 Transformers
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Ahh it turned into a Kia!" – Mike
Busy Michael Bay toy movie (Hasbro earns a credit) receives a rollicking riffing. The guys have fun zeroing in on clichés and the references associated with these quips are clever and germane. I especially dug the spot on Llyod Dobler –from the film “Say Anything”- quip as it perfectly reflects the flicks liberal use of old script standbys. But the Traxers themselves fall back on some familiar stylings, as with the “nervous guy stalking girl” jokes that worked so well in Spiderman (and are funny here as well).
I liked the pop reference material overall because they aren’t “Family Guy” random but fit the situation to a Tee. During the junkyard scene the trio hammer away, one quip after another. A funny line about the guard dog’s diet of kibble and meth leads to predicable but hilarious lines. The bit about Shia wearing his Michael Vick jersey, Ellen Degeneres (cried over a dog on TV) and when a robo-vehicle races by, Tracy Chapman (who wrote “Fast Cars”). Bam! Bam! Bam! They spit them out and create a seamless comedic tapestry.
In addition to these I enjoyed all the toy robot jokes as well, robots from across the media board are mentioned and due to the subject matter Diembaudio gets a bit more involved (and it’s some of his best work too). And when the Autobots arrive in force the guys let loose with some hellacious hilarity! Of course Bay's confusing end battle where it’s tough to tell who is who, takes its deserved lumps.
Add in a plethora of puns, silliness (“They blew up our Cheetos supply!” – Bill) and the childish (Banana warmers, butt cheeks and Burger King BM Stackers are low brow jokes but effectively funny) and Transformers make for a smooth ride. Very steady, very fun.
 F4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Release Date: December 18, 2007
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"You need to relax or I swear to God I will visit you with galaxies of pain little man!" – Bill as Sue Storm to Mr. Fantastic
The crew’s second stab at the Fantastic Four is on par with the first one.... well, maybe it’s a tad better but only by a hair. As with the first, the Terrific Trio does the “Johnny as Douche bag” and “Fanboys slobbering over Jessica Alba” bit (both fall flat). Mocking the F4s powers and our riffers coming up with strangely named super heroes were better met but as a rule, none of this made me howl. Oh and guys, please drop the Horatio Sanz fat jokes. It was worth a whisper of a smile the first time you used it, but it never was that funny and it has now become a desperate and tired joke.
While there were many lows (The Alba vs Biel running gag – the recent sexual innuendo trend ”She can Joint Chief my staff...”) as with most Trax, there are peaks. I enjoyed the material that zoned in on the Silver Surfer, his wife, etc. Mike shoots off a clever line about Kathy Bates and Kevin gets in a cute quip about a giant praying Mantis.
And while I didn’t mind this movie that much, it is greatly flawed and I loved how Mike’s comments would sometimes mirror my own concerns with the flicks logic (Johnny’s powers in the final fight) and its habit of slipping in comedic interludes during dramatic sequences.
 Plan 9 From Outer Space
#20 in Mighty Jack's Top 41
Release Date: January 22, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
Is that a crypt or one of those kiddie playhouses you can buy at Target?” – Bill
This was adapted from Mike's original commentary track; they took some of the previous riffing, married it to new material and had Bill and Kevin join Mike in this round. What was a solid solo track is transformed into an outrageous assault on an outrageous and absurd movie.
I have to say that I kind of prefer it when they take on those B movie classics and shorts. The films themselves add a bit of breezy charm, even when the jokes are dark it just seems... funner somehow. What works better in this version comes from the added riffs of course and the interplay between the trio. In the original I felt Tor Johnson didn’t get enough of those anticipated big laughs. That is remedied here and the giant one is a frequent source of hilarity, there's even a much welcome, "Time for go to bed". I also loved how they address the colorization with Mike's Hulk line.
There are a few differences in the phrasing and a couple missing quips from Mike’s first shot at the film. For example: After Tor drops the woman Mike originally said... "She’s gained the gift of ventriloquism". So there were changes but between the two, while the original mades for a fun commentary, the redo is the superior riffwork.
 Batman and Robin - written by the fans!
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Soon I can once again hear your lilting voice as you scream at me for not putting the toilet seat down" – Mike reading one of my riffs as Mr. Freeze
One of the most requested flicks get roasted by the fans and while it is often amazingly good, the damn thing slows to a painful halt at the second hour where there are many, many gaps without a riff. The folks who put this together say they didn’t have enough material, but I’ve read a lot of great riffs that weren’t used and would have filled those blank spots quite nicely. More on that later.
The riffing is stellar early on, very clever. From a cute observational line about how long it takes the Bat-Duo to get ready while crime runs rampant, to a quip on Asperger syndrome I really dug. A cool reference from the TV series (Shark Repellent) and Bill’s running gag about making Batman references while watching Batman are both highlights. As the flick went on I was impressed with riffs that target the overall stupidity (“Oh thanks for the arrow, I thought he was the elephant” – Bill) and a reference to another Batman (Christian Bale restoring dignity to the character. Amen brother). But the biggest laugh was the simplest, yes; I’m speaking of a poop joke! It comes during Freezes stay in prison and it is a clever slap at the ridiculous lack of logic in the scene.
