gammer's take: So here's the deal (if you didn't already know), Legend Films released a colorized version of Plan 9 with Mike Nelson's commentary back in Dec '05. I think most folks thought that was the end of that. However, we were wrong. It turns out Mike, Kevin and Bill decided to riff this Ed Wood classic at the recent RiffTrax Live! in San Francisco and then release this new version as a RiffTrax. This is a 're-worked' version... one that not only tastes great, but is less filling too. So lets review the Legend release first, shall we?
I found the original Legend release to be *ok*. It was mildly amusing; a funny commentary at best, but probably the funniest of the Legend releases with Mikes commentary.
The new, three person RiffTrax is much better. Yes, a good chunk of the riffs were re-used. However, they were delivered differently, with more energy and there was more variety in having three different people saying them. The new material was an added bonus. The guys did a good job re-working this and I always enjoy riffing on this genre of film.
Be sure to pick up the Legend version of Plan 9 and the RiffTrax. This will result in maximum Plan 9 movie viewing and riffing. As you will get the Plan 9 movie in color and B&W, Mikes original commentary and the new 3 person RiffTrax. Call now, operators are standing by ;)
He makes Carson Kressley look like a butch
Legends w/ Mike' commentary 2.5/5
New 3 person RiffTrax 4/5
gammer's take: Here's the pitch: We want Mike, Kevin and Bill to riff Batman & Robin and in order to ensure its done sooner then later, we the fans will write all of the riffing for it and Mike & Co will act it out. Thank you Riff Raff Theater for this brilliant idea.
To make this review truly un-biased, let me assure you that I did not contribute, in any way, to this completely fan written RiffTrax.
So how was it?...Really, how good did the fans do?
Honestly, not too bad; I was pleasantly surprised. Allot of the jokes were very, very good.
This RiffTrax came flying out of the gates like it was nobodies business, but fell flat about a third of the way through. I was on the floor laughing for the first third, well not literally, but pretty close. Then its almost like we ran out of jokes. Long pauses were followed by brief, well written riffing, only to be followed by even longer pauses. I guess the one good thing about the pauses, was that it was nice not to have meaningless babble going on during an action scene...you know, just saying something to fill the time.
Don't get me wrong, this was a great first effort by the fans, and even though there was allot of 'dead air', the riffing was top notch. Very cleaver jokes...many esoterical references that made my day.
I liked it and I hope RiffTrax partners up with Riff Raff theater to do this again. My only suggestion would be to do this again the exact same way, except allow the Riffers to add their own riffs during the pauses.
That's the last time I use this fire hydrant
3/5
gammer's take: I think having 'Weird Al' as a guest riffer was probably suggested early on in RiffTrax history. It only makes sense; it just seems like he is natural with movie riffing and would be a good fit. Heck, he already makes parodies of songs, why couldn't that talent be "harnessed" and "molded" into the movie riffing trade. Anyway, I guess what I am trying to convey, is that 'Weird Al' did a fantastic job and I really hope he comes back to riff on a regular basis.
Now, not only was 'Weird Al' an early suggestion as a guest riffer, but the move Jurassic Park was also an early suggestion to be riffed by rifftrax. And excuse me if I sound a bit methodical here, but it’s was almost like destiny that brought guest riffer and movie together for this riffing event.
JP is one of the earliest movies in my memory that I recall CGI being used quite extensively. Not that there weren't others before JP that I had seen, but JP was the first that I truely remember. I'll be honest; I'm impressed that the CGI held up that well for being 14 years old. Don't get me wrong, I don't like CGI all that well and even the new CGI still looks fake. But, this movie didn't do too badly.
Overall, this was a very funny RiffTrax and I liked 'Weird Al' as guest riffer. The movie was a predictable Spielberg flick and Mike and Al had fun picking it apart. So check it out and Al, please come back and guest riff again sometime soon.
Is that kid out there a boy or a girl? We all have questions!
4.5/5
gammer's take: Ah the classic Matrix Reloaded; part 2 of our beloved Matrix Trilogy. This was the one that was gimmicky and silly, and the only thing holding it together was the CGI and action scenes. It was quite a step down from the first Matrix movie. I'm sure I'm not the only one who 'didn't bother' to watch the third Matrix (Revolutions) after seeing this stinker. It was like, "why bother?"
Mike, Kevin and Bill were in a 'playful' mood for this one and it helped set the tone for this RiffTrax. The first half of this RiffTrax was exceptional...extremely funny, and the second half was very good. Some really good 'fan boy' jokes around the kid who follows Neo, after they first get back to Zion. And I really liked the riffing during the Morpheus speech/dancing scenes. I also like the angle they took with the "whoa" jokes, as to not to let them get worn out.
I'd class this as one of the top RiffTrax released to date, and its only a matter of time 'till they riff on Revolutions...can't wait!
What did you do with Joel?!?!
5/5
gammer's take: Beowulf had all the ear markings of being an overdone, big budget, hero saves the day, blockbuster. And I'm not saying it doesn't have a bit of those elements, but there was something different about Beowulf. Of course it's not like the book; it's been changed to make it more sellable for Hollywood. I think what makes Beowulf different then say 300, is the character development and the conflicts they face.
