Release Date: December 17th, 2010
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Thumbelina, you've never heard of Roman Polanski, have you?" - Mike as Mr. Digger
Santa gets stuck in the sand and sits around whining about the heat while a group of kids do all the heavy lifting. In the middle section, he tells a story about Thumbalenia (a short, random piece directed by Barry Mahon, the man behind MST3Ks "Rocket Attack USA"), Then it's back to hot, sandy Santa and a rescue by the psychotic looking Ice Cream Bunny. The film is a drag, I mean it literally drags. Nothing much happens, there's a ton of padding. The guys fight to find something fresh to say, long after a scene has gone stale. This leaves room for a handful of moments where all they do is comment on how weird the movie is, or wonder if they took a hallucinogenic and are seeing what they are seeing (and at times they simply flat out scream). Fortunately, interspersed among these statements of fact, are some genuinely uproarious lines.
I enjoyed references (like the "Norwegian Wood" line, or the mention of Spinal Tap), or when they engage character and plot... the Thumbelina sequence offered up more opportunities for that (simply because there's some semblance of a story here). The Mr. Digger material, the jokes about Thumbelina wanting to date the bird, or the scenes with the flower people and their history books - all of that was golden.
The Santa sections on the other hand are so one-note and repetitive it was overwhelming. Still, there are some bright lights – as when Mike lets the movie do the work and invites Bill and Kevin to close their eyes and simply listen to Santa's dialog (I tried it too and it was hilarious).
Release Date: December 21st, 2012
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
Mike, Kevin, and Bill act as host for a series of short Christmas films, all of which draw from the same sources – including bits from the classic MST3K episode Santa Claus. The shorts are chaotic and ear piercingly irritating. We get guys in animal suits snarling at one another, while an insane Santa laughs and laughs and laughs. Scenes are repeated, as are sounds (ala a little boy's exclamation of approval), And in the end, Merlin fights a Santa hating giant... don't get too excited, this epic battle happens off-screen. This mass of disarray was difficult to sit through and proved difficult to riff on as well. I did get a few chuckles, but "Madness" was more pain than pleasure.
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Riffers: Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Oh and there's a chipmunk in your hair strapped with dynamite!" - Bill, making fun of the killer's stupid, over-elaborate traps.
I hate this recent torture trend in horror movies and while Saw isn't the most graphic or bloody, with this genre it's not the violence on screen but rather the violence in the idea that bothers me. Had this been a bloodless affair, I still would have found it ugly and cruel. Unfortunately, Bill and Kevin decided to riff on it. Fortunately, the riffing isn't very good. Why is that a blessing? Because now I won't feel compelled to sit through this filth ever again. There are a handful of funny bits. The scene with the woman in the mask and the 'lying' sequence receive a few laughs, and "Final Sacrifice's" Zap Rowsdower is referred to. But that's about it.
Release Date: September 6th, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Damn it Chuck, you made me hit a Cub Scout!" – Bill as Chuck’s movie gal pal
I hate to give frownies, I really do. But I can count the number of big laughs I got out of this release on one hand. And it probably doesn't help that I've disliked the Traxed Chuck Norris movies. Both this (about a super-powered serial killer) and "Breaker! Breaker!" were a pain to get through (though Breaker was made bearable by better riffing).
Release Date: April 25th, 2014
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Does that sign say Valley Lodge? Ah hell!" Bill
Eh, pretty blah work overall. The film had an interesting cast, consisting of a Playboy bunny, a former Mouseketeer, Paul Carr from "It Lives By Night" and Joe E. Tata (owner of the Peach Pit on "Beverly Hills 90210"), but the guys sure didn't do much with them. (I heard a General Hospital quip for Carr and Tata and that was about it). I got a few chuckles, with lines about 'small martini's' and a guy dancing on his tiptoes as flute music plays, and Mike's, "Who are you to judge, Judy?", but it was pretty slim pickings.
