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Now Available from RiffTrax…66 Replies to “Now Available from RiffTrax…”Commenting at Satellite News
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So, the RT guys doing a comic-book movie with a presumed geek fanbase? Well, that’s a….twist. 9_9
Not so sure about these new style posters. I don’t think Disembaudio, adorable though he is, makes for a very marketable mascot. I think the giant-headed Mike, Kevin, and Bill posters, cheesy as they are, sell the product better.
Regardless of the quality of the films – which really is immaterial – aren’t the Marvel Studios flicks a little too light-hearted for riffing? They don’t take themselves overly seriously, bless ’em.
“Huh-huh-who are you?!” “I’m… IRONMAN!” *GROWL* *HEADBUTT* *EYEPENCIL*
WOOHOO!
Now, where’s my X-Men: First Class Rifftrax? I mean, I like both Thor and XMFC, but I’d love to see some riffs on them.
I believe the world needs a Wolverine riff long before a First Class one. Going in that, am I the only one that just expects riffs for sequels they’ve riffed the original of? (That is one poorly constructed sentence) Wouldn’t mind a riff for Paranormal Activity 2 myself…
I’m just excited to see a riff of a feature length movie I’m not embarrassed to be caught watching. High School Musical, Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Titanic, Twilight 2 and Twilight 3. Its been a rough stretch for a while. My buddies still tease me for having a DVD of Cloverfield, “ITS FOR A RIFFTRAX!”
Geez
And yes, I agree with Post #2, Keep the Mike, Kevin, Bill Big Head Posters, not this cartoon thing with Dis. Although I do kinda like the Dis Singing in the end credits bit occasionally.
Really hate that new artwork that goes with new riffs… Having it for Psychotronic movies like Abraxis and The Galaxy Invader was bad enough but now they’re using it for mainstream movies too!? I didn’t think anything could be a step DOWN from the big-head photoshops!
“Really hate that new artwork that goes with new riffs…”
Though I don’t “hate” the new artwork, I have to agree with the previous posters who point out that this might not be the best way for Rifftrax to go. I actually went to their website to see if this was, in fact, the big budget “Thor” feature film from this past summer.
Admittedly, I’m not the sharpest stick in the shed, but I honestly wasn’t sure, and there’s nothing in the artwork that makes it absolutely clear that it is….. :-?
I agree, I very much dislike the new posters. I used to get excited to see the newest posters, wondering how they were going to include Mike, Kevin, and Bill into the movie poster. This just seems soo lame and blech. Sorry, I know someone created it and that person has feelings, but I say the truth, it lacks imagination and humor.
I mean who is more identifiable, a toaster or the guys from MST3K?! :-)
@2 – Think I actually prefer their attempt at a corporate “macot” – Given that the MK&B are trying to push a more “bullying” style of humor by taking on so many darn comic/SW/LOTR/Transformers/etc/etc/adinfinitum titles, having them go “Look at us, we’re the Twilight characters…It’s WACKY!” either came off as insincere, or the usual desperation that the RT crew didn’t know how to do “regular” comedy that didn’t involve pantsing geeks in the locker room, and tried to do what they remembered from old 60’s sitcoms…Or both. I have no idea.
I’m still not sure what a cute toaster is supposed to represent apart from those old computer screen-savers, but at least it sells the movie riffing, and downplays the one element that might turn off most first-time viewers.
How does a toaster with wings illustrate movie riffing? It just seems odd and wrong to have the toaster as the centerpiece instead of the main riffers. But that’s just me.
I agree. I dislike the posters. Found this on the twitter feed:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t153/Ninjew1/THOR-custom.jpg – credit David Lee Gold
Now that is what the Rifftrax Thor Poster should be. That’s funny. The poster above is “lame”, boring.
Thank you for the kudos! And go the the RiffTrax forum and voice your opinions if you’d like to see a return to the bobble-head posters!
http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php?topic=22723.15
Since when did Zordon from Power Rangers have anything to do with Thor?
