Maunderlust

We fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been adrift in a sea of doubt and confusion for lo these 10 years. Fret no more me hearties, there be a port in the storm! It’s called RiffTrax, and it’s a pretty cool way of continuing the great humor of MST3k via the magic of the intertubes.

Last night I had the good fortune of seeing Mike, Kevin, and Bill perform RiffTrax live to Ben Affleck’s masterpiece, Daredevil. Was it as funny as MST3k? You bet. I’d say it rivaled some of the best experiments of yesteryear. Daredevil will soon be available for your downloading pleasure.

Here’s how RiffTrax works: First, you download Mike & the gang’s audio commentary from the internets. Next, you get ahold of a DVD of the movie (Netflix would be pretty convenient). Finally, you sync the movie to the audio file and, viola, DIY MST3K.

You could use an iPod or other portable MP3 player to sync. Or, since most computers have an MP3 and a DVD software installed, you can probably just do it on your desktop. I bet it would be great to have on your laptop during a trip.

Whether you’re a stalwart fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, or just an afficiando of bad movies, RiffTrax is well worth checking out.

BTW: Mike and Kevin have both contributed to the collective wisdom of the Library of Congress. If you like their work in RiffTrax, you may want to check out their other doings:

• Mike Nelson’s Movie Megacheese
• Mike Nelson’s Death Rat!: A Novel
• Happy Kitty Bunny Pony: A Saccharine Mouthful of Super Cute
• Goth-Icky: A Macabre Menagerie of Morbid Monstrosities (A Pop Ink Book)
• Love Sick: A Smoldering Look at Love, Lust, and Marriage
• Fluffy Humpy Poopy Puppy: A Ruff Dog-Eared Look at Man’s Best Friend
• Mike Nelson’s Mind over Matters
• A Year at the Movies: One Man’s Filmgoing Odyssey

[tags]RiffTrax, MST3K, Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett[/tags]