Let’s hear it!
|
 |
RiffTrax Live open threadAn open thread for reactions to tonight’s riff of “Giant Spider Invasion.” Size of the audience in your theater? Any technical problems? Favorite riff? Favorite riff?
47 Replies to “RiffTrax Live open thread”Commenting at Satellite News
We are determined to encourage thoughtful discussion, so please be respectful to others. We also provide an "Ignore" button ( Comments are closed. |
|
Satellite News is a fan site for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television and Netflix series. It is an independent publication written and compiled by Chris Cornell (msampo@aol.com) and Brian Henry (erhardt4@aol.com). Satellite of Love, LLC does not maintain this web site, nor is it responsible for this site's content.
All content posted on Satellite News is copyright © 2024 by Chris Cornell and Brian Henry, except where otherwise noted. This Date in MSTory is written and compiled by Steve Finley, Chris Cornell and Brian Henry. Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce This Date in MSTory items in any form without express written permission from the authors. Items of MST3K news may be duplicated or reposted, as long as Satellite News is cited as the source. The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Satellite of Love, LLC. No warranty is expressed or implied that the information given herein is completely accurate, and in fact this information can and will change at any time. So there. Mystery Science Theater 3000, its characters and situations are copyrights and trademarks of Satellite of Love, LLC. Banner image created by Larry Lee Moniz. |
|
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
Saw this one at my usual site, the Regal Commerce on Rt. 1 in North Brunswick, NJ. Attendance was a bit light, but not too much different from the usual turnout. Several attendees were surprised that it was in one of the bigger theaters, rather than the usual auditorium. At 7:30, there was still nothing on the screen (no early test footage, no pre-show), so I asked for the manager. He said he had to deal with another patron, but told he he’d check on our theater ASAP. At nearly 7:45, the pre-show finally came on and was well-received, particularly the “Octaman” Ballad. Then the screen blacked out. After a moment, it came back on, but with no sound. I checked with the manager again, and the sound returned during the opening jingle.
As for the show itself, it was very well-received. The “Adventure in Telezonia” short was deeply weird and very funny. The finger riff (if you’ve seen it, you know which one) got such a huge laugh that I was reminded on “Rudolph, I need you tonight”. The re-riff of “Giant Spider Invasion” worked quite well, I thought. This may have been the uncut version of the movie, but I’m not sure. They dealt with what may have been a quick topless moment (not by Alan Hale, Jr.) by cutting to a long shot of the screen on stage from the audience. And, yes, there were “PACKERS!”
A good show, I thought.
My apologies for the typos. Proof-reading was never my strong suit.
Kenneth Morgan:
We need the Edit button back.
The good ol’ Century Cinemas 16 in Mountain View, CA had a reasonably well-attended Rifftrax show tonight. Had the odd experience of someone who apparently didn’t immediately realize in the dark that I wasn’t his… sister? Girlfriend? At any rate, when she did show up, he got up and the two of them vanished elsewhere in the seats. Just a weird night, is all.
Y’know, I don’t recall any prior MST3K or Rifftrax short that heavily featured marionettes in particular. Hand puppets, sure, but not marionettes. Adventures in Telezonia was a thoroughly strange short, is what I’m saying. Was Mr. Handy supposed to represent the power of the phone lines? A phone call facilitating elf? Just your run-of-the-mill eavesdropper who got too caught up in the sad tale of a missing dog? And how long WERE party lines in use in the US such that they needed to be taught to kids by marionettes? Regardless, it was a great riff. Mr. Handy’s face alone got a good amount of laughs throughout the short.
I know they prefer to do all-new riffs for re-riffed movies like this, but when it comes to the Giant Spider Invasion, there’s really no escaping the PACKERS!!! Plus, we got a widescreen version in higher definition than what we got on MST3K, so the repulsiveness was that much clearer! And even better, it was a longer cut of the film, with more scenes that just made the whole extended family even more icky! Seriously, though, it was quality riffing, and the movie’s just as ridiculous as it was before.
Good times all around. One of these shows I’ll get a picture of whoever it is who always brings in a Tom Servo. I’d recognize that gumball machine head anywhere.
My friends who arrived earlier also said the pre-show played without sound, so that may have been a problem with the simulcast.