It is unfortunate that the whole thing winds down with a riff-drought. There are so many sequences that cried out for a quip and there’s nothing but air. The scene where they ride down the giant statue receives nothing and there were solid options, writer GregMcduck offers this when Batman cuts the power to Robin's motorcycle and he starts skidding down the statue's arm… "Yeah, this is WAY safer.". Nice line Greg, and it’s insulting that the powers that be thought silence was preferable to that quip.
Other good stuff that was ignored and could have fit the gaps perfectly… WholeLottaMilka wrote this for the jailbreak when Ivy says… “His name is Bane”... “and he falls mainly on the plain”. There was Josh Way’s Helena-Bonham-Carter bit as Ivy sits in her cell. Raven offered this as our heroes watch Gotham thaw… (excited) “The citizens are saved!” (Sad) “Now they all have skin cancer!” and a guy named Steve-O wrote this at 1:42:33 as a cop car plows into a Chinese diner … "Half an hour later they're just going to want to crash into another restaurant.” Instead of hearing that great riff we get to sit through 40 seconds of… nothing.
Aside from this noticeable, fun dampening mistake (I’d have preferred they waited to release this, get it right, the way CT did with “Oozing Skull”. Take time to look over the submissions again if need be) There are great moments and I don’t want to sound ungrateful. It was such, such utter bliss to hear Mike, Bill and Kevin give voice to my jokes. What an honor and I can’t thank Chris Hanel and James Whistler enough for making this possible for all of us fans. I just wish the entire project would have been tighter. Toss in a few Batman Bobblehead jokes (and you damn well know Mike and co would have done at least one ambiguously gay duo gag had they written some riffs)... Ahhh, It could have been a classic.
Well, at least we got to hear Kevin’s coconut head, ha, ha, ha, that makes it all better.
 Jurassic Park
Release Date: February 5, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson & "Weird Al" Yankovic
“Jeeze why not give the thing a handlebar mustache it can twirl” – Weird Al on Evil Dinosaur
The Youtube preview of this one didn't make me laugh and I felt that the first half of this Trax was filled with mostly fair to middling material. For a while I feared the worse. I’ve really liked the guest riffers from outside the MST3K universe but It took me a while to get used to Weird Al as I found him a little too hyper. Over time though, the riffer's found their groove, the laughter came at a steadier pace and Yankovic’s delivery got easier to swallow.
My favorite bit early on came with the impossible to discern gender of a child. This running gag (is that a boy or a girl) cracked me up, as did most of the kid related quips ("He’s gonna get that raptors claw and threaten that pilots child" – Weird Al). There are a lot of character references like Brad Wesley (Bad guy in Road House) Arnie Becker (Lawyer in L.A. Law) and my favorite; Uncle Beasley (A Triceratops statue that used to sit outside the Natural History Museum in DC which was named after the dino in the 1957 children’s book "The Enormous egg")
Yankovic's comment on Kia and John Williams taking his lumps were both clever as well as true. Al has a veggie eating dino note that he likes meat every once in a while and later he sings "Okalahoma". Mike’s "Jimmie Walker's rejected catch phrase" and a eunuch comment gets Al chuckling. But the biggest laugh for me came when Mr. Nelson notices how a young lads appearance resembles that of Nick Nolte.
Overall I’d say this was a successful riffing and once T-Rex shows up to menace the kids in the car the tempo hits a steady clip and rarely falters from then on.
 Beowulf
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
We interrupt our movie briefly to give you a ride on a ski lift” – Mike.
Waxy looking animated figures fill this pretty decent Robert Zemeckis movie. But it would have been better had he just gone full out cartoon, or full out live action. The plastic, stiff computer animated figures were disturbing and distracting (and Kevin gets in a funny quip about the Hopkins nudity during the monsters first attack)..
The first part of riffing is along the lines of Matrix Reloaded, the guys really seem to be in an upbeat mood. They are silly and often can be heard chuckling over each other’s jokes. The dead eyed animation is bashed nicely (Giant fetal duck egg? Talking clumps of poo? “That Mannequin look past me?” Ha, Ha, Ha). Also hilariously marked for humor is the monster speak, nakedness and of course, John Malkovich, terrible even in CGI form (why is this guy allowed to do accents, he sucks on toast doing it)..
This portion was a delight (Lord, the musical numbers… I split a seem from laughing so hard) But sadly, the guys can’t finish what they started and the second half tailed off considerably... before ending with some sparkling riffs during the final battle. A mixed bag then.
