Release Date: April 29, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"If Ingmar Bergman made a horror film" - Kevin
Legend is a level down from the last couple of releases; it’s a middle-of-the-road effort that still provides a few big guffaws. Bill especially gets to deliver some great lines, such as when a character asks… "Give it to me in a nutshell", and he adds... "When squirrels talk dirty. I also loved how he compared Baseball manager Lou Pinella to an angry rat and I got to laughing at his disappointment that the world ended before “Batman and Superman Got Married” was released (Note the billboard in the background).
The riffing takes aim at the downbeat mood and slow pace of the movie and Kevin offers a cute nod to "Groundhog Day" (singing "I Got You Babe") but likewise, there are a lot of draggy sections where the laughs dry up. The work is not as weak as "Indiana Jones" but runs along the same lines as a “Next” – okay but not spectacular.
Release Date: February 1st, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Meanwhile on an unrelated episode of Myth Busters..." - Bill
The Rifftrax crew's 3rd foray into Christopher Nolan-land is an improvement on their work on the Dark Knight, about on par with Memento. Overall a decent -middle grove- though not a classic effort (I felt that it sagged in the middle). The riffing is often silly, they mishear dialog and talk about naughty nurses and such, and much of this was a hoot. Esoteric references are thrown in here and there (as when they quote from "To Have and Have Not"). They tease the actor's careers ("My Indie cred!” – Kevin as Ellen Page waking from a dream) but smartly, don't overplay that hand. And while they have fun with plot lines, they don't spit on the flick too much.
Release Date: August 14, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
”Wow, after seeing that I no longer fear hell” – Bill
Remember when ID4 was released to theaters and we liked it? Then it came out on DVD and there was a sudden shift in opinion. On the small screen, this epic wasn't very epic whatsoever. It amounts to a bunch of simple discs spitting out a death ray that, compared to the ominous and frightening Tri-Pods seen in Spielberg's “War of the Worlds”, come off pretty piss poor and not so scary at all. So, it's pretty fun when the guys tease the invasion with irreverence and disdain, "Uh oh, early digital effects, lots of ‘em men!" – Bill, (Kevin even references the “War of the World” solution for stopping the alien attack)
The broad and at times, stereotypical characters stand at the heart of some of the best riffs (Brent Spiner, fresh off his annoying turn in “Generations”, once again chews the scenery, Judd Hirsch should be ashamed and the smarmy Will Smith? Well, even his ears inspire a great "Pee Wee Herman" quip). Though not as killer as the recent "Bourne", it's worth a listen If only for hearing Kevin sing the "Satellite of Love" song... as well as those Robert Loggia impressions (made funnier when Bill sometimes comes off sounding like Krusty the Clown). Strippers, a new twist on the “assume” (ass out of you and me) bit, the several “nuke” related jokes and Mike going off on a Harrison Ford tangent, all make for a solid Trax.
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“Can no one stop the doddering grandpa?” – Bill
Though not the load “The Happening” was, Indy’s return was still a load. I’m glad I skipped it at theaters. The riff-work is decent enough. Not spectacular but a vast improvement on their first attempt in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The comedy styling consists of character slams. Harrison gets the traditional ‘old fart’ quips and they still work quite well, as when Mike notes that he runs like he’s got a loaded diaper. Shia receives a few shots but surprisingly they didn't deliver a knockout. I rarely laughed hard at the riffs leveled on the guy. Cate Blanchette also gets through with barely a scratch and I was disappointed that I didn't get to hear one Bob Dylan reference. Instead, they go the Emo Phillips route with her (which was cute).
References were pretty fun and eclectic. Both Brando’s Wild One and 007 are referred to, but not in an obvious way that would be understood by folks who weren't familiar with the films. I also liked Bill’s line about "I Love the 80s" and the fact that he mentions Arch Hall Jr. (Though he wasn't there for Eegah, its effects are felt by those who came years later)
While there are good riffs, there were also a lot, and I mean a lot of dead spaces where I was zoning out from a lack of laughs. A few jokes have simply gotten stale. For example - The bit where the guys hum the adventurous theme during dull spots in the film is an oldie that has run its course, and like the cop/donut jokes it should be retired.
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“"kay Tobor start talking or we take out the Allan wrench!" – Bill
The riffing on Iron Man starts off slow and only improves marginally as it goes. The problem is that the guys seem to have a tough time getting into the rhythm of the film. There are too many cheap and obvious Robert Downey Jr. addict jokes and then they do this Stark as rebel shtick that doesn't work either. Bill acting as a translator during the cave scene was funny and there were a few chuckles here and there, but overall my reaction to this half was lukewarm at best.
It picks up thereafter as they seem to work harder to tap into the flavor of the film, during a scene when the villains are holding hostages and screaming at Iron Man, Kevin makes a funny quip about how these guys would make great auctioneers. And later Bill has Tony announce, "Hey my hole itches!" But they also just as often lose the vibe. For example, voicing the quick and clever Pepper Potts as dumb and confused by computers doesn't fit.
