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RiffTrax Live: What Did You Think?

An open thread for your thoughts about tonight’s show.

Eastern half of the country folks–the west coast will be seeing this on tape delay so keep spoilers to a minimum until a little later tonight, okay?

138 Replies to “RiffTrax Live: What Did You Think?”

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  1. Canucklehead says:

    I will not be spoiling it, so all I’ll say is that I’m so glad Rifftrax Live! came across the border to Canada. It was an amazing experience, and I’m glad I’ll never have to watch that movie ever again!

    They were all hilarious!

       4 likes

  2. Salacious Crumb says:

    Theater on long island, nassau county was PACKED, full house, practically sold out. These events keep getting bigger and better. The longest pause without a joke or quip was maybe 15 seconds, non stop hilarity. Loved the show, cannot wait for the next one in October!

       4 likes

  3. Jim says:

    Loved it! I do wish they could adjust the audio mix to punch up the voices, sometimes the jokes get lost in all the explosions, gunfire, and fountains of bug viscera.

    After 16 years of increasingly panicked cable news production, I can safely say that the “brilliant satire” has worn off. It’s just a big dumb space movie with lots of exploding bugs.

       11 likes

  4. snowdog says:

    One of their best riffs, although I thought the movie was kind of loud in the mix. Haven’t seen the AMC in Hamilton, NJ this crowded in a while. Got my Kickstarter T-Shirt today, just in time to wear. The planets were aligned. Thanks, guys.

       6 likes

  5. Dane says:

    Excellent show at the Eden Prairie, MN AMC (the motherland). Movie noise was mildly irritating. Son said it was their best show yet.

       5 likes

  6. TJ Truffleberry says:

    Sold-out show at Eden Prairie (so glad I bought tickets online in advance)! Not exactly a raucous crowd, but very appreciative. Only complaint was the movie sound being slightly too loud, making some of the riffs difficult to make out.

       4 likes

  7. mnenoch says:

    About 99% packed house in Amarillo, TX. Great show! They really hummed along at a pretty consistent pace. I agree the audio of the movie was a bit loud during the action/space scenes but made for an enjoyable night. I hope they can keep it up!

       3 likes

  8. Travis H says:

    My theater was sold out when we got there; I should have bought tickets ahead of time!!! Hope this does well enough that they can screen it again!

       4 likes

  9. KSD says:

    Almost-full-house in Athens, Georgia — great show. Can never thank these men enough for all their hard, hilarious work.

       6 likes

  10. Castleton Snob says:

    “And you have average-size teeth for a Clydesdale!” Best riff of the night.

       9 likes

  11. hortense says:

    Wow, that was really great, almost non stop laughs from start to finish, theater packed in Columbia MD, just a really fun night.

       4 likes

  12. I agree that the movie sound, and overall mix, was way too loud. This was a problem since it made it hard to hear the riffs a good portion of the time. If they ever riff another relatively modern film with a big sound mix, this issue will definitely need to be addressed. On the whole, though, a very fun show.

       5 likes

  13. Lobster says:

    Most fun I’ve had in a movie theater in a long while. Good crowd at the AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights, MI. Not sold out, but I would guess around 80-90% capacity. I agree with the general consensus that the riff track (see what I did there?!) could have been boosted, particularly near the beginning. Wall to wall riffs on this one with some real gold in there. Once the west coasters have had a chance I’m looking forward to see what everyone thought of the supposed PG-13ification of the film.

       3 likes

  14. mst3ktemple says:

    @KSD – think I saw before the show that it will be replayed in theaters Sept 12. BTW, if I didn’t already hate gorilla grams…

       5 likes

  15. trickymutha says:

    Though less than half full here in Flint, MI- this humble audience member reports the best Rifftrax live yet. Want to know more? Sure. It takes a lot to get people’s minds around here off classic cars or unemployment. So, thank you Rave Cinemas for hosting this event. We laughed, we loved, we even cried.

