Let's Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas This Year

July 20, 2006 7:04 AM

Mike Nelson's RiffTrax. New Legend Films trainee and former Mystery Science Theater head writer, Michael J. Nelson continues to keep the MST3K spirit alive. Rifftrax allows download of full-length commentaries to play along with your DVDs. First up: Roadhouse. [via Satellite News]
posted by Otis (20 comments total)

Otis!

I was going to post this, but I'm too much of a newb. I'm so excited!!! I think this may be as close to a MST3K reunion as we are going to get.

I was hoping this would get on to the front page. It's a great idea that completely gets around the many of the legal issues involved with what MST3K did.

Does anyone know about the sharecrow program? It seems like it would be a good fit.

Sing the praises of pants!
posted by rex dart, eskimo spy at 7:08 AM on July 20, 2006

Mike's good, but he only made up 1/3rd of the movie comments on MST. From the short clip on the website it sounds like he could use a foil for his comments. Paging Tom Servo. Paging Crow T. Robot.
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:14 AM on July 20, 2006

Mr. Dart Sir!
I too am excited. I've really enjoyed the DVD commentary that Mike has done so far on the Legend releases. I was listening to an interview recently and Mike said he takes a different approach to the solo commentary (mixing up the riffing with interesting tidbits, drink recipes etc.) I don't think he's trying to pull off a 'one-man MST3K.' They hint on the site that he may be teaming up on some future commentaries. Given the Film Crew collaborations, maybe we'll see Kevin Murphy or Bill Corbett join in at some point.

Also, the FAQ mentions ShareCrow:

*Do you offer support for ShareCrow?-We have had mixed experiences with ShareCrow. We believe that it is a great tool for experiencing RiffTrax when it works properly. If you’re interested in watching ShareCrow on a computer, we will provide a .CROW file to synch up your RiffTrax with the DVD, but we can offer no technical support or advice regarding software issues you may encounter. You can read more about the software and download it for free at www.sharecrow.com
posted by Otis at 7:55 AM on July 20, 2006

What kinda mongoloid needs to download someone else's riffing on a shitty movie? Can't you do it yourself?
posted by klangklangston at 8:03 AM on July 20, 2006

I don't know, why does anyone do anything? But thanks for the contribution!

I knew I saved this for a reason.
posted by Otis at 8:15 AM on July 20, 2006

Ah, this is awesome. I kinda wish their Film Crew gig had worked out better though.

This is as good an excuse as any to mention that Tom-Servo-voice Kevin Murphy's "The Weekly Blub" now has a blog-format version with an RSS feed.
posted by JHarris at 8:31 AM on July 20, 2006

What kinda mongoloid needs to download someone else's riffing on a shitty movie? Can't you do it yourself?

Unscripted riffing tends to come out more like your comment than funny.
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:37 AM on July 20, 2006

I dig the weekly blurb and the Legend Films commentary. There is something about those guys that gets me laughing all the time.

My hope is to see the Film Crew do a couple films through this service. Well, we can always hope!

Those guys almost never update their websites, though. It's a shame.

Also, Kevin Murphy's book is great, if you are interested.

But, back on topic. I just hope I can get this to work at home. For some reason, I keep thinking of the Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz thing.
posted by rex dart, eskimo spy at 8:47 AM on July 20, 2006

Rex: Seems to have worked fine for me. Pretty simple.

And hey, unrestricted mp3! I assume the unrestricted part is due to simplicity rather than some deeply-held belief, but it's still nice.

From the README: "Though RiffTrax audio files contain no copy protection, the consumer has no right to provide any files obtained to any other party. You may only make copies of any file obtained for your own personal use. So there."
posted by zerolives at 10:27 AM on July 20, 2006

I have to agree, it's a clever way around the copyright issues. But it almost seems like more bother to download and set up and so on than it's worth. They should make them free with an ad at the beginning and end (and middle perhaps). Then let viral martketing and web 2.0 and the network effect and other important buzz words do the rest.
posted by Outlawyr at 3:03 PM on July 20, 2006

Watched tonight, worked great, syncing was easy, with a callback to Darkside Of The Rainbow (you start it at the second lion's roar). It was funny, completely worth $2.
posted by zerolives at 9:12 PM on July 20, 2006

The second rifftrax is now out. It's Fifth Element. Still $1.99.
posted by Otis at 6:23 AM on August 3, 2006

Is there a place to submit requests? I'd love to hear him riff on DVDs I actually own like The Incredibles, Serenity, or Princess Bride. Who would ever buy or rent Road House?
posted by ZachsMind at 7:44 AM on August 3, 2006

...never mind. =) you can.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:03 AM on August 3, 2006

The more I think about this the more I love it. I just put Fifth Element and *gag* Road House in my netflix queue. I wish this concept could get expanded. Big Damn Commentaries is another great DVD commentary site specifically for us BrownCoats. I wish Roger Ebert would do some of his personalized egotism on mp3. I wish Matt would expand the Music section of MeFi to include movie audio commentaries from you guys! I love audio commentary stuff. Some people hate it when people talk during the movie, but if I've already seen the movie, I love it when people are talking during it.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:54 AM on August 3, 2006

Am I the only sucker who actually purchased these? It's funny! Makes me miss the bots though. There's Disembodio, but it's just not the same.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:48 PM on August 7, 2006

Am I the only sucker who actually purchased these?

Nope, plenty otha suckas out there. There's some Rifftrax discussion over at the
MST3K Yahoo Group and Slashdot.
posted by Otis at 5:52 AM on August 8, 2006

Just finished his Fifth Element riff. This is great. I like the Disembodio funny bits, and the Dis Sync works pretty well.

I think Mike needs more voices though. Special guests or something, so it's not just him and disembodio. Not too many at the same time, but one or two aside from Mike and his pseudobot would be good. Mary Jo Pehl would be a great surprise! I'd pay extra to hear her in top form. Maybe Charlie Todd would make a great improvisational addition. Or Janeane Garofalo since she left Air America to 'persue other projects' maybe this'd be a project she could persue. Maybe Danny Paul, Bob Ricci, or anyone who lost on Last Comic Standing.

Even I'd be willing to take a crack at it. I have a nice radio voice. Well okay it's a little shaken but not stirred. Although I'd have to read lines other people wrote for me. I just can't be funny on cue. I know I'd do better than... y'know. That guy.

Mike also shouldn't bow out at the credits. I paid a whole dollar ninety eight! And he bows out at the credits. The wuss.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:52 PM on August 8, 2006

...Slashdot?

"While I (and many others I know) preferred Joel, Mike was not without his share of funny moments too."

Mike was the Head Writer for MST3K for years before Joel left the series. It wasn't like they just grabbed some kid off the street. Admittedly I preferred Joel too, but Mike was the most logical choice to step into the jumpsuit. Mike replacing Joel is like Raul replacing Fidel... Okay wait. Maybe that was a bad comparison. Anyway Mike is great at this stuff.

I prefer MeFi. SlashDot's thread structure and color scheme have always given me hives.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:03 PM on August 8, 2006

New development! Coming soon! STAR TREK FIVE THE FINAL FRONTIER! And guess who's joining the party! Of course it's been done before, but not by THE Nelson and THE Murphy! I'm still geekin' out about it!

"Watch out for snakes!"
posted by ZachsMind at 10:11 AM on August 17, 2006