Star Wars
    The gang has done well with this franchise in the past, unfortunately the first, er, or is this the 4th? Proves to be their undoing. This simply isn't very funny. It's loaded with cheap and childish jokes and old material that's be done to death ("This reminds me of my family", etc - Funny but wearing thin)
    I received a handful of laughs, about Luke's whining and R2D2's lack of flying to name two, and Bill gets the best line comparing the force to cosmic duct tape. There are some funny bits at the end, a few chuckles over a guy named Porkins and the medal ceremony was probably the best part of the entire 'trax. But it's overall weak, very weak.
    A week ago I watched a Star Wars iriff from a group calling themselves "Blame Society". It was no great shakes either and the folks there can't match the delivery and character of Mike, Bill and Kevin's voices. But even with their rather flat cadence the jokes for the Mos Eisley sequences were far better by comparison (The bit with Obi-Wan talking to the Storm Troopers, the Greedo as Koosh Ball head). But in truth neither version impressed. Bummer, I thought this film would translate into big laughs.

Reefer Madness
"Did your boyfriend enjoy meals? We must know!" - Mike
    And they come full circle. Reefer Madness was where it all began. It was the first step towards this thing we call Rifftrax. I remember laughing so hard at Mike's audio track (more commentary style than full out riffing) on its release and hailing it as the greatest commentary track ever. Listening to it now, it is quaint but Mike sounds subdued, almost uncomfortable at times and it's not up to the quality of trax to come. So, as with Plan 9 Mike is joined by Bill and Kevin and the trio augment the original work with new material to give us a better and stronger Reefer. The end result isn't as inspired as the Plan 9 redo, it doesn't have the spark and constancy of the riffing on Ed Woods classic, but it's not bad, not bad at all.
    Most of Mike's better work survives (though sadly, not the batshit insane quip and there is no reference to the colorization this time out). They did give me some extra chuckles concerning the guy who never stops eating, and here and there I'd bellow out in laughter from a great quip (When a character asks, "What's the beef?", Mike responds, "That's actually a far more accurate slogan for Wendy's"). It is a definite upgrade and overall an enjoyable though not top level trax.

Little Shop of Horrors
"Yeah the Teeners really love football shaped plants..." - Bill
    Rifftrax pulls another from the Legend-mines with results running a little less successful than Reefer Madness. There are too many moments where my laughter was non-existent, but there are also a few quick observational quips that kept it afloat. The film itself annoys me. Bill says it best when he calls it "half baked shtick" and it's that kind of humor that makes this movie a difficult one to sit through. "Does everyone in this film have a "whose on first" routine?" cries Kevin, and it certainly seems like that's Corman's comedic recipe.
    Overall this was a middle area riffing, with one disappointment. No one noticed that Digger Smolken from MST3Ks "The Undead" and Mr. Mushnik were one in the same? (or if they did then it's too bad that we didn't get a callback riff)

House on Haunted Hill
"I'm scared so I don't know who I am" - Kevin as Nora
    More do-over shenanigans from the boys and while it's an upgrade from the previous 2 they've re-done this year, it is slanted towards very good, rather than Earth quaking. Mike's original was one of his better efforts for Legend, and I enjoy the movie. Most of his best jokes survive, some are replaced by superior quips (as with Bill's line when the test pilot snags 2 candles) some are lost (I actually like the original riff at the start when Price introduces us to the rest of the guests and Mike hopes they are more than floating heads. In this version Bill offers a cute line about Price's face being re-smallened) Oh, and I prefer Mike's delivery over Bill's with the Salvador Dali's head line
    A few other changes: The "Grandma Rottie" bit failed and they add a running, "John Goodman in the can" gag that quickly wears out its welcome but Mike voices a joke about the Ghost Busters that cracked me up. In the end, the new riffs are hit and miss - the new laughs coupled with the golden oldies don't add up to brilliance, though I feel it's a step up and is the best of the three.

Night Of The Living Dead
"Carl's Jr. is now serving man burgers" - Kevin
    I felt the original riffing on this film was Mike's very worst of the Legend releases. Thus, it would have taken a monumental bungle not to have come up with a substantially better 'trax. And substantially better is what was delivered. Mike's least, became Mike, Bill and Kevin's best effort of the year (on a full length film). And it's loaded with the most new material of the do-overs so far.
    The movie doesn't offer a lot of dialog, so the guys lean on the observational style quips, and those sections were cute. But the fun really kicks into high when the actors get talking and our trio talks back. Adding lines to the script or mocking what was said provided the biggest laughs. There would be stretches where I'd be chuckling or smiling then "POW!" - the guys would get on a roll and I'd be in hysterics. Booming, shake the rafters type of laughter. I haven't roared that hard on one of their full-length features since the Happening. I don't think this was their most steady, wall-to-wall effort (ala the "Matrix Reloaded"), many riffs fail, but as for providing the big gut busters, NOTLD was aces. Much fun and very highly recommended. (oh, and I haven't mentioned it before, but Bill's "What's Happening" gag never fails to crack me up).