@13 – Well, that’s the point: RT has a fanbase, but they want to expand it to new customers…
And wouldn’t you actually scare off most new buyers with Mike’s head on the cover, even if it was on his own body? ;)
@ David: Love it! Dis as Mjolnir is a nice touch.
I’m guessing Legend ran into some trouble using images and iconography from the movies’ official advertising. But this? This looks like fanart.
This poster looks like an advertisement for a new show on Adult Swim…
Guys, I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but after years of posting negative comments about Mike / Bill / Rifftrax on this site & others I’m starting to suspect that EricJ isn’t a fan of them! I know, I know, I’m probably just reading into it… he only disparages them EVERY TIME HE POSTS, which BY NO MEANS implies that he has a personal vendetta against them, but still… something tells me that he might not like those guys!
Bill @18: Yeah, a lot of disproportionately explosive rage from EricJ there, but the reasons behind his seething hatred of RT still aren’t entirely clear to me given those impenetrable ravings at #10.
Again, it’s what the company wants to sell, to keep their mainstream image buyable:
I’m not rushing to any of the mainstream RT’ed movies’ defense, but when MK&B stage their big Wacky Bobble-Head Pose (look, Mike’s Luke Skywalker, and Kevin’s slave-princess Leia, hyyuck!), they’re going in on the automatic and somewhat, um, SUBJECTIVE idea that any movie that made a hundred million dollars in theaters surely has zombie legions of pasty-faced loser-fans who deserve to be double-jock-locked and dragged around the gym track–And any normal person is just burning with desire to see all copies of this movie burned in effigy, along with said geeky fans.
In the case of Transformers or Twilight, that’s very true…But when they start indiscriminately sweeping the same brush and assuming the same things about Lucas, or Marvel, or Peter Jackson, or just about ANY darn major movie that Mike automatically believes is watched by comic-book geeks or Kevin believes is watched by people who go to Renfests, then it makes the comic seem to be trotting out lazy shticks on autopilot and becomes more a matter of opinion. THEIR opinion, which can be a major turnoff to mainstream buyers who aren’t quite in on the joke they’re already supposed to “know”.
And when a comic begins to seem a little too subjective in his targets, that’s when the audience starts turning into a tough crowd.
So instead, looks like they’re moving toward the safe, marketable Lil’ Corporate Trademark Icon of the Happy Toaster, who’s selling us a parody of a smash hit movie! :)
Not saying that’s officially made MK&B their own box-office-poison who’s only been selling themselves to their own already loyal fanbase, but they’re clearly not helping their own image any, either.
LOL, and you extracted all that from them switching to cartoon based posters. I extremely doubt a poster is what is going to convince a mainstream/average joe consumer to buy the rifftrax.
It’s going to be based off the sample and whether he or she finds this type of humor funny.
If what you say is true, then they should start making new posters for all previous Rifftrax releases……
Should, at that–Have a feeling they may start doing some Shout Factory-style double-dips once the need for wider commercial sales kick in, just so we’ll all have enough consumer sales identification with Toaster Boy.
(He’s the Joe Camel of lame high-school riffs!) :)
As much as I usually vehemently disagree with EricJ (especially about Bill Corbett, whose delivery I enjoy greatly), I do think he speaks a kernel of truth here. I haven’t watched a *whole* lot of full-length mainstream-movie Rifftrax, but I, too, have been repeatedly disappointed by certain outings. Whether this new iconography has anything to do with that is less than apparent to me, but I do agree that the direction Rifftrax’s been taking as of late has been wearing my patience thin.
I ask fellow Rifftrax fans if you find the following to be broadly true, because I’m interested in hearing how others see this:
I’m a geek. I’m proud of that. Now, a certain amount of good-natured ribbing is healthy. It’s not good to take oneself too seriously, much less take mainstream entertainment too seriously. And, to be honest, geeks frequently make fun of other geeks for being *too* geeky in any number of specific ways. It comes with the territory. So a little bit of the “OMG, how geeky is *that?*” mentality from M+K+B is both appropriate and healthy, and appeals to a broader demographic. I support that.
