Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Kickstarting My Heart's Desires, The Sequel

This blog is written just after the end of Rifftrax's diabolical plans to convince people to pay them to humiliate Twilight live in theaters this summer.
Turns out, it's worse than diabolical....it's a dream come true to thousands of people. That may have been obvious after the original goal of 55 thousand dollars was hit in just one hour.

Final tally from the Kickstarter campaign: $264,860 from more than 6100 people who hate sparkly vampires and living dead girls (hi, Kristen Stewart, despite your "I love Rock's Modern Life" speech at the Kids' Choice Awards). That's about 480 percent above the goal.
The extra cash will be used for a cool presentation, and additional blackmail in the form of embarrassing videos  funding. In case Lionsgate says no (killjoys), it's possible another major movie may be the target, such as Catwoman (which might make us appreciate Anne Hathaway more..or even at all), Son of the Mask, The Happening or even The Wicker Man (Nicholas Cage version) or Eragon. Nevertheless, it is going to be one major Rifftrax event. If Bella and Edward are on Rifftrax's crosshairs after all, will the Transformers be far behind?

Kickstarter has gotten a lot of attention because it helped bring the Veronica Mars movie finally come to live. The goal was much bigger, two million dollars, to show Warner Brothers that they want the Noir Nancy Drew to have a better fate than the final episode several years ago. Right now, it's raised four million, and may get a lot more now that overseas donations have been approved. It has more than two weeks to go, and the more cash it gets, the better quality we get.

Come to think of it, anyone want to ask Kristen Bell to be at the Rifftrax Major Event. Judging from her appearances on Craig Ferguson, she may be able to riff with the Rifftrax crew.


Friday, March 15, 2013

Kickstarting My Heart's Desires

Whoever came up with the idea of a website where people can help fund new records, films or products must be feeling pretty good right about now.

Kickstarter has been getting more press than usual since Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas used it to raise cash for a Veronica Mars movie..and it worked a lot better than they expected.


They had hoped to raise two million, and they're at three point four million as of  5 PM Pacific on March 15th. This is even before they get foreign fans in this. Canadian fans are contributing now. This is all because the CW thought watching rich teens with adult problems is more cool than a Noir Nancy Drew whose thinks she ruined her ex-sheriff dad's life in the final episode, and never got the chance to redeem herself. This movie is supposed to give her that chance, and apparently a lot of people want to see that.

When you think about it, the big studios a lot of movies that go directly to DVD, Netflix or whatever. That's why someone was allowed to do a prequel of The Dukes of Hazard before they became the hell-raising family that CBS gladly aired. Why not make a movie that provides a proper ending to beloved TV shows? Dead Like Me managed to do that, but the result wasn't as good as people hoped. The fact that Mandy Patinkin wasn't in it may be one reason. Farscape, on the other hand, did get its final act thanks to fan support. It didn't need Kickstarter.

The success of the Veronica Mars project only suggests the CW should have given her the chance to make it up to her dad, and solve one last crime that stains her home town of Neptune. She may be "exiled" by the elite in Neptune after saving the day, but as long as she has a future in law enforcement...and that some "elite"  may eventually come to her and desperately ask for her help with another town scandal...it would be worth it. Hopefully, that will be coming soon. The demand is there.

However, I don't think it will lead to the revival of a lot of shows. There's a long list of shows people want to see again, and some viewers figure Kickstarter will make it happen. Joss Whedon's shows, sadly, can't be included. First off, he's busy with Avengers 2 and being Mr. Marvel Movies. Also, special effects cost a lot. That's why we'll also have to leave out Pushing Daisies (darn it), although Bryan Fuller has said in Twitter that he'll give it a try. If he can get around the bill for special effects, I'd chip in.  Zachary Levi is suggesting bringing back Chuck, so that we'll know Sarah got her memory back for certain. That's plausible, and wouldn't take too much special effects. Shawn Ryan, famous for The Shield, hopes he can revive Terriers, about a couple of private eyes. Imagine adding Veronica in the mix as a "prequel" to her movie.

However, how about Wonderfalls, so that we get that second season where Jaye is mistaken as a shaman and winds up in the looney bin because wax lions and stuffed animals give her cryptic clues about something or other? I'd also like to see more of The Middleman, because goofy superheroes beats teen serials on ABC Family. Come to think of it, whatever happened to the Gilmore Girls? ABC Family should consider answering that question, and an episode of Bunheads doesn't count. Otherwise, it's Kickstarter time. A few people even asked Lauren Graham about that on Twitter.

If not that, I am