Held together better than some re-riffs, but there were so many quiet spots where my brain was just screaming the old riffs, and a few frustrating moments when a riff obscured a plot point that wasn’t clear in S8 either. This one seemed so much busier before, but that may just prove how how engaging the body-snatcher-pod host-segment-arc was. Watching it uninterrupted made the movie more straightforward and boring, but the distinctly different feel made it worth revisiting. Still, so many more jokes they could’ve made during the final meltdown.
Was “Jeffery Epstein was murdered by lizard-people” in the short, or the movie? A cheap ‘proof that this is LIVE’ joke at first glance, but considering both “new” scenes we got treated to involved the Kester cuzins hitting on the teenage girl (probably the reason they were cut in the first place), it would’ve been more wrong not to make that joke.
And was this the first live show that ended with an onstage marriage proposal? Really made me miss “Tell her you’d marry her right out of high school all over again”. Seriously though, my best wishes to a match surely made in MSTie heaven. Just don’t hire that revival preacher for the ceremony.
And, like all marriages in MST3K, “Soon to be drowned six months later in a loveless, suffocating hell of dirty diapers.”
(…What? It’s their riff!)
I saw this at the o’fallon marcus theater, illinois. Had more people here than other live shows. The short with the puppets about how to use the phone and don’t be a phone pig. It was like the once upon a honeymoon short only creepier. The scene that were cut out from the mst3k version was the hillbilly guys trying to make a move on the young teen girl. at one point one of the riff was c’mon movie. I did like they didn’t make any riffs in the rolling down the hill scene. It was so funny by itself. One of my favorite riffs was when the hillbilly cousin looking at the diamond. Mike says I can buy everything in this movie, but i can’t buy that this guy is a mineralogist.
They lasted at least until the time of “Teen-Age Crime Wave” (1955) and since the short was dated 1949/1950 (sources vary), the juxtaposition seems quite reasonable. ;-)
I am politely dubious to the idea that The Brains ever said a “hell of dirty diapers” would come after SIX months of marriage. A statement like that makes a few unwarranted presumptions…
Mostly full theater in Cedar Hills, OR, best as I could tell. (It’s hard to see rows ahead of you in those renovated theaters with the reclining seats.) The crowd definitely enjoyed both the short and the feature.
Quick: if forced to live in one place or the other, which would you pick, Telezonia or Quicksand County, Wisconsin? (Yeah, yeah, I know that’s not the real name…) For me it’s Telezonia, no contest. I’d forgotten just how unlikable some of the characters in the feature were, and the uncut version didn’t help.
For those of you who want to learn more about Telezonia (and who doesn’t?), the film was redone in 1974 as “Telezonia”, with fewer marionettes and more dancing and singing parentheses. I actually saw that one in second grade.
And for those who were wondering, my future wife’s rural home had a party line well into the 1990s until they were banned by the state (you can’t detect locations for 911 with a party line, it turns out).
Eric J.:
Please take your bitterness elsewhere.
I wonder if it was the higher def or just a weird print that made almost everyone’s eyes glow blue like they were in Dune.
Favorite Riff: Conan O’Brien as the Unabomber, because I had just been thinking about the Conan resemblance when they dropped that riff.
In Minnesota, Marcus Oakdale, had some weather come in and knock out the satellite feed for about 20 minutes, theater said “sorry”, I was deeply moved.
Really liked the bizarre short, thought the movie riffs were very good, didn’t miss the MST riffs as much as I missed them on Manos and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
My theater in Peoria was about half full. With the poor quality of the MST3K print, I didn’t notice that Helga’s robe was completely see-through early in the film, but did with the high quality copy that they used on the RiffTrax. I loved the riffs about Alan Hale not wanting to leave his office.
Oh, and PACKERS!
He’s tried it, they just keep sending him back here.
YEARS–We need Kenneth’s edit button back. (Although, these were RT fans, so, y’know…)
It is worth inquiring whether their prospective marriage had that certain Boing, though.
Springfield, OR. Theater was a few seats short of sold out. No technical glitches.
These redos of MSTed films can be a bit uneven (I kept thinking of the original jokes over the Time Chasers live show), but they did a really nice job of making TGSI their own, and this was probably my favorite of the this year’s offerings. Laughed a lot and also winced hard at the scenes they left in this time (Poor, poor, poor Dianne Lee Hart.) A bit bummed that they’ve stopped the fall and Christmas shows, but the almighty dollar is almighty. C’est la vie, and I’m already excited for next year.