 Cloverfield
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Oh wow, it looks so real because it's filmed so poorly" - Mike
I had not seen Cloverfield before downloading the trax, and I found myself getting so involved in the movie that I couldn’t focus on the jokes. Once I watched the film sans Mike, Kev and Bill. I took another stab at it and discovered the merry quipsters at the top of their game. The unadulterated joy the guys seemed to be having at this movies expense made for a whale of a good time. There were lots of quick punch line-like responses to the dialog and action. The dim witted “Hud” is a constant source of riffcentric hilarity, actually the entire cast earns a laugh: From Bill wondering, “How do these people dress themselves?” (Which gets Kevin laughing) to Mike’s observation on a female characters manner of speech: ”She and Matthew Perry could have a nervous yammering-off” and his disappointment in the lack of “Delightful Hobo’s”
There was a cute callback to Escape 2000 and was Bills order to “Dance” a reference to the Film Crew’s “Wild Women of Wongo”? I liked the musical quotes; especially when Kevin goes off on the Kiss ballad “Beth” and pop culture is smartly folded into the movies reality (Dr. Phil, the Dick Van Dyke show, Ghostbusters). Aside from the early reliance on “wang” jokes, this was a fun one from the gang. Scary flick - mirthful riffing, it's all good.
 I Am Legend
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"If Ingmar Bergman made a horror film" - Kevin
Legend is a level down from the last couple of releases; it’s a middle-of-the-road effort that still provides a few big guffaws. Bill especially gets to deliver some great lines, such as when a character asks… "Give it to me in a nutshell", and he adds... "When squirrels talk dirty. I also loved how he compared Baseball manager Lou Pinella to an angry rat and I got to laughing at his disappointment that the world ended before “Batman and Superman Got Married” was released (Note the billboard in the background).
The riffing takes aim at the downbeat mood and slow pace of the movie and Kevin offers a cute nod to "Groundhog Day" (singing "I Got You Babe") but likewise there are a lot of draggy sections where the laughs dry up. The work is not as weak as "Indiana Jones" but runs along the same lines as a “Next” – okay but not spectacular.
 The Sixth Sense
#25 in Mighty Jack's Top 41
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. But to heck with that noise, I’m not here to review the film. Good, bad or wretched - It's not the movie, it's how our gang of riffers reacts to the movie and Mike, Kevin and Bill have some amazing reactions to this M. Night Shyamalan classic (yes I said it, classic).
Packed to the rafters with clever material, it called to mind the work done on MST3Ks Jack Frost because it’s 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").
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 and I’d strongly recommend it.
 Memento
Release Date: August 12, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“Now back to Total Recall” – Bill, as forgetful character watches TV
Memento is one of the best movies they’ve ever riffed on and that makes for a challenging ‘trax. Not for Mike, Bill and Kevin but for the viewer. The convoluted story roped me in and I often found myself drifting away from the jokes and concentrating on the film.
A second viewing helped and even though this isn’t one of their finest moments, it’s a decent trax. Bill delivers the most consistently funny lines, while Kevin earns the prize for his hilarious Columbus quip. The references were a lot of fun... a hidden Nina, Dr. Phil, the song Carrie Anne as well as Bruce McCullough (The 2nd one I’ve heard this week – Has someone been watching the “Kids in the Hall”?)
It was difficult to find a quote to post at the top of the page because most of the riffing plays off dialog from the movie. (Lenny: "I’m not a killer" – Kevin: "I’m a reincarnation initiator"). Of course they draw plenty from the premise (Conversations with Jason Bourne and the pain in watching Adam Sandler flicks over and over again). The first half was good, the second was stronger. I laughed most during an expletive laced argument between Lenny and Natalie, and Kevin digging on the soundtrack was both annoying and cute.
 Oceans 11
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson & Richard Cheese
“They trained for this by watching Miley Ciruses new DVD, ‘Stacking Your Money Efficiently’” - Richard
Richard Cheese, a name unfamiliar to me, joins Mike on this excursion. I guess he has a comedy lounge act and unfortunately he can add this weak rifftrax to his resume. I liked the first 3 minutes, with Clooney in prison and then leaving (with swing jazz walking music). The first 3 minutes held promise; the remaining 114 spoiled that promise.
Maybe it was that a lot of the jokes were too obvious and simple. I know I’ve laughed at obvious lines in the past, but these lacked punch. Even when the material was clever, as when Mike takes a poke at gas prices by suggesting that Bernie Mac’s cross country drive would cost him 19 thousand dollars, or later when a guy and a gal get tangled up in the park and he warns “Careful a romantic comedy could break out” – these are cute but not real side splitting.
Generally I like humor that surprises me, I like humor that’s sharp as a tack... I like humor that makes me laugh out loud, hell I’d have taken humor that at least made me smile! The work on Oceans 11 was greeted by the sounds of silence, not the song but literally my silence. To be fair, I did find a handful of goodies (For example, the quip about gambling theories based on Kenny Roger’s songs) but mostly it was duds. Cheese has a nice voice but his delivery is indistinct and there was little inflection, which made even his best jokes sound bland.
 Pirates: Curse of the Black Pearl
Release Date: September 9, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
”Now he’s just shouting random syllables in a Pirate voice!” – Mike
Rifftrax has hit the skids lately. Ocean’s 11 was one of their worst and Spiderman 2 wasn’t much better and the last really great one was the Sixth Sense. Thankfully Pirates put ‘em back on course.