       4 likes

  16. MPSh from Lowell says:

    Nice crowd in Lowell MA. Great show – they brought their A game tonight….

       2 likes

  17. CaptainSpam says:

    Fairly good showing at the Regal at Hamburg Pavilion in Lexington, KY. Never expecting a sellout crowd with the live shows, but the crowd that’s there is always up for a good riffing.

    Really, the only thing I can fault them for on this is, looking back on it, something they couldn’t have had much experience with. Their previous live offerings have generally been movies made before the advent of BLARING LOUD ACTION SCENES OF BLARING LOUD BLARING LOUDNESS. Unfortunately, it kinda shows they didn’t quite know how to mix it with the live riffing, in that the movie washed out numerous riffs during the action scenes. I was hoping it would get fixed as they went along, but oh well.

    Regardless, it was a great riffing. I actually had never seen Starship Troopers before (well, I caught parts of it years ago, and I made the same observation the crew did about Carmen’s arm at the end), and now that I have, I’m glad I saw it like this. The one Leslie Nielsen riff (which I’m trying not to spoil) was visually set up so perfectly that I’m sure at least someone was uncomfortably staring at me laughing way too much.

    And to be honest? I’m not sure if I would have gone to see Twilight if they got it. Even with Rifftrax on the job, I dunno, it’s still Twilight…

       3 likes

  18. Tarlcabot says:

    Sold out show in Brandon, Fl when I showed up an hour early, didn’t get a ticket in time, but managed to get in…. (the makers of Despicable Me 2 have some free money, my compliments!)

    Def need to mix the sound better. Couldn’t hear about 15% of the riffs.

    Never been much of a Rifftrax fan, doesn’t tickle me like the show used to, but I do love a good communal MST event, rare as they are. So good on the whole.

       1 likes

  19. Daveo says:

    Simply fantastic.I really feel sorry for those who didn’t go because of the movie choice.They will get a second chance in September with the rerun.For those concerned about the nudity,they found a brilliant way to not show it.Only a 2 second flash of breasts,and nothing in the shower scene.Violence?I hate slasher and Halloween type movies but this was so fake and overdone it was hilarious.Of course I agree kids could have problems with it though.
    As for the riffs,Top Drawer hilarious!Many of them did get buried under the movie soundtrack though.Luckily when the studio riff comes out that won’t be a problem.
    I may go to the rerun myself.
    BRING ON THE LIVING DEAD!!!

    and if they go to Kickstarter again they can count on me!

       5 likes

  20. Doug says:

    My showing in Coral Springs was in a fairly empty theater, but we had a lot of fun. It still doesn’t beat “Jack the Giant Killer” for the title of best live riff, but it’s definitely up there.

       0 likes

  21. Ramonzmania says:

    @Clifton, NJ……good riffs…fun pre-show tunes & mock film flubs”, etc. …..quibble?….movie was long , so no short films, cartoons or guest stars….and no end of show “free goodies” code! ( torcha!)

       0 likes

  22. Christian says:

    90%+ full theater in Westfield, NJ. GREAT SHOW! I took my two kids and my two stepkids (all between 8 and 12 years) and we all had a blast. I agree with the other comments here that the movie was up too loud in the mix, and got the feeling at a few points in the show that Mike, Bill and Kevin new it. Also, you could easily have fast forwarded through a few bits as this movie was (obviously) WAY too long to begin with.

    But what the hell am I complaining about? Awesome show! Can’t wait until NOTLD on 10/24.

       1 likes

  23. Tork_110 says:

    Did they show names in the opening slideshow? Because I didn’t see my name in the end credits.

       2 likes

  24. thebutcher says:

    My first ever Rifftrax Live, well…LIVE seeing as I live in Montreal, Canada! The connection started about 5 minutes late so no pre-show trivia cards and we missed the introduction (I assume) of the guys.

    We had the same issue of some riffs being lost in the mix, but the ones we could hear (which was a majority, no need to panick!) were stellar! I went with a newbie who had only seen one short the night before and he loved it!

