Release Date: August 1, 2006
Riffer: Mike Nelson
"I've always wondered what clown tastes like?" - Mike
The Fifth Element is one of those motion pictures -while savaged by the press- has developed a hearty fan base among the common folk. Count me among its number of fans. I find it wild, imaginative, and unlike many dark and pessimistic futuristic tales; Element is a bright cornucopia of primary color. With a positive message that promotes the idea that "All you need is love".
While I enjoyed the movie, I thought Mike's treatment was a hoot. The opening sequence in particular was tackled with brilliance. - "He stole Bobby Brown's Church clothes!" - The flick was featured on one of MST3Ks summer blockbuster specials, and Mike draws from that (the various "Clown" quips). He also keeps pecking away at Kevin Federline (God bless you for that Mr. Nelson) and taps into "Lord of the Rings" a number of times for material.
After this good start, Mike's riffing hits a nice middle ground. At times he repeats a good joke one too many times (still, with Federline, you got to do it) and the interplay between him and DisembAudio is a little overplayed this time out. Despite these nitpicks, this isn't bad for an early Mike solo piece.
Release Date: July 31, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
”March of the Penguins had less marching!” - Mike
Mike tackles this blue screen epic with Bill and Kevin at his side, and the first half of their effort puts me in stitches. The bits about how the Spartans treat the weaker, puny children, became a funny running gag. The pinpoint digs about the leader's Scottish accent and how he was always yelling at the top of his lungs about “SPARTA!” exposed things about the film that bugged me as well.
Though the laugh riot slows as it goes, (the endless sword fights prove as much a riff challenge as Starfighters eternal scenes of refueling) there are moments for the crew to shine. The Arcadians (who play with dolls?) are relentlessly battered, and a scene where Kevin mistakenly hears a cow had me in tears from laughing so hard. The word "dip-shit" has never been funnier, nor has “fat person scooters”, bottomless pits without railings or hearing Kevin's bout with the giggles when Mike riffs, "I want a better costume", for a poorly dressed hunchback and then later notices the "Lord of the Donuts".
Also, a running theme in these ‘trax has a riffer relating a mundane event in their real lives, to something explosive or dramatic on-screen. Sometimes these jokes work, sometimes they don’t. Bill mentioning how he too experienced being “Blood Drunk” is one of the times when the bit works brilliantly. Oh and I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the nods to our MSTed past, as both Gorgo and Torgo are referenced.
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Eh you taste like libertarianism and cigars" – Kevin, during kiss with Jessie Ventura
Jessie Ventura stars as an alien "finder" who fails to stop the birth of some space/Earth baby. The baby grows up with the strange powers to make folks pee themselves. Aspects of the plot remind me of Jack Kirby's "New Gods/Fourth World" comics (ala the boom tubes). The riffing is sound: Jessie takes the expected shots (I loved the bedtime story sequence for example). The 2 aliens are fish out of water types, and the riffing plays off that, but I got a kick out of those times when they turn that around and have them referencing something they couldn’t know (like ordering a Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity at a diner). The guys also toss in some "Schwarzenegger" bits for good measure. The manner in which the baby was conceived was amusing, though I was getting uncomfortable hearing the word "rape" bandied about so casually (they do drop this after a while).
Release Date: February 23, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson & Kevin Murphy
"Are you inept, inattentive, weak? Then join the Sci-Fi movie army!" - Kevin
Aeon Flux, is one of those dystopian future tales that concern a Monican, (Rebels who, according to our riffers, worship Monica) out to kill an evil leader. It's all very Matrix-like, a fact that Mike and Kev point out to us, and has just the right amount of "stupid" to inspire many a satirical barb (A few examples: Hitler hair, girl in a bar of soap, and women with hands where her feet should be!). The movie also provides dry cryptic dialog -"Wow, his stand-up routine is terrible" - Mike. As well bizarre and impractical costumes to take shots at.
Some of Mike's greatest hits include the clever C.S.I and "Fargo" reference material, his "Vote James Spader for Emperor!" line as well as a really sharp "Brutus" quip (directed at a betrayer - see Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" for more details). Kevin's best stuff includes noting that Aeon's real name is "Catherine Mary Flux" and making light of assassination by informing us that John Wilkes Booth was nearly undone by a desire to make out with Lincoln!