The flip side is also true. When the Riffers themselves do sketches that make them seem to pursue geekiness for its own sake, without one of them immediately shouting “NEEEEEEEERD!” (/rollseyes/), it’s fun. When Kevin opines about the lack of secondary characters in the movie version of LotR: TFotR, that’s fun. When Bill says about General Grievous in SW: Ep. 3, “He’s inviting us to bite his shiny metal ass!,” that’s a simple, easy, but fun way to connect the riffing to a wider world of geek culture. I don’t like *constant* references like that – any more than I like MST3k’s sometimes near-constant references to shows from the 60’s I’ve never seen – but when well-delivered and moderately insightful rather than arbitrary, they’re great.
Problem is that the Riffers seem, especially lately, to favor a “dear god, the fans of this series must be idiots” approach. As was mentioned above, I agree that this does work for franchises like Twilight and Transformers, which are widely regarded as mindless dreck. Likewise, I enjoyed it when they really stuck it to the naive pretentiousness of the Star Wars prequels, especially Ep. 3, because I myself am a dissatisfied SW fan. When the riffing insults or dismantles the plot, premise, and filmmaking, or sometimes the director, I think that works. When it starts insulting the fans, well, a little bit goes a looong way. Especially when it’s just an uninspired rehash of tired stereotypes that serve to denigrate whole classes of people. Plus, not everyone who likes Star Wars likes the prequels; not every LotR fan is into World of Warcraft; not everyone who grew up liking Transformers is a slavish fanboy for these newer movies. They need a narrower brush than they sometimes employ.
Further, their own Riffing is sometimes, again more lately rather than previously, getting to be as lazy, derivative, and repetitious as the bad filmmaking they purport to loathe. I recently had the displeasure of watching Transformers 2 for the first time. It was with Rifftrax. The movie blows on almost every level, and deserved a thrashing, but the riffing was largely a weak pile of retreads that basically amounted to “wow, this movie sucks, how about that?” I understand that putting out the volume of material they do must be exhausting for their creative juices, but the jokes are getting stale without much wit, insight, or cleverness to bring them home. I don’t mind “mean-spirited” when done well, but it’s getting boring because it’s not being done so well. All too often, it’s no longer lively or pointed. It is far more often forced and stubby.
And for god’s sake, there are some jokes they’ve been re-using for over a decade now. It’s great the first two times I hear it, and sometimes upon later attempts if played well in the right context, but some of their catchphrases and joke formats are really getting old. (This is coming from a diehard fan who frequently enjoys using good catchphrases with friends!) Also, they’ve started to rely more heavily on insipid juvenile/state park/”derp!” material. I first noticed this with Empire Strikes Back: their riff of A New Hope was great, one of the best I’ve seen, but ESB was one of the worst. They did little to catch the essence of the film’s flaws, quirks, and foibles. They were just bashing it, with some fart jokes thrown in. I also confess that at the end of Return of the Jedi, I was much more engrossed by the last duel than by the riffing. They’d lost me by that point.
I’ve noticed this to an extent in the shorts, too, which are my main Rifftrax intake. There is a LOT of repeating the same basic joke formats with slight variations, and while I can understand why they wouldn’t fret over perfecting their material for a 10-minute educational film, the frequency of having at least a *few* outstanding lines to make it worth my while has been gradually dropping. I expect some ups and downs, and there have been decent bright spots even lately, but they’re starting to get mundane, repetitive, and/or gimmicky. ~80% of their material is either predictable or just falls flat.
I’m still sticking with Rifftrax over CT for now, except perhaps for the occasional live show. I don’t go in for the gruesome, greasy 60’s/70’s stuff the CT folks often seem so fond of, so unless their selection stops consistently turning me off, I’ll soldier on with RT. But I’m no longer all that excited to hear about their new releases.