    Excellent job and thanks for showing it in good ol’ Rowsdower-y Canada!

       3 likes

  25. Eric in Kalamazoo says:

    95 % full in Kalamazoo, MI. Another gem – I also had problems with the riffs vs. loud action scenes . . .looking up the nude scenes I missed on Youtube now . . .;)

       1 likes

  26. Kenotic says:

    Like others — yeah, there were sound problems. However, I could make out most of it during the loud “MOVE MOVE MOVE” scenes.

    Still, this was their A-game. I’ve never seen the movie, but good grief this thing was hammy — easily up there with Space Mutiny. I had forgotten about the 15 minutes of Denise Richards’s fame, and also forgot Neil Patrick Harris did something between Doogie and Harold and Kumar.

    It reruns in a few weeks, so if you missed it give this a chance. It’s one of Rifftrax’s best!

       1 likes

  27. Michael Albright says:

    was about 75 percen was about 75 percent full. I know the Kerasotes ICON was about I love th I love the show, no I felt they were no I felt they were going a little bit light on the cast, knowing that they would be watching. that t that the stars of the movie give a shout out to the RiffTrax is really cool and kinda sweet.

    Loved the creepy stalker vibe they got off Dina Meyer.

       1 likes

  28. mst3ktemple says:

    @23 they showed some names with faces pre-show and some again in the closing credits. I didn’t see my name either. Not sure what happened there. I just checked my original email from Kickstarter and it said it was one of my rewards. Oh, well. A little disappointing not to see my name, but we still had an amazing time at the show. I will definitely be at the NOTLD show in October.

       2 likes

  29. mst3ktemple says:

    @13 Hey Lobster, I was at the AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights too. Really good crowd. I think you’re right at about 80-90% full.

       0 likes

  30. Kenneth Morgan says:

    #22 (Christian)

    I was at the Westfield theater, too. In fact, if one of your kids had to slip out for a moment late in the movie, you might’ve been in the same row as my brother and I.

    Great crowd for the show. We got there early enough for the transmission test, which was part of “Jack the Giant Killer” this time. The pre-show title cards were great, particularly the “Solumyp Sha Laflne” anagram and the “Doctor Who” card. The riffing was top notch; I think the biggest laugh may have been Mike’s response to the line, “You’re it, until you get killed or I find someone better.” And Kevin’s “surprise” worked well; I wonder if it’ll reappear for NOTLD.

    I was surprised to see that this one will be repeated. I’ll have to see if I can catch it again. One question: if they can’t release this as a DVD or VOD, any chance they can at least release the riffing soundtrack?

    All in all, one of the good ones.

       2 likes

  31. mstgator says:

    Packed theater in Oldsmar. Great show, but definitely looking forward to the mp3 studio riff so I can hear what I missed during the loud action scenes. Biggest laugh in our theater was Mike’s wedding vows. :laugh:

       3 likes

  32. me says:

    Extremely well-attended, if not sold-out in Milford, Ct. Agree with #10 that Clydesdale was the best riff of the night. And I have to report as others have, that the movie, being so loud, drowned out a good many of the riffs. My favorite Rifftrax live events were the previous two-Birdemic and Jack The Giant Killer.

       0 likes

  33. Zee says:

    Great fun! Saw it in a packed theater in Stage College, PA. The crowd was laughing like crazy. I had a goofy smile on my face the whole time. I LOVED the Gorilla-Gram bit, eager to hear everybody else’s reaction to that!

    Man, if they got flack from people saying STARSHIP TROOPERS was “too good” for the Rifftrax treatment, we’ll be hearing that tenfold for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!!

       2 likes

  34. My theater was about 50% full, but it was a great crowd… and, much like episodes of Mystery Science Theater, almost everyone stayed through the very end of the credits.

    Smile-a-tron 4000 Activated….