The best off-the-beam comment was when Mike had baddie Obadiah Stane angrily shout, "It's not a paper it’s a USAToday!" I wish this witty barb were the rule and not the exception. This is an average Rifftrax. Of Interest: After a scene that hints that Rhodes will be wearing the armor in the next film, Kevin says, "Terrance locks up his role in the sequel!" The day before this Trax was released it was announced that Don Cheadle replaced Howard for the role.
Release Date: December 1, 2006
Riffers: Mike Nelson & Kevin Murphy
”You know, there are times when I almost think this film is kind of silly” – Kevin.
Though this release was not among my favorites, I stuck with it because I quickly discovered that a huge laugh could be found just around the corner - primarily when M&K tackled my favorite actor, Marlon Brando. This is one of Marlon's most eccentric performances and the guys never let him off the hook. From his strange makeup (he wears lipstick on only half of his mouth?) to his ice bucket hat! The imitations are classic, and a reference to “Last Tango in Paris” had me doing a spit take. Val Kilmer also took a well-deserved beating for his stoned-out acting. And Mike’s frustration with hearing yet another “Rice of Pipple” speech was a nice MSTed callback.
Release Date: February 24, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Spontaneous mass conniption fits!" - Bill
In every cinephile's life comes certain "event pictures", movies that become legend, not only because they were enjoyable to watch, but also for the way they changed the culture. For my grandmother and mother's generation, it was Gone With the Wind and Psycho. For me it was Jaws. I have so many fond memories of this film and it's so quotable that it has been used as inspiration for many a quip. It now becomes one of the greatest motion pictures to receive a riffing.
This 'Trax treads some bumpy waters. The work starts off slow and dries up about mid-way. The trio also struggles with Quint's haunting monologue about the Indianapolis. Other than those moments, the riffing works. Lines about Quint as an addled janitor and the coroner insisting that the first death was a boating accident, even after Hooper confirms it happened by shark attack, "A shark in a boat, right?" - Bill, all of these are golden moments. The guys even manage to throw in another reference to Tommy Bartlett (an oldie but a goodie). So I was happy with this Trax, the tone managed to respect the source material while having fun with it.
Release Date: February 5, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson & "Weird Al" Yankovic
“Jeeze why not give the thing a handlebar mustache it can twirl” – Weird Al on Evil Dinosaur
The preview of this one didn't make me laugh and I felt that the first half of this Trax was filled with mostly fair to middling material. For a while, I feared the worse. I've really liked the guest riffers from outside the MST3K universe but It took me a while to warm up to Weird Al as I found him a little too hyper. Over time though, the riffer's found their groove, the laughter came at a steadier pace and Yankovic’s delivery got easier to swallow.
Most of the kid-related quips were a hoot ("He’s gonna get that raptors claw and threaten that pilots child" – Weird Al). There are a lot of character references like Brad Wesley (Bad guy in Road House) Arnie Becker (Lawyer in L.A. Law) and my favorite; Uncle Beasley (A Triceratops statue that used to sit outside the Natural History Museum in DC which was named after the dino in the 1957 children’s book "The Enormous Egg")
Yankovic's comment on Kia and John Williams taking his lumps were both clever as well as true. Al has a veggie eating dino note that he likes meat every once in a while and later he sings "Okalahoma". Mike’s "Jimmie Walker's rejected catchphrase" and a eunuch comment gets Al chuckling. But the biggest laugh for me came when Mr. Nelson notices how a young lad's appearance resembles that of Nick Nolte.
Overall I’d say this was a successful riffing and once T-Rex shows up to menace the kids in the car the tempo hits a steady clip and rarely falters from then on.
#21 in Mighty Jack's Top 50
Release Date: March 22nd, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"And that's how you win children's karate matches" – Bill, after Terry Silver shows Daniel a rib-cracking move.
Sometimes I get frustrated with Rifftrax (see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) and then they pull something like this out of their hat and my faith is restored. This is sharp, character-based humor. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san fueled the funny and inspired Mike, Kev, and Bill to snarky, but upbeat highs (mocking Macchio's yammering, old lady jeans, and other ticks provide the biggest laughs). The silliness of Terry Silver's scheme is also picked to pieces (as well it should). Heck, even the fart noises at the end were a gas (er, sorry). Oh, and they name-drop one of my favorite authors, Evelyn Waugh – bravo!
Release Date: April 23rd, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"We need a Hobbit with a sword for this" – Kevin
William Shatner stars as John (D-OH!) or was that Uncle Rat? Anyway - the Shat-meister plays a vet in Arizona who charms the ladies and fights an army of cow-eating arachnids, "To sum up, there’s a mound of spiders and he wants to milk his dead brother's dead wife?" – Mike. Yup, that's about it, Michael. I had a good time with this one. While it's not as silly a movie as the previous release (The Apple), I got a bigger kick out of the quips. Though It does tail off during the depressing grand finale
