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Now Available from RiffTrax…

Download it here.

94 Replies to “Now Available from RiffTrax…”

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  1. Johnny Drama says:

    touches no one’s life, then leaves: The Original EricJ:
    But without Mads in Deep 13 to force the FC/RT’ers, and the threat that the movie would “destroy their sanity”…just why WERE our comics so happy to pile jokes on the movie, let alone dump gleeful high-school abuse on it?

    Uh…because there’s an audience to be entertained? A *paying* audience? That’s certainly the purpose of live riffing by both Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic; it’s the purpose of almost every live performance of any kind ever. And inasmuch as the Brains are, well, INTELLIGENT, they’re capable of extrapolating the existence of an audience even when the audience is not physically present.

    (Performer: “Hey, you think I’m up here for my health?!”)
    (Heckler: “Not so far…”)

    Okay, the question was why is Rifftrax so mean. The answer was because it entertains an audience.
    My thoughts on this – Why waste energy being mad at a movie? Being clever and inventive is always more becoming. Being mean to a movie (especially when you have no real reason to, no Mads inflicting pain on you, so to speak) is just plain lazy writing. I like Rifftrax, but that mean part of their personality is very off putting. Maybe if they were a little more self depreciating, I could handle it better. But unfortunately, there’s no room for self referential in movie riffing; it wouldn’t make sense to talk about yourself when you’re supposed to be focusing on the movie.
    Was CT ever mean? How about Season 11, was there any real mean moments?
    Oh, but they’re just joking! Well, there’s a lot of truth in a joke sometimes…
    I just want everybody to have fun while riffing, not seem like it’s soul crushing and we must punish the film makers. Hey, without the film makers, none of us would be here! There would be no MST3K, no riffing, no forums, nothing.
    Like Hugh Beaumont once said to Joel and the Bots, “A lot of people worked very hard on that movie!”

       6 likes

  2. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    Johnny Drama: Okay, the question was why is Rifftrax so mean.

    Oh. That’s not at all what I thought the question was. I thought the question was why would the Brains watch and riff the films if they weren’t allegedly being forced to do so. Sorry about that. :-|

       2 likes

  3. Johnny Drama: Okay, the question was why is Rifftrax so mean. The answer was because it entertains an audience.
    My thoughts on this – Why waste energy being mad at a movie? Being clever and inventive is always more becoming. Being mean to a movie (especially when you have no real reason to, no Mads inflicting pain on you, so to speak) is just plain lazy writing. I like Rifftrax, but that mean part of their personality is very off putting. Maybe if they were a little more self depreciating, I could handle it better. But unfortunately, there’s no room for self referential in movie riffing; it wouldn’t make sense to talk about yourself when you’re supposed to be focusing on the movie.

    It wouldn’t, but that’s all the RT’ers DO seem to joke about now–Each other.
    “Look familiar, Mike?” “Yes, THANK you, Bill, we’ve moved on to other jokes now…”

    The movies are interchangeable, there’s not much reason for them to handpick the riffing, so the humor’s become more about their own palling in-joke nudges in each others’ ribs as rival comics, than about finding any absurdity or comedy in the movie itself.
    Basically, reflecting what they seem to be more interested in, nowadays. And certainly what they’d like US to be interested in, much more than the movies.

    Was CT ever mean? How about Season 11, was there any real mean moments?

    Not to overuse the ugly B-word, but…is it really the definition of humor or entertainment to watch a comic laugh at his OWN jokes? (Or snicker and giggle, as we got ever since the post-Joel S5.)
    The comic asks us to share his view of our crazy frustrating world, the bully feels personally vindicated to let us know we’re the victim of his–Or, occasionally, asks for more cool members of his gang, as long as he’s the leader, so we can beat up on more deserving annoyances.
    In MST3K’s case, the Bots were victims of crazy mad-scientists who couldn’t be defeated, but could be outwitted. IF, like Bugs Bunny vs. the Tasmanian Devil, our characters happened to be clever enough.

    That’s why the good comics are self-deprecating, they suffer our frustrations of not being in control, and persuade us to laugh at it, so long as we know we’re not the only ones.
    Lost Continent wasn’t really as brain-melting as J&tB comically played it up to be, just a forgettable B-picture with poor story-pacing issues. But bring in the guys’ comic meltdowns for “No more rock-climbing!”, or Servo’s “End! Enndd!!” at the end of Batwoman, and you’ve got an instant classic.

    Again, the problem with RT is that they don’t seem to personally like anything about the movie or theater experience–Every second is a waste of time, every actor is a washed-up celebrity, every movie is an overpraised director’s mistake, and every joke they’d rather tell about something else besides watching it. Or, about each other, from their safe, smug vantage point.
    Take away any comic threat or incentive for us the audience to be sympathetic to their doing it, and you’re watching a show about three crabby guys doing a job they hate. Presumably because it pays well, or they can get their issues out.

       2 likes

  4. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    Eric, I’m pretty sure that no one actually cares whether or not you like Rifftrax. The question is why you keep coming into Rifftrax-centric threads and ranting at those of us who do in fact like it. Misery may love company but company can do very well without misery, thank you very much.

       24 likes

  5. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    I stand corrected:

    You should really just REALLY, REALLY, REALLY relax.