Sorry if people don’t like reading long posts. But for anyone who did, does this sound about right? Obviously MST3k is the baseline I use for comparison here: I used to feel like Rifftrax was as good as mid-level MST3k, but I’ve been losing faith in the enterprise and recently it seems like low-level, weak MST3k at best.
But I’ll still keep buyin’ the shorts. Maybe I’m an optimist or something. ; )
When the riffing insults or dismantles the plot, premise, and filmmaking, or sometimes the director, I think that works. When it starts insulting the fans, well, a little bit goes a looong way. Especially when it’s just an uninspired rehash of tired stereotypes that serve to denigrate whole classes of people. Plus, not everyone who likes Star Wars likes the prequels; not every LotR fan is into World of Warcraft; not everyone who grew up liking Transformers is a slavish fanboy for these newer movies. They need a narrower brush than they sometimes employ.
Anyone remember when David Spade used to have his running “entertainment news” bit on SNL in the 80’s? (Well, of course not, but just go with me on this one. ;) )
The “jokes” usually consisted of Spade fictionally beating up or haranguing a celebrity he thought we were all annoyed with: “So I ran into Hugh Grant, and I said ‘Hey, Hugh, Four Fingers and a Fist, coming soon to a face near you!'” And then, that…odd awkward “huh?” silence, as the audience realized, oh, that was supposed to be the joke. Guess it must’ve been, the comic certainly enjoyed it.
That general overly personalized lack of The Wit Thing springs to mind watching MK&B’s choices of new movies to RT, the Wacky-Bobblehead covers, and even back to the SyFy era: They don’t seem to understand the idea of humor being in a odd, incongruous moment (as with the increasingly strange Shorts), they need a target–They need someone to blame, and someone to make cry.
The Joel era would just stare at the oddness of the movies for found humor, but every joke in the Mike and RT eras had to have a NAME: If it was a Coleman Francis movie, beat up on Francis. If it’s a Joe Don Baker movie, beat up on Baker. Find the old guy, find the fat guy, find the wienie “hero”. And if you need a recent movie to riff on, it’s clearly all those geeky convention fans who made Star Trek and Twilight and all those danged comic-book 3-D things popular.
I’ll say this in the politest sense: I graduated high school a LONG time ago…Don’t ask me how long. I was by no stretch of the imagination popular in high school, but I had literally never heard of a jock-lock or gym-drag until MK&B reffed them three or four or six or twelve times an episode. I have nothing to prove by laughing at Trek fans, Team Edward fangirls or Transformers defenders, and if I do, I do from richly informed personal encounter (ohh, do I ever… :) ), not the creaking stereotyped clique-fantasy of dumping Poindexter’s books in the halls.
I am not in the business of using my own money to subsidize a balding comic literally older than I am still trying to act, talk, and even write like a C- midwest high-school senior in shop class. I have never harbored a secret urge to tell Joel, Trace, Mary Jo or Frank to just Grow the Hell Up, and thankfully, have never needed to…That’s a little thing called “professionalism”, and it comes from putting a little effort into your craft.
But anyway, the Cover thing: It’s clear that RT wants to break out to more shelf audiences, sell itself on the cheap association of a recent hit title, and the parody idea of “Look, more MST3K!” for those who never watched much of the real thing…The new cover thinks Joe Mainstream will be more persuaded as a Thor FAN wanting some good-natured ribbing, than as a Marvel-Movies-in-General basher wanting the bloodlust of the kill.
But if, as someone earlier complained, the RT’ers “seem to love themselves a little too much”–which love the old covers seemed to wallow in to the point of orgasm–think they’ve just been jilted at everyone else’s altar.
EricJ, Humor is humor. But not everyone finds the same things funny though.
To paraphrase Joel “The right people will get it”.
Obviously, you’re not the right person.
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to point out to our commentators that “EricJ” is actually longtime RATMM (rec.arts.tv.mst3k.misc usenet group) troll and smug fool Derek Jannsen. A quick search into RATMM on Google groups will reveal postings by Mr. Jannsen that are eerily similar to the postings of “EricJ” on this site.