       2 likes

  35. Son of Bobo says:

    Close to 50 people in Danville, VA. Lots of fun. I think the riff that got the most laughs of the evening was, “OH NO, RAID!”
    Coming in second were Mike’s “wedding vows.” My favorite bit from the slide show was how Robert Heinlein became Dean of science fiction.
    This is the first time that I have ever seen Starship Troopers and it is a truly awful movie. Why were the bugs attacking? How did Doogie Howser become a colonel? How did they capture the top bug with a net in a tunnel? I have to say I prefer the older movies which seem to have more charm to them than the bad movies of recent years. Still enjoyable, though I missed not having a short.
    Another cool thing for me personally, is that I got to use this as a date with my fiancée who is in Lawrence, KS. Thank you Rifftrax for providing an event for long distance dating.

       5 likes

  36. KidFlash25 says:

    95% capacity at Cinemark Tinseltown in Rochester, NY. The NOTLD announcement got a OOOOH from the audience, which was into it from the beginning.

    Better than Manos. Sony better cave on this VOD because it’s a performance worth savoring.

    Also, I will forever hate gorillas. Always.

       1 likes

  37. Dan in WI says:

    That was fun. I think that was the best attendance I’ve seen before in Green Bay, WI.

    Favorite Riff: I just want to tell you both we’re all counting on you.

       3 likes

  38. Dishoficecream says:

    The theater in Burlington, VT was about 90% full. It was a blast! The movie, while I could see the satirical elements, was also really big dumb fun so it worked as a Rifftrax to me. Other people already mentioned some of my favorite riffs. I loved the Seinfeld reference (me and about 4 other people were laughing loudly for that one!) The Denise Richards riffs were great and kinda mean (Smilotron 4000, engage!).
    Ditto on the sound issues during the battle scenes. It did improve somewhat during the movie. I’m glad we only have to wait 2 months for the next live event.

       0 likes

  39. Weepy Donuts says:

    Really enjoyed this one! I love them all, but I think this tops Manos and Jack The Giant Killer.

    I predicted that RiffTrax would provide a distraction during the shower scene. I love being right. I was a little surprised that the skit was so cheap looking though. With Kickstarter and ticket sales, how expensive was Starship Troopers?

    Great turnout/audience reaction in Greenville, SC.

       1 likes

  40. AlbuquerqueTurkey says:

    Century Rio theater in Albuquerque was 98% full. Great show! I will echo the notion that during the bug mayhem scenes, the riffs were often heard to hear – I think I missed 2 or 3 great ones. I’m gonna find more good uses for Gorilla-grams!

       0 likes

  41. JohnnyRyde says:

    I’m glad that other people are reporting that the sound mix was a little off; I was seriously starting to question my hearing.

    Anyway, I loved it. And I’m very glad they announced the next one during this one. I always get anxious when they don’t that the series is ending…

    I’ve been going to these in the same cinema in Germantown, MD since the beginning and haven’t missed one. They are getting more and more crowded as the years go by. The first few were very sparsely attended. To be honest, I was worried that their business model wasn’t sustainable and that they’d be web-only in future[1]. But starting with MANOS, they’ve been sold out or close to sold out. Tonight one of the cinema employees said (about ten minutes before show time) that there were only 15 tickets remaining. It used to be easy to find seats. This time, holding seats for later arriving friends was actually an issue.

    It was a great show and I’m looking forward to the next one. It looks like we’re coming up on a Halloween show. Is it too much to hope that there will be a Christmas-themed event too? The Christmas special they did a few years back was amazing…

    [1] — Nothing against web broadcasts, I think they’re fine. But there’s something about the social aspect of watching MST3k/RiffTrax/CT with an audience that the web can’t replicate. The first few Rifftrax Live shows I went to alone. Now I’ve got several friends I go with. But going alone or going with friends, a lot of the fun is seeing it in a crowd of people who “get” this kind of humor.

