riffing good movies = mistake

[Variety of Cells]

I'd respect your opinion a lot more if you tried watching Halloween or the Matrix.  If you find it less entertaining than other Rifftrax after watching it, then your point is valid and not just speculation.  And you'll never have to see a movie you like get riffed again. 

But doesn't it bug you that you might actually like the Rifftrack?  There's always a chance that you'll be able to enjoy the jokes and still like the movie if you can see the two as separate entities, to steal someone else's term.  It's worth a shot.  It's only 2.99, and I'm assuming you already own the movie.  If you don't watch it for possible enjoyment, at least watch it to put an end to your debate weather good movies should be riffed or not.  Then no one will be able to touch your argument, because you have actual proof.  It will still be just your opinion, but at least your opinion will be based on your actual opinion, not just speculation on what your opinion might be once you watch it.

[Heysie]

Consider this analogy: If you want your girlfriend to start wearing nicer dresses, would you make fun of her in a dress that you actually like? No. You praise the nice dress, and criticize the ugly one. Likewise, if you want Hollywood to start making better movies, you don't make fun of the ones you like. This would only discourage film-makers from making better movies, exactly like making fun of the good-looking dresses would discourage your girlfriend from wearing them. 

Actually I think that would encourage your girlfriend to dump you and possibly kick your ass.    I don't think filmmakers will really receive our message and start making better movies, but lambasting bad movies makes us feel better. The best way for people to tell filmmakers that their movies blow is to not see them. Therefore if we're trying to send a message via riffing, we're cancelling it out by buying and renting the movies!  But in a way I'm thankful for stinky movies, because of the humor that results from riffing. I'm gonna have to stick with saying a movie has to be bad to be a good rifftrax, because riffing is laughing at the movie. I've sometimes worried that my devotion to Rifftrax and MST means I'm a mean person, but let's face it, the humor comes from making fun of the movie.

As far as subjectivity of bad movies, I had previously believed that there could be a sort of general consensus on most movies, but Halloween destroyed that theory for me, because I was sure that was a genuinely bad movie--the acting is pitiful, all the things Kevin and Mike point out are true (different weather and times of day in the same scene, randomly applied music, etc), but then I saw from this forum that lots of people like it, and then I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes and it has 100% fresh!  So, who knows what a bad movie is!

Oh, someone mentioned Weird Al. When I hear a Weird Al song I don't get the impression that he's making fun of the original song, he's just repurposing it in a hilarious way. Sort of a different animal. Make and Kevin were making fun of Halloween.

[Bob M.]

For those of us who have no interest in seeing a good movied get the Rifftrax treatment, I don't think it's about anything being a "sacred cow" or untouchable.  It's about, "Why do it at all?"  I understand that RT is a different beast than MST3K, and that funny is funny, but it really seems less fun to ridicule something good.  Again, wouldn't it be funnier to see a Rifftrax of crap like "Elm Street 2, 4 or 5" rather than a classic -- not just in my mind, but in general film history -- like "Halloween"?  Or "Battlefield: Earth" rather than "The Matrix"?  I just have no desire to see good movies made fun of.  I love Mike, and think he's one of the funniest people around, but I won't be buying "The Matrix" or "Halloween."

Again, it's subjective. I thought the Matrix was an overhyped CGI fest, and I pretty much thought it was a mediocre film. So, I'm more than happy to see it done. General film history has the same general assessment of the movie that I do; most reviewers at the time praised its CGI breakthroughs, but none that I read from mainstream film reviewing thought it was anything more than a decent blockbuster that survived Keanu.

There are clearly a lot of people who thought Cocktail was a "good" movie. Why? It took in over $100 million at the US box office alone. Does that make it artful or a film classic? Dear lord, no. But a heck of a lot of people thought it was "good" though. Those people might not appreciate the Rifftrax treatment, but I certainly did

[dlobro1080]

I'd respect your opinion a lot more if you tried watching Halloween or the Matrix.  If you find it less entertaining than other Rifftrax after watching it, then your point is valid and not just speculation.  And you'll never have to see a movie you like get riffed again. 

But doesn't it bug you that you might actually like the Rifftrack?  There's always a chance that you'll be able to enjoy the jokes and still like the movie if you can see the two as separate entities, to steal someone else's term.  It's worth a shot.  It's only 2.99, and I'm assuming you already own the movie.  If you don't watch it for possible enjoyment, at least watch it to put an end to your debate weather good movies should be riffed or not.  Then no one will be able to touch your argument, because you have actual proof.  It will still be just your opinion, but at least your opinion will be based on your actual opinion, not just speculation on what your opinion might be once you watch it.