#35 in Mighty Jack's Top 50
Release Date: June 25, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"So Duluth is mostly dead people?" - Mike
Watching the Sixth Sense in theaters was quite an experience and seeing the movie again, even with the quipsters, I found that I still enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Mike, Kevin, and Bill's reactions to this M. Night Shyamalan classic.
Packed to the rafters with clever material: The riffing is smart, well written and the lines are delivered with impeccable timing. Old chestnuts are given a new and funny twist (Bill’s Luthor/Thesis crack) and pop culture references are pertinent and not simply throw out randomly (“I Am, I Said” and a penniless John Edwards). There are also a few nice quotes from Cloverfield, and as to be expected Bruce Willis and Shyamalan take their shots. Though the Demi jokes seem a bit dated, there are a few that work (The bit about the guy from "Punked").
So... the Sixth Sense was not only a movie I enjoyed but is now the backdrop for one of the best ‘trax I’ve ever heard. While it isn’t unusual for an individual episode or commentary (From MST to CT) to ebb and flow, this one is consistent from start to finish.
Release Date: November 1st, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Yes, nothing says seeking adventure like a powder blue mini skirt fluttering in the breeze." – Kevin
The movie presented here was originally part of a syndicated series from the 60s (Sons of Herc wiki). This particular son had me thinking, "If Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe had a baby..." Anyway, I found myself laughing pretty steady throughout. For the most part, the riffing was downright silly – good mood humor if you will. For example, Mike's mention of "Grizzly Man", when a bear pops up on screen, got a big guffaw out of me. It was just so silly (that's the word of the day boys and girls). Herc's son comes complete with his own comedic relief and a love interest who swings her arms madly when she runs; both characters and their traits are hilariously riffed upon.
#33 in Mighty Jack's Top 50
Release Date: October 9, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Give it up for the guy in the cherry red Diabolik get up!" – Bill
One of the best superhero movies serves as the backdrop for one of the great Rifftrax. The non-stop funny, spot-on observational quipping is clever beyond compare. The puppet-like Willem Dafoe ("When you need a movie monster but can’t afford makeup"- Bill) inspires a wellspring of laughs. From noting that he sounds like he's doing a bad Tom Waits imitation to smart commentary on his Goblin outfit ("Satan attacked her on a jet ski!" – Bill). Had Dafoe been the brightest riff-star I’d have proclaimed this a success. But that the rest of the cast is equally assailed brilliantly propels this effort to instant classic status.
Big laughs are had from the uproarious opening exchange between an angry Mike against his cohorts, derived from the Spider-Man theme (Listen bud! He’s got radioactive blood!) Straight to the running gag about Peter Parker stalking Mary Jane. The wordplay is well written; I've always enjoyed a joke that is nicely phrased. As with Bill's line upon seeing a paint can after Peter failed to show up to help Ben with this chore... "Equal parts green paint and uncle tears."
I also enjoyed the pop culture references: Mike sings Wayne Coyne. There's a quip about wild child Ruthie of "Real World" fame and a funny bit where Peter looks at his wrist and recalls a "Revenge of the Sith" based suicide attempt. The blue material fits and is funny, a couple of altered Spider-Man themes are a gas, and guys reliving High School trauma's during the wrestling scene provides yet another highlight to an all around comedic masterpiece.
Rifftrax Presents Release Date: September 5, 2008
Riffers: Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett & Josh Fruhlinger
"And now a pigeon craps on his head" - Bill after Peter's string of bad luck
Wow, fresh off the failure of Ocean's 11, Rifftrax lobs this marginal offering in our laps, as the strongest Spider-Man movie receives the weakest riffing. Josh Fruhlinger, who writes a comic strip mocking blog, adds little to nothing here. During the operation scene, he has a saw-wielding Doctor command, "So chop him in half, pronto!" Ugh - and this is just one in a surplus of lame-o quips offered up by Josh, Kevin, and Bill.