I watched Beowulf un-riffed first, and I gotta say that it wasn't too bad. Yes it was weird and yes the CGI was cheesy ('blind eyes' and funny moving mouths), but the story was interesting to me.
Anyway, enough of the movie and on to the RiffTrax. This was above average, solid RiffTrax. Several out loud laugh moments. I think some of the best riffing came just before and during the famous Grendel - Beowulf fight scene; loved it!
Definitely an interesting movie and a fun RiffTrax.
She has Barbie's rack and Ken's genitals!
4/5
gammer's take: Spidy 3 was the 'whiz it down your leg', jump the shark, franchise killer. What, with its infamous "Chubby Checker" and "Jazz Bar" scene, how could it not be the worst of the 3 web slinging flicks? It certainly had a Batman & Robin feel to it, by trying to do too much with too many villains, all while trying to appeal to every genre of folk paying to watch this movie. Needless to say, it was a perfect choice for a RiffTrax.
James Lileks is a complete stranger to this fan. But from what I'm told, James has an excellent background in writing, blogging, broadcasting *and* he is from Minnesota, which is shoe in for riffing with former Minnesotan, Mike Nelson.
James has one of those perfect radio voices. In fact he reminded me allot of Brian Griffin from family guy. I can tell that Lileks worked very hard on this RiffTrax; he put allot of time and thought into his writing for this. In fact, he's probably one of the best guest writers we've had to date. I think his geeky love for Spider-man helped in that dept.
This was a strong RiffTrax, with lots of out loud laugh moments. If there was anything negative to say, it would be that Lileks needed to speak up a bit; a few mumbling moments where I had to rewind and turn it up to hear what he said. There was a few geek-out moments, but that is to be expected and didn't impact the 'funniness' that much.
Overall, Mike and Lileks worked well together and the RiffTrax was funny. Lileks is welcome back anytime.
"Peonies!" Why would I want to do that? Plus, I went before I left the apartment...
4/5
gammer's take: The idea of filming a movie from the point of view of one of the characters with a camcorder is nothing new. We certainly were treated to that with the Blair Witch Project. But, why is the camera man always the annoying person who talks too much? And why do they feel the need to keep the camera turned on, when all logic says that you would chuck the camera and run like heck? I guess what I am trying to say is this movie, like Blair Witch, was really annoying.
The RiffTrax for Cloverfield was ~ok~. The guys had me giggling a bit, but I think the main drawback was there was allot of dialog in the movie and the guys had to talk over it quite a bit. I also got the impression that they were inputting senseless chatter just to fill time. This would indicate to me that they were either getting bored or having a hard time coming up with something fresh to riff on.
The "What’s Up Guy?" jokes were funny and I liked how they pointed out we'd be hearing cliche things like: "MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!", or "RUN, RUN, RUN". Overall, it was average riffing.
"Manditory Evacuation...? You can't order me to poop mister!"
3.5/5
gammer's take: Another movie that takes place in New York City? Yep...our third in a row that takes place in NYC and second in a row that is about a "disaster" in NYC. I only have two comments about this: 1) I hope we don't see a New York based RiffTrax for quite some time, and 2) I think they should have had some different releases between Cloverfield and I Am Legend. But hey! Thats just me...
I thought I Am Legend, by itself, was ok for the first half. Yeah the CGI 'zombies' could have been better. But, it was ok right up to the point where the new, non-infected characters were introduced. After that the film took a serious nose dive. Thanks to Mike, Kevin and Bill for joking about this flaw.
I thought the RiffTrax for I Am Legend was a bit better then average. It didn't bring the same out loud laughs that I got from The Matrix Reloaded or Beowulf, but it was ok. I must admit, I was doubtful at first that the guys could pull it off. I mean, what with the abundance of dead air and Will Smith shots. But they did a decent job keeping my attention.
Worth a first look, but I'd be hard pressed to pull it back off the self for a second viewing someday.
3/5
gammer's take: If you remember the rifftrax for Fellowship, then you'll remember that it was a 'tamer' for 'family friendly' rifftrax. Well Two Towers was different; it was a normal, full out rifftrax. And I'm glad it was, because it was better then Fellowship.
This rifftrax took me a week to watch. Not because I had a hard time getting through it, but because it was long and I'd put it on before bed and then I was asleep...ok, I'm not selling you on Two Towers if I tell you I was sleeping through it, am I?...Trust me, this one is funny and well worth seeing. From the jokes about Legolas being 'beautiful' to King Theoden's "Is that all you got Saruman?" joke...it was all good. It's a funny rifftrax.
4.5/5
gammer's take: Ah the classic Sixth Sense movie from 1999. "I see dead people" is the first thing that pops to mind when you hear that title; a line that has been mocked many times, many ways. So why not riff on the whole, darn movie? Make it so, RiffTrax!