    The Original EricJ:
    Take away any comic threat or incentive for us the audience to be sympathetic to their doing it, and you’re watching a show about three crabby guys

    Rifftrax has no fictional premises, it has no fictional characters (except in the films themselves, of course), and it isn’t even on TV. Rifftrax isn’t a “show” in any conventional sense of the term and AFAIK it was never intended to to be one. It’s three guys riffing films for the enjoyment of an audience. I certainly won’t claim that those three guys don’t need to seriously LIGHTEN UP about it, but there’s no sense in hating it for not being what it’s not supposed to be in the first place.

       17 likes

  6. Mr. Krasker says:

    I really don’t understand why some people think that being “mean” to a bad movie about fictional characters is so bad. Perhaps it’s a regional thing — maybe it’s generational — maybe it’s just a personal preference. And yes. . . CT (which I enjoyed) was often “mean.” Get over it. Or don’t. If you like a particular show/cast, great. If not, don’t watch it.

    I’m profoundly disappointed by Season 11, and I have no hope for Season 12, but apparently a lot of others DO like the reboot. Good for them. I hope they continue to enjoy the show. I’m not going to go to every discussion of every episode I dislike and kvetch endlessly about it.

    Pointing out weak spots or puzzling moments is perfectly fine. Great, in fact. But to come back week after week and whine about how it doesn’t fit your personal set of standards is annoying and worthless. In short, Bite Me!

       18 likes

  7. Mr. Krasker says:

    The Original EricJ: Nobody.Wind.Baby.:)

    Yes, folks, no matter where it begins, sooner or later, the case for the RT defense ends with “But there’s MORE of it now!”

    You have a habit of missing the point. It’s not a simple matter of quantity, it’s the fact that they’ve been doing this longer, more successfully, and apparently more profitably. There are any number of Rifftrax offerings I have no interest in. But what they’re doing works, it amuses people, and it makes money. What other measures of success do you need?

       15 likes

  8. Mr. Krasker:
    I really don’t understand why some people think that being “mean” to a bad movie about fictional characters is so bad.

    I’m not REALLY going to kick your puppy, I’m just going to hold up this photo of a puppy and do terrible things to it, believing I’m symbolically kicking all puppies.

    There, now I’m not a bad person, because it’s satire…Fictional, you know.

       0 likes

  9. Mr. Krasker says:

    The Original EricJ: I’m not REALLY going to kick your puppy, I’m just going to hold up this photo of a puppy and do terrible things to it, believing I’m symbolically kicking all puppies.

    There, now I’m not a bad person, because it’s satire…Fictional, you know.

    It’s not even my puppy, Eric. I think I’ll live.

    ETA:

    If Eric J is incapable of recognizing the difference between a picture of a (fictional) puppy and an actual puppy, and also the difference between doing something unkind to a photograph and doing something unkind to a living being . . . well, perhaps that explains why he’s so very profoundly confused.

       17 likes

  10. Mr. Krasker: You have a habit of missing the point.It’s not a simple matter of quantity, it’s the fact that they’ve been doing this longer, more successfully, and apparently more profitably.There are any number of Rifftrax offerings I have no interest in.But what they’re doing works, it amuses people, and it makes money.What other measures of success do you need?

    No, to some, it was, and IS, a matter of quantity, since that was the traditional argument from before the Netflix S11 came back, and provided us with even More more-MST3K, this time closer to Hodgson’s original style:
    No matter what you might think of RT’s slide in humor, or Film Crew’s weak riffing, or whatever side you stand on the Mean-Mike debate, would you rather–gasp!–have NO MST3K AT ALL, anymore??

    …Like the Jack Benny joke goes, I’m thinking, I’m thinking.

    Mr. Krasker:If Eric J is incapable of recognizing the difference between a picture of a (fictional) puppy and an actual puppy, and also the difference between doing something unkind to a photograph and doing something unkind to a living being . . . well, perhaps that explains why he’s so very profoundly confused.

    And if Mike or Kevin actually can’t seem to tell the difference in their own minds between picking on the movie, and raging out their own impatient virtual grievances personally on the people that made them…they’re a bit confused as well.

       0 likes

  11. Yeti of Great Danger says:

    EricJ, we get it. You have this urge to show off your vocabulary, your arrogance, and your belief that we all need to be treated to your every thought. You have to have the last word; we get that too. But I think I speak for most of us when I agree with TNOLTL and say you should really just relax. Don’t like Rifftrax? Stop posting on these threads and let the rest of us enjoy them.

    Go ahead — prove I’m wrong and you really don’t have to have the last word. (aka STFU)

       19 likes

  12. Yeti of Great Danger:
    Go ahead — prove I’m wrong and you really don’t have to have the last word.(aka STFU)

    Sorry, that one didn’t work in junior high. All I got is my guitar and the Truth. ;)

       0 likes

  13. I don’t think most of these movies are actually in the public domain. I suspect Rifftrax tends to do movies by the same director/producer because they have licensing deals with them.

    With modern copyright law, almost anything recent is under copyright. You don’t have to renew it, you don’t need a notice, which is what often got older movies put into the PD.