The first half hour was a treasure. The guys are in read and react mode - responding and adding to the dialog with one snappy quip after another. Pirates is the only one of the trilogy I liked so I didn’t mind them going this rout rather than ripping the movie to shreds. They did get a little to mean spirited in regards to Kiera Knightley’s chest area (and over did it) but they righted the ship with great quips directed at Walt Disney and company.
There’s a couple digs at forum members that I thought were cute and while the jokes didn’t seem to lean as heavily on pop culture references as in the past, there were plenty of good ones (“The greatest cinematic battle since Pee Wee fought Francis!” – Mike). The riffing doesn’t keep up with the frantic funny of that first half hour, but its very good work to the end and it was nice to hear my hearty laughter again.
 Iron Man
Release Date: October 14, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“"kay Tobor start talking or we take out the Allan wrench!" – Bill
The riffing on Iron Man starts off slow and only improves marginally as it goes. The problem is that they guys seem to have a tough time getting into the rhythm of the film. There are too many cheap and obvious Robert Downey Jr. addict jokes and then they do this Stark as rebel shtick that doesn’t work either. Bill acting as a translator during the cave scene was funny and there were a few chuckles here and there, but overall my reaction to this half was lukewarm at best.
It picks up there after as they seem to work harder to tap into the flavor of the film, during a scene when the villains are holding hostages and screaming at Iron Man, Kevin makes a funny quip about how these guys would make great auctioneers. And later Bill has Tony announce, "Hey my hole itches!" But they also just as often lose the vibe. For example, voicing the quick and clever Pepper Potts as dumb and confused by computers doesn't fit and therefore isn't funny.
The best off-the-beam comment was when Mike had baddie Obadiah Stane angrily shout, "It's not a paper it’s a USAToday!" I wish this witty barb were the rule and not the exception. This is an average Rifftrax. Of Note: A riff that is already irrelevant, after a scene that hints that Rhodes will be wearing the armor in the next film, Kevin says, "Terrance locks up his role in the sequel". The day before this was released it was announced that Don Cheadle replaced Howard for the role.
 Streaming Video Beta Test: Hulk: The Final Round
#40 in Mighty Jack's Top 41
Original Release Date: ? * Rifftrax Release: 12/5/08
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“The Hulk hu? Y'sure that's not just an enthusiastic Jets fan who got drunk and fell asleep up there?” – Bill
Rifftrax is testing a new way of delivering the funny and the first taste is free! Bill, Kevin and Mike flex their comedy muscles and smash an episode of the Hulk TV series. I’ve felt that Rifftrax has hit a low point in the past month or so and have been upstaged in the wit department by their counterparts at Cinematic Titanic. Maybe its that they are putting out a lot of product in a short amount of time, and that has taken the edge off their keen minds? I don't know but I’ve been finding their humor rather prosaic and tired (I could have skipped Spidey 2, Oceans 11 and Iron Man and not missed much).
But with the Hulk the guys prove they still have what it takes. Why is this an improvement? Because they are delivering quips that are germane to the story and the characters, and in doing so it sounds like they are putting some thought into the commentary and not just tossing out the same old routines. When a couple of street toughs spot Banner, Mike spouts, "Let's go make him angry", which is a simple line but so spot on to the premise of the show (people were always going out of their way to make David mad).
I like how Kevin refers to Bill Bixby’s pants as Flairs (do they even call them that anymore?) and when Bill observes a screaming woman (a show staple) he offers, “She’s fine with big green men, but slow motion scares the hell out of her”. The episodes a knock off of the film Rocky and the guys have fun with that fact as well. Good solid, fast and furious riffing. It's clever, the jokes are delivered like a right cross.
As for the streaming media, it worked well. I was on a slower connection and it only stuttered once. It’s a capitol idea and one I hope they exploit in the future. EDIT: Due to technical difficulties, the free sample is down. They are now offering this Trax for sale.
 The Happening
#2 in Mighty Jack's Top 41
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Behold my dramatic lemur eyes!" - Mike
I was simply stupefied by how terrible this movie was. Could the same man behind the 6th Sense and Unbreakable actually have created this train wreck? Not since Preston Sturges has a talented director so completely lost his voice. When a little girl goes up to speak to Mark Wahlberg’s character, our riffers have her say… “Don’t look now but this is worse than Lady in the Water”. Funny – but Lady at least had some competent acting, The Happening can’t even boast that. Wahlberg is locked into condescending mode and poor Zooey Deschanel (an actress I usually like) appears bewildered and wears the expression of someone whose come to the sudden realization that she’s made the worse career choice of her life. “How did I get here and can anybody get me out?”
The movie certainly gives the gang a lot to work with and they take advantage of the situation. I generally enjoy riffing that gets into the rhythm of a movie, and targets it specifically, rather than tossing out excessive and generic fart jokes or what not. Mike, Bill and Kev find their rhythm here and actually surpass their workout on Shyamalan’s 6th Sense.