(And in case you haven’t gotten it yet: Eric J rhymes with Derek J)
Have a nice day.
Ah. I don’t use Usenet groups. Not yet, anyway.
It’s obvious you’ve been hurt before, Mr. J, I’m guessing by some “bullies” from high-school you can’t seem to forget, and so now we must all know your pain is still there. It is painful to read, too. Such resentment fueling your fire produces very foul fumes. Those fumes hurt and fill within me a desire to hurt right back, but then again that’s the very thing you are trolling for so I love you for your simple desires just like I love Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett.
EricJ…do you actually write your posts? From the word order and sentence structure it seems less like they’re written, and more like they’re compiled. Are you the Matrix?
See, EricJ, I don’t think it’s as bad as all that.
Is the trend wearing thin for me? Well, yes, but that’s because it’s getting *dull,* not because it’s so terribly offensive. The Riffers go back and forth with their stance on geeky references, whereas in a great many sitcoms and reality shows, if there’s any reference to geeky stuff at all, it’s almost universally either hopelessly negative or a trite stereotype that offers no thoughtful look into American culture. M+K+B deserve more credit than that. Despite the excess “NEEEEERD!” BS, they *are* hip in terms of grasping the extent and nature of a lot of this material, and that’s more than can be said for mainstream media in general.
I do confess that I don’t understand how a group of guys who basically made their careers in theater doing a comedy puppet show can deride others’ lack of manliness or what have you. It’ not like their ex-Marines or construction workers or wilderness survivalists. That *has* always confused me. But it’s mostly harmless teasing, not serious assaults on the integrity of people who, let’s face it, *do* go overboard with the fandom to some extent.
I do agree with this statement: “They don’t seem to understand the idea of humor being in a odd, incongruous moment,” at least for recent RT. I think that’s the missing spark I’m speaking of. it seems like a lot of the jokes are generic cut-and-paste jobs that could be applied to any number of scenarios, not just to what’s actually been happening on screen.
However, I take issue with the following:
“The Joel era would just stare at the oddness of the movies for found humor, but every joke in the Mike and RT eras had to have a NAME: If it was a Coleman Francis movie, beat up on Francis. If it’s a Joe Don Baker movie, beat up on Baker. Find the old guy, find the fat guy, find the wienie “hero”.”
Um, excuse me? Maybe Mike-era did this more *frequently* than Joel-era, but you can’t possibly back up the claim that it was atypical of the Joel era. Sandy Frank? Ahem? All the terrified screams upon learning they were about to watch a Corman flick or something by Burt I. Gordon? Picking on weak antiheroes? Even the occasional borderline racism? And don’t you dare tell us that Joel and company *didn’t* take cheap shots at Joe Don Baker’s weight, unattractiveness, and general credibility as an actor. Methinks you have a selective memory.
And RT pursues modern, popular movies more often than old B-movies because that is the *business model that is working best for their economic interests.* If you don’t like the idea that they work towards their own enlightened self-interest, you don’t have to buy their product. End of story.
I do wish the Riffers would put more effort into their creativity and insight instead of clinging to their reliance on simple, prefabricated joke formats. I do not accuse them of being hateful or immature. Immature jokes can be funny despite themselves . . . as long as they’re not the main content of the material.
@28 I too was severely harassed all the way up to college, and I’m not entirely comfortable with what seems like your implication that EricJ is somehow less of a person for having been deeply affected by it (if that is in fact the case). I’ve personally turned that experience into a strong source of identity, motivation, and inner strength, but I can’t blame anyone for remembering it all too clearly. Just a word to the wise.
EricJ does have a point. Let’s say it’s a Saturday night, you’re at home away from the watchful and judging eye of the populace and you’re enjoying your spare time with a MST3K episode or RiffTrax. Doesn’t it start to feel like the show is nagging at you at some point? They’re telling you to put that turkey leg down and put on some pants or else you’ll never know the touch of a woman. It’s like having R. Lee Ermy in your bedroom.