    Still, it is a MST3K tradition, regardless. All those Coleman Francis movies, Bert I Gordon, Roger Corman

       6 likes

  14. Mr. Krasker says:

    The Original EricJ: No, to some, it was, and IS, a matter of quantity, since that was the traditional argument from before the Netflix S11 came back, and provided us with even More more-MST3K, this time closer to Hodgson’s original style:
    No matter what you might think of RT’s slide in humor, or Film Crew’s weak riffing, or whatever side you stand on the Mean-Mike debate, would you rather–gasp!–have NO MST3K AT ALL, anymore??

    …Like the Jack Benny joke goes, I’m thinking, I’m thinking.

    And if Mike or Kevin actually can’t seem to tell the difference in their own minds between picking on the movie, and raging out their own impatient virtual grievances personally on the people that made them…they’re a bit confused as well.

    You’re so cute when you’re tilting at windmills.

       12 likes

  15. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    The Original EricJ:
    I’m just going to hold up this photo of a puppy and do terrible things to it, believing I’m symbolically kicking all puppies.

    There, now I’m not a bad person

    No, you’re a delusional one. Perhaps even a danger to others.

       15 likes

  16. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    The Original EricJ:
    And if Mike or Kevin actually can’t seem to tell the difference in their own minds between picking on the movie, and raging out their own impatient virtual grievances personally on the people that made them…they’re a bit confused as well.

    Mike and Kevin aren’t DEVOTING TIME TO MAKING FORUM POSTS ABOUT A TOPIC THAT THEY HATE, though. That puts them so far ahead of you it’s not even…well, actually, yeah, I guess it is kind of funny…

    The Brains earn money from what they do. What’s YOUR excuse?

       19 likes

  17. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    Wait. Never mind. I’ve lost interest. I’ve stopped caring.

    Please, continue to ignore my questions. I realized that I know too much about you already.

       13 likes

  18. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    AND I’m making too many posts in succession AGAIN. Tsk, tsk. Bad me. :-|

    Over in the MST3K/Cry Wilderness thread, my posts are racking up very few LIKEs (and I Put as much as slightly more than a few seconds’ thought into some of those, too), while in here I’m getting plenty of them.

    So apparently the best way to get LIKEs is to engage in relatively witty repartee (“What are you, a comedian?!” “Well, not in a strictly objective sense, no.”) with OriginalEricJ. I’m not sure how to feel about that.

    And now I’m wondering what The various Brains stand-up routines back-in-the-day were like. I’m pretty sure they aren’t ALL former stand-up comedians but I know that SOME of them were (maybe that’s where some of them first met Jerry Seinfeld, on “the circuit,” because he’s not just a guest star…he’s a good friend).

    Just think of which other stand-up comedians of the time could have ended up as The Brains instead. Or don’t, that works too. :-)

    Ironically, if it weren’t for the “AR” reference, I probably wouldn’t have posted in or even looked at this thread at all. But I did, and then I got all chatty about Rifftrax (inasmuch as this is, as it is clearly labeled, a thread about RIFFTRAX), and, well…ehh.

       4 likes

  19. touches no one’s life, then leaves: Yes, we should see a list of those. We really should. I very much want to see it. :-)

    In fact, since it should be mind-numbingly obvious that public domain stuff would be EASY to release on DVDs — which just as obviously earn more money than downloads (unless I’m wrong) — they should post such a list of that same public domain stuff and let fans vote on which ones they should do anyway. Hopefully fan enjoyment and $$$ would make up for however much they might genuinely dislike such movies. I mean, technically, these guys ARE *actors*, right? It shouldn’t be THAT hard for them to turn down the bitterness and fake a LITTLE enthusiasm.

    As a follow up to this point, why couldn’t Rifftrax do something along the lines of Warner Archive or the Universal Vault series and do made-to-order DVDs for their VOD titles? I would think that would avoid a possible pitfall of having a warehouse of discs that are gathering dust. The volume would only follow customer demand without hurting the downloading crowd. I cannot imagine the manufacturing costs would be outrageous as well. Even give the shipping timeframe of the made on demand discs so we understand these could take a little bit longer than just shipping ready made discs.

    You see, I’m lazy and don’t like burning DVDs of VODs anyway. This way my laziness is maintained, my OCD for having these titles match the other titles on my shelves is sustained, I purchase more titles on DVD-R which only angers my wife, and Rifftrax makes money. It benefits everyone, unless there’s some kind of restriction on physical media outputs of any kind as a condition from the rights holders or some such nonsense. (Why a rights holder would be against a DVD but would be okay with a VOD that can easily be burned into a DVD is a mystery, but then again the world has plenty of Susan Harts amongst us.) But beyond that, I would think it to be a win-win given my nonexistent knowledge of anything resembling copyright and such.

    Because as of right now, I can’t say no to new DVDs/blu-rays, but I have no problem saying no to VODs.

       5 likes

  20. Sitting Duck says:

    touches no one’s life, then leaves:
    “The Fairy King of AR”?

    I live in Arkansas. Fairy Kings are conspicuous in their absence.

    Oh, I don’t know. In the Monster Hunter International series, there’s a community of elves that lives in an Alabama trailer park. With that in mind, a faerie king in Arkansas doesn’t seem that big of a stretch.

