I had a feeling this would be the phrase people would walk out of the theater saying…
A few thoughts:
Overall, a terrific show, maybe their best so far.
My theater was about half full, similar to past shows. It was probably all the same people. I had to fight traffic coming and going because A-Rod was playing in the ballpark next door. Grrr.
There were a few unavoidable “live show” moments. A couple times where the camera went blank for a minute, and then cut to the camera in the back of the hall. Some kind of a miscue, there, I guess. There was also one really long closeup of Bill while he wasn’t saying anything…
I have never been a big fan of the somethingawful.com stuff in the past and while these were decidedly wacky versions of the same sort of thing he gave us last time, it was pretty much the same sort of thing he gave us last time. The best I can say about them is that they were short and silly in places. That being said, they were completely worth it for the callback Mike did three-quarters the way through the movie.
The movie runs 94 minutes, just about a perfect running time for this. “House on Haunted Hill” was just a little too long and “Reefer Madness” was just a little too short. This was JUUUST right.
More thoughts tomorrow when I think of them…
What did you think”?
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A very appropriate stinger.
Thought it was awesome. Saw the show at Theater on S. Meridian in Indianapolis. My wife and I were laughing the whole time. I thought the first short was truly horrifying…
Oh goodness yes.
What can I say? I laughed, I cried (mostly from laughter, but sometimes in horror like the scarily suggestive scene at the end with the two-headed giant and the sea monster), and I pondered what nothing was.
It was amazing, about 60-70 people showed up in the theater at Gainesville, FL. Everyone was laughing. . .I cannot wait for the next one. Please do this more often RIfftrax Live!!!
Hilarious hentai jabs at the end (with Gamera thrown in). Glad they dropped the musical interludes(aside from the opening credits song). Seize the Bone is sadly going to be the next watercooler catchphrase. More Patrick Stewart riffs were needed, and finally, I’ll be right there!
Got past the shorts and 5 minures into the movie there was an emergency evacuation due to a possibly explosive gas leak. Fire trucks, police, camera crew the works. Never got back in.
Amazingly cool! Saw it in a small-ish town and had a Great turn out. Many lols were had! :-D
Had a bit of an audio problem during the previews & the first minute or so of the show (as in no audio), but they got it fixed before they started riffing. Good turnout, great jokes. I’m honestly surprised they didn’t make a single Dr. Who Master joke about Pendragon. He seriously looked like the Master’s more flamboyant half-brother or something.
The sound was very faint at first, but by the time the movie started, all was well. I had seen the “musical-ized” version of this movie many years ago (which is funny in its own way), so it was fun to see the movie how it was originally intended…almost.
In any case, it was great fun. The “Nothing” short was really…something. Really enjoyed the two animated shorts. And finally, I too enjoy being a professor of women’s studies!
Excellent jokes. The accents of the characters (or lack of) was brilliant. People sure were clean back in those days! S T B !!
Very funny stuff, we had probably 100+ at the Cinemark in Tulsa. And after almost a week of “Tower Guy”, we were all in the mood to laugh.
“Seize the Bone” is going to be playing in my mind for a while. The opening short was weird, which made it great, the 2 shorts featuring the little girl were very funny, and the film, fantastic. I thought all three riffers were in top form. Can’t wait ’till the next one.
I thought the riffs on the film itself started a bit slow, but once they got to the ship with the Irish captain, everything came together. And yes, while “Seize the bone!” is great, the entire sequence with the dragon-men damn near killed me. “Be right there!”
Was the monkey’s thong part of the spell?
@jedicrippler: re, the Master, no kidding! In fact for a minute I thought the guy was actually played by Anthony Ainley…
Oh, great show, too. I think there were more people in the crowd tonight than in the same theater last show… I wish they’d do these more often, but I understand that the logistics are difficult…
I laughed like a maniac throughout, and an excellent turnout at my theater as well!
And hey, just what IS nothing, anyway?
Lots of fun! Of the three live shows I’ve seen (Christmas Shorts, House of Haunted Hill and this), this is my favorite.
Lots of fun. Good turn our for the laughfest. The short and the movie were a hoot. Lauren Kyanka’s two shorts got big laughs too.
Honestly, the doorknob cartoon was the best part of the evening.
My favorite riff of the evening was the Kayne West reference. In fact, they scored some great gags off that character (king’s assistant or something) somehow.
The witch princess was hot.
Video cut out a few times in the beginning, but was fine the rest of the film.
Movie was okay.