       3 likes

  42. Zee says:

    The “Raid”, wedding vows, and AIRPLANE riffs got huge laughs at my theater too, as did a shot of Denise Richards with a riff like “Smile-bot5000 is activated”

       6 likes

  43. Zee says:

    Smile-a-Tron 4000! Thanks Toolmaster! (#34)

       0 likes

  44. Droppo says:

    It was great! One of their best yet. And I’m thrilled to report that the theater in White Plains, NY looked to be sold out!

       0 likes

  45. JohnnyRyde says:

    Oh, and did anyone else notice that very early into the show Kevin tugged at his earlobe and seemed to be signaling to someone behind the camera? I wonder if the sound problems were known…

       2 likes

  46. RaptorX8 says:

    One of the better packed shows at AMC in Oldsmar, FL. Agree with mstgator, Mike’s wedding vows had the biggest laugh. Also had the audio issues with the louder scenes like everyone else. The movie was pretty bad when it first came out now it’s just as campy as an episode of Star Trek. Only more red shirts. Great show.

       1 likes

  47. AFFA says:

    I bought my tickets yesterday and worried when the box office guy had no idea what I was talking about, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the theater at least 3/4 full at the AMC Lennox in Columbus, OH. (And that’s with 2 other theaters in the city showing it!) I agree with others who have noted that attendance seems to have grown with each show–we got there about 30 minutes before showtime and there was a long line to be seated.
    Same issues with the loudness here, so I hope they will work that out for next time. I’ve been to almost every live show and they just keep getting better and better! My face hurts from laughing!

       1 likes

  48. MattK says:

    #30 Probably only if to distract from some nude scenes…I don’t think the next Rifftrax Liveshow will need it…

    We need more of these types of Rifftrax, and I’d happily donate again to see it happen.

    Our theater (Galleria Cinemas in Centerville, GA) has more people come all the time. Keep it up!

       1 likes

  49. dad1153 says:

    The two NYC showings at Union Square 14th St. were sold out days ago. Had to hop on a NJ Transit bus and head over to Secaucus for a pretty-packed-but-not-sold out crowd that was into it but not as much as the Gotham crowds (who act/laugh/hooter/holler as if they were in the Nashville theater with the guys). Overall, except for the sound mix issue (which they should have been able to notice or fix during their rehearsals and practice, so no excuse: major technical blunder, almost as bad as the “rape” in “Sidehackers”), a pretty good show but nowhere near the perfection of “Jack the Giant Killer” (still the best live Rifftrax thing they’ve done). My fears were realized that, cheesy as it is, “Starship Troopers” kind-of works on its own (Michael Ironside’s “Make it 20 minutes” line was still cool on its own without the riff that followed) so both the riffs and the flick were competing for limited oxygen supply of attention, and for a while it seemed like a draw. To my surprise, as the movie hit the 90 min. mark (when comedies supposedly run dry), the guys got a second creative wind and the riffs tore Denise Richards apart (‘You’re going to be he worst Bond girl, like ever’) and landed on their feet toward the end.

    Favorite riffs, of course, were Mike’s ‘wedding vows’ and the perfectly-timed “Airplane!” and the “Helloooo, ladies!” chestnut. They’re the only jokes that got the entire theater laughing as one like idiots. Personal favorite though: “David Cronenberg’s ‘A Bug’s Life.'” :laugh:

       8 likes

  50. Triple_sSs says:

    Fantastic show! My first ever RiffTrax Live event too. The theater I went to was only around a quarter full, but it was still a good crowd. The riffing was top notch and we all had a great time.
    Sure was a violent movie at times, but the guys went along with it pretty well. Also noticed the mixing problems though, I thought it might’ve just been the sound system in our theater but apparently it wasn’t just us, though I don’t think it was too much of a problem for me. And I also liked seeing how some MSTies in the audience there brought a few of their own bot replicas.

    Overall a great experience, looking forward to maybe seeing their riff of Night of the Living Dead, and I don’t care much for zombies but I’d probably go anyway!

       0 likes

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