And just to calm things down:
@8 – I actually went to their website to see if this was, in fact, the big budget “Thor” feature film from this past summer.
Admittedly, I’m not the sharpest stick in the shed, but I honestly wasn’t sure, and there’s nothing in the artwork that makes it absolutely clear that it is….
What, you thought they were riffing Asylum’s “Almighty Thor”? (Does kinda look like that.) ;)
Actually, that would’ve been a better choice. Maybe not for MKB, but certainly a more original joke than “Huhuh, comic geeks, where’s yer Spock ears?”
@31 Yeah, but they also make fun of muscle-bound jocks as though they were mindless idiots, and their mockery of e.g. Megan Fox as a vapid, superficial “pretty girl” in Transformers is there for all to see, too. So they *do* point the finger in the other direction, and with considerable frequency. I don’t see anyone complaining about that as being offensively derogatory towards people who are athletic or attractive. So I guess it’s OK if it’s directed at people we’re biased against (and hell, I include myself as having that bias!), but it’s *not* OK if it hits a little too close to home, eh?
I approve of MST3k and RT (and CT for that matter) having broader appeal for a wider audience, and that means passing the teasing – and the offense – around for all to share. We all get our moment of “Yes! Zing!” and we all get our moment of “Damn, I’ve been zinged.” As long as it’s done in good taste, that is – and maybe that’s more what’s being questioned here. Maybe.
*My* only real complaint is that these jokes are cheap – cheap as in “not worth as much money from my wallet” – and their overuse is starting to impinge on the quality of the product. I don’t think they should *stop* using them. I enjoyed their mocking of Megan Fox as a half-wit fashionista, for example (though delivery can be everything with a commonly used meme like this). I just think they need to tone it down, drop the most tired routines, and work just a little harder at being clever instead of clobbering.
@32 Whatever, EricJ. Your stereotyping of their riffing style is every bit as shallow, juvenile, and inaccurate as the riffs you claim to feel such umbrage over.
@#30 I don’t see how it seemed like I was implicating he was less of a person for trolling for a response like yours, or even blaming him for remembering the permanent horrors of adolescence. In fact that’s all you, baby. I just told the big guy I loved him which is very humbling for somebody way-hetero like me. But thanks for calling me wise nonetheless.
@34 That’s fine, that’s why I said “seems” and “imply.” I’ve seen people disguise implications like that before, so I wanted to double-check. But that’s not what you intended, so I won’t hold it against you! Cheers.
33 – Yeah, but they also make fun of muscle-bound jocks as though they were mindless idiots, and their mockery of e.g. Megan Fox as a vapid, superficial “pretty girl” in Transformers is there for all to see, too. So they *do* point the finger in the other direction, and with considerable frequency. I don’t see anyone complaining about that as being offensively derogatory towards people who are athletic or attractive.
Well, just because you don’t see complaints don’t mean they’re not there–Just didn’t want to be That Guy. ;)
I’ve noticed the Mike/RT riffs tend to have a rather preoccupied misogynist streak, eg. EVERY SINGLE 18-32 female character who wanders onscreen gets 80’s-valley-girl jokes before she even opens her mouth (and anyone over 40 gets old-whore Marge’s-sister voices, eg. “Sinister Urge”)–And some of the expressed comic opinions toward females and longterm male-female relationships have at times (ahemsoultakerdeathstalker) bordered on the genuinely Wrong Kind of Creepy.
Not saying there’s an expressed agenda, just trying to get back to the whole aging-high-school theme:
Chicks, man…Never could figure them out in junior year. They never wanted to have a beer with the guys.
I’m a comic fan from way back, and used to love the wacky incongruity of Thor, which was just too earnest, strange and hyperbolic to hate. The movie was just right- operatic goofiness, overblown dialogue and spectacular visuals. It’s perfect for Rifftrax.
