List of Crap #122: Best of Rifftrax!

[linszoid]

Amazon Prime generally has a good selection of rifftrax available. Right now it has the previous entry and the next entry

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I remember Laser Mission having good riffs but the movie was kind of forgettable, for me the top ones are a combo of bad/insane/weird movie/short combined with killer riffs.

[ScottotD]

Laser Mission and Buffalo Rider being so early surprises me, I tend to feel the low/no budget ones were almost always miles better than the Blockbusters

[linszoid]

44b: Missile to the Moon



25 Points
1 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #1 george 2.0


Rifftrax Promo
A beloved camp classic from the golden drive-in era! Two escaped cons stowaway on a flight to the moon and discover a race of alien women ruled by a fierce and sadistic queen. Featuring some hilarious "special" effects, including a marionette spider and foam rubber Rock Men, Missile to the Moon is a fun, campy trip.

My Take:
This is the kind 1950s schlock that really makes for great fodder. Rock man that look like gumby. Blue women in the colorized version. Fred Williard. This film makes two important points. During spaceflight, MAKE SURE YOU SECURE YOUR BATTERIES. 2nd is that you can learn to be an astronaught in about 10 minutes.

Look lady, stop padding your part and just die!

[Johnny Unusual]

I never saw the three riffer edition but I loved the Fred Willard one.  I think I forgot to put that one on my list, though.

[linszoid]

44c: Overcoming Fear



25 Points
1 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #1 stethacantus


Rifftrax Promo
Fear: Most of us rejected it in the mid-90s by wearing trendy t-shirts emblazoned with slogans such as "Second Place is the First Loser."

This national "No Fear" campaign almost single-handedly eradicated Fear from our streets.  Unfortunately, one day America woke up and realized just how gut-wrenchingly lame those t-shirts were.  The shame quickly gave way to a much more powerful emotion:  Fear.

Yes, Fear has returned to our society, which makes the message of the 1950 educational short Overcoming Fear all the more important.  It teaches us that your Fears are irrational, and are best confronted head-on.  It features the greatest locker room confrontation scene since a be-toweled Iceman called out Maverick, nerds standing up for what they believe in, and a dog so terrifying, it makes Cujo look like the Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

What better way for Mike, Kevin and Bill to Overcome their Fear of Overcoming Fear than by riffing the short Overcoming Fear!

My Take:
I didn't even know I owned this until I started this write up. It's a pretty good riff. But now I'm afraid of water, dogs AND bicycle ordinances. If only there was a short to help me overcoming my fear. Sadly no short exists.

And I threw some puppies into the water. It worked for my sister!

[linszoid]

44d: Rifftrax Live: MST3k Reunion Show



25 Points
1 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #1 Johnny Unusual


Rifftrax Promo
Mike, Kevin and Bill were joined on stage by their MST3K colleagues at the State Theatre in Minneapolis to bring it back to their roots in an MST3K cast reunion the likes of which have never been seen before!

Joining the guys are their old cohorts Frank Conniff (TV's Frank), Trace Beaulieu (Crow, Dr. Forrestor), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), Bridget Nelson (Nuveena, Mr. B), as well as Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson, AND the host of the revived MST, Jonah Ray, for a hilarious night of riffing for RiffTrax's 20th Live event.

Taking turns in various permutations to riff on a slew of old-timey shorts, the show culminates in a Super Riff-A-Palooza finale with all nine riffers on stage at once!

My Take:
I'll admit, the spirit of the list was to focus on the actual shorts and movies that were actually riffs. However there is enough banter and good times here that I let it slide. Who doesn't love seeing Kevin's two favorite Crow's on stage together? It is great seeing the gang behind the greatest show on TV get together. And it's especially great seeing that they still get along so well. There were some good riffs too.

Welcome to Rifftrax Live!!

[George-2.0]

Per instructions, I selected bits from a show, not the whole show in total. Which is why the reunion wasn't on mine. But it's a good exemption, and the Martha line during the Superman short was one for the ages.

Missile - I've seen both and prefer the one with Williard. I love the guys, but Fred brought a different vocal delivery and style that made it all the funnier for me. "This is back when the Government used to come over to your house and give you some good-natured ribbing" – Fred

The short? I think I liked Fear, it has been a while since I saw it.

Oh, and Edward, sorry for calling you Edgar earlier.... I guess that's what happens when I type on 3 hrs sleep. I fixed the typo

[Edward J Grug III]

Oh, and Edward, sorry for calling you Edgar earlier.... I guess that's what happens when I type on 3 hrs sleep. I fixed the typo

That's alright - My real name's Robert anyway

[Johnny Unusual]

The MST3k Reunion Show was obviously a victory lap for the kickstarter and for rifftrax but no one is phoning it in.  I found all of the shorts stellar.  Trace and Frank were particularly on their game here.

