Let's settle this!

[Pak-Man]

Discuss and vote! Let's get some numbers! :^)

[Famous Mortimer]

I just think there are so many sucky films out there that Mike can now safely riff on without needing copyright that we should never get to the good stuff.

For instance, I happen to like the old "Carnival of Souls". Watching the Legend version of that annoyed me because Mike's commentary was mocking it, without ever mentioning it had some good points. Same with "House on Haunted Hill" to a lesser extent. I'm aware I may be in a minority in those opinions, but if he riffs on good movies then people will end up alienated.

I could think of 50 movies off the top of my head that are easily available, were popular-ish and haven't been riffed yet, and wouldn't be terribly controversial re: quality. That's two years of riffing and who knows what'll happen then?

[Pak-Man]

It IS supposed to be comedic. Stopping mid-Riff and saying, "Hey this movie's pretty good!" wouldn't really serve the riffing very well. :^)

[Nunyerbiz]

I don't see how the percieved "quality" of the source movie is relevant at all. I didn't pay for and download a Rifftrax thinking, "Wow... it's gonna be great to see The Matrix again!!!". I downloaded it because I expect a funny commentary regardless of the subject.

Granted, some movies are going to lend themselves to the treatment better than others but I don't want the creators to limit themselves. So... whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent... just bring the funny. There are no sacred cows.

[6079SmithW]

I don't see how the percieved "quality" of the source movie is relevant at all. I didn't pay for and download a Rifftrax thinking, "Wow... it's gonna be great to see The Matrix again!!!". I downloaded it because I expect a funny commentary regardless of the subject.

Granted, some movies are going to lend themselves to the treatment better than others but I don't want the creators to limit themselves. So... whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent... just bring the funny. There are no sacred cows.

Although I think riffing good movies is a fine idea, if only because it increases the odds I already own it or want to do so, there are movies where poking fun would be... inappropriate. The obvious example is Shindler's List (the only particularly goofy part was already made fun of on Seinfeld,) but pretty much any  movie along those lines would be at best a pretty bad idea.

Then again, I'm the type of person who gets annoyed when people laugh at what I consider the wrong moments during movies I like, so maybe I'm oversensitive.

[mrbasehart]

I'm going to take everybody else's opinions and put them in a blender here:

I don't see how the percieved "quality" of the source movie is relevant at all. I didn't pay for and download a Rifftrax thinking, "Wow... it's gonna be great to see The Matrix again!!!". I downloaded it because I expect a funny commentary regardless of the subject.

Granted, some movies are going to lend themselves to the treatment better than others but I don't want the creators to limit themselves. So... whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent... just bring the funny. There are no sacred cows.

and:

I think riffing good movies is a fine idea, if only because it increases the odds I already own it or want to do so.

and:

I just think there are so many sucky films out there that Mike can now safely riff on without needing copyright that we should never get to the good stuff.

That about sums it up.  Cheers fellas!   

[Nunyerbiz]

I don't see how the percieved "quality" of the source movie is relevant at all. I didn't pay for and download a Rifftrax thinking, "Wow... it's gonna be great to see The Matrix again!!!". I downloaded it because I expect a funny commentary regardless of the subject.

Granted, some movies are going to lend themselves to the treatment better than others but I don't want the creators to limit themselves. So... whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent... just bring the funny. There are no sacred cows.

Although I think riffing good movies is a fine idea, if only because it increases the odds I already own it or want to do so, there are movies where poking fun would be... inappropriate. The obvious example is Shindler's List (the only particularly goofy part was already made fun of on Seinfeld,) but pretty much any  movie along those lines would be at best a pretty bad idea.

Then again, I'm the type of person who gets annoyed when people laugh at what I consider the wrong moments during movies I like, so maybe I'm oversensitive.

Ahh, I was not thinking quite along those lines when I originally replied. I was thinking more along the lines of critical and/or fanboy acclaim and not so much subject matter. My basis for a "good movie" would be something like Fellowship of the Ring. I wasn't trying to suggest that they start riffing on Roots or Schindler's List.... just that I'm happy that they haven't been scared to do movies that might have strong fan bases.

[gammer]

As I've mentioned before: I prefer the cheesy films. But I like the fact that there is no limit on what they can/cannot riff. So as long as they have a good mix (which its looking this way), then I'll be happy as a pig in shi...