Thankfully there is a sprinkling of the spectacular. MJ bashing was as fun as ever and the scene where Otto puts on his demonstration at OsCorp provided some life. Later as Peter has dinner with Otto, and he and his wife grill Parker on his love life, Bill gets in a screamer -"My Summer Glau poster and I are pretty serious"- Corbett also gives up another 'Kids in the Hall' joke ("I'm crushing your head") and clever references to John Henry and Buster Keaton. But these funny pieces are sandwiched between some bland material.
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson & James Lileks
"Uh Oh, stiff wind must have hit Larry King" – James, as sand blows through the streets
I’ve always been a James Lileks fan, ever since I stumbled upon his funny piece on the cheesy paintings of Art Frahm. A few years later when I read Mike’s first Pop Ink books, I thought how similar it was to much of Lileks pop culture comedy. And when Rifftrax was launched, the first name I thought of, as a perfect riff mate was James Lileks. Finally, we see these two smart comedic minds on one project.
A fellow Minnesotan, James can fall into doing these long rants, and we get a few of those here, but they never become obtrusive and for the most part, he does a nice job riffing with Mike. He’s got a smooth, low key delivery and as with his work at the Institute of Cheer (see lileks.com) James has a great love for his pop culture past and his affection for Spider-Man is well served on this project (BTW, if you read the “Little Big Books” article at his website (Again at the "Cheer" section) he riffs on some Spider-Man comics)
The two have fun pointing out some of the implausible moments -I also wondered how the cop made the entire tarp fly off after loosening one piece of rope- Kirsten Dunts’ big head and weak singing, the characters of Bernerd and Aunt May are uproarious sources for laughs and there’s a cute Dick Dale reference I liked.
#16 in Mighty Jack's Top 50
Release Date: October 11th, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"If I could only reach my futility belt!" – Bill
"You will believe a man can.... lift a plywood steam roller?" You certainly won't believe a man can fly, even with shots of people looking at the sky and pointing while a little doll scoots through the air. That's right, Supersonic Man employs the art of Doll technology in its special FX. The flick comes from the director of Pod People, co-stars Cameron Mitchell from Space Mutiny fame, and would make for a great cheesy double feature with Puma Man… Oh yeah, this release is custom-made for us MST3K fanatics. The riffing is quality, uproarious stuff, and the movie itself is a hoot (aside from the doll and the steam roller, Cameron does a lot of yelling and name-calling -- and if that's not enough, there's "Lupe, Jim, and Dick" to entertain). This is a great trax all down the line, one of Rifftrax finest.
Release Date: November 20th, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"You have a rare Biblical disease." - "I have locusts?" – Doctor/Kevin
This is an oddball B-movie with illusions of being an art film... I think. The icky flick provides much fuel for the funny – There are Ravens that are mostly buzzards, pan flutes, and a guy who sings an angry love song to a mannequin. Riff highlights include a spot-on jab at Obamacare and a TV series theme song for a Leper. There's a lot to like here, even if it does falter at times (the overlong Raven bit at the start, was a time filler, but not a very funny one). And the pointlessness and tedium of the film eventually tested my patience and wore me out (and maybe the riffers as well).
Release Date: March 10, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Oh no, my mule's blind!" - Bill
I'll get my complaint out of the way straight out. They dumped my favorite riff from Mike's original ("Wow, she's lucky. An old guy gave her fifty bucks and she gets to keep all her clothes on"), losing that line is like remaking Citizen Kane without Rosebud! Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it was a disappointment. Without that and a few other goodies MIA (spooning Larry) means the original isn't made obsolete by this reworking. Mike's first shot at this had some laughs but was pretty sparse, this version opens very strong -the Mule worrying gag had me in fits- but it peters out as it goes and after a while, I got bored with it Now, there are some worthy bits at the end and a smattering of funny jokes tossed in here and there, but nothing to match that sidesplitting opening section. Maybe the movies at fault, it should have provided more funny hats (and blind mules).