“Calm down, movie!”
Eric J.:
We get it.
You hate RiffTrax.
You have also ranted here how you dislike “The Simpsons.”
So for everyone here who is irritated by you, but loves RiffTrax and “The Simpsons,” here’s a list of the universally praised, truly great “Simpsons” writers, past and present.
Kevin Curran
Ron Hauge
Jay Kogen & Wallace Wolodarsky
Rob LaZebnik
Jeff Martin
Ian Maxtone-Graham
George Meyer
Conan O’Brien
Bill Odenkirk
Carolyn Omine
Michael Price
Mike Scully
Matt Selman
David M. Stern
John Swartzwelder
Jon Vitti
Matt Warburton
When one sees these names in the writing credits, he/she knows a wonderful, hilarious episode is in store.
My grandmother, living on a fixed income and being frugal, had a party-line telephone well into the 1980s. Technology has moved very fast in the recent past.
So…you’re saying we should watch The Simpsons instead, then?
(Sorry, I’m just not that good with inscrutable non-sequiturs. They confuse me, and so does cheese.)
You spelled “Mxyzptlk” wrong. Probably just a typo, but thought I should point it out.
Eric J.:
You’re a legend in your own mind.
I provide humor, information, and kindness here.
You spread resentment, jealousy, and smugness.
Probably everywhere.
I miss seeing the “Rifftrax Live” events in theaters.
Here’s a review.
https://gamingshogun.com/2019/08/12/rifftrax-live-2019-continues-with-the-giant-spider-invasion/
Loved the prequel showing the previous 29 live shows- and, attending #30. I have been to 26 of them, and, this one was unique- it was the first one my lovely Wife attended with me (normally, a kid goes- all of them were on vacation) Went to Lansing, MI- about 60 strong- want to thank the Woman sitting next to me and lovely Wife in row H for her laughter- it is so much fun to share the experience.
Like any episode of the original, the reboot, Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax, there are slow spots- but when the guys got going, it was spot on. Loved the deleted sequences- got to see just how creepy Cousin Billy and Hittin’ the booze guy were- there were few redeeming characters in this film to root for.enjoy
Finally, I thank Mike, Bill and Kevin for 10 years of live shows- we’re lucky as fans to enjoy the spoils.
Personally, I think that if they really feel it necessary to repeat films, they should at least have a new set of riffers for them. Why not bring back Joel, Trace, Frank, or some of the others? Or let’s have Joel and Trace team up with Kevin as an experiment in “nostalgia,” like it was being riffed back in the early CC era? But whatever.
“Mxyzptlk” is the Earth-One version. “Mxyztplk” is the Earth-Two version. In case that’s relevant. ;-)
And as long as it’s pronounced properly (unlike 70’s Saturday-morning cartoons): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJuEbNB0u8
I personally don’t pay all that much attention to Eric — now and then he says something that I think kind of insists on a response — but I accept that he’s never going to stop posting in here unless Sampo bans him and that’s evidently never going to happen. Oh well.
Really, though, occasionally I reply to him without at first even realizing who I’m replying to, because IMHO Eric isn’t even worth going to the trouble of remembering to ignore him. I’ve got lots of other stuff on my mind, y’know…
===
Recently re-watching the Hangar 18 episode, I see that it’s clearly stated that Joel spanks Crow with a BELT during a commercial break (and only because Crow had been repeatedly asking him admittedly kind of annoying questions). When they re-enter the theater, Crow is crying and seems to actually be in pain, and neither Crow nor Servo behave as if this is unprecedented behavior on Joel’s part. So much for Eric’s notion of Nasty Ol’ Mike in contrast to the Kinder Gentler Joel…
(Of course, this was the KTMA period, when they were only playing to “local” viewers — I seriously doubt that would’ve gone over with a national audience — but still.)
ADDENDUM, sort of:
Too bad that The Brains surely long ago discarded the KTMA versions of Crow, Servo, Gypsy, and Cambot (and the later versions of Cambot seen in CC/SFC opening credits). The Brains could’ve…well…okay, at the moment, I’m not quite sure HOW they could’ve used them in the show in a way that would’ve been worth the trouble but I’m equally sure that THEY’D have thought of something. What do you, the readers at home, think? ;-)
I don’t know how that happened; in the post above, the part starting with “I agree with you on this” is mine.