I felt the riffing for this movie was solid as usual, and funny in several spots. But I think the movie wasn't the right type to make this a brilliant RiffTrax. Here's how I boil it down: Even though the riffing was good, and even though I have seen this movie un-riffed several times in the past, I wanted to pay more attention to the movie near the last quarter/climax (no sexual innuendo intended), then the riffing that was going on at the same time.
I hope your Dad is a middle aged women?
3.5/5
gammer's take: I'm glad RiffTrax chose to do the second HP movie. The movie well deserved it and it was one of those movies where you had seen it before, but now you are ready to watch it get the Kevin, Mike and Bill treatment. You can turn off all the Harry Potter geekyness and just relax and watch it get riffed to pieces.
Its a thoroughly solid riff and I'd recommend it to anyone. My favorite riffing was whenever they did a "Professor Dumbledore" riff and they imitated his voice.
I certainly hope they keep riffing the HP series. I think its money in the bank, if they do and it makes for good entertainment.
"Quidditch: It's what your wife sees when you make her watch baseball."
4/5
gammer's take: I know that it’s recommended that you watch Memento first, unriffed. However, this was one of those movies where no matter how many times you've seen it, and no matter how good the riffing is, it’s just not going to make a great RiffTrax. I just couldn't let my mind wander and get into the riffing.
The only part that I laughed out loud, was when Kevin was talking about the 'music score'; I pretty much was in tears by the end of that bit.
"Gotta say, I'm digin the score..."
3/5
gammer's take: This newer version of Ocean's 11 is among my favorite movies of all time. And I was really questioning the choice of this movie for a RiffTrax. Not necessarily because its one of my favorites, but because I didn't think the movie took itself all that seriously. My guess is that Mike stuck with his tradition of letting the guest riffer choose the movie. And speaking of guest riffer...who the heck is Richard Cheese? I've never heard of him...but I'm glad I did.
This turned out to be a fantastic RiffTrax. Lots of good laughs and Mr. Cheese did a fabulous job of Riffing. His voice kind of reminded me of Adam Carolla of the Man Show. Anyway, he did a fantastic job.
I think my favorite riffing was the Benedict impressions. But there was of good riffing throughout the movie.
I was in disbelief at first, but it turned out to be a good trax.
"God I love being a 'D-Bag'"
4/5
gammer's take: I felt the RiffTrax for this movie wasn't very strong. I know some folks felt that POTC was a terrible movie. But let’s face it: weather you like POTC or not, this movie wasn't the right genre for riffing. It’s a border line comedy, and it certainly didn't take itself seriously.
ok, I'll buy the fact that RiffTrax does better (financially) when they riff newer, bigger budget movies. But there are more of these big budget movies that would have made a better RiffTrax then POTC did.
This is one of those RiffTrax where I found myself tuning out the riffing so I could pay attention to what was going on in the movie.
3/5
gammer's take: I'm not normally a fan of 'comic book movies', but I have to admit that so far, Iron Man has been my favorite. Maybe I'm a sucker for Downey's comedic style...I don't know? But, this one wasn't too bad on its own.
I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out that RiffTrax likes the comic book movie genre. Just take a look at a list of their releases and you can quickly pick off approx a half dozen, or more of these types of movies. It’s an indication of what sells.
I found this RiffTrax to be a little flat and boring. I had a few laughs, but it felt more like we were 'going through the motions' with this one.
3/5
gammer's take: I don't think I've seen acting as bad as this since I watched Troll 2. Yes, it really is that bad. Mark Wahlberg as a school teacher...meaningless conversations and sub plots...and the main villain is something you never see or figure out (with 100% certainty). Yes, The Happening was quite ridiculous...it was laughably bad.
I thought this RiffTrax was well done. It was an all round good package and very humorous. I just about died laughing at the "Hot Dogs" riffing...it was absolutely splendid.
I highly recommend this RiffTrax.
We offered them some Hot Dogs, but no takers
4.5/5
gammer's take: I was so excited when I first heard that they were making a fourth Indiana Jones movie. You see, I'm a huge fan of the original trilogy too. My wife and I arranged for a sitter for our kids, and we were tingling with excitement. Not only was it a rare occasion for us to go out to the movies, but it was the first Indiana Jones movie that my wife has seen.
After seeing it, not only was I let down, but I felt that we were cheated. I thought that after the Star Wars prequel fiasco, there was no way for Lucas to screw this one up...but he did...and he did it large size.
I remember messaging some of the RiffTrax employees as soon as I got home from Indy 4, to ask them to Riff this movie. It more than deserved it.
As for the RiffTrax for Indy 4, I thought it was better than average. To be honest...and I'm not sure this is public knowledge...but it felt like the majority of this trax was not written by 'the Big 3' (Mike, Kevin & Bill). Some of the jokes didn't seem to be 'their style'. Not that it wasn't funny; the jokes were good. But some of the jokes seemed a bit juvenile for them.
Anyway, it wasn't too bad and my favorite riffing was when they picked apart movie when it was being un-realistic. Like the magnetic stuff, or solving riddles in minutes.
3.5/5
gammer's take: Coming Soon...