[Pak-Man]

Yeah, not EVERY good movie is an unriffable, depressing morose of despair and sorrow, or an inspiring tale of overcoming great and serious obstacles. SOME good movies have a story! :^)

[Keith]

Funny, my wife and I were just discussing this after watching Point Break for the first and last time. Thanks to RiffTrax, we've also seen Cocktail and Road House, which we would never have watched under any other circumstances. For me, Road House is the RiffTrax gold standard: The movie is bad enough to be entertaining on its own, and the commentary caused us to lose bladder control ... several times.

But The Grudge was barely watchable even with the humorous commentary. So, I think there's a fine line between a movie that's laughably, entertainingly cheesy and one that's just ponderous and achingly bad. That line appears to run right through Patrick Swayze's resume.

I'd definitely pay to download riffs on some classic '80s fromage (perhaps: Footloose, Fame, Flashdance). Did I mention Dirty Dancing? Stephen King has a ton of turkeys ready for plucking. Oliver Stone is begging to be riffed on. Hell, how about John Hughes?  Then there's always overblown big-budget crap from the '90s, such as Titanic, which is long overdue for some savage mockery. (Best Picture? Are you kidding me?)  These aren't great movies, but they can at least be endured.

Check out any of those interminable VH1 nostalgia shows. (I Love to Hate I Love The '80s, etc.) They riff on people's guilty pleasures (and stuff people are ashamed to admit they maybe actually liked at one point) a lot more often than they dwell on the truly dreadful. So, I think there's no harm in RiffTrax taking on some movies that actually can sustain an audience for 90 minutes. I might actually sit through The Fellowship of the Ring.

That is, unless this whole RiffTrax thing is just part of some evil Hollywood conspiracy (they exist!) to create demand for movies that absolutely nobody would ordinarily buy. In which case, I'm a sucker. I paid $6.99 for a copy of The Grudge at the grocery store, and they won't take it back. The cashier refused to even touch the DVD case. Damn.

P.S.: In any case, copyright should not be an issue at all. I don't think anyone could make a very good case that a RiffTrax commentary is a "derivative work." It fits the definition of "commentary and criticism," which is fair use protected by the First Amendment. God Bless America!

[Petey Wheatstraw]

I happen to like the old "Carnival of Souls". Watching the Legend version of that annoyed me because Mike's commentary was mocking it, without ever mentioning it had some good points. Same with "House on Haunted Hill" to a lesser extent.

I thought that Mike's criticisms of Carnival of Souls were dead-on. It really is a shoddy picture.

I like House on Haunted Hill on the other hand, but have no problem with Mike's riffing on it.

BTW, why wasn't Night of the Living Dead or The Little Shop of Horrors included in this equation? I liked both of them better than House, and I still thought that Mike's commentaries were funny (although Little Shop is funnier than the commentary).

[Famous Mortimer]

I didn't include the two other films you've mentioned because I've not seen the Legend Films versions yet, to be honest. Like I said about Carnival of Souls, I'm aware I'm in the minority of people who saw it before the Legend version and actually enjoyed it- just expressing my opinion about a riff I didn't particularly like because I disagreed with a lot of what he was saying.

You can be funny about a film without mocking it, but it's certainly more difficult. Like I said before though, there's so much crap out there that Mike could do a really funny and accurate riff on, that's easily available from every video rental place, that we could easily make it through 2 years without ever having to touch the good films. I don't think there should be any sacred cows, but what's the point of trying to do a funny commentary on something most of us enjoyed?

[Sharktopus]

I don't think there should be any sacred cows, but what's the point of trying to do a funny commentary on something most of us enjoyed?

Well, I don't know this for sure, but I would bet that the RiffTrax for popular movies like X-Men, The Matrix, Phantom Menace, and Fellowship sell significantly better than the RiffTrax for movies people would rather just forget existed, like Cocktail, Crossroads, and Point Break.

[Famous Mortimer]

Well, I don't know this for sure, but I would bet that the RiffTrax for popular movies like X-Men, The Matrix, Phantom Menace, and Fellowship sell significantly better than the RiffTrax for movies people would rather just forget existed, like Cocktail, Crossroads, and Point Break.

You may well be right, and it'd be useful to see stats on this- anyone reading this thread have access to the sales figures?

Oh, and Point Break >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Phantom Menace.

[BathTub]

Just bring on the Funnay!