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Now Available from RiffTrax…71 Replies to “Now Available from RiffTrax…”Commenting at Satellite News
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Going over old territory, I see.
Well this looks familiar. Just watched the mst3k version a couple of months ago. Was thinking it could do with a refresher.
wow
a chance to hear people make jokes over The Magic Sword
how special and unique
time to pack it in, boys!
That’s interesting. Did they forget they did this on MST3K or is this an honest redo?
Since they’ve done this and Jack the Giant Killer now, I wonder if they’ll ever try any of the Cannon Movie Films. I grew up on their version of Snow White and Diana Rigg gives a masterful performance as the best evil queen I’ve ever seen. She seems to know she’s in a cheesy kids film but is going to own that role anyway.
Why?
I wonder if Bill will give his eternal devotion to Estelle Winwood like Trace did.
The MST3K version is hard enough to watch. The movie itself pretty boring too.
Come on guys, leave well enough alone.
Have they actually done Pete’s Dragon? ;)
Two quick thoughts, after seeing the preview:
They appear to have cropped the original 4:3 picture to a 16:9 aspect ratio, losing part of the picture at the top and bottom of the frame in the process, in order to better fit modern widescreen TVs. This drives me nuts because it is too visually “claustrophobic”; it reminds me of the bad old days of panning and scanning. I’ve seen movies cropped in this way before, and the resulting composition is so obviously wrong that I always feel as if I need to move further away from the TV to see the whole picture.
I also liked the original MST3K riffs better than the ones I heard in the preview.
It’s only been 23 years since this got MSTed!
I’m all outraged & stuff!!!
Wow I am kind of surprised by the reaction on here about this riff. I was admittedly skeptical when I heard about it since I do like to see them cover fresh material in general, but since this MST episode wasn’t a particular favorite of mine I was open to a new riff of it. I watched it last night and thought it was really funny. And actually the preview doesn’t really do it justice, if that helps. It’s Saturday guys, cheer up.
I embrace the revisiting old MST3K episodes with new riffs! THe Rifftrax LIve for Santa CLaus was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I think MST3K season one movies (esp. THe SLime People) need RIfftrax treatment
New material, please – not rehashing of old material. MST3K had some sublety to it. Rifftrax is becoming like the kid in class who acts out for attention.
Bingo. I’d be hard-pressed to complain about material from RiffTrax.
And besides, you know they’ll cover lots of new and unvisited films soon, so you might as well enjoy the ride.
I’ve said it about Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax – I don’t care what they riff as long as it’s funny.
Wow, I was just thinking about the Mst3k version the other day. video available less then a hour before I pulled the trigger. As expected terrific! A bonus surprise the print on this film looks amazing in comparison with the mst3k shout release. Widescreen looks good, it appears to be a crop but I’m not sure. Crop to widescreen or not the clarity of the video more then makes up for an inch or two off the top & bottom of the screen.
Not sure why folks are unhappy about the re-riff, this is a more complete version of the film being riffed and as I said before the picture quality is top notch and makes it feel refreshing after many many years with a vhs version then the shout dvd version. It just pops.
I’ve long considered this to be one of Bert I. Gordon’s better films, watchable with enough going on to keep attention.
A great addition to the Rifftrax catalog.
Okay, you’re right, it is Saturday, I’ll cheer up. Now that I’m looking at this in a happy light, Rifftrax, please do the entire run of “The Master”! They would have to redo Master Ninja 1 and 2, but what a perfect setup for Master Ninja 3-7! One can hope, right?
I don’t mind the old MST3K eps as long as they’re not ones that Mike did. I really liked their Manos riff and SCCM was good too. It’s when they do something like A Case of Spring Fever that I can’t get the old riffs out of my head. But that was funny too! I just missed Coily’s army of darkness.
The way I see it, it’s really very simple; don’t like it, don’t buy it? Rifftrax has plenty of other movies on offer (or perhaps you’ve already seen them all, but if so, you were going to watch this anyway, amirite?). So, you know, stop complaining and take it or leave it. “It’s just a show, I should really just relax?”
Personally, I’d probably grab this if I had the money to spare, but as it is, I guess I’ll give the classic version another spin. (Which, through the means of modern DVD technology, is another option. Just sayin’.)
I simply cannot understand why anyone would begrudge new content from Mike, Kevin and Bill. Particularly on a MST3K fan site!
I’m just so appreciative they’re still producing content. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
All sources I can find on the net list the original aspect ratio for this film at 1.85:1, otherwise known as “Academy flat” ratio. That was (and to a degree, remains) the standard in Hollywood since the 1950s. Since the film was most likely shot at 4:3 and then matted to achieve the widescreen format, it’s possible that the version you are familiar with is an “unmatted” version, sometimes used for television (especially a few years ago when 4:3 screens were the norm).