For the love of God, please stop with the heinous kiddie inspired shorts. Just because you think that the crap your offspring says is cute, doesn’t mean you should infect the rest of the world with the crap. I’d rather have the movie and nothing else then those awful kid voiced shorts.
Re: jedicrippler (#8)
I agree; a Pendragon riff along the lines of, “And after I finish with Jack, I’m going after Peter Davison,” would’ve been appropriate.
As for the movie, I was kind of reminded of “Magic Sword”; both movies have similar tones and plotlines. The stop-motion effects in “Jack” were actually pretty good. Still, the movie was goofy enough to justify a good riffing. Mike, Bill & Kevin did a great job.
As for the shorts from the little girl (whose name escapes me), they were weird in a way that only little kids can manage. They reminded me a lot of the “Dexter’s Laboratory” short that a little boy thought up and narrated. And as for “What is Nothing?”, the guys were right; that one was pretty tough to classify. The riffing was even funnier than in the main feature.
I saw this one at the multiplex at Town Center Plaza in East Windsor. I got there early enough to get a great seat near dead center of the auditorium, and I got to see all of the Rifftrax screen jokes, and heard all the songs (my favorite: Kevin’s Neil Diamond-ish “When a Man Loves a Shark”). All told, there were about twenty people there and we all had a good time.
Our show was canceled. We had audio, but no video. The theater people said they would restart it all once they fixed it, but they canceled it a few minutes later. We got a refund and they will try to show it later if they can. We were so excited too because this was the first time the movie was playing locally. A very disappointing evening.
My first live show and a hoot. Theater was about half-full. Someone in the audience made a Castlevania joke just before Bill did.
I walked out tonight saying it might be the best Rifftrax Live so far. Really enjoyed it. A much younger friend whom we got interested in MST3K a few months ago watched the show with us and he really enjoyed it too. The short about “nothing” was the right kind of terrible. The Something Awful shorts were short enough that the wackiness worked without wearing thin.
I also said on the way home that the movie is a lot like The Magic Sword, clearly aimed at a juvenile audience of the day. I’ll also say I don’t think it’s as good a movie as Bert I. Gordon’s The Magic Sword and I’ve seen Jack The Giant Killer before without Rifftrax. My other comment about Jack The Giant Killer is that it clearly is a bad rip-off of the far superior and still excellent and entertaining Ray Harryhausen Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. The makers of Jack clearly badly copied Harryhausen’s Cyclops from the Sinbad movie for the monster at the beginning except that it has two eyes. Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad was a huge hit just a few years before Jack was made and the makers of Jack obviously were trying to duplicate that success. They even used the same leading actor, Kerwin Matthews. The Sinbad movie is a much better film that delighted both adults and children at the time and still does thanks to home video, while the Jack movie seems weaker each time I see it. It must have been passable as children’s entertainment in its day, but it’s no classic.
“I’m Irish and I now hate the Irish!”
Am I the only one who thinks that the leprechaun looked distressingly like Tommy Makem?
Great show; my local theater in Lowell MA was about two thirds full. Great fun!
Hold on, I’ll be right there.
This one was great! Might be just behind Plan 9 From Outer Space as far as these things have gone. I have to agree with most of what’s been said so far. The short was ridiculous and perfect. I’m tired of Lowtax’s stuff showing up at these. And the movie was top-shelf. Just right as lengths go, some great take away lines that I can’t remember right now (aside from Seize the Bone of course), and the type of movie that’s right in their wheelhouse. Loved it.
Saw it at Cinemark in Hanover, MD, and the theater was almost completely full. PLEASE keep doing these!
Strong turnout in Harrisburg, PA.
Of all the Rifftrax Live shows this one was the most full of any of them I’ve seen. As someone else said the theater at Hanover, MD was packed with people. Some of the earlier shows we’ve seen there and at the Bowie, MD theater were barely attended. Glad we got there early tonight. Hopefully this is a sign that the fan-base is increasing and that these shows are better publicized and more widely known now.
Surprise, the theater was 3/4 full, about 100 people. The riffing was fantasic. I only missed a few riffs with all the laughter. I remember seeing this film when I was 8 or 9 years old. There were a few younger people and a lot of gray headed people [myself included]. The only issue is the couple next to showed up after the show started. Still haven’t learn to tell time I guess. The guy felt he was a better riffer than Mike, Bill and Kevin. He kept yelling his lame comments like he was on his couch at home. I paid money to hear them not Y O U! Laugh as loud as you want, that is why we are all here for but shut your pie hole. ok I’m done venting….Still was a great show!
And it was packed over here in Livonia, MI.