Jaws
"Spontaneous mass conniption fits!" - Bill
    In every cinephiles life comes certain "event pictures", movies that become legend, not only because they were enjoyable to watch, but also for the way they effected the culture. For my mother's generation it was Gone With the Wind and Psycho. For me it was Jaws. I have so many fond memories of this film and it's so quotable that it has been used as inspiration for many a quip. It now becomes the greatest motion picture to receive a riffing.
    This 'Trax treads some bumpy waters. The work starts off slow and dries up about mid way. The trio also struggle with Quint's haunting monologue about the Indianapolis. Other than those moments, the riffing works. Lines about Quint as an addled Janitor and the coroner insisting that the first death was a boating accident, even after Hooper confirms it happened by shark attack, "A shark in a boat, right?" - Bill., all of these are golden moments. The guys even manage to throw in another reference to Tommy Bartlett (an oldie but a goodie). So I was happy with this Trax, the tone managed to respect the source material while having fun with it.

Carnival Of Souls
"A sunset on a balcony? Satan himself must have taken her!" - Bill
    Carnival was my favorite commentary from Mike's Legend days. Though it was different, as he augmented the jokes with abundant amounts of trivia. Replacing that trivia means that this update is loaded with fresh material. And how were those brave new quips?
    I found myself laughing pretty steady. The movie offers up a lot of quirky characters and situations that are ripe for the picking. Thankfully that means that the annoying oily guy is raked over the coals. Mike also does this funny mumbled voice whenever the lead actress stares off into space.
     Unfortunately, while they do add many hilarious bits, they also lose some of my favorites as well. The line about the woman having a minor heart attack was missed and Mike's line about shots from an industrial short being slipped in there, was replaced by an unfunny rant about the organ music. A later unfunny rant concerning a hostage situation was another blot on an otherwise outstanding episode (these long rants feel like padding and I could do without them).

Swing Parade
"Oh no, my mule's blind!" - Bill
    I'll get my complaint out of the way straight out. They dumped my favorite riff from Mike's original ("Wow, she's lucky. An old guy gave her fifty bucks and she gets to keep all her clothes on"), losing that line is like remaking Citizen Kane without Rosebud! Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it was a big disappointment. Without that and a few other goodies MIA (spooning Larry) means the original isn't made obsolete by this reworking. Mike's first shot at this had some laughs but was pretty sparse, this version opens very strong -the Mule worrying gag had my in stitches- but it peters out as it goes and after a while I got bored with it
    There are some worthy bits at the end and a smattering of funny jokes tosses in here and there, but nothing to match that sidesplitting opening section. Maybe the movies at fault, it should have provided more funny hats (and blind mules).

The Empire Strikes Back
"So this is what Grover looks like when you shave him" � Bill on Yoda
    Star Wars: A New Hope was one of my least favorite trax, devoid of great wit the laughs were few. The follow up is significantly better, at least for the first hour or so. I received several belly laughs over the C3PO and Gilbert Godfried imitations, talk of suicide pills, man diapers and irritating bits of dialog (as when R2D2 slips into a bog and Luke cries out "Where are you?" Bill angrily offers, "Here's a wild guess... he�s in the water!!") Steady riffing was heard during the Empires first attack on the frozen planet. And Luke's training with Yoda was a non-stop scream as well. Joining in on the fun is Chad Vader, who was given more lines this time out, which frequently had me in stitches.
    Then it all dries up in the blink of an eye. One moment I'm thinking "instant classic", the next - zip! The final 40 minutes is a black hole, sucking away all but a few chuckles. It seems Lando was no substitute for Yoda and that�s too bad. Still worth the money for that strong hour and 20.

Twilight
"He looks like the love child of Matthew Perry and Powder" � Bill on Edward
    Twilight is overflowing with pale teen angst. It's the perfect vehicle for a riffing and MK&B take full advantage of this fact. They zero in on the characters and never let up. There's excessively blinking Bella, who, as Kevin says, makes Sylvia Plath seem like Cyndi Lauper. And Edward the vampire, our riffers really have a blast with this guy. Mike compares his face to a hideous, effeminate, pale James Dean mask and Bill got me laughing when he notices Ed riffing on Christopher Walken.
    Among the many sharp observational quips there's a line about Biology being the only class in school and how the script is loaded with trembly, half spoken sentences. References were cute (Mike imitating the Father from "So I Married an Axe Murder" during the giant head scene). I could spend this entire review listing quotes... yes, it's that funny. In truth I found it to be the best trax of the year and one of my favorites from the Rifftrax catalog overall. The hours were filled with the sound of my hearty laughter, both from the silly film and the silly riffing. Highly recommended.