       3 likes

  21. GareChicago says:

    majorjoe23: You see, MST3K was on cable and cable cost…

    You know what, just delete your account.

    Bwahahahah yayyyyyyy!!!

    This post made me very happy.

    Gare

       8 likes

  22. GareChicago says:

    The Original EricJ: MST3K didn’t charge us money for anal-retentively going over their old fairground hits.
    You don’t get a better root of Evil than that.

    MST3K cost money on cable and Netflix. Cinematic Titanic cost money. Film Crew cost money. Rifftrax cost money.

    If they didn’t make any money, why in the bloody hell would they ever do it all in the first place??

    Your ignorance is appalling.

    Delete your account.

    Gare

       18 likes

  23. GareChicago says:

    The Original EricJ: Nobody.Wind.Baby.:)

    “Nobody likes me. Wind bag. I’m a big Baby.”

    There you go – FTFY.

    Delete your account.

    Gare

       14 likes

  24. GareChicago says:

    I suspect Eric is this pedantic about Whose Line Is It Anyway? I can just see him on the message boards, deriding Drew and Aisha, and going on and on about the superior, dry, crisp British wit of Clive Anderson, and how we’re all too stupid to understand his point of view.

    And everyone on those forums has him on ignore.

    Speaking of which – Sampo? Buddy? Can we get Ignore back, please??

    Gare

       17 likes

  25. the great crowdini says:

    74 comments on this thread! That’s twice as much as the Weekend Discussion thread!
    Wow!!
    Whenever the “Now Available From Rifftrax” thread pops up, I know I’m in for some good theatre. This week is no exception.
    Everyone is so sure they are in the right and nobody gives an inch.
    Insults and backbiting and calls for deletions and ignore buttons, OOO, give me more of THAT!
    And all the reposts within the posts that bloat the thread to the point that the condescending tones all sound the same, OOOOO, give me…..(head explodes and smoke is everywhere)

    Sorry, my sarcasm chip malfunctioned. Lol
    But seriously folks bring the popcorn when reading these Rifftrax threads!

    As far as Ar is concerned I watched this one unriffed a few years back and I actually enjoyed it! Will a Rifftrax version improve on it, I will have to see when I download it. I hope I won’t be disappointed.

    Stay respectful folks. Too many people have left this site due to the rampant negativity.

       3 likes

  26. GareChicago says:

    the great crowdini:
    74 comments on this thread!That’s twice as much as the Weekend Discussion thread!

    Stay respectful folks. Too many people have left this site due to the rampant negativity.

    …you got any stats to back that up, slick?

    Anyway – I love interacting with fellow fans of any of the iterations of MST, and don’t mind a difference of opinion (e.g. – favorite episodes, worst episodes, MvJ, et al.)…

    But what you’re referring to has nothing to do with a normal give-and-take of forum interaction. There’s no dancing around it: Eric is a pedantic, condescending troll, and saying so isn’t really an insult, since it’s pretty accurate.

    We thank you for your advice on how to comport ourselves when dealing with him. Myself, I’ll keep calling for his deletion, as he ruins an otherwise enjoyable experience.

    Gare

       9 likes

  27. Ro-man, aka one of several possible Steves says:

    the great crowdini: 74 comments on this thread! That’s twice as much as the Weekend Discussion thread!

    Wow, you’re right. That brings up a GREAT idea for a future WDT: “Rifftrax: Love it, or Hate it?” ;)

       2 likes

  28. Johnny's nonchalance says:

    GareChicago: …you got any stats to back that up, slick?

    Gare

    Here’s some stats for ya, wiseacre.

    Not sure if pasting from excel will format correctly, though.

    Weekly discussion thread is the most consistent/reliable feature of this site. Obviously the quality of the topic has an influence on how many people respond, but taking a yearly average will show general participation levels. Basically I did a search for “weekend discussion thread” and noted the date of the thread and total number of comments. The first thread was on 3/1/08, so I used 3/1 through 2/28 of the following year as the time frame for finding the average comments. So for year ending 2/28/09 average comments per thread = 86.4. 2/28/10 = 132.1. 2/28/11 = 116.5. 2/29/12 = 113.8. 2/28/13 = 104.2. 2/28/14 = 71.5. 2/28/15 = 70.0. 2/29/16 = 83.75. 2/28/17 = 83.8. 2/28/18 = 69.56.

    You can see a slower first year, a significant jump the second year, a steady decline until year ending Feb 2016 (MST kickstarter was November 2015) Same level for Feb 2017, followed by an all time low for year ending February 2018.

    So, the average weekly responses to the weekend discussion threads are currently at an all time low. The average for the discussion threads from 3/3/18 to present is even lower, at 64.25 (at time of writing–some threads still active).

    Note- Some dates may not correspond exactly with actual thread date. I did a date + 7 formula in the spreadsheet. Long weekend threads may be a day or two different than the date listed. I also only used the number of weeks that had an actual discussion thread (some years skipped two or three weeks) to determine average weekly replies.