As for Mike, Kevin and Bill, they do get a little mean sometimes, but I don’t see them as misgynistic. The movies you cite, EricJ, themselves have appalling depictions of women which the jokes serve to illustrate. What sort of voice is appropriate for a murderous, mob-connected pornographer… who, by the way, really does have a nasal raspy voice? Mike et al are calling these people out for their regressive view of women, not agreeing with them.
In short, according to EricJ:
Michael J. Nelson = Immature, unfunny man-child
Joel Hodgson = Untouchable, erudite comedic God
So…why were you the first to comment on a post about a new Rifftrax release again? If you think their shtick is getting stale and/or offensive and/or immature, just ignore it, don’t buy the releases and go about your day.
This may be a tad off subject, but I don’t like casseroles. They just don’t appeal to me. Of course, if you think that means I don’t get a big helping of every casserole that comes my way then go to casserole fan sites and make long post about how horrible those casseroles were, you’re wrong. But that’s just me.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion about Rifftrax. But why is there so much negativity about Rifftrax’s release of Thor. If you want it, you know how to get it. If you don’t want it or don’t like what they do, just don’t go to their site, click on the sample link or purchase link and you never have to see a second of it. On the other hand, Nickelback blares over the radio everytime i turn on my car radio. That’s something to be indignant about!
Not bad,but could’ve been funnier… :idk:
@39 I like casseroles a lot, except for certain recipes that call for some of the ingredients to be stale.
But at least I don’t insult the personal integrity of the chef when he makes such a recipe . . .
Why can’t people just bow to my opinion and except everything i say as gold because i use a lot of words?
@42: You mean if you don’t like something you don’t have to make sure everyone knows why you don’t like it? You mean you don’t go to sites where there are bound to be fans of something then trash that very thing? Weird.
I was wondering how this had 44 posts when the Rifftrax just came out today… I’m with “hungry and a little confused” – if you don’t like something then why spend so much of your valuable time trashing it? Why not look for something that you do like and go post about that?
The bitterness and anger is not good for you – it eats away at your insides… not unlike a casserole. So go, my friend, and look for something positive to post about.
Uh-oh, it’s another *long post*! Quick, avert your eyes! Protect the children, for god’s sake!
*choke* 1027 words . . . like . . . reading . . . Proust . . . two entire . . . pages of material . . . can’t . . . keep up . . .*sputter*
“Why can’t people just bow to my opinion and except everything i say as gold because i use a lot of words?”
So, writing anything more than a paragraph *in an attempt to engage other people with related experiences* because *I respect their tastes and wish to hear their perspective* is somehow a terrible moral failing on my part? Yeah, I’m a real elitist intellectual for wanting to have a thoughtful discussion with people who have relevant ideas on the subject.
I guess you didn’t notice, but my main post was an honest *question* asking for *feedback* in an attempt to *get more perspectives,* not some absolutist dogma trying to browbeat other people. I wanted, and still want, to know if other people perceive the same trend in RT that I do, and if so, what they think of it (its causes, their reactions, etc). I want more information from other minds because I know my own opinion is limited. As such, I’m reaching out to a fan community of which I am a part. Yep, I’m sure demanding that other people comply with my rigid interpretation of RT! Yessiree!
And maybe, just once in a great while, I’d like to have a conversation with fellow fans that went deeper than “Hey, I like it!” “Hey, I’m gonna buy it!” “Hey, I wish I could attend – can I buy it instead?” “Hey, can’t wait for the next release!” or “Hey, they should do (insert movie, joke, or release format)!”
I exaggerate, of course, and there’s nothing bad or unreasonable about any of that, but a *fan community* has the potential to do more than simply reaffirm that, yes, we are in fact fans. Sometimes actual, earnest, honest-to-god discussions break out. And since I don’t participate all that often, I like to make mine count. As in, actually have some sort of modestly in-depth dialogue with others who are informed on the same subject.
Not every opinion on the planet is positive. Yet, despite this, we as human beings often like to get meaningful feedback on those thoughts. Trying to squelch honest discussion purely because of perceived negativity is not meaningful feedback.