That's all true -- but I did indeed watch the Rifftrax of "X-Men", a movie I really like, and I laughed, but found it to be the least entertaining of all the Rifftrax.  It could be because the riffs just didn't work for me, or it could be that riffing good movies (or what one perceives as good, because not everyone likes "X-Men") is not as funny. 

I really just started this thread because this is a feedback forum, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents after seeing the not-so-funny X-Men Rifftrax ("Up up and a gay" -- talk about taking a cheap shot because there's nothing to make fun of) and reading the announcements of "Matrix" and "Halloween."  I totally understand that many people are willing to buy Rifftrax of anything, but the idea just doesn't appeal to me.

[Variety of Cells]

Alright.  I now move my opinion of your opinion up to 'respected'.  You present a clean argument as to why you don't enjoy watching Rifftrax of movies that you like, and why you shouldn't have to.  Just as long as we acknowledge, which you did, that goodness is an opinion which changes from person to person.  So riffing good movies does = a mistake, but any movie can be considered a bad film depending on what standards you use, so there for no mistake has been made. 

[dlobro1080]

Alright.  I now move my opinion of your opinion up to 'respected'.  You present a clean argument as to why you don't enjoy watching Rifftrax of movies that you like, and why you shouldn't have to.  Just as long as we acknowledge, which you did, that goodness is an opinion which changes from person to person.  So riffing good movies does = a mistake, but any movie can be considered a bad film depending on what standards you use, so there for no mistake has been made. 

Nicely said! 

[SaucyRossy]

"Up up and a gay"

Im sorry but that may of been one of my favorite lines from Bill, that or when they made fun of Hugh Jackmans theatrical/musicals background.....

[dlobro1080]

"Up up and a gay"

Im sorry but that may of been one of my favorite lines from Bill, that or when they made fun of Hugh Jackmans theatrical/musicals background.....

I thought Mike said it, actually.

[Hank]

After seeing some of the (recently former) upcoming Rifftrax, I'd have to say that it may actually be a mistake to riff on recent bad* movies.

The beauty  of the stinkers from MST3K is that many were obscure, thought to be masterpieces in their day, or regarded as bad and that was it. Recent movies, like The Matrix and Phantom Menace have been thoroughly trounced time and again, so that by this time, it becomes "What's the point?"
On the other hand, (recent) good movies make for better riffs because we haven't heard it all before. Maybe we have made riffs in private, but movies like the two mentioned above have been lambasted by the best in the business. Who hasn't made a Crossroads joke at this point? I know that one of the slogans is "Some movies have it coming", but then again, some of them have "gotten it" over and over.


My opinion is that, for newer (popular) movies, it is much better to do "good" movies simply for the fact that people don't usually riff on them, resulting in many more riffing possibilities.


*generally speaking

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

why did your post slide into italics?

[Msampo]

Whether the actors are proud of the crap in which they participate is not the issue. All I'm saying is that I hope MN is only riffing movies that HE believes are bad.

The difference between Rifftrax and MST3K is that he's not making that value judgment, because there is no Hodgsonesque "premise" he must maintain. Instead he's simply choosing movies that he thinks will support riffing, that will be the basis for something funny. Whether it's The Sound of Music or Casablanca (both of which are VERY riffable, despite being beloved classics) or Crossroads, the value judgment of "good" and "bad" are irrelevant.

As for losing you as a customer if he riffs a movie you apparently have decided to invest your ego in, well, lighten up, dude.

Sampo

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

As for losing you as a customer if he riffs a movie you apparently have decided to invest your ego in, well, lighten up, dude

serious!  this is all in fun who cares what movie he does as long as its funny.  if it doesnt look funny to you wait till next week sheesh.

[Kiiml]

I love M. Night Shyalayamalan movies, but it's also enjoyable to make fun of them sometimes.

(What a twist!)

There's lots of movies I love to watch, but I won't hate somebody because they don't respect a certain film the way I do. I don't think anybody here has that kind of attitude because the fact that you like rifftrax shows you're willing to laugh at the cinema, because that's what this is really all about.  

[Tarantulas]

Exactly!

I mean is "Nothing but Trouble" THAT BAD a movie?  COME ON!

[ScottotD]

It comes down to taste in what you get out of the Rifftrack, there were/are a few people on these boards who aren't buying the R rated movies, there are people who perhaps wouldn't by a riff based on taste or morals, some don't want to see a comedy riffed and there are those who aren't buying riffs of movies they love.