    Enjoy your stats.

    date posts date posts date posts date posts date posts
    3/1/08 146 3/7/09 101 3/6/10 160 3/5/11 150 3/3/12 131
    3/8/08 218 3/14/09 179 3/13/10 72 3/12/11 112 3/10/12 74
    3/15/08 46 3/21/09 119 3/20/10 82 3/19/11 88 3/17/12 XX
    3/22/08 71 3/28/09 183 3/27/10 119 3/26/11 148 3/24/12 98
    3/29/08 42 4/4/09 102 4/3/10 167 4/2/11 160 3/31/12 135
    4/5/08 32 4/11/09 175 4/10/10 65 4/9/11 201 4/7/12 108
    4/12/08 40 4/18/09 119 4/17/10 107 4/16/11 129 4/14/12 190
    4/19/08 28 4/25/09 74 4/24/10 104 4/23/11 143 4/21/12 66
    4/26/08 22 5/2/09 123 5/1/10 89 4/30/11 171 4/28/12 108
    5/3/08 28 5/9/09 180 5/8/10 105 5/7/11 91 5/5/12 46
    5/10/08 35 5/16/09 168 5/15/10 142 5/14/11 158 5/12/12 84
    5/17/08 35 5/23/09 80 5/22/10 114 5/21/11 89 5/19/12 96
    5/24/08 73 5/30/09 125 5/29/10 119 5/28/11 199 5/26/12 211
    5/31/08 64 6/6/09 115 6/5/10 87 6/4/11 165 6/2/12 114
    6/7/08 108 6/13/09 60 6/12/10 105 6/11/11 143 6/9/12 103
    6/14/08 130 6/20/09 173 6/19/10 258 6/18/11 164 6/16/12 103
    6/21/08 89 6/27/09 96 6/26/10 92 6/25/11 75 6/23/12 128
    6/28/08 111 7/4/09 117 7/3/10 262 7/2/11 59 6/30/12 95
    7/5/08 87 7/11/09 169 7/10/10 111 7/9/11 140 7/7/12 101
    7/12/08 263 7/18/09 207 7/17/10 XX 7/16/11 109 7/14/12 137
    7/19/08 65 7/25/09 158 7/24/10 119 7/23/11 121 7/21/12 66
    7/26/08 XX 8/1/09 116 7/31/10 104 7/30/11 114 7/28/12 78
    8/2/08 98 8/8/09 182 8/7/10 81 8/6/11 93 8/4/12 92
    8/9/08 82 8/15/09 117 8/14/10 138 8/13/11 63 8/11/12 149
    8/16/08 86 8/22/09 162 8/21/10 121 8/20/11 216 8/18/12 101
    8/23/08 73 8/29/09 163 8/28/10 76 8/27/11 51 8/25/12 94
    8/30/08 61 9/5/09 91 9/4/10 98 9/3/11 164 9/1/12 126
    9/6/08 54 9/12/09 298 9/11/10 68 9/10/11 85 9/8/12 XX
    9/13/08 132 9/19/09 XX 9/18/10 73 9/17/11 121 9/15/12 95
    9/20/08 92 9/26/09 63 9/25/10 67 9/24/11 71 9/22/12 138
    9/27/08 119 10/3/09 126 10/2/10 126 10/1/11 XX 9/29/12 87
    10/4/08 66 10/10/09 94 10/9/10 59 10/8/11 111 10/6/12 93
    10/11/08 78 10/17/09 114 10/16/10 91 10/15/11 68 10/13/12 84
    10/18/08 58 10/24/09 97 10/23/10 97 10/22/11 XX 10/20/12 94
    10/25/08 63 10/31/09 143 10/30/10 54 10/29/11 44 10/27/12 66
    11/1/08 58 11/7/09 96 11/6/10 246 11/5/11 87 11/3/12 79
    11/8/08 36 11/13/09 153 11/13/10 76 11/12/11 64 11/10/12 97
    11/15/08 45 11/14/09 116 11/20/10 143 11/19/11 123 11/17/12 71
    11/22/08 61 11/21/09 58 11/27/10 94 11/26/11 65 11/24/12 44
    11/29/08 73 11/28/09 XX 12/4/10 118 12/3/11 84 12/1/12 78
    12/6/08 63 12/5/09 136 12/11/10 111 12/10/11 64 12/8/12 93
    12/13/08 XX 12/12/09 XX 12/18/10 140 12/17/11 112 12/15/12 93
    12/20/08 105 12/19/09 168 12/25/10 91 12/24/11 47 12/22/12 80
    12/27/08 43 12/26/09 91 1/1/11 74 12/31/11 71 12/29/12 48
    1/3/09 164 1/2/10 160 1/8/11 48 1/7/12 138 1/5/13 201
    1/10/09 71 1/9/10 196 1/15/11 231 1/14/12 149 1/12/13 98
    1/17/09 58 1/16/10 207 1/22/11 237 1/21/12 91 1/19/13 146
    1/24/09 48 1/23/10 69 1/29/11 74 1/28/12 100 1/26/13 79
    1/31/09 148 1/30/10 150 2/5/11 168 2/4/12 106 2/2/13 124
    2/7/09 254 2/6/10 141 2/12/11 164 2/11/12 68 2/9/13 110
    2/14/09 87 2/13/10 117 2/19/11 78 2/18/12 161 2/16/13 174
    2/21/09 158 2/20/10 102 2/26/11 115 2/25/12 142 2/23/13 106
    2/28/09 140 2/27/10 56 51 wks 5940 50 wks 5688 50 wks 5212
    51 wks 4407 50 wks 6605
    avg. 86.4 avg. 132.1 avg. 116.5 avg. 113.8 avg. 104.2