M Night trying to horrify comes off funny instead and one of the guys note how one scene reaches Monty Python levels of silly. They also point out how lame it is to have the wind as your primary movie effect. Hotdogs and lions and plants that spout threats are all part of the riffing equation. And Mike gave me my biggest laugh when he has Deschanel warn a child, "If you misbehave..." and then he makes a windy whooshing sound. Brilliant!
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 The Crystal Skull
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“Can no one stop the doddering grandpa?” – Bill
Though not the load “The Happening” was, Indy’s return was still a load. I’m glad I skipped it at theaters. The riff-work is decent enough. Not spectacular but a vast improvement on their first attempt in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The comedy styling consists of character slams. Harrison gets the traditional ‘old fart’ quips and they still work quite well, as when Mike notes that he runs like he’s got a loaded diaper. Shia receives a few shots but surprisingly they didn’t deliver a knock out. I rarely laughed hard at the riffs leveled on the guy. Cate Blanchette also gets through with barely a scratch and I was disappointed that I didn’t get to hear one Bob Dylan reference. Instead they go the Emo Phillips rout with her (which was cute).
References were pretty fun and eclectic. Both Brando’s Wild One and 007 are referred to, but not in an obvious way that would be understood by folks who weren’t familiar with the films. I also liked Bill’s line about "I Love the 80s" and the fact that he mentions Arch Hall Jr. (Though he wasn’t there for Eegah, its effects are felt by those who came years later)
While there are good riffs, there were also a lot, and I mean a lot of dead spaces where I was zoning out from a lack of laughs. A few jokes have simply gotten stale. For example - The bit where the guys hum the adventurous theme during dull spots in the film is an oldie that has run its course, and like the cop/donut jokes it should be retired.
 X-2: X-Men United
Release Date: November 12, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
“We have a demon or an imp! Repeat, a demon or an imp!” – Bill as Secret Service agent tracking Nightcrawler.
The riffing opens real strong at the White House: Mike comments on a portrait (“JFK’s ashamed of him”) and later, as Nightcrawler “Bamfs” like crazy he suggests that, “This power would be handy at Packer games” (Ha, Ha. I always enjoy a good poke at the Packers, being a long time fan and all). After this volley I found the work lost some of its special power.
On the bad there’s the usual proliferation of blue humor and a few lame gay jokes - but the main problem might be that 2+ hours requires too much effort, I was just plumb worn out at an hour or so and at the 94-minute mark all laughter had died in me and I had to shut it down.
Upon my return the next day, refreshed, I was able to dig on the ‘trax again and what I noticed in the 2nd half is that they engage the subject matter quite nicely. Wolverine gets waylaid a lot, they also have Rogue (or as Bill calls her, “Power Sucking Girl!”) offering Magneto a prostate exam and the Nightcrawler stuff is generally fun ("Now do the Fuhrer" he says after Mystique imitates his German accent). They of course revisit the Cerebro/Magneto line, this time out it's funny to hear Bill's frustration when Mike and Kev get the names mixed up (Magneto is Cerebro in Mike’s world). Sometimes they tease too hard (hey, I love this stuff) but that comes with the territory.
My suggestion if you find you’re interesting waning, break this one into two parts (now if only Jack Perkin’s had shown up for MST Hour-like host segments). Doing that made it far more enjoyable. It leans too heavily on the juvenile to be a great success but overall I'd rank it as a decent effort.
 The Dark Knight
Release Date: December 9, 2008
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Thing was expensive and never caught a single moth" – Mike as Jim Gordon standing by the Bat signal
Great movie, weak riffing. That's the bottom line. Trax has popped off on other movies I love with mixed results. Spider-Man is my 2nd favorite trax, Casino Royale was fair while the Dark Knight is mostly a dud.
Apart from the introduction they don't get too snarky on those of us who think this is a great film. There’s not even a lot of digs at comic fans (for those who feared they’d do that). On the meh side of things we get a few familiar and tired drug jokes, easy pokes at clowns, imitating Chinese accents, teasing Maggie Gyllenhaal's looks and the lame names they come up with for Two Face (Donkey Nuts? Seriously that’s the best you guys can come up with). Joker in a nurse's uniform? That should have been gold but they dropped the ball. Hell, my 6-year-old niece could have written sharper material.
On the good there's a Prince of Space call back that was funny as were the bits about Fox spying on people. I liked the cute line about Ledger channeling Caesar Romero and there is a smattering of funny riffs here and there. But what's weird is that things didn't get steady until the end. This film was 153 minutes long and Mike and Co. only really revved it up on the final 15.
