I'm getting a little tired of all these recent movies.

[SwordKing]

I can't deny most of them deserve it, but for the better part of a year now RiffTrax has been doing almost nothing but movies from this decade and I'm getting a little tired of it. I understand RiffTrax wants to make sure the movie can be easily found. But there are plenty of movies from the 80's and 90's that can be found in video store that fans have been clamoring for since RiffTrax began.

[Conor]

http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,8730.15.html

[GregMcduck]

Yeah, that discussion is old hat. We need a new arguement about how every riff these days seems to have a dumb Nick Nolte joke.

[Scrivener]

Well, be fair.  Rifftrax has always had a "pet joke" that gets into virtually every episode made for a considerable stretch.  Schnappi was the first, but that eventually got retired.  Kelsey Grammer's driving was the successor, but now that's given way to Nick Nolte.

If you want to do something constructive -- or maybe just fun -- try guessing the next big running gag.  Or try influencing Mike and company toward your choice for the next big running gag.  That could be a fun psychological game.

Or maybe it's too early in the morning for me to be posting.

[RVR II]

Or maybe it's too early in the morning for me to be posting.

Yeah, go back to bed

[OmegaR!]

Quick observation too,
I just recently was rating the RiffTrax on the main page, and CrossRoads got 25 Ratings while 300 had roughly 110 or so
Didn't really notice the rest, but there's a big gap in certain titles/genres

oh, and "LOLcats" is the new "Schnappi"

[Doc Steve]

If I understand Mr. Corbett correctly, then the bottom line is that something like Cloverfield or 300 sells better than say Missile to the Moon. 

There are two seperate issues with sales here.  1) Relative popularity; and 2) "Access."   In other words, are people buying more copies of the 300 Rifftrax because there is more actual demand for 300 as opposed to say, Missile to the Moon?  Or, are people buying more copies of 300 because everyone knows someone who already owns that movie? 

IMHO, Crossroads and Glitter are probably the two funniest Rifftrax.  You can walk into any used video store in the country and find these DVDs for less than $5.  Obviously, "access" is not a problem.  Apparently, these two Rifftrax are not that popular based on sales.  Here's the deal, though.  I am convinced that over time these will eventually outsell titles like Ocean's Eleven, because they're good. 

The problem with letting the market dictate the film choices is that the Rifftrax are becoming too similar, because the awful Hollywood blockbusters are all the same:

1.  Majority of the budget blown on one or two marquee stars and unconvincing CGI;
2.  Little to no emphasis on character and story;
3.  Poor acting;
4.  Poor actor/actress chemistry; and
5.  Contempt for the intelligence of the audience. 

Seriously, I like RIfftrax and its ability to do new, otherwise inaccessible movies.  However, too many of the recent releases have been very lackluster.  Like most people, my entertainment budget has been seriously curtailed by the recession.  I won't be wasting my money on anything as crappy as the Ocean's Eleven Rifftrax ever again.   

Rifftrax needs to do a few "MST3K-Type" movies a year to keep things fresh.  Trust me guys, you have been getting stale.   

[gbeenie]

Yeah, that discussion is old hat. We need a new arguement about how every riff these days seems to have a dumb Nick Nolte joke.

Do you mean joke about Nick Nolte being dumb, or a joke about Nick Nolte which is dumb? Just need some clarification here.

[James of LinHood]

Yeah, that discussion is old hat.

Indeed.  As Conor pointed out, this discussion has been going on for months and TPTB have yet to actually comply with our wishes.  I've given up hope that Mike, Kevin, and/or Bill will ever start riffing older movies again.  I'm tired of beating my head against a wall. 

I have not purchased a Rifftrax since The Matrix Reloaded.  It's my own form of protest, however ineffectual it really is.  I have no interest in buying any Rifftrax since they refuse to listen to us.  But it's not like they really care, anyway.

[Doc Steve]

Yeah, that discussion is old hat.

Indeed.  As Conor pointed out, this discussion has been going on for months and TPTB have yet to actually comply with our wishes.  I've given up hope that Mike, Kevin, and/or Bill will ever start riffing older movies again.  I'm tired of beating my head against a wall. 

I have not purchased a Rifftrax since The Matrix Reloaded.  It's my own form of protest, however ineffectual it really is.  I have no interest in buying any Rifftrax since they refuse to listen to us.  But it's not like they really care, anyway.

I don't know if I would go that far, but here are some of my random thoughts on the subject.

1.  Mike used to write books (fiction and non-fiction).  He hasn't released a new book since Rifftrax started.  I'm not sure what conclusion to draw from this.  The two most likely explanations are as follows.  FIrst, it could be that Rifftrax is more profitable.  Second, it could be that Mike likes writing for RIfftrax better than stand-alone books.  At any rate, most of us would love to have those kind of career and financial options. 

2.  Rifftrax is the new General Motors.  They have made the mistake of "competing against themselves."  By averaging something like a release a week, they are killing their sales.  More releases doesn't necessarily mean higher sales overall.  In contrast, Cinematic Titanic will probably end up averaging one release per six weeks.  I buy ALL of the Cinematic Titanic releases, because I can afford to make a mistake.  In contrast, why waste money on The Happening if something else will be coming down the pipe any day? 