    date posts date posts date posts date posts date posts
    3/2/13 71 3/1/14 62 3/7/15 89 3/5/16 88 3/4/17 111
    3/9/13 67 3/8/14 52 3/14/15 97 3/12/16 88 3/11/17 62
    3/16/13 77 3/15/14 97 3/21/15 90 3/19/16 73 3/18/17 104
    3/23/13 83 3/22/14 61 3/28/15 93 3/26/16 73 3/25/17 127
    3/30/13 85 3/29/14 27 4/4/15 127 4/2/16 67 4/1/17 162
    4/6/13 94 4/5/14 37 4/11/15 163 4/9/16 96 4/8/17 101
    4/13/13 73 4/12/14 47 4/18/15 75 4/16/16 38 4/15/17 180
    4/20/13 75 4/19/14 69 4/25/15 78 4/23/16 86 4/22/17 XX
    4/27/13 126 4/26/14 60 5/2/15 60 4/30/16 61 4/29/17 XX
    5/4/13 111 5/3/14 29 5/9/15 158 5/7/16 145 5/6/17 84
    5/11/13 120 5/10/14 51 5/16/15 95 5/14/16 96 5/13/17 88
    5/18/13 73 5/17/14 71 5/23/15 77 5/21/16 80 5/20/17 62
    5/25/13 52 5/24/14 53 5/30/15 120 5/28/16 109 5/27/17 83
    6/1/13 53 5/31/14 65 6/6/15 41 6/4/16 60 6/3/17 110
    6/8/13 71 6/7/14 137 6/13/15 93 6/11/16 58 6/10/17 62
    6/15/13 95 6/14/14 71 6/20/15 63 6/18/16 100 6/17/17 109
    6/22/13 95 6/21/14 97 6/27/15 152 6/25/16 156 6/24/17 87
    6/29/13 107 6/28/14 66 7/4/15 50 7/2/16 76 7/1/17 98
    7/6/13 82 7/5/14 59 7/11/15 41 7/9/16 111 7/8/17 86
    7/13/13 46 7/12/14 30 7/18/15 102 7/16/16 53 7/15/17 64
    7/20/13 94 7/19/14 45 7/25/15 56 7/23/16 98 7/22/17 52
    7/27/13 37 7/26/14 110 8/1/15 47 7/30/16 115 7/29/17 105
    8/3/13 77 8/2/14 61 8/8/15 44 8/6/16 116 8/5/17 30
    8/10/13 79 8/9/14 68 8/15/15 36 8/13/16 58 8/12/17 54
    8/17/13 152 8/16/14 25 8/22/15 87 8/20/16 122 8/19/17 19
    8/24/13 65 8/23/14 56 8/29/15 92 8/27/16 55 8/26/17 44
    8/31/13 69 8/30/14 59 9/5/15 88 9/3/16 123 9/2/17 58
    9/7/13 60 9/6/14 98 9/12/15 38 9/10/16 76 9/9/17 57
    9/14/13 36 9/13/14 40 9/19/15 73 9/17/16 107 9/16/17 67
    9/21/13 36 9/20/14 93 9/26/15 66 9/24/16 50 9/23/17 35
    9/28/13 50 9/27/14 68 10/3/15 85 10/1/16 95 9/30/17 46
    10/5/13 29 10/4/14 110 10/10/15 90 10/8/16 126 10/7/17 36
    10/12/13 88 10/11/14 XX 10/17/15 87 10/15/16 78 10/14/17 53
    10/19/13 60 10/18/14 48 10/24/15 87 10/22/16 108 10/21/17 67
    10/26/13 66 10/25/14 58 10/31/15 50 10/29/16 56 10/28/17 35
    11/2/13 33 11/1/14 15 11/7/15 60 11/5/16 102 11/4/17 18
    11/9/13 42 11/8/14 41 11/14/15 203 11/12/16 72 11/11/17 59
    11/16/13 64 11/15/14 51 11/21/15 81 11/19/16 108 11/18/17 43
    11/23/13 42 11/22/14 61 11/28/15 37 11/26/16 80 11/25/17 141
    11/30/13 66 11/29/14 68 12/5/15 86 12/3/16 72 12/2/17 42
    12/7/13 32 12/6/14 67 12/12/15 101 12/10/16 62 12/9/17 27
    12/14/13 37 12/13/14 60 12/19/15 56 12/17/16 82 12/16/17 26
    12/21/13 49 12/20/14 72 12/26/15 38 12/24/16 37 12/23/17 24
    12/28/13 65 12/27/14 64 1/2/16 56 12/31/16 60 12/30/17 49
    1/4/14 77 1/3/15 53 1/9/16 143 1/7/17 58 1/6/18 46
    1/11/14 94 1/10/15 72 1/16/16 65 1/14/17 61 1/13/18 71
    1/18/14 121 1/17/15 95 1/23/16 101 1/21/17 73 1/20/18 48
    1/25/14 70 1/24/15 151 1/30/16 49 1/28/17 66 1/27/18 84
    2/1/14 38 1/31/15 89 2/6/16 106 2/4/17 77 2/3/18 46
    2/8/14 71 2/7/15 105 2/13/16 109 2/11/17 97 2/10/18 30
    2/15/14 76 2/14/15 122 2/20/16 78 2/18/17 60 2/17/18 68
    2/22/14 87 2/21/15 151 2/27/16 96 2/25/17 93 2/24/18 118
    52 wks 3718 2/28/15 125 52 wks 4355 52 wks 4357 50 wks 3478
    52 wks 3642
    avg. 71.5 avg. 70.0 avg. 83.75 avg. 83.8 avg. 69.56