Not everything works, the big laughs don't come frequently enough. And while I like a good fart or poop joke as much as anyone, this RiffTrax offers up too many bad fart and poop jokes. Also, the Goodyear Blimp/Baseball announcer stuff didn't really do it for me. Good, not great.
Alien
Released: June 10, 2008
Riffers: Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett
"Only the Emo berserker in her soul can save them now!" - Bill
The director's cut of Alien receives a dry riffing. Good material pokes its head up every once in a while -like Kevin's hilarious Randy Newman impression- and there are a number of bits that flat out fail (The tick gag). But for the most part, this is MOR.
I liked the nods to MST that Bill was oblivious to; the kitty quips and the storage room that houses the Ark of the covenant and Dr. Doom were cute as well. Aside from that, the notes I jot during a viewing were pretty slight. Alien didn't leave a big impression.
Release Date: April 16th, 2013
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Suddenly I'm very happy the role isn't being played by Meatloaf" – Bill as a singer in thong exposes his bare backside
Poor Vladek Sheybal; to go from movies like "Kanal", and "From Russia With Love", to playing Mr. Boogalow in this muck! The music business and crass commercialism as filtered through the 'fall of Adam and Eve': That's the basic nuts and bolts of the story. The Apple is one of those releases where the movie is funnier than the riffing. Not that the jokes were bad -- just ‘average’ for the most part. It was interesting to hear several riffs that came from MST3Ks sci-fi days… From the setup phrase, "Quiet dignity" (Boggy Creek II) to Mike lifting his Mr. Lifto line from Devil Doll. The quipping does perk up in the final act, and there's a hilarious line about our protagonist blinking like "Kristen Stewart in a sandstorm" that had me roaring with laughter -- might be the riff of the year.
Release Date: May 1st, 2014
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"What kind of idiot would devote any part of his life to manipulating a puppet?" - Bill
I think this would have been perfect for MST3K: Puppeteers riffing a puppeteer? They probably would have had a lot of fun with the skits as well. But there are no robot puppets or skits with ‘Trax, just riffing. And while I got a giggle here and there -and there is at least one call back to their MST days- this isn't their best work, and they drop the doll several times (ala the best scene in the film, where John Agar tears apart a marionette. Should have been a riff riot, but it wasn't)
Release Date: April 22, 2010
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
James Cameron makes event films for the theater. I enjoyed the movie more on the big screen with the 3D than I did on DVD, and hoped the Riffraxers would offer something fresh - have a field day with the blueness, the clunky dialog, and mysticism. First 40 minutes in? I wasn't impressed. Wang jokes, the Amway bit... none of it was funny. Then Mike says, "You just smacked the Mayor of Pandora" and I got my first big laugh and the trax finally started to show a pulse of life.
That pulse is uneven... Though I felt it was stronger at the end: Down the stretch, I enjoyed the references (an extra evil episode of "Ax Men", Terry from Pee Wees Playhouse, Tug McGraw), callbacks (Gregory the skunk and "PACKERS!") and a handful of lines that target the film, ala the one about Sigourney's avatar waking up with her pants around its head was a larf. Sadly though, more of it failed than succeeded. Material such as the 'dropping a log' jokes and their like are past tired, knocks on Worthington's accent failed. All told, Avatar is an inconsistent effort with a handful of highlights.
Release Date: December 27th, 2012
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
After their poor showing on Marvel flicks Thor and Captain America, this was the last movie I wanted to see riffed. Could MK&B able to mount a comeback with this one? In a word... NO. The first part of Marvel's Avengers doesn't offer much inspiration for the gang, and apparently when the going gets tough, the tough make a lot of lame wiener and masturbation jokes. Ah, but once the heroes show up it all changes... to Hulk and Iron Man wang jokes! But I kid the guys: They also make note of RDjrs quipping, the various Hulk's and Captain America's out there in movie-land as well as sneer (to excess) at Hawkeye's archery skills. When that material flops, they dragged out the old - such as making note of how the villains can't hit anything they aim at. Yawn - Rifftrax has done decent work on this genre in the past, but the wisecracks have gotten tired and it's time to give these a rest.