[stethacantus]

44c: Overcoming Fear



25 Points
1 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #1 stethacantus

I am not disappointed no one else picked this as their #1, but that it made no other list. For me this short has what has to be the funniest and best executed riff in anything I have seen, including all the MST3K episodes both past and present. Weeks after seeing this I was still recalling Kevin's riff when the dog jumped the fence and having a good laugh. So naturally it had to be at #1 on my list. Although I am sure there is probably funnier single riff jokes on rifftrax I have not seen yet.

[Johnny Unusual]

I like the part where Bill decides he's scared of dogs now.

[linszoid]

43: Kingdom of the Spiders



25 Points
3 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #14 F-Zero


Rifftrax Promo
Captain Kirk. T.J. Hooker. Twilight Zone plane guy. Johnny Legal (presumably his name on Boston Legal, didn't bother to check).The Dad Who Says Sh*t. All great characters, sure, but William Shatner will always be best known for one role, and one role alone: RACK.

Rural veterinary doctor Robert "Rack" Hansen, of course, he of the inexplicable nickname, fondness for cowboy hats, and habit of hitting on his brother's widow by saying he'd like to "milk her." A lesser man would've stopped with Rack, his legacy complete. Such a great, internationally beloved part, it's a testament to Shatner's skill as an actor that he's escaped its shadow, the Kingdom of the Spiders conventions and catchphrases and reboots, and become known for more than just Rack. RACK. Rack. No seriously, he has people call him Rack and he thinks he's a sexy cowboy. Rack.

Animals and people are dying of spider venom in Rack's sleepy Arizona town, and when he and a foxy out-of-towner discover a gigantic hill of venomous spiders on a local farm they somehow don't immediately make the connection, burn it down, and end the movie. What unfolds is a creeping, ridiculous, town-destroying horror, packed with more real live tarantulas than the basement home of that spooky pale guy who sold drugs outside your high school.

Rack up, put on your spider-stompiest shoes, and join Mike, Bill, and Kevin in the Kingdom of the Spiders!

My Take:
Shatner! Join Shatner on his quest to defeat the Kingdom of the Spiders and to milk his dead brother's wife. Just don't call him John. Just remember to keep a fire extinguisher close to you at all times while watching this film.

This was one of my most painful cuts to my own LoC list. I mean the movie has Shatner in it. William Shatner! It hurt worst than a spiderbite. I love movies about giant monster animals. They seem to be made for riffing.

"Whoa! Kingdom of the side-boob!"


Also the cover art is great

[CJones]

"So you're going to surround my daughter with real spiders, but you say I get access to the craft services table?"

It really looks like Shatner genuinely forgot that pot was hot, tried to pick it up, and they just left it in the movie. Yeah, I had this one on my list

[linszoid]

42: The Wizard



27 Points
2 of 13 Lists
Highest list: #5 PsychoGoatee


Rifftrax Promo
"I love the Power Glove... it's so bad." This iconic movie quote is often misattributed to Lawrence of Arabia, but in fact it's from our newest VOD, The Wizard!

Before there was a terrible movie about the Super Mario Bros., there was a terrible movie about PLAYING Super Mario Bros. Fred Savage's little brother is a savant video game player, and the two of them run off to California so he can compete in Video Armageddon, that big famous video game contest like they had in the 80s, remember those? Sure, we all remember those, and they definitely happened all the time. They're joined by a plucky little girl who's just putting up with all this until she can grow up to sing in the indie rock band Rilo Kiley (no, really!). The kids are pursued by a child bounty hunter, again, something that might sound fake but is definitely just as real as Video Armageddon. To add to the playful Nintendo fun, the child bounty hunter looks like, well, a sexual predator. And at one point he is even accused of inappropriate touching. No, really! All this happens in The Wizard! The little kid Nintendo movie!

And we haven't even scraped the surface of the unnecessarily complex and bleak family drama at the center of this movie that is, primarily, a commercial for Nintendo and Nintendo-based products. There's almost too much to love here.

Dust off your NES Advantage, blow in the cartridge even though we all know that doesn't do anything, and join Mike, Kevin, and Bill for a walk down "not how you remember it from childhood" memory lane with The Wizard!

My Take:
Probably one of the few movies I've seen before it was riffed. I loved the movie as a kid. The hype around the power glove was surreal at the time. And I never got one  :-(.

"He's throwing darts and listing states we never should've let into the Union.