Saw this show tonight at the Lexington, KY, Cinemark with almost a full house. Everyone really seemed to be having a great time and I am looking forward to getting a copy of this on DVD so I can hear my favorite riffs over and over again! More please, Rifftrax guys, it was awesome!
Like most RiffTrax live events, it started slow and the audio was all over the place–and the extended closeup of Bill not saying anything was a, er, special touch–but it found its stride and delivered the goods.
My first time in a movie theater since 1985 when I was 7.
Drove 50 minutes to Danville, VA to see this, sporting my bots and SoL tee shirt. Maybe 25 people there, but the laughter made it sound like a packed house. I had tears in my eyes during “What Is Nothing?” These sword and sorcery films seem perfect for them. This might be Rifftrax’s best work to date.
Can’t wait for the DVD.
Well, I guess I’d better seize the bone.
I really don’t care for those animated shorts, and even if I DID like them, they feel out of place in these Rifftrax: Live shows. The time spent on those cartoons could’ve been taken up by a second short. I was surprised they only had one short (although it was great!) and I was surprised they didn’t have a special guest- Although after Paul F. Tompkin’s stand-up brought the show to a stand still last time maybe that’s a good thing. I do like when they have a guest riff a short with them.
As for JACK THE GIANT KILLER, it was great! What a surprise that such a colorful, off-the-wall movie could come from Nathan Juran, who made THE DEADLY MANTIS, one of the drabbest and dullest movies ever on MST3k. The movie was the kind of bad that you could tell the people making it had the best intentions and were trying really hard. I really dug it- and that princess was super-hot (and even hotter when she was evil).
Seize your bones, everybody!
We had a few problems with the video cutting out during about 5 minutes of it, but otherwise the theater was about half full. And we were put in a medium sized theater for a change instead of a small one, too. So it didn’t seem too crowded.
The biggest laugh in the theater in Oldsmar, FL was definitely “This is a tale about Captain Jack Sparrow” Lots of SNL fans apparently. I couldn’t breathe I was laughing so hard.
“Seize the bone!”
I think it may have been the best one so far. Nice riffing, a watchable, but bad movie, and some fun shorts. And I have to admit, I was the found the Claymation fight arousing. Sorry.
Oh, and Hamilton NJ AMC and their line-cutting club members can bite me. I’ll go elsewhere next time.
A BRILLIANT job on this one, and you’re quite correct about the line: that seemed to be the one everyone in my (absolutely PACKED) theater in Charlotte, NC took away from the show.
Also, kudos to whoever that person was in the front row of the theater in Nashville who was sportin’ the Tom Servo puppet. :)
Such a fantastic show, everything that we’ve come to expect. Many, many huge laughs and what seemed like hundreds of average sized laughs though out the whole show. The theater I was in was at least 80% full, maybe more.
Saw the movie at the Rave in Florence, KY south of Cincinnati. The theater was about 1/5 full which was actually great as the first RiffTrax they did at the cinema a few years ago there was maybe 8 people there. Really good response with people clapping near the end. Had an incredible time. Slight audio/sound issues during the opening accounting for 10-15 seconds lost, but other than that the show was perfect. Can’t wait for the next one!
Pretty good experience overall. I felt the riffing in the first ~half of the movie was pretty slow, but it picked up once the plotline reached the castle. “Seize the bone” is pretty good, but “Be there in a minute!” and a a couple other lines were also good instant catchphrases. And the movie, while silly, wasn’t truly terrible.
Also, an open question: what kind of humorless blob dislikes the “kid story” shorts? They, and these tonight in particular, have been gaspingly funny. If I could own a collection just with those, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Kudos to Rifftrax for their taste in including them in their shows.
I’ll rank this one right up there with Plan 9 and the Christmas Shortstacular shows, at least until the afterglow fades. As Sampo said, the movie was just the right length, and pretty much perfect material to work with. Rich Kyanka’s contributions were funnier than usual, but still felt completely out of place, but Mike’s callback made them worthwhile. I wonder if that was an adlib? And the Nothing short? I’m downloading it right now, but I think I’ll need a good night’s contemplation before watching it again…
The theater in Paramus was about 3/4 full, as with the other live events, and the ready-for-riffing crowd was already cheering at the trivia gags. That overlong Fathom ad for their opera season dropped a loud, wet rag on that flame, though. (Not to mention turning turning the missus’ nascent headache into a full-on migraine. A state-of-the-art cineplex’s surround sound is not meant for opera. Ow. :eek: )
The leprechaun did look a bit like Tommy Makem, but really, what leprechaun doesn’t? I was more struck by Jack’s uncanny resemblance to the unholy love child of Paul Rudd and Ryan Reynolds. And no one involved in the film thought his having an American accent was an issue?