Planet Of Dinosaurs
"Wonderful, bikini girl dead� Chuck? Alive and shirtless: - Mike
    Stilted, ridiculous dialog, uttered by stilted ridiculous actors. That's Dinosaurs in a nutshell. Not only that but this rank cheesy flick kills off the most attractive character (and likely the worse actor, her delivery was a hoot) right at the start -oh how I missed those floatation devices. Anyway, the story is about some kill-hungry space travelers who crash on an island inhabited by claymation dinosaurs. It's a flick with too much walking and cave approaching and that makes for some dead zones. Still, MK&B do get in a fair amount of solid quips, aided by the movies frequent rest periods and progressive music accentuated by electronic fart noise.

"I believe the original title of this movie was, Rest Period" Kevin

With it being such a tedious film, the guys throw in some singing to fill in the gaps. And while the riffing isn�t often deep, this is the first time I recall hearing "auto da fé" referenced - during a scene when a woman is collecting sticks for a fire. (auto da fé is often pictured in the arts by showing a heretic being burned at the stake). Not their best work, but good fun for the most part.

Casablanca
"So you guys know each other?" � Bill as Laszlo watches his wife talking with Rick
    I was laughing steady at the credits (Highly visible man, Bergman's knife fight and the Beatles!) but once the film began in earnest I found I wasn't able to concentrate on a word Mike, Kevin and Bill were saying. Casablanca is a special film for me, I was a young boy of 8 when I caught it on TV and was completely entranced. At that very moment I became a cinefile. I don't mind the guys riffing on this one, but even though I've seen the movie numerous times, it still demands and receives all my attention. It was tough to focus on the jokes.
    But I gave it my best and found many a laugh. They take the movie to task on a few occasions (Laszlo's disinterest in his wife�s unfaithful past) but for the most part they read and react to what's on screen, twist and tease the memorable... as when they comment that the classic "Here's looking at you kid" was the eras equivalent to "Git 'er done" or when Mike states that he used to leave notes, similar to Ilsa's goodbye letter to Rick, in his kids lunchboxes. The scene when Ilsa implores Rick to give her the letters of transit was pretty good; I liked the Shai LaBeouf quips best of all.
    This was a toughie to get through, the movie too great, the dialog too dense and I doubt I'll revisit this trax too often. Still, there is some funny material (sharp reference, mentioning "The Sorrow and the Pity", Bill's quip about the Bat-signal and Kevin's line about Ashton Kutcher's mom) and it's worth at least one listen, maybe two? Oh, and a missed riff? Not mentioning how much Farrari (when he dons hat and stands in profile) looks like a Snapping Turtle Turk from the Yellow Submarine.

Voodoo Man
"Elmer was left on the Police stations doorstep as a child" - Kevin on ineffective deputy.
    I love the many references (The Zombie/Argent line was a beaut), callbacks (Kevin�s line about Zoey Deschanel's performance in "The Happening") and the quick and witty observational riffing is miles above what they offered on "Planet of Dinosaurs". "Voodoo" is pure MST3K style B movie fun, with a few familiar MSTed actors: Such as George Zucco, Wanda McKay, Bela Lugosi and John Carradine �who, as Mike notices, runs like he's carrying 2 heavy suitcases. The Trax as a whole took me right back to the golden days of MST � this was a wonder through and through.

"A Beatnik is applauding somewhere" � Kevin as Bela snaps fingers

With "Twilight", it's a highlight of the year, my laughter was steady and I'd easily rank this among their all time best. It also provides the line, "Gosh all fish hooks", which could become Rifftrax new catchphrase, ala, "Bonesaw is ready!" or "You eying my lemon drink?". Missed riff. A guy shouts for Stella and we don't get a "Streetcar" quip?