It seems too many people are bothered by the fact that people here are questioning the re-riffing of MST material. I’m not upset they’re re-riffing, just not buying it. Some of their riffs are funny and enjoyable. I have purchased many already. I think some people take issue with the re-riffing because on the whole, MST3K was a better product. It’s like the Beatles redoing Let It Be. Sure, it gives us a new perspective, but it’s not really necessary. Why do material that allows people to compare you to yourself? I appreciate Rifftrax and will buy many riffs, but still feel that copying yourself by re-riffing is not the way to go (unless it’s during a live show – audience reaction is a great compliment to the riffing.)
I find the criticism of Rifftrax for doing this rather surprising as well. If Rifftrax made a habit of just redoing old MST movies, then yes, that would get rather old and tiresome, but they really haven’t. I think a criticism that they redo their own riffed movies far too often would be more fair.
However as long as the riffs are new, I don’t have a problem with it. Plus, I love hearing Bill’s takes on movies he wasn’t on the show for when riffed originally. I get the entire MSTie “Hey why would you go ahead and do that? The original was just fine!” type of attitude. But I would reserve that reaction for whatever MST reboot that Joel keeps hinting about because THAT sounds infinitely worse than any random Rifftrax redux of a MSTed movie.
For me, if this were, for example, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, or MST3K related, like one of the other Deathstalker movies, then I’d buy it. I think The Magic Sword is dull.
I wish they’d tackle some of the films used during the KTMA era.
Hello. I’m Lea Janssen, also known as Doctor Lady. As a doctor (note: not an actual doctor), I’m here to prescribe some maximum-strength chill pills to anyone upset by the news of this RiffTrax.
Take two of these and repeat after me: it’s just a show, I should really just relax.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to celebrate the end of the mutiny by cart-racing against my fiancee through the basement of the Southern Sun. (Don’t tell him, but I’ve souped up my cart so it can now reach speeds of 4! This time *I’ll* be the one yelling at *him* to “Move! Move! Move!”)
While I was surprised to see them doing this, the results speak for themselves. THIS. IS. HILARIOUS! This is Rifftrax at their best, people. Plus, I kinda actually like the movie. Just a little. Surprisingly decent special effects for Burt I.
Yes, the MST3k version is fantastic too. Heck, it’s the first episode I ever saw! But this is good too!
Every christmas I watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians *3* times – MST3k, CT, and RT. And they’re all great! There’s room for more than one riffing of ANYTHING.
Post-breakup fairground-tour greatest-hits band, meet public-domain title.
(Will this title have breakfast with meeee-b-b-b-be? I don’t think so.)
The occasional redo is not something I mind at all. To me the question of whether or not something’s been done before is less important than how tolerable the movie is. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Santa Claus, The Magic Sword and, yes, even Manos are all movies that are kind of fun on their own in a goofy sort of way and lend themselves to being good ones for multiple riffs (Although I think three riffs of SCCTM is a bit much. I’m only likely to want to watch that movie once during the holiday season.)
By the way, in #5 I meant to say Cannon Movie TALES, not Films. I only mention them because most of the series is featured in an MGM multi-movie set (Found here: http://goo.gl/Xf27gE ) with The Magic Sword and Jack the Giant Killer rounding it out to ten movies. If Rifftrax can get TMS and JTGK, it’s reasonable to assume they could get these as well, and it would be well worth it for anyone who likes those two to have a riff of some of these as well.
I went into this a bit dubious but yes, it’s laugh-out-loud funny and what more do you need?
Now, here’s hoping Brigitte and Mary Jo tackle a full-length movie….
ETA: I find fans who think they’re “protecting” MST by bad-mouthing Rifftrax pretty funny, in a sad kind of way….
They need to redu Robot Monster.
I wouldn’t mind seeing re-riffs of movies from the Sci-Fi Channel era, especially the storyline heavy season eight. Let’s take Agent for H.A.R.M. for example. The host segments are of Mike’s trial for all the worlds he blew up in previous episodes. It’s certainly not an episode for a first time viewer.
Yes to Bridget and Mary Jo doing a full movie. I loved Mary Jo’s performances on CT, and it’s great to see her and Bridget working together on these shorts.
I really hope they’ll do a Rifftrax of the Failtastic Four that’s languishing in theaters right now. Maybe they can make it entertaining.
Marvel?…Oh, they’ll do it, all right. Mention “comic books”, suggest that there are fans of it somewhere, and RT will be on it like ants on sugar.
As for whether they can make it entertaining (beyond the blind default “nerd-bash” trope), it’s a good question whether anyone can. It’s sort of beyond funny.