Oh, and for someone who’s accusing others of needlessly commenting on things they supposedly don’t like *instead of just ignoring that which they don’t like,* you’re not a notably good role model.
“You mean if you don’t like something you don’t have to make sure everyone knows why you don’t like it? You mean you don’t go to sites where there are bound to be fans of something then trash that very thing? Weird.”
I really don’t get this response.
I really, really just do not get it.
Here’s why.
Although I agreed with EricJ (!) a little bit about one factor in what I see as the possibly declining quality of Rifftrax (read: “I like this, but I’m concerned it’s getting less likeable”), I was also CALLING HIM OUT for his ridiculous and baseless insults against the Riffers. And since I assume you’re not aware of it, I’ve also engaged in similarly involved DEFENSES of Rifftrax against all the preposterous claims that RT shouldn’t do “good” movies, because “good” is thoroughly subjective. (See the quibbling over “The Dark Knight” in particular.)
I value RT enough to defend it and its business model against such things, just as I do for MST3k and CT (in principle). I also value it enough to point out where it stands to be better, which is intended both as fan-to-fan commentary and as (hopefully) constructive criticism meant to make the product stronger. I know people from RT often read posts here, and I want them to know I am a huge fan of their work; I also want them to know where I think their work could use some shoring up, ’cause lord knows nothing is ever *perfect* or above a little critiquing here and there. Fan feedback is important for any franchise, and in a small way I like to contribute now and again.
Rifftrax is easily my favorite post-MST3k project so far, so yes, I am in fact posting about a subject I LIKE. It is a very meaningful cultural experience for myself and my friends. (Meaningful enough for me to commit to long posts, even!) I believe this satisfies your general criteria for posting, even if I’m not fond of *one particular aspect* of something I like overall. I like hamburgers, but I don’t like it when they’re undercooked. Disliking one aspect =/= disliking the entire phenomenon.
But perhaps reading comprehension really is a problem for you, because I basically said as much in my main post. You didn’t seem to notice that I own many shorts – “my main intake” (yeah, I’d sure buy 150+ shorts that I absolutely hate); that I still prefer RT over CT for some reasons that have nothing to do with personally judging anyone in either enterprise; *and* you missed the part where I said I’d soldier on and, *optimistically,* keep watching RT (via continuing to spend money on their shorts). Surely these are the abject words of a mindless hater rather than those of a dedicated but concerned fan. Surely.
I’ll spare the forum a point-by-point rehash of all the times I used positive, conciliatory, or empathetic language in my first post. Even though you ignored the entire tone I was going for. I didn’t “trash” anything – EricJ trashes stuff. I try to have thoughtful commentary/discussions. Try . . .
Ugh. I know others may not like me cluttering up the place, but with my little hint of a debating background I’m just not in the habit of rolling over and taking it when someone throws misguided hostilities my way. Sorry for any buzzkill other readers have experienced. I know there must be people who are glad I don’t post here very often. *sigh*
I don’t like coming across as combative. Because I don’t like *being* combative. I just want to have an in-depth conversation once in a while.
Is there anyone at all who will join me in that?
Hmmmm lots of hostlity today. Whatever art they use to promote a film that has been riffed it is just a tool. I thought the the riffing was the important thing here. If it was plain text of the title in a white box does the riffing get better or worse? Neither, so the whole debate on the artwork is moot.
As for the the whole who is better or meaner. I got a simple answer. Buy/see what you like and don’t buy/see what you don’t.
@46 None of my post were directed to you…. I guess since i posted immediately after you it would seem that way, so that was bad timing i guess. And too, I didn’t really intend any of my post to offend anyone. Sorry about the misunderstanding. Actually i was somewhat defending your viewpoint… oh well.
Well the one was directed to you obviously (#44) but that was sarcasm, which i now know you can’t see me wink so i should have a smiley do the winking for me.
Love Rifftrax… hate the new packaging… but I’d still buy every release even if it was just a bitmapped photo of Rosie O’donnell from “Exit to Eden.” Funny is funny.