Let's settle this!

[AmandaGal]

I would guess that the Rifftrax for popular movies sell better too just because people have them.  I still haven't bought a few of the trax because I don't have the movie and there are better things in my Netflix queue so I don't want to move them up to the top.  I figure someday I may get so desperate for a movie I let Cocktail move up.

I did rent Crossroads though.  The temptation was too strong for that one.

[Tealeaf]

Just bring the funny.  There isn't a movie made that I wouldn't watch Riffed.  Though I dunno if I'd be enthused about something like "The Passion of the Christ" or "Schindler's List" getting the treatment.

[BathTub]

Yeah Passion of the Christ,...."oooh that'll leave a mark,... oh it did."

[Famous Mortimer]

Just bring the funny.  There isn't a movie made that I wouldn't watch Riffed.  Though I dunno if I'd be enthused about something like "The Passion of the Christ" or "Schindler's List" getting the treatment.

Wow, I seriously hope you're not making some sort of comparison in terms of quality between those two films. I think from what little I've seen and the reviews I've read that the Passion... is a pile of crap. I wouldn't give a damn about it being riffed, in fact I encourage it.

[Variety of Cells]

Just bring the funny.  There isn't a movie made that I wouldn't watch Riffed.  Though I dunno if I'd be enthused about something like "The Passion of the Christ" or "Schindler's List" getting the treatment.

And then there's people like me who would love to see those riffed.  However, there are other films I'd be a little queasy about.  Though I'm not going to name those in the off chance that Mike has a grudge against me and wants to hurt me.

[AmandaGal]

I think riffing those emotionally charged movies (Passion, Shindler's List) would get rifftrax a whole lot of press but I don't think it's a good idea.  Do I think they are riffable? I still think everything is riffable, but I do think there is a time and a place for it.  Making light of the story of the foundation of an entire religion's doctrine or the death of thousands and releasing and selling it to the public isn't a great idea.  That would be like them riffing United 93, which I think is very riffable but too many people were hurt by it to make light of it in a public forum.

I have a feeling that Mike and the Crew have some sense of decency and a moral compass of some sort to know that some movies shouldn't be riffed not for the film but for the subject matter.  I could be wrong though.

Just ask Michael Richards what kind of press you can get from it though.  Imagine if Mike riffed Roots, he could be on Letterman! (and I'm going to add that what Richards did was way worse than any riff I've ever heard or ever will hear but I was kidding, even though I imagine some would see poking fun of Roots  as just as malicious as throwing out slurs).

[Minnesota]

Keep a good mix. I loved crossroads riff, and cant wait for Island Of Dr Monreou to come out... then at the same time, I greatly appreciated having movies that I own (or can find used easily) get riffed. Keep up the good mix!

Also, I enjoyed "watching" (without riff) every legend film, exept reefer madness. Mike's riff just made them better (and in the case of reefer madness, made the movie watchable).

[Tyrant]

Just bring the funny.  There isn't a movie made that I wouldn't watch Riffed.  Though I dunno if I'd be enthused about something like "The Passion of the Christ" or "Schindler's List" getting the treatment.

Wow, I seriously hope you're not making some sort of comparison in terms of quality between those two films. I think from what little I've seen and the reviews I've read that the Passion... is a pile of crap. I wouldn't give a damn about it being riffed, in fact I encourage it.

 I think Rifftrax should be hit or miss. I think, in order to get maximum variety, all kinds of movies need to get the riff treatment. Whether it's a good riff or a bad one will depend heavily on the types of people watching it. There have been some Rifftrax that I wasn't that impressed with, but that everyone else loved, and vice versa. Rifftrax will reach more people if only the bare minimal of films are blacklisted. Like a few other people have noted, doing this will also inable a bunch of us to see movies we wouldn't have seen otherwise (Crossroads the primary example, although it's up for debate how this has enriched our lives, if at all).

 That said, there are some movies that, given the amount of sensitivity surrounding them, are probably taboo. It's just common courtesy to avoid them, and there's no reason to single them out to riff them when there are hundreds of thousands of other movies to turn to first. This is a fun, lighthearted community and I'd hate to see it turn into something else because a controversial movie got its head riffed off.

  Let's not forget that our purpose here is to have fun!!  

[Famous Mortimer]

Just ask Michael Richards what kind of press you can get from it though.  Imagine if Mike riffed Roots, he could be on Letterman!

You're assuming the only way to riff on it would be to be racist. "Roots" is s-l-o-w and with the number of famous "it looks like they forgot to have something happen in this movie"-style riffs from MST3K, Roots would be in good company.

So rather than differentiating in terms of quality, we're now differentiating on whether people would take offence at it. I can't imagine anyone taking offence at "Passion..." being a badly acted, dull piece of crap or "Roots" being slower than a traffic jam on a hot day- no-one's asking Mike to mock Christianity or the fight against slavery. I can't see anyone other than the religious right being offended by anything Mike is likely to say about the Passion of the Christ, and they're offended by everything and anything that isn't them anyway.