I am just not a fan of Mary Jo’s voice or delivery. I think it’s PTSD from her performance as Pearl (which I detested). Sucks because clearly she’s a talented, likable person who’s directly responsible as a writer for countless laughs that I’ve had as a fan of MST3K. I just so disliked the Pearl character that I can’t get into any Mary Jo performance. I’m sorry! I feel genuinely bad about it – not that she would (or should) care.
I actually really enjoy Bridget. I thought her riffs with Mike were great.
As far as other re-riffs:
I actually don’t have interest in Sci Fi-era re-do’s because Mike, Kevin and Bill were already a team. I’m totally down for a riff of any pre-Season 8 movie b/c I so enjoy the Mike/Kevin/Bill dynamic and would love to see how they would approach a film done in the pre-Bill years.
My wish list:
1) Master Ninja I (and then, ideally, episodes that MST3K never did…I would pay double for Master Ninja 3 and beyond.)
2) Mitchell – It’s so strongly associated with Joel, I’d love to see what they do with it.
3) The Slime People – Wasn’t done justice in Season 1.
I dare them to take on the full versions of The Sidehackers and Mitchell.
I riffed the full version of Sidehackers on my public access show a while back, and ouch, not recommended. It actually damaged my enjoyment of the MST episode! It’s taken a few viewings to get it back.
Full Mitchell would be good, because you’d get to see what happened to John Saxon, and the opening credits would make sense because you’d finally get to see the scene where Mitchell bludgeons a guy with a boulder. Oh, and later on, Mitchell slams a guy’s hand (or was it his arm) into a car door. Mitchell’s hardcore!
The thing about remakes in general that I don’t understand: why remake something that was good to begin with? If I was to choose a movie to re-riff, I’d want to pick something that was NOT as good as it could have been the first time around. Rifftrax should seriously consider re-riffing some of the KTMA movies, especially the ones that weren’t reused in Season 3, or maybe some of the Season 1 movies. Mike even wrote in the ACEG that he’d love the chance to re-do “The Slime People.”
While I might consider Magic Sword 2.0 later, I’ll stick to the original I have in my library.
As for “what movie should be re-done”, how about “The Green Slime”, which was used in the proto-pilot that Joel made? This time, the whole movie can be riffed.
Or..how about a second shot at “This Island Earth”, which can include the riffs Mike wanted, and changing the riff on the cave in from “the Kingdome” to “the Metrodome”.
No way. That means, in one way or another, we’d be paying money to watch that movie. I’d rather not do that.
They usually go for the mainstream titles that people buy the disc of, so maybe not this one so much…
I would rather that Rifftrax didn’t re-do the back catalog, but I imagine that since Kevin, Mike and Bill don’t make a ton (if any) money off the MST3K DVD’s, it would make sense for them to take another crack at the old standards. I also think that any of the Brians are as reverential to the original product as the fans were. Either they think they can improve on the old stuff, or they’ve simply forgotten the specifics about what they did twenty years ago and it’s all fresh to them.
The Magic Sword itself is Bert I Gordon’s “best” work, and unriffed, is one of the top five most watchable movies they ever did on the show, so it is very cool to see the higher quality copy of the film in the trailer.
I personally feel a redo of some MST3K eps that were made before Bill’s arrival is a great idea, as long as its in moderation and they feel the material is an improvement. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a remake of their Film Crew riffs Giant of Marathon and Killers From Space, if they can land better prints of those films.
Although keep in mind, like the old series, they’re only grasping at whatever’s readily available on Public Domain, rather than their tracks for Twilight or Starship Troopers, which they have to beg us for Kickstarters on if they want to show the actual movie.
So while the old series could do Manos, Magic Sword, and the Giant Gila Monster without having to pay nasty royalties, RT can play the cult-of-rockstar fandom, do the same episodes and say “Hey, fans, remember this one? We’re taking another look at it!”
I mean, never mind Reefer Madness and Night of the Living Dead, it DID strike you there’s a reason why we got so many danged versions of Santa/Martians across MST, CT and RT?
One movie NOT to watch the full version of is Hobgoblins. It’s amazing how much slimier the unedited cut is!
That certainly explains things like Laser Mission and Fists of Fury. I keep scanning my 50-movie public domain packs for what will be next. lol Saaaay, those Hercs are looking ripe….
I’d rather Rifftrax tackle Corman’s version. The problem is, with three big budget craptastic failures now, Corman’s version is actually starting to look good. The acting is pathetic, the special effects are about as good as you’d expect from a Corman movie filmed in three days with a budget of $1.98, but the actors look good, the Dr Doom costume is as good as it will ever get (shame the actor started overacting once he was in the armor), and, dang, the Thing suit is absolutely perfect — almost looks like Jack Kirby designed the costume. There’s a semi-reasonable version floating around the interwebs, and someone just did a documentary on the making of the film which I just ordered (www.doomedthemovie.com) in which the director defended his vision. Should be interesting.