3.  Originally, the ability to do virtually any movie offered a lot of freedom and possibilities.  The problem is that Rifftrax quickly zipped through the infamously bad modern genre movies (such as Star Trek V).  This then left one of several new possibilities.  Unfortunately,  Mike and the gang seem to have taken the path of least resistance.  That is, instead of finding movies on DVD ideally suited to riffing (like a Shaw Bros. kung-fu flick), they went with mainstream blockbusters.  Yes, mainstream blockbuster movies are inevitably very bad.  However, as I mentioned above, they are all more or less the same.  Also, they are somewhat limited in that you are dealing with an assembly line product.  Movies like Eegah! and The Sinister Urge are interesting precisely because they are almost entirely the creation of one disturbed mind, not a commitee of executive producers.

4.  Never confuse initial profitability with profits over time.  As I mentioned above, the Rifftrax for Ocean's Eleven   has outsold the Rifftrax for Crossroads, as of today.  I am confident that Crossroads will eventually pass movies like Ocean's Eleven and The Bourne Identity.  First, most Rifftrax seem to see the majority of their sales in that first week or two after release.  Second, other titles are consistently recommended and do get some action over time, however.  Third, the Rifftrax for Crossroads is hysterical, while the other two pretty much stink on ice.  Now that the catalog is large enough, I doubt you will ever see anyone seriously recommend The Bourne Identity Rifftrax. 

5.  From what Mr. Corbett has written, it sounds like Mike and the gang are more worried about initial profitablility than long-term profits.  This approach is not compatible with the high rate of releases.  It essentially forces them to do newer movies and tie their release schedule to the DVD release schedule.  Why do I say this?  The average person cannot afford to buy both a Rifftrax and a new movie every week.  That could easily run over a $100 per month.  (Obscure DVDs tend to be under $7 or over $20, so it would vary quite a bit.)  I have a decent job, and I can't see spending that much on Rifftrax per month.  It's a little different when every Tom, Dick, and Harry on your block already bought the riffed movie that Tuesday.  Most people can afford $15-$16 a month, and this way all of that money is going to Rifftrax. 

6.  It is generally understood that quantity and quality do not correlate in any endeavor. 

7.  From the activity on this forum, it is clear that there is significant demand for movies like Dune and Red Dawn.  The response?  Creating macros that delete the names of the movies.  Now THAT'S service. 

[Lady Kitsch]

I think that Rifftrax has been trying to provide some older movies with Rifftrax Presents and iRiffs, not to mention the shorts.  Many of us would like for Mike to be riffing those older films, but Rifftrax is a business and clearly the new movies do better. 

And some of the blockbusters of today are just as silly as those of the past.  The Happening is every bit as ridiculous as Red Dawn.

[RVR II]

The Happening is every bit as ridiculous as Red Dawn.

Ah, BUT The Happening didn't have 'The Swayze'

[James of LinHood]

I think that Rifftrax has been trying to provide some older movies with Rifftrax Presents and iRiffs, not to mention the shorts. 

The flaw in that reasoning is that shorts are not the same as full length movies.  Also, none of "The Big Three" will be doing any iRiffs (obviously).  Lastly, in some cases (Like Dirty Dancing) none of The Big Three even riff the older films.  They get no-namers to riff them instead.

Some of us would just like Mike, Kevin, and Bill to riff older full length movies.  That's all.

[Doc Steve]

I think that Rifftrax has been trying to provide some older movies with Rifftrax Presents and iRiffs, not to mention the shorts. 

The flaw in that reasoning is that shorts are not the same as full length movies.  Also, none of "The Big Three" will be doing any iRiffs (obviously).  Lastly, in some cases (Like Dirty Dancing) none of The Big Three even riff the older films.  They get no-namers to riff them instead.

Some of us would just like Mike, Kevin, and Bill to riff older full length movies.  That's all.

Hell, I would even settle for any movie that wasn't a cookie-cutter summer blockbuster.  It's not the age killing them, it's the "sameness" of it all.  How many times have Rifftrax commented on the destruction of New York in 2008 alone?!?

[Conor]

IMHO, Crossroads and Glitter are probably the two funniest Rifftrax.  You can walk into any used video store in the country and find these DVDs for less than $5.  Obviously, "access" is not a problem. 

Unfortunately, "access" usually seems like it boils down to pulling it off your shelf.  If you were able to package a riff with glitter, or crossroads, or a shaw bros movie, it would probably be a different story. 

I talked about this alot in this thread last week, and I eventually feel like I talk myself into circles.

http://forrestcrow.proboards47.com/index.cgi?board=rifftrax&action=display&thread=16311&page=2#712199

Please take a look.  The main points that I'd take from it are:

We're not going to be able to make everyone happy.  If your criteria for what you think we should be riffing is old movies, keep in mind that for some people it is bad movies, and for some people it is old bad movies and for some people it is recent hits and for some people it is recent flops.  The majority of these people don't post their thoughts on this forum.  If your criteria prevents you from enjoying something like The Happening just because it is new, that's too bad.

Your comments regarding pacing, I'm not sure I agree on them.  Probably because I know how long it takes to write, rehearse and record a RiffTrax.  Just because a series of Riffs like Iron Man, The Happening and IJ4 come out a week apart does not mean that each one just  took a week to create.  There's a long period of time leading up to the recording of each one, which is itself a relatively short part of the process.  Once you have them recorded, there isn't any sense on sitting on them for months, since once they're out, people can choose to watch riffed movies at any pace they want.