 Reefer Madness
Release Date: January ?, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Did your boyfriend enjoy meals? We must know!" - Mike
And they come full circle. Reefer Madness was where it all began. It was the first step towards this thing we call Rifftrax. I remember laughing so hard at Mike's audio track (more commentary style than full out riffing) on its release and hailing it as the greatest commentary track ever. Listening to it now, it is quaint but Mike sounds subdued, almost uncomfortable at times and it's not up to the quality of trax to come. So, as with Plan 9 Mike is joined by Bill and Kevin and the trio augment the original work with new material to give us a better and stronger Reefer. The end result isn't as inspired as the Plan 9 redo, it doesn't have the spark and constancy of the riffing on Ed Woods classic, but it's not bad, not bad at all.
Most of Mike's better work survives (though sadly, not the batshit insane quip and there is no reference to the colorization this time out). They did give me some extra chuckles concerning the guy who never stops eating, and here and there I'd bellow out in laughter from a great quip (When a character asks, "What's the beef?", Mike responds, "That's actually a far more accurate slogan for Wendy's"). It is a definite upgrade and overall an enjoyable though not top level trax.
 Little Shop of Horrors
Release Date: January 28, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Yeah the Teeners really love football shaped plants..." - Bill
Rifftrax pulls another from the Legend-mines with results running a little less successful than Reefer Madness. There are too many moments where my laughter was non-existent, but there are also a few quick observational quips that kept it afloat. The film itself annoys me. Bill says it best when he calls it "half baked shtick" and it's that kind of humor that makes this movie a difficult one to sit through. "Does everyone in this film have a "whose on first" routine?" cries Kevin, and it certainly seems like that's Corman's comedic recipe.
Overall this was a middle area riffing, with one disappointment. No one noticed that Digger Smolken from MST3Ks "The Undead" and Mr. Mushnik were one in the same? (or if they did then it's too bad that we didn't get a callback riff)
 House on Haunted Hill
Release Date: February 4, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"I'm scared so I don't know who I am" - Kevin as Nora
More do-over shenanigans from the boys and while it's an upgrade from the previous 2 they've re-done this year, it is slanted towards very good, rather than Earth quaking. Mike's original was one of his better efforts for Legend, and I enjoy the movie. Most of his best jokes survive, some are replaced by superior quips (as with Bill's line when the test pilot snags 2 candles) some are lost (I actually like the original riff at the start when Price introduces us to the rest of the guests and Mike hopes they are more than floating heads. In this version Bill offers a cute line about Price's face being re-smallened) Oh, and I prefer Mike's delivery over Bill's with the Salvador Dali's head line
A few other changes: The "Grandma Rottie" bit failed and they add a running, "John Goodman in the can" gag that quickly wears out its welcome but Mike voices a joke about the Ghost Busters that cracked me up. In the end, the new riffs are hit and miss - the new laughs coupled with the golden oldies don't add up to brilliance, though I feel it's a step up and is the best of the three.
 Night Of The Living Dead
Release Date: February 10, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Carl's Jr. is now serving man burgers" - Kevin
I felt the original riffing on this film was Mike's very worst of the Legend releases. Thus, it would have taken a monumental bungle not to have come up with a substantially better 'trax. And substantially better is what was delivered. Mike's least, became Mike, Bill and Kevin's best effort of the year (on a full length film). And it's loaded with the most new material of the do-overs so far.
The movie doesn't offer a lot of dialog, so the guys lean on the observational style quips, and those sections were cute. But the fun really kicks into high when the actors get talking and our trio talks back. Adding lines to the script or mocking what was said provided the biggest laughs. There would be stretches where I'd be chuckling or smiling then "POW!" - the guys would get on a roll and I'd be in hysterics. Booming, shake the rafters type of laughter. I haven't roared that hard on one of their full-length features since the Happening. I don't think this was their most steady, wall-to-wall effort (ala the "Matrix Reloaded"), many riffs fail, but as for providing the big gut busters, NOTLD was aces. Much fun and very highly recommended. (oh, and I haven't mentioned it before, but Bill's "What's Happening" gag never fails to crack me up).
 Jaws
Release Date: February 24, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Spontaneous mass conniption fits!" - Bill
In every cinephiles life comes certain "event pictures", movies that become legend, not only because they were enjoyable to watch, but also for the way they effected the culture. For my mother's generation it was Gone With the Wind and Psycho. For me it was Jaws. I have so many fond memories of this film and it's so quotable that it has been used as inspiration for many a quip. It now becomes the greatest motion picture to receive a riffing.
This 'Trax treads some bumpy waters. The work starts off slow and dries up about mid way. The trio also struggle with Quint's haunting monologue about the Indianapolis. Other than those moments, the riffing works. Lines about Quint as an addled Janitor and the coroner insisting that the first death was a boating accident, even after Hooper confirms it happened by shark attack, "A shark in a boat, right?" - Bill., all of these are golden moments. The guys even manage to throw in another reference to Tommy Bartlett (an oldie but a goodie). So I was happy with this Trax, the tone managed to respect the source material while having fun with it.
 Carnival Of Souls
#31 in Mighty Jack's Top 41font>
Release Date: March 3, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"A sunset on a balcony? Satan himself must have taken her!" - Bill
Carnival was my favorite commentary from Mike's Legend days. Though it was different, as he augmented the jokes with abundant amounts of trivia. Replacing that trivia means that this update is loaded with fresh material. And how were those brave new quips?