       1 likes

  29. Yeti of Great Danger says:

    I have no stats, but I also tend to think a lot of people have left this site. Whether it’s because of a declining interest in MST3K in general, more alternative outlets for discussion online, or something else, I can’t say. Personally, I left here for a while because of The Resident Troll and I can’t truthfully recommend the site to others until he’s gone and discussions are more pleasant again. Yes, I still support the site. No, it’s not nearly as much fun as it used to be. Most of us try to enjoy the subjects and Troll Boy has to come in and piss all over every thread.

       7 likes

  30. GareChicago says:

    Johnny's nonchalance: Here’s some stats for ya, wiseacre.

    datepostsdatepostsdatepostsdatepostsdateposts
    3/1/081463/7/091013/6/101603/5/111503/3/12131
    3/8/082183/14/091793/13/10723/12/111123/10/1274
    .
    .
    …snipping an interminable amount of useless numbers..
    .
    .
    52 wks37182/28/1512552 wks435552 wks435750 wks347852 wks3642
    avg.71.5avg.70.0avg.83.75avg.83.8avg.69.56

    Well thanks for that, sport, though it’s meaningless in the context of my question.

    The OPs’ original contention was that people are leaving the site due to what he views as posts against trolls like Eric. Useless, meaningless, obnoxious trolls.

    I contend that even if we actually *are* losing visitors, it’s likely due to a variety of differing reasons over the course of *10 years*, but perhaps, I dunno.. people are tired of this guy bloviating all the time about his hatred of all things Mike and Rifftrax, and then including a winky face at the end as though it makes everything better and that we’re all friends of his. (We’re not).

    Sooo.. thanks for your exercise in number crunching, but it A) doesn’t address any actual reasons that people leave, B) doesn’t address my contention that troll-boy frustrates people and drives them away, and finally, C) Eric is a terrible human being.

    Gare

       11 likes

  31. Johnny Drama says:

    My guess is people have left this site because you have to register now. Before registration, there were a lot more posts. I think they instated registering anticipating a huge surge of new users, but instead it appears to have gone the opposite direction.
    I’ve been posting here for about a decade now. The vitriol has always been here, it’s part of the charm. It’s just we used to get a lot more posts, and that kind of diluted the little bit of spew.

       1 likes

  32. trennerdios says:

    I really do think that Sampo and/or Erhardt need to either get a proper ignore function, or just ban EricJ. It hasn’t been funny for a while. You have a person so disagreeable that, even though they’re aware that everyone on this site knows their opinion on RT and has been asked to knock off their behavior, continues to specifically needle their unnecessary jabs into every post, RT-related or not, purposely making the discussions less pleasant for people. He literally enjoys making others have a negative experience on this site, and it brings the entire place down. It’s really toxic, and he’s shown he is completely unwilling to stop. He’s an objectively awful human being.

       15 likes

  33. trennerdios says:

    Johnny Drama:
    The vitriol has always been here, it’s part of the charm.

    It’s not charming in the slightest. It’s old and needs to move on, sort of like many people in this community.

       10 likes

  34. EricJ says:

    I’ve been here for 10 years as well, different usernames obviously, and the vitriol was never as bad as with this guy. There were people who were strongly Pro-Joel but they were very diplomatic in how they said it and could see the good in the post-Joel era’s as well, but still explain what they didn’t like about them in a non-obnoxious way. I respected them (real men of genius!, like Bob and MikeInPortland, etc.). Don’t respect this guy, he actively poisoned my enjoyment of this site. Eff that guy.

    Was gonna change my username to my old one or a new one after forcing him to change HIS username, but it’s like “Why bother at this point?” Would prefer to talk MST with the people here instead of at Reddit but it hasn’t been enticing to me for a while.

       11 likes

  35. Yeti of Great Danger says:

    trennerdios:
    I really do think that Sampo and/or Erhardt need to either get a proper ignore function, or just ban EricJ. It hasn’t been funny for a while. You have a person so disagreeable that, even though they’re aware that everyone on this site knows their opinion on RT and has been asked to knock off their behavior, continues to specifically needle their unnecessary jabs into every post, RT-related or not, purposely making the discussions less pleasant for people. He literally enjoys making others have a negative experience on this site, and it brings the entire place down. It’s really toxic, and he’s shown he is completely unwilling to stop. He’s an objectively awful human being.

    This. A working Ignore button/function would go a long ways towards making things more bearable. If I was a programmer I’d offer my services for free to get ‘er done, but I’m not.

    I love MST3K. I love Rifftrax. Sometimes I will want to comment positively about a certain movie or riff or riffer, but then think, “Why bother? Troll Boy will just spew venom and ruin the discussion.”

