Casablanca (release date 6-2-09)

[Waluigi]

One of the things we like to do here at RiffTrax (during those rare moments when we're not absorbed by our frequent, mandatory company-wide Schnappi sing-alongs) is to challenge ourselves. Sure, it's easy enough to make hay out of a bear-suited Nicholas Cage, but what really tests one's mettle is to see how he reacts when he's staring down the business end of THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE. Yes, our respect and admiration for Casablanca is unbounded, but if our motto—We Don't Make Movies, We Make Them Funny—is to have any meaning at all then it must be tested by fire. So we offer you this, our first in a series of RiffTrax Challenges, where we step outside our comfort zone (our comfort zone, by the way, is a large rumpus room here at RiffTrax Towers, with lots of bean bag chairs, thick shag carpet and a huge supply of Cheddar 'n' Bacon Easy Cheese) for our equivalent of a corporate "team-building" exercise. (We tried the more traditional rafting expedition but lost half our staff. We think it was at a Mobil Station in Bakersfield, CA.)

Will Mike, Kevin and Bill triumph? Merely survive? Suffer a huge smackdown by an angry, gargantuan Sidney Greenstreet? Join us for our first ever RiffTrax Challenge to find out!

Released on Tuesday, 6/2!

www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/casablanca

[callipygias]

Whoa.

[Skyroniter]

Interesting choice for sure.

[Captain Hygiene]

I will watch this with much curiousity.

[Weirdo Writer]

That's...different.

[Torgo]

YES!

I read a positive movie review of Brain That Wouldn't Die once. At the very end the reviewer proceeded to bash MST for mocking on bad movies. It ended with him daring them to take on Casablanca.

Looks like they took that challenge. My boys don't flinch!

[Mr. Atari]

I can't wait. This is by far my favorite movie of all time, and I've seen it hundreds of times. I've often let loose my own riffs because of my familiarity with the film, so I'm excited to see what they come up with.

/slow clap

[sirhamhat]

I dunno... I just don't know.

The sample provided no chuckles, but this is surely a challenge. I think the Rifftrax crew have lost their minds.

[Mod City]

A cool. interesting and different choice. I'm all for it and very curious to see what they do with it.

[Mighty Jack]

Half way through - I laughed during the credits, now I just want MK&B to shut up so I can concentrait on the movie ;D

Even though I've seen this wonderful film many times, I can't focus on the riffs. I've been trying, and what I've heard is okay. I'm going to turn it off, come back later. See if getting out of the groove of the movie helps.

[Mr. Atari]

I got halfway through last night, and laughed out loud a few times. My favorite riff so far: "Boo Berry coming through."

So far, I think it's a good effort. But it's a good example of why they don't usually do movies with a lot of dialogue. Most of the riffs have to be over someone's lines and it's pretty distracting.

[sirhamhat]

I had my worries about this Rifftrax... Not that anything is too sacred to riff or that the RT crew was not up to the task. I just think that there are some things out there that are not conducive to riffing...

I didn't care for the MST3k version of Hamlet and I think this falls into a similar model. Even bad Shakespeare is better than the best Bruckheimer. So, I think they should stick to things that deserve a good ribbing. Modern day big budget movies deserve the RT treatment because they are just so over the top and self righteous, and low budget movies are great fodder because they come up short in so many different aspects of proper film making. Admittedly, maybe this is unfair because I haven't watched the RT version of Casablanca, but I wasn't impressed by the sample, the idea didn't appeal to me, so I think I will stay away from this Riff...

[doctorz]

I am not sure I want to watch this. I probably will, but I have a similar problem that when the movie is actually good, Mike and company sound like a bunch of obnoxious loudmouths who are sitting behind you at the movie theater ruining your movie. This happens rarely, but when it does I can't enjoy the movie or the riffing. I may also pass on this riff. I am conflicted about this one.

[Mighty Jack]

Dr. Z that’s an astute observation. It did come off like that and this is the first time for me, where I experienced that sensation.

And Mr. A – I agree with you. That hasn’t been a problem with me on a bad movie (talk over Cloverfield all you want. lol) but with this one I kept wanting to hear the dialog. Had the movie offered more empty spaces to drop riffs into It might not have been as much of a struggle.

Anway… my review MJs review - decent riffing, but the movie was too strong.

The one missed riff for me. I thought when he wore that hat and was standing in profile, Sidney Greenstreet looks like a Snapping Turtle Turk.

[donthedragonwilson]

Jun 4, 2009 15:20:37 GMT -5 doctorz said:

I am not sure I want to watch this. I probably will, but I have a similar problem that when the movie is actually good, Mike and company sound like a bunch of obnoxious loudmouths who are sitting behind you at the movie theater ruining your movie. This happens rarely, but when it does I can't enjoy the movie or the riffing. I may also pass on this riff. I am conflicted about this one.

Yeah, I'm not sure either... I have the DVD, so I'm ready to sync it up, but I'm just not sure. I'll wait till I hear a few more reviews on this one.