I attended one of the local screenings of Rifftrax Live, “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” this evening. Headed over to the Regal Cinema in Waterford Lakes, unfortunately sans wife, as she was preparing for test. It was an absolutely packed house, which is fantastic. Usually, I prefer a little elbow room in a theater, mainly because I’m not a small guy. Tonight though, I was delighted, because I am a big booster of the Rifftrax guys, having been following them since probably 1994 when I first discovered “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. I want these shows to be a success, so the Rifftrax business model can keep growing and delivering us these little treasures.
I had missed the previous Rifftrax Live, which was a showing “Manos: The Hands of Fate”. I felt bad about that. I almost missed tonight’s show due to a migraine earlier in the day, but in the end I decided I couldn’t miss it.
It was a great show. Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and and Kevin Murphy were in top form. I had already seen the film with their commentary on the website. However, there’s something about seeing it with an audience, and a fresh, unedited delivery from the guys. It’s like watching a play live. You never know when one of them might flub a line which could cause an unintentional few moments of off script delivery. These guys are naturally funny, without a script, so these moments are priceless.
The audience ate it up, as expected. “Birdemic” is a bad film. Bad even by Rifftrax’s usual standards. It’s laughable on its own, let alone an endless volley of funny zingers. By the end of the show, your throat and your lungs hurt from the constant LOL output.
Check out the Rifftrax page and watch the video sample from the film.
Also check out “Talkin’ Rifftrax” where Mike, Bill and Kevin discuss the film and their approach to riffing it.
Last, if you like what they do, support these guys. Buy some shorts, donate, whatever. The entertainment they provide is definitely worth it.