I found myself laughing pretty steady. The movie offers up a lot of quirky characters and situations that are ripe for the picking. Thankfully that means that the annoying oily guy is raked over the coals. Mike also does this funny mumbled voice whenever the lead actress stares off into space.
Unfortunately, while they do add many hilarious bits, they also lose some of my favorites as well. The line about the woman having a minor heart attack was missed and Mike's line about shots from an industrial short being slipped in there, was replaced by an unfunny rant about the organ music. A later unfunny rant concerning a hostage situation was another blot on an otherwise outstanding episode (these long rants feel like padding and I could do without them).
 Swing Parade
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 big 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 my in stitches- but it peters out as it goes and after a while I got bored with it
There are some worthy bits at the end and a smattering of funny jokes tosses 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).
 Planet Of Dinosaurs
Release Date: May 20, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Wonderful, bikini girl dead... Chuck? Alive and shirtless" - Mike
Stilted, ridiculous dialog, uttered by stilted ridiculous actors. That's Dinosaurs in a nutshell. Not only that but this rank cheesy flick kills off the most attractive character (and likely the worse actor, her delivery was a hoot) right at the start -oh how I missed those floatation devices. Anyway, the story is about some kill-hungry space travelers who crash on an island inhabited by claymation dinosaurs. It's a flick with too much walking and cave approaching and that makes for some dead zones. Still, MK&B do get in a fair amount of solid quips, aided by the movies frequent rest periods and progressive music accentuated by electronic fart noise.
"I believe the original title of this movie was, Rest Period" - Kevin. With it being such a tedious film, the guys throw in some singing to fill in the gaps. And while the riffing isn’t often deep, this is the first time I recall hearing "auto da fé" referenced - during a scene when a woman is collecting sticks for a fire. (auto da fé is often pictured in the arts by showing a heretic being burned at the stake).
 Casablanca
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"So you guys know each other?" – Bill as Laszlo watches his wife talking with Rick
I was laughing steady at the credits (Highly visible man, Bergman's knife fight and the Beatles!) but once the film began in earnest I found I wasn't able to concentrate on a word Mike, Kevin and Bill were saying. Casablanca is a special film for me, I was a young boy of 8 when I caught it on TV and was completely entranced. At that very moment I became a cinefile. I don't mind the guys riffing on this one, but even though I've seen the movie numerous times, it still demands and receives all my attention. It was tough to focus on the jokes.
My ears gave their all, and found many a laugh. The trio take the movie to task on a few occasions (Laszlo's disinterest in his wife’s unfaithful past) but for the most part they read and react to what's on screen, twist and tease the memorable... as when they comment that the classic "Here's looking at you kid" was the eras equivalent to "Git 'er done" or when Mike states that he used to leave notes, similar to Ilsa's goodbye letter to Rick, in his kids lunchboxes. The scene when Ilsa implores Rick to give her the letters of transit was pretty good; I liked the Shai LaBeouf quips best of all.
This was a toughie to get through, the movie too great, the dialog too dense and I doubt I'll revisit this trax too often. Still, there is some funny material (sharp reference, mentioning "The Sorrow and the Pity", Bill's quip about the Bat-signal and Kevin's line about Ashton Kutcher's mom) and it's worth at least one listen, maybe two? Oh, and a missed riff? Not mentioning how much Farrari (when he dons hat and stands in profile) looks like a Snapping Turtle Turk from the Yellow Submarine.
 Voodoo Man
Release Date: June 10, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Elmer was left on the Police stations doorstep as a child" - Kevin on ineffective deputy.
I love the many references (The Zombie/Argent line was a beaut), callbacks (Kevin’s line about Zoey Deschanel's performance in "The Happening") and the quick and witty observational riffing is on par with what they offered on "Planet of Dinosaurs". "Voodoo" is pure MST3K style B movie fun, with a few familiar MSTed actors: Such as George Zucco, Wanda McKay, Bela Lugosi and John Carradine –who, as Mike notices, runs like he's carrying 2 heavy suitcases. The Trax as a whole took me right back to the golden days of MST – this was wonderfulnes.
"A Beatnik is applauding somewhere" – Kevin as Bela snaps fingers. In addition to clever quips like that, Voodoo also provides the line -"Gosh all fish hooks"- which could become Rifftrax new catchphrase, ala, "Bonesaw is ready!" or "You eye'n my lemon drink?". Missed riff. A guy shouts for Stella and we don't get a "Streetcar" quip?
 The Room
Release Date: June 18, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"The plot races along with no regard to human life" - Kevin
Basically a nonsensical soap opera – This highly regarded trax was a stop and start affair. The opening sequences did zip for me and Disembaudio bits are stupid as hell. I didn't really get the hype until Johnny walks into a flower shop and finally, that got me laughing.