So, when’s the next live event? :-D I suggest Carnival Of Souls for Halloweentime. (Or maybe Night Of The Living Dead for more marquee value. That riff could use a heavy overhaul, though.) And I can think of a little film that would be perfect for the holidays…
Oh- should mention we saw it in New Rochelle at a about half-full theater. Can’t remember hearing so much *consistent* laughter in a movie theater before. The Rifftrax format allows for a pace of comedy other films can’t compete with!
Great show here. Theater was 2/3 full. Constant laughter. I personally couldn’t stop laughing when they kept on repeating “Be right there…Be right there…Be right there…”. Excellent! Can’t wait for the next one!
Admittedly off-topic, Zee’s comment reminded me of a curious phenomenon I’ve encountered: a few years ago I went to see Monty Python And The Holy Grail at the little independent cinema nearby. If the rather small theater wasn’t sold out it was at least so packed that people were sitting in the impossible-to-get-comfortable-in first row, and presumably all of them were Python fans there to see arguably the funniest pure comedy film of all time. And yet… nobody laughed. Not a snicker or chortle to be heard. Why, because the audience was full of stick-in-the-mud-arthouse types sitting in rapt attention? I doubt it. My friend and I weren’t laughing either. It didn’t occur to me until later that it was simply because we’d all seen the movie many, many, many times before. Most of the audience probably had the entire film memorized. (Pretty sure I do.) Has anyone else noticed this peculair phenomenon?
Anyway, regarding tonight’s show, who else was thinking of Castelvania just before they referenced it? I’ve not experienced that myself very many times, but it does happen – I think there’s been a weekend discussion about it. Do we MSTies have a term for that?
I love all the Kyanka kid shorts.
In any classic episode there’s a riff that for some odd reason just strikes me right, and causes me to fall over gasping for breath. That happened tonight…
“Be right there….”
Absolutely slew me.
I was thinking. In my theater (Evanston, il), they showed a preview for Scarface being shown through this Fathom thing. Now if they can get the rights to show something like that, could they get other big Hollywood movies as well, and then have Rifftrax commentary on those. I mean, I love the goofy obscure movies, but how great would it be to go to a theater where a Ben Afleck movie is premiering, with Daredevil being riffed next door?
Or Top Gun? Come on, people! Others need to see how crappy it is.
But I assume George Lucas would do anything he could to keep The Holiday Special out of theaters.
The “Dragon men” were a big hit in my party as well. “Be right there…” I loved how Bill and Mike imitated their slow side to side swipe.
Cornwall isn’t nearly as much fun as the movie, from my last visit there. ;)
My first time in a theater in years, and worth it. However, I did note one possible ‘missed riff’… “I’ll save you, Beany Boy!”
J/P=?
A disappointing evening for me personally because I had to go alone; but the feature itself more than made up for it. Jack The Giant Killer is almost like one of their Russo-Finnish movies– it’s actually kind of watchable on its own and very entertainingly silly even without the riffing, but the riffing makes it into absolute gold
Thank god for Conor’s influence– it would have driven me NUTS if they’d missed the Castlevania riff!
My favorite of their live shows so far (missed House on Haunted Hill, but saw all the other ones). Perfect riffing material in both the movie and the short and no shortage of killer lines. Agreed with others above that the movie started a little slow, but once the princess and the very-American Jack got to the boat things picked up quickly. Jack’s breaking-into-Pendragon’s-castle had what might be the longest period of sustained excellence since MST3K went off the air; I can’t remember a sequence in anything anyone’s done since where every riff absolutely killed for nearly 10 minutes. Also thought of the Castlevania riff right before Bill made it. Really, just a stellar performance all around. The “one short plus moderately-long movie” setup seems to work best, as it lets the guys get a rhythm going with the movie (which was part of my issue with the Christmas shorts; it always felt like right as they were on the cusp of going on a hilarity run, the short was over). Well, as long as there’s not something that just slaughters the flow of the evening in between the two (complain all you want about the Lowtax ultra-shorts, but combined they were maybe 5 minutes, nowhere near as amusement-obliterating as Coulton’s 20 minute self-serving monstrosity from Plan 9).
As an aside, as much as I loved “What is Nothing?”, part of me thinks that if somehow they’d been able to reverse time, use that in place of the Grass short from Reefer Madness, and use the Grass short here, this event would never be able to be topped.