Wizard People, Dear Reader

June 8, 2004 4:13 PM

Wizard People, Dear Reader is a bizarre re-reading (or, if you're Tim Burton, a re-imagining) of Harry Potter and the philosophers stone (or sorcerers stone for our friends across the pond). Basically you download it, burn it to CD and play it while watching the DVD. A new art form, a childish gimmick or somewhere inbetween? Everybody will have a copy soon, so get busy with the download (courtesy of the ever vigilant Talking Tina at Sissyfight.com).
posted by ciderwoman (20 comments total)

Huh. I'm assuming it's akin to the Wizard of Oz, Pink Floyd thing...and I have the bandwidth, so I'll download it and check it out. (Although considering that the WoO/Floyd thing was enhanced by products I no longer have around the house...I'm not sure it will be quite as cool. heh.)
posted by dejah420 at 5:17 PM on June 8, 2004

i've heard it's hysterical--i wish i had the first movie. dejah, it's supposed to be more like Mystery Science Theater or that Woody Allen movie he redubbed. Queer quidditch and stuff...
posted by amberglow at 5:25 PM on June 8, 2004

interesting. as someone who's neither read a lick of nor watched a frame of either the book or the film series, i would be an interesting test case.

unfortunately, it requires me to own/rent the movie.

wait a minute, no it doesn't. i'll give it a shot, though the narrator's voice is a bit grating.

his bowels tense ... no false moves here

har.

thanks for the good link. (bittorrent) i'll keep my window open.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:25 PM on June 8, 2004

speaking of Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz, i once heard the same thing about Ween's The Mollusk and Chris Elliott's Cabin Boy, but i haven't able to find (or willing to buy) a copy of Cabin Boy to test the rumor.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:29 PM on June 8, 2004

wait--do you need to play the movie separately, or is it in the download?
posted by amberglow at 5:30 PM on June 8, 2004

New art form?

Are they kidding? Did they ever encounter MST3K?

amber - separately. Thus the whole bit about needing a copy of HP. ;)
posted by kavasa at 5:39 PM on June 8, 2004

that's what i thought : <
posted by amberglow at 5:47 PM on June 8, 2004

If you play it backwards Satan speaks.

Really.
posted by cedar at 7:28 PM on June 8, 2004

Less than impressed with this one specifically, but a great idea.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 7:40 PM on June 8, 2004

Queer quidditch?? Oliver Woody?? Ohhhh, baby, I'm so there!
posted by WolfDaddy at 8:24 PM on June 8, 2004

Cabin Boy has its moments.
posted by interrobang at 9:33 PM on June 8, 2004

What about Kung Pow: Enter the Fist? Didn't that crazy 'Thumbs' guy re-edit an old kung-fu film by dubbing over the dialogue with goofy jokes and putting himself into the movie? It was a box-office dud, but it did manage a cult following on home video — at least enough for a sequel. :P

What I'm saying is that this isn't really an art form yet — it's still just a goof.
posted by Down10 at 9:40 PM on June 8, 2004

this would be perfect for dvd tracks. i haven't visited in a while - did that site ever really achieve critical mass?
posted by lbergstr at 10:13 PM on June 8, 2004

Speaking of Mystery Science Theater, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy just launched The Film Crew Online. The three of them will be hosting a restored Three Stooges DVD collection to be released in the fall. Also, as a follow-up to this thread, Mike Nelson's commentary on the new Reefer Madness DVD makes it well worth picking up. It's scripted riffing ala MST3K, so if you miss the show, it's the next best thing. Although, it did seem weird without the cowtown puppets chiming in.

IANMN
posted by Otis at 9:36 AM on June 9, 2004

downloaded it, burned it, watched...laughed my ass off! very good stuff, kinda falls apart towards the end, but still, tears down the cheeks funny.
posted by ShawnString at 1:04 PM on June 9, 2004

"These pipes are clean!"
(I primarily remember the Ann Magnuson moments)
posted by milovoo at 1:49 PM on June 9, 2004

Ha... I own both The Mollusk and Cabin Boy. Anyone care enough for me to actually do that?
posted by kevspace at 1:54 PM on June 9, 2004

I don't really care so much...but you know I love to torture my friends...so Kev...I say yes. ;)
posted by dejah420 at 10:23 PM on June 9, 2004

Just watched/listened to it today. Very very good. Hysterical at points.
posted by thebabelfish at 2:24 PM on June 20, 2004

I just watched it yesterday. I was way skeptical at first, but it wasn't bad at all.
posted by rafter at 2:25 PM on June 20, 2004