variation on the "Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies" gag. Though the first half is stronger than the second, all told I felt that Harry Potter was yet another triumph for Mike and the boys.
A couple of other big guffaws I received:
* "He is the walrus" – Kevin on Harry’s uncle.
* The line about being a 'grand' wizard!
* "This is a chopstick, Come on!" – Bill as Potter receives a wand
* "Why can't you be a hairy giant?" – Mike as Auntie to husband
* "That’s what you get for repeatedly overstating the obvious kid, all your friends disappear on you" – Mike,
* "Sylvia Plath take me away" when Hermione has a bad day
* And the mirror that shows a “Girls Next Door” marathon
Release Date: August 5, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Man the crotch splinters! I have to get this thing sanded." - Bill on Harry's Broom
The first stab at Potter was enjoyable. It slowed at the end but was overall solid. The 2nd try is better, steady from start to finish. The work opens strong, I love John Lennon/Beatles quips and this one features a few knee slappers (Like the pic with John, Yoko, and Sean). It then moves along at a brisk pace with magical quips popping up here and there. I liked the stuff about Mud Bloods ("Settle down muddy!" - Kevin to Hermione), and those directed at Kenneth Branagh's hammy, lipless acting. I also like how they point out the parts where adults stand by helpless as pupils are put into peril. Why the hell did Hagrid send Harry and Ron into a forest full of man-eating spiders? A few other moments I enjoyed were Mike's riffing on Kevin, a great Jiminy Glick impression, and the end sequence with all the mad clapping. That was a great way to go out guys.
Release Date: December 16, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"I agreed to be in this movie, I never agreed to watch it!" - Kevin as Harry & Hermione spy on themselves
The Potter franchise has inspired much mirth from our merry quipsters, but I fear they might be close to running this well dry. The problem is that they are starting to repeat themselves, aside from a few different characters, the same magical themes run through each film. For example, the frequent references to Satan have been beaten to death, and yes; it is funny and odd how much danger these kids get into while the adults do little to nothing about it. But I've heard those jokes, several times now and they are losing their impact from the retelling.
Apart from that, there are still many bright spots. Having Lupin, Buckbeak and the Dementors around allows for a few fresh spins. I laughed while Professor Lupin spoke about Harry's mother and it was cute how Mike gets the Dementors mixed up with the Oompa Loompa's. There are nods to Brits like Steve Coogan and Tony Blair, and Mike does a bit of his VH1 Kristofferson voice, which brought back pleasant memories of the "Band who sang California Lady" skit. Bill voiced some of the funniest lines, I enjoyed how he notices many of the silly bits (Lupin plays a record to accompany a scene) and when Harry shouts, Corbett observes that Potter just watched an Al Pacino film festival. So, despite a few complaints and worries, Azkaban makes for another fun 'trax.
Release Date: May 14, 2010
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Man, the house is so whimsical I could fart rainbows" – Kevin
The riffing on the Potter franchise has been pretty solid. This, their 4th try, starts off brilliantly before it tapers off and hits some bumpy patches. On the plus: The clever material that taps into the characteristics of the film – such as the lack of respect Harry gets, despite saving the school several times – as well as the ridiculously dangerous situations they put these children into, all so they can win what Mike calls, "a bowling trophy!" In addition to that are the performers - I forgot that Robert "Twilight" Pattinson was in this; surprisingly the stuff they did on him was generally kind of m'eh (better was the "Happening" callback).
There was some fun silliness ("I will now fight the big lady to the death" – Bill as Dumbledore) and the references were a joy: Dancing With the Stars, former Bengal's running back Ickey Woods, Bill's quip about Magic... and Larry Bird.. An old "Tootsie Pop" commercial, Irish jokes, Mike's nod to "Singing In The Rain" and a stained-glass window crying over Lady Gaga, all provide laughter.
As you can see, there's plenty of hilarity to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, it starts to sputter at about the 40-minute mark. Here they throw out a few idiotic 'Harry with an erection' jokes, and the material overall wasn't hitting my funny bone with as much frequency. Goblet rebounds for the dance - and then ebbs and flows to the end. Overall though, I'd say the wonderful outweighs the weak on this release.
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
There's a lot of garbage littering this Rifftrax – Fudge packing and an overabundance of penis & ball jokes are to be had. So if you're an 11-year-old, prepared to howl. However if your taste in humor aims higher than childish vulgarities, then you'll likely find this is as tough a slog as I.
There are moments when the guys act their age and give me something quick and thoughtful ("Ha Ha, how narratively convenient that we’ve wound up in the same place" - Bill) and there are a few funny bits with Groppy. But regrettably, they hit far too many sour notes with this release.
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"We have a girl who lives in a toilet..." - Bill as Dumbledore attempts to sell Tom Riddle on attending Hogwarts
A good movie gets a cracking good riffing. The material here is smarter than what was had on the last Potter, and the guys are far less cranky and complaining than they were with the recently released "Thor". The quipping engages the film smartly: Right out of the gate MK&B had me laughing over business-speak, hand sniffers, and wizard busking – as well as the inconsistent rules of magic and Hermione's inexplicable attraction for Ron.
I've always been fond of germane and witty references, and Potter has some great ones: The Watchmen on casual Friday, Beatles album cover recreations, and I dug the Iggy Pop line (if you didn't know already, Iggy used to cut himself on stage). There's one hilarious allusion after another. Qwikster is brought up and during a psychedelic scene, Kevin wonders, "Did someone switch to the Ring when I wasn’t looking?"
It's a long, slow-brewing movie, which creates a challenge in filling the minutes with quality jokes. And while things do slow down a hair in the film's final moments - tally it all up and I believe the guys do a terrific job here. Very funny release
#12 in Mighty Jack's Top 50
Release Date: October 31, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Well, this franchise aint going to grind itself to a halt" – Mike as Harry gets ready for a new day
I had doubts they could do anything with this overlong, dour, snore-fest, but the guys surprised me. Oh sure, they throw in those wang and ball jokes that I've grown to detest, but they seem to adore (especially with this franchise). Primarily though, their work is bright and hilarious.
The references are cute (Al Capone’s baseball bat) and they nail the film to the wall: I got a kick out of the way they tease the “part 1 and 2 and 3 of part 1” thing. And how magic spells sound like Italian actor's names. They tease the ensemble cast (“Wow, all my contractually obligated friends are here!” – Bill). And when the movie comes to an abrupt halt, with the kids just camping out in various gray locations - the trio rises up to the challenge to brighten up these dull sections by noting how dull and dreary they are. "Come on movie, snap out of it!" Bill implores. Later, Mike wonders what happened to the "fun"?
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Dobby shows up. Oh, sweetness! I’m looking at my copious notes and see that I could go on and on, citing one brilliant quip after another. But you should probably stop reading and go discover them for yourself.
