"And then there's Rifftrax!"

“And then there’s RIFFTRAX!”

Rifftrax Live: Reefer Madness
August 19, 2010
Landmark Century 18, Evanston, IL
By Ernest M. Whiteman III

There are times in your pop culture-consuming life when you switch on the television and come upon something so absolutely “You”, that you suddenly cannot fathom life without it. Nor could you ever remember your life before it. You got it. It gets You. That connection is made in spite of the makers and the viewers being thousands of miles apart. You feel and believe that this show, this program was made for you, specifically for “You”.

That was Mystery Science Theater 3000 for me.

I am sure that was Mystery Science Theater 3000 for You too.

It was compelling in its concept, which was very simple and clean: making fun of bad movies. Yet it was never savage or mean. Biting and funny, sure, but never savagely mean, as most of television programming has become. It was the last shining beacon of satire, wrapped expertly into a sci-fi puppet show.

A true fan of the show makes no distinction between the Joel Years versus the Mike Years as the core of the show itself remains true to You, and You got it.

You see? I love movies with every fiber of my being. I love them. As with any love you can stand the criticisms of your love. And this show understood that. It got You.

Then after a few troubled years being jostled by the very networks it helped, Mystery Science Theater 3000 ended. But its spirit lives on in such projects and Cinematic Titanic (from show creator Joel Hodgeson) and the Internet sensation Rifftrax, created by Mike Nelson and currently featuring latter day robots Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett.

Rifftrax is a downloadable commentary track, usually made by Mike, Kevin and Bill that can be synched with a DVD movie and enjoyed at home. Because of the technology of today these commentaries can be enjoyed with some current movies of today. Something MST3K was unable to due to rights issues. But because of Rifftrax’s association with MST3K, movie commentary is back.

And as a fan, I could not be happier for it. Sure, they could bring the show back but that is neither here nor there. Also, as a filmmaker, I found MST3K as useful as any film school course. Which is the highest compliment I could pay to that classic show.

On August 19, 2010 Fathom Events presented “Rifftrax Live: Reefer Madness” at select movie theaters across the country. This is the third Rifftrax Live event I have attended in the theater after “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and their, “Christmas Shorts 'Straveganza”.

While I thoroughly enjoy the downloadable commentaries that I have seen, nothing beats seeing Mike, Kevin and Bill live and riffing on movies. Sure, there is a detachment from seeing it beamed into a local Cineplex but in essence that is how it should be seen, in a movie theater.

Plus, the energy of a live crowd seems to bring out an extra glee in the Boys. They are quick to adlib making for some great moments. With “Reefer Madness” they debuted three unseen short films, “More Deadly than Dynamite”, “Grass” (Which is earning, quite aptly, a cult status of its own among the fans.) and “Aesop’s Fables: Frozen Follies” which had nothing to do with Aesop as far as I could tell.

I have never seen nor purchased the “Rifftrax: Reefer Madness” DVDs so I was coming into this with a clean slate as I understand that much of the riffs are recycled from previous commentaries. They seemed to excel at riffing the short film as they contained the jokes that I remember most. It is always golden whenever Mike can work in a “There Will Be Blood” reference. I believe because they have a limited time frame with the short films that they come up with “A” material for those while at times the riffs in Reefer seemed like filler.

What made MST3K work was that they broke up the features with skits and judicious editing. It is like stand-up in front of a live audience where you are given a time limit and you can come up with great adlibs. With Reefer I found myself smiling more than laughing out loud like I did with something like “At Your Fingertips: Grass” which in between bouts of laughter I found myself proclaiming over and over “What the Hell?”

I did not care much for the shorts by Lowtax or any of the other guests they have had in the past. They seemed to be distracted and out of place. I would like to suggest, as a fan, Rifftrax come up with new material for the live movie events rather than recycle the DVD commentaries. It sounded practiced and not fresh and energetic. That would be my harshest critique of the event. Other than that, seeing Mike, Kevin and Bill interact with the audience and each other is always a fun and funny treat. What I enjoyed the most is the camaraderie between Mike, Kevin and Bill. That part is what endears the fans to the premise of Rifftrax Live.

I look froward to their next live event. Whether you are a fan of Cinematic Titanic or Rifftrax, it behooves you to catch any incarnation live. It is worth it to see old friends like Mike, Kevin and Bill, and Joel, Trace, Josh, Mary Jo and TV’s Frank still out there, dedicated, and providing you with what they do the best: getting You.

Highest Recommendation

© 2010 Ernest M. Whiteman III