Time travel comes to mind (similar to “Time Chasers”).
I like what you’re suggesting, but that’s magical thinking. Rifftrax is an operation run by 16 people. They have to pay themselves, first and foremost. Trace and Frank have their own business going, as does Joel. True, we’d all love to see these type of collaborations, but they’re just not going to happen.
I don’t think Mike, Kevin, Bill, Joel, Trace, Frank, Mary Jo, Bridget, Paul or anyone else from the original show is the snarky, mean one. Except Jim. Listening to Bill’s podcast reveals that it was Jim who fostered that bully-type humor environment. Hopefully, Jim is in a better place now, mentally.
Now, I’ve listened to all of Bill’s podcast episodes. He’s a very genuine guy, and comes off as very nice, well-thought out, and woke. Interviews with all cast members show that they are pretty decent people too. Then I listening to the episode with Sean, one of the Rifftrax writers.
He’s the bitter one. And he brings the snark out of Bill, which surprised me. The interview with Conner, the other Rifftrax writer, not a hint of snark. But Sean, he’s got some anger/rage issues. You can tell because he likes to Don Rickles. Being snarky, then “apologizing.” Yep, he’s the toxic one in the bunch.
And I’m sure he’s written some jokes I’ve laughed at.
Here’s to hoping he matures, and ditches that part of his personality. He doesn’t need it, and it drags down the whole proceedings.
Well, we all have issues. Nobody’s perfect, and we all do what we do in order to get through the day. I know I have my coping mechanisms, too.
I’m pretty sure they just took the parts and reused them. Isn’t Gypsy just KTMA Cambot?
They’ve been on Rifftrax Live before. But whatever.
Johnny Drama:
Jim has gone through an unthinkable tragedy you wouldn’t wish on anyone.
I wouldn’t judge Sean by one podcast. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Johnny Drama:
Hope this helps. :-)
https://images.app.goo.gl/g7o4M1sNSWB8vnvN9
Getting back to the main topic, not many people are obliging Sampo by citing their favorite riffs. As someone who didn’t get the chance to watch the performance, I’m mildly interested in what those would be myself. :-)
Party lines actually were a thing until the 1980s, though they started phasing them out in the 1970s.
Not a riff, actually, but one of the biggest laughs was from “Adventures in Telezonia”, when the lead marionette (anybody remember his name) is instructing the kid on how to use a rotary-dialing phone. He tells him to, “turn it around in a circle” and “now, take your finger out”. No riffs were needed, as the audience just started laughing on their own.
That’s almost entirely beside my point, such as it was — that Eric perceives Mike as “meaner” than Joel but in fact the exact opposite was the case — but thanks for playing. :-)
Even in the SFC era, Mike rarely if ever tormented the Bots. IIRC during the CC era the Bots rarely tormented either Joel or Mike, although in the SFC the Bots themselves became “meaner.”
In fact, the SFC era was, on nearly every level, meaner than the CC era, which I suspect was probably almost entirely due to the absence of Trace and the addition of Bill. But whatever.
I have this vague image of what Eric’s like IRL: Meandering haphazardly down the street, jabbering like a less coherent Rain Man:
“Mike…Mike-Mike-muh-muh-Mike-Mike-Mike-Mike, no like Mike, they like Mike, who like Mike, I don’t know, third base…bad Mike, got a bad Mike, on a mad bike…Relson Felson big ol’ Nelson, Nelson bad, definitely bad, definitely not good…I’m an excellent diver, deep end, excellent arriver, son of a Nel, none of that cell, none of a son of a bun of a ton of a jumpsuit tailor, I’m wearing Mike’s underwear, chafes my Nelsons…’bout a hundred dollars, open Mike night, Mike night might slight height plight quite right, ’bout a hundred-dollars for a Mike…”
Seriously, how does anyone have as much bile as Eric does for a total stranger, an ACTOR that he’s only seen on TV and in film? Is there some larger context I’m unaware of? Have Eric and Mike in fact met in real life? Did Mike wreck Eric’s car, get him fired, break his heart, OSLT? Someone check the backstory database stat…
That’s only sixteen bribes that’d be needed, then.
;-)
This thread is dead.
That’s what I said.