Johnny and his cold dead, expressionless eyes are disturbing. It's like watching a living manikin. Out of the blue characters, Denny, unstable lying Lisa, overwrought cancer mom, all of whom spout abysmal dialog that pulls random ideas and thoughts from nowhere and relates it to nothing - it's all pretty weird.
The riffing isn't bad, though I wasn't laughing non-stop, as I've read others have. The movie makes an easy target and the riffing amounts to playing around with its eccentricities and repeating the characters words and accents (ala, the countless times a character says, "don’t worry about it" or Johnny's "Oh hi, so and so") After a while the sameness of material got tiring and I couldn't get through the film/trax in one sitting. it was good but it never had me roaring the way Twilight did. Maybe it's the odd film that's enchanting folks so much and adding to their fun? (and I admit, Johnny's rampage at the end was pretty funny)
 Red Dawn
Release Date: July 2, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson & Joel McHale
"I'm your real father Robert, I lost you in a poker game when you were two"- Joel
A long requested movie finally gets its due. Red Dawn would make a good double header with MSTs Invasion U.S.A. and the riffing runs along the same lines, fair to middling. It doesn't offer a steady diet of hilarity ala Twilight, Voodoo Man or even the Rifftrax Presents offering, "Ghost", but there are laughs. The best sequence was when the 3 leads head to a farm house and pick up some gals hiding in a cellar (one of them Swayze's "Dirty Dancing" co-star, Jennifer Grey).
Joel McHale, very funny on The Soup, does a good job here. His delivery is top notched and he compliments Mike well. I enjoyed some of his oddball observational quips... "Someone's washing machine is off balance!" I also liked the comments on the misheard lines of dialog. And the required Wolverine (the superhero) quip was obvious but funny. So overall, decent material can be found, though it's not a rip roaring success.
 Fast & Furious
#16 in Mighty Jack's Top 41
Release Date: August 6, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Nobody here is under cover or hell-bent for revenge, right?" - Mike
I hate this franchise; I hate these smarmy actors and I hate the scripts swaggering self-important hip vibe it shovels up in loads. I fart in this movies general direction and nothing makes me happier than to hear Mike, Kevin and Bill do the same. The trio is relentless and I love them all the more for that, it's irreverent and a bit subversive (even a murder doesn't dampen their enthusiastic riffing)
The 'trax is a solid one, rife with one big laugh after another -"This looks like the Jim Jarmusch version of Speed Racer" - Kevin. Bill takes a shot at Vin that referenced the Pacifier that had me doubled over and Mr. Nelson make a classic observation using the real deal, Steve McQueen to drive home a point. It’s a good mix of funny put downs, clever references and just general silliness... "Who can shift gears the fastest and the most furiously?" - Bill. There's a nice running gag on misheard dialog too.
 Dragon Wars
Release Date: October 5, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Crap, we wandered Into Crouching Tiger again" - Kevin
While D-War doesn't display the most steady - rock 'em sock 'em riffing of all time, I found enough clever fireballs and exasperated bon mots to make this ‘trax worth while.
The movie is a lot of jumbled flashbacks and people waking up suddenly from dreams and concerns some hooey about good and bad dragons with names only George Lucas could love. Because of that, one of Mike shortest riffs provided one of the largest laughs – after film characters ask – "What are you talking about?", Nelson responds with a simple "Thank you".
There is some deliciously dark material that might not be to all tastes: a comment about Bea Arthur’s funeral, Thomas Edison’s snuff film (He once filmed an Elephant being electrocuted to death), and when Robert Forster tells a lad. “Finally, I found you” we hear in response, a resigned -“Oh boy, special page in the yearbook here I come”- In addition to that you can hear them riff on a lot of subtitles, which is actually pretty funny (Note: the rifftrax player won't allow for subs, so I had to watch this the old fashioned way)
 Transformers 2
Release Date: October 22, 2009
Riffers: Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy & Bill Corbett
"Captain - metal cat is back, should I get the squirt bottle?" - Mike
I thought the first Transformers film was a pile, but this sequel… I’d call it garbage but that gives garbage a bad name. This is an affront to film making: The childish stabs at humor, the inane plot and dialog. It’s ham fisted, noisy, unclear (which bot is which?) –sigh- Michael Bay is Ed Wood with a budget. The riffing tactic is a no brainer, observe and report. As the first reels unfurled I wondered why the heck humans were the first wave sent in to combat the bad bots… seconds later MK&B weighed in with a riff that mirrored that thought.
“Hey look you guys… some stuff” - In addition to the clever observational quips that take on everything from the voice work to Bay’s intelligence and major suckhood - I enjoyed a lot of the pop culture references, especially the underwater sequence when Bill wonders…”Was Ringo Starr being serious, he’d really like to live here?”
Despite all that I enjoyed, Transformers 2 doesn’t surpass the first. The basic riff theme (The directorial incompetence, impossible to follow battles and slams on the actors) gets repetitive and stops being funny after a while. It didn’t help that the overlong film kicked my butt and sapped my will to live. In the end it wasn't one that would make my top 10 for 09, but it was decent enough.
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