So I'll restate my argument. I think film quality is a far better measure than some desire to not cause offence (which is a good desire, I ought to say).

[shortstack]

I've posted on this before in other threads, and I'll see if I can more or less repeat myself:

I don't think it has anything to do with the film being good or bad- (aside from the fact that quality can be a matter of taste) I think it's a matter of looking at a film, and seeing things that just BEG for funny comments or friendly jabs.  I already liked Fellowship of the Ring before, and aside from the length, I really enjoyed the Rifftrax commentary because it made fun of all that stuff that I could see, and even more. I mean come on, 'Brokeback Mount Doom"? That was awesome.

I've read that the MST3k movies that Mike had the most trouble writing stuff for were the ones that were bad because nothing really happens.  But a lot movies, even the absurdly terrible ones, have something happening, and odds are, even the most revered of films will have something worth taking a jab at. (especially by people who like them)

Though I do agree that films with really sensitive subject matter wouldn't be much fun.

[gammer]

I've posted on this before in other threads, and I'll see if I can more or less repeat myself:

I don't think it has anything to do with the film being good or bad- (aside from the fact that quality can be a matter of taste) I think it's a matter of looking at a film, and seeing things that just BEG for funny comments or friendly jabs.  I already liked Fellowship of the Ring before, and aside from the length, I really enjoyed the Rifftrax commentary because it made fun of all that stuff that I could see, and even more. I mean come on, 'Brokeback Mount Doom"? That was awesome.

I've read that the MST3k movies that Mike had the most trouble writing stuff for were the ones that were bad because nothing really happens.  But a lot movies, even the absurdly terrible ones, have something happening, and odds are, even the most revered of films will have something worth taking a jab at. (especially by people who like them)

Though I do agree that films with really sensitive subject matter wouldn't be much fun.

Well said my friend. You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Now, just copy and paste that somewhere so you can pull it out the next one of these threads pop up again.   

[AmandaGal]

You're assuming the only way to riff on it would be to be racist. "Roots" is s-l-o-w and with the number of famous "it looks like they forgot to have something happen in this movie"-style riffs from MST3K, Roots would be in good company.

No, didn't you see my parenthetical?   You give people too much credit.  I doubt the people who would react would even know who Mike Nelson was or what MST3k was and I doubt they'd even care. Do you really think people would actually watch it before jumping to a judgment?  I know that Mike and Co would never do a racist rifftrax, like I said what Richards did is way more wrong and I was joking halfway.  However, can you imagine the soundbites people would make up when someone went around riffing Roots or Passion or Schlinder's list?  Do you really think it would matter what Mike said to some people?   The people in the forum would realize that he was making fun of the movie not the holocaust or slavery or Jesus Christ but I imagine even some people who know Nelson and his style would be offended on general principal.

I do agree that Roots is a bad film as is Passion and they are clearly riffable.  United 93 ranks up there with the worst movies MST3k had ever done.  I just think doing these movies would bring Rifftrax the wrong kind of media attention or at the very least offend potential buyers before they even tried it out.  Heck, it might even offend some hard core rifftrax fans.  If your family members were killed in the Holocaust, a little bit of laughing at Schindler's list might make you a bit queasy, even if it was just at the film and not the content.

[Teaflax]

Making light of the story of the foundation of an entire religion's doctrine or the death of thousands and releasing and selling it to the public isn't a great idea.

I'll agree with the second one, but not the first - especially since The Passion is such a gimme because it takes such an absurd and ultimately rather pedestrian story so incredibly seriously. If you divorce yourself from years of indoctrination that this should be (part of) the Greatest Story Ever Told it really is rather boring and worldly, especially when compared to things like Greek and Roman mythology or Hinduism. I mean, what is Jesus suffering at the lash and on the cross when compared to that of Sisyphos and what is a virgin birth of a carpenter's son in a manger compared to a blue god, an elephant-headed four-armed one and a godess with six arms? Come on.

Religion - of all stripes - needs to be less of a taboo area to joke about if humanity is ever going to collectively realize that while spirituality is certainly important and powerful, the idea of "organized religion" is a complete oxymoron that should have fallen by the wayside several decades or even centurys ago.

Sorry to get all serious, but I'm really tired of the idea that just because it's a religion, it should be exempt from mockery. It's a series of beliefs, and if they are absurd and even destructive, then there is no shame in saying so.

[Pak-Man]

Yeah... So good movies, bad movies, in-between, or both? :^)

[Famous Mortimer]

Sorry to get all serious, but I'm really tired of the idea that just because it's a religion, it should be exempt from mockery. It's a series of beliefs, and if they are absurd and even destructive, then there is no shame in saying so.

I wholeheartedly agree, and I'll leave it there I think.