The Room
"The plot races along with no regard to human life" - Kevin
    Basically a nonsensical soap opera � This highly regarded trax was a stop and start affair. The opening sequences did zip for me and Disembaudio bits are stupid as hell. I didn't really get the hype until Johnny walks into a flower shop and finally, that got me laughing.
    Johnny and his cold dead, expressionless eyes are disturbing. It's like watching a living manikin. Out of the blue characters, Denny, unstable lying Lisa, overwrought cancer mom, all of whom spout abysmal dialog that pulls random ideas and thoughts from nowhere and relates it to nothing - it's all pretty weird.
    The riffing isn't bad, though I wasn't laughing non-stop, as I've read others have. The movie makes an easy target and the riffing amounts to playing around with its eccentricities and repeating the characters words and accents (ala, the countless times a character says, "don�t worry about it" or Johnny's "Oh hi so and so") After a while the sameness of material got tiring and I couldn't get through the film/trax in one sitting. it was good but it never had me roaring the way Twilight did. Maybe it's the odd film that's enchanting folks so much and adding to their fun? (and I admit, Johnny's rampage at the end was pretty funny)

Red Dawn
"I'm your real father Robert, I lost you in a poker game when you were two"- Joel
    A long requested movie finally gets its due. Red Dawn would make a good double header with MSTs Invasion U.S.A. and the riffing runs along the same lines, fair to middling. It doesn't offer a steady diet of hilarity ala Twilight, Voodoo Man or even the Rifftrax Presents offering, "Ghost", but there are laughs. The best sequence was when the 3 leads head to a farm house and pick up some gals hiding in a cellar (one of them Swayze's "Dirty Dancing" co-star, Jennifer Grey).
    Joel McHale, very funny on The Soup, does a good job here. His delivery is top notched and he compliments Mike well. I enjoyed some of his oddball observational quips... "Someone's washing machine is off balance!" I also liked the comments on the misheard lines of dialog. And the required Wolverine (the superhero) quip was obvious but funny. So overall, decent material can be found, though it's not a rip roaring success.

Fast & Furious
"Nobody here is under cover or hell-bent for revenge, right?" - Mike
    I hate this franchise; I hate these smarmy actors and I hate the scripts swaggering self-important hip vibe it shovels up in loads. I fart in this movies general direction and nothing makes me happier than to hear Mike, Kevin and Bill do the same. The trio is relentless and I love them all the more for that, it's irreverent and a bit subversive (even a murder doesn't dampen their enthusiastic riffing)

"This looks like the Jim Jarmusch version of Speed Racer" - Kevin

    The 'trax is a solid one, rife with one big laugh after another. Bill takes a shot at Vin that referenced the Pacifier that had me doubled over and Mr. Nelson make a classic observation using the real deal, Steve McQueen to drive home a point. It�s a good mix of funny put downs, clever references and just general silliness... "Who can shift gears the fastest and the most furiously?" - Bill. There's a nice running gag on misheard dialog too.

Matrix Revolutions
�The only way to defeat the machines rests in the hands of� these� machines�� - Bill
    A finale I cared so little about it took Rifftrax to get me to watch it. This bloated, pretentious malarkey was more than I could stand. Even with our mighty riffers holding my hand. Mike sums up my sentiments perfectly during a scene where a character tells Neo that �Karma is a word, like Love� and Nelson adds ��or Hogwash�
    MK&B did a stunning job on Reloaded and while they don�t reach those uproarious levels, they do hit high marks often. My laughter took a dip midway but then it got back on track down the stretch (Though the unfunny "leaning on the poles" gag was grating) - all told it is about on par with what was done on the first Matrix film. Bill spotting Morgan Freeman in drag is an early example of something that got a big laugh out of me. Mike and Kevin�s tag team commentary on the �jumping on the ceiling� scene was another. Call backs to Moose Baby, Mike�s impression of Rod Serling and the pretty much every quip that points out the ever present nonsense found in this movie are a few examples of the goodies to be had.

Dragon Wars
"Crap, we wandered Into Crouching Tiger again" - Kevin
    While D-War doesn't display the most steady - rock 'em sock 'em riffing of all time, I found enough clever fireballs and exasperated bon mots to make this �trax worth while.
    The movie is a lot of jumbled flashbacks and people waking up suddenly from dreams and concerns some hooey about good and bad dragons with names only George Lucas could love. Because of that, one of Mike shortest riffs provided one of the largest laughs � after film characters ask � "What are you talking about?", Nelson responds with a simple "Thank you".
    There is some deliciously dark material that might not be to all tastes: a comment about Bea Arthur�s funeral, Thomas Edison�s snuff film (He once filmed an Elephant being electrocuted to death), and when Robert Forster tells a lad. �Finally, I found you� we hear in response, a resigned -�Oh boy, special page in the yearbook here I come�- In addition to that you can hear them riff on a lot of subtitles, which is actually pretty funny (Note: the rifftrax player won't allow for subs, so I had to watch this the old fashioned way)