       14 likes

  36. Lawgiver says:

    touches no one’s life, then leaves:
    Eric, I’m pretty sure that no one actually cares whether or not you like Rifftrax. The question is why you keep coming into Rifftrax-centric threads and ranting at those of us who do in fact like it. Misery may love company but company can do very well without misery, thank you very much.

    Second this.

    I’d also like to see an ignore function added, and, on a completely separate note, I miss the posts being numbered. It was so much easier to refer back to a post when they were numbered.

       14 likes

  37. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    THIS
    is
    THIS
    (seconded)

       8 likes

  38. the great crowdini says:

    Who here thinks Rifftrax should keep a theme going and tackle Caligula as well?
    Now that’s a Malcolm McDowell movie that’ll make you go “Ar” righty then!
    The really naughty bits wouldn’t make it in the final product, obviously, since they would want this on Pluto TV at some point.
    Maybe there would be enough left for a short… :-)

       1 likes

  39. Johnny's nonchalance says:

    GareChicago: Well thanks for that, sport, though it’s meaningless in the context of my question.

    The OPs’ original contention was that people are leaving the site due to what he views as posts against trolls like Eric. Useless, meaningless, obnoxious trolls.

    I contend that even if we actually *are* losing visitors, it’s likely due to a variety of differing reasons over the course of *10 years*, but perhaps, I dunno.. people are tired of this guy bloviating all the time about his hatred of all things Mike and Rifftrax, and then including a winky face at the end as though it makes everything better and that we’re all friends of his. (We’re not).

    Sooo.. thanks for your exercise in number crunching, but it A) doesn’t address any actual reasons that people leave, B) doesn’t address my contention that troll-boy frustrates people and drives them away, and finally, C) Eric is a terrible human being.

    Gare

    In the context to which you replied to crowdini, you asked if he had stats to back up the fact that too many people have left the site due to rampant negativity.

    Then in your reply to the interminable useless numbers that show participation in weekly discussion thread is declining, you say that the post “doesn’t address my contention that troll-boy frustrates people and drives them away”

    First of all, that contention is not explicit in the earlier comment which merely called Eric “a pedantic, condescending troll” but made no connection, and indicated no agreement with crowdini’s idea that fewer people are visiting. One might consider the insistence on evidence to prove that people are leaving to suggest the person asking for evidence doubts the assertion they are seeking proof of.

    Secondly, I agree there are many reasons why participation has declined, which was stated as a limitation accompanying the exercise in number crunching. However, measuring participation over time is not useless when considering if crowdini’s statement was true. You first need to establish IF people are leaving. Decreased participation strongly suggests people are leaving.

    Your statement that Eric is condescending may be true, but it is also hypocritical based on the tone of your own posts.

       1 likes

  40. GareChicago says:

    Johnny’s nonchalance: In the context to which you replied to crowdini, you asked if he had stats to back up the fact that too many people have left the site due to rampant negativity. (etc)

    I’m pretty sure I knew what my own contention was when I responded to crowdini, slappy.

    In any event – my point is simply this (if you read something else into it, can’t help ya): as one can see by the sampling of responses in this thread, Eric is widely considered to be a scourge and a blight upon this forum, nay, this planet. Crowdini’s assertion that there’s too much negativity on this site stems from, I would say, one person, pretty much.

    So in fact – I’d say that crowdini and I are actually in agreement about the negativity, though perhaps not in agreement regarding it’s source. No hypocrisy here at all, though if you read into it that way, I guess that’s a you issue.

    Gare

       7 likes

  41. GareChicago says:

    the great crowdini:

    Now that’s a Malcolm McDowell movie that’ll make you go “Ar” righty then!
    .
    .
    Maybe there would be enough left for a short… :-)

    Though if it were Roddy McDowell (according to the rumors), it would be a *long*! Buh-dun-bum!

    Gare

       3 likes

  42. Johnny Drama says:

    Okay, this is how we solve the “problem.”
    Don’t engage.
    Don’t reply, don’t respond. Just scroll on by, and don’t let it get under your skin. In essence, ignore.
    No calling for account deletion, no nothing. Just act like it’s not there.
    Otherwise, you’re helping it thrive. And I’m guilty of that, too.

       6 likes

  43. touches no one's life, then leaves says:

    GareChicago:
    So in fact – I’d say that crowdini and I are actually in agreement about the negativity

    “Negativity,” that’s an oddly “relevant” word to the extent that I’ve sometimes thought that Original EricJ takes hypocrisy so far that he’s a veritable delicately balanced combination of matter and antimatter. I didn’t say it was a GREAT metaphor, just one that I’ve sometimes thought of. ;-)

       3 likes

  44. GareChicago says:

    Johnny Drama:
    Okay, this is how we solve the “problem.”
    Don’t engage.
    Don’t reply, don’t respond. Just scroll on by, and don’t let it get under your skin. In essence, ignore.
    No calling for account deletion, no nothing. Just act like it’s not there.
    Otherwise, you’re helping it thrive. And I’m guilty of that, too.

    Can’t we just pull a Hicks and nuke the site from space? Just to be sure?

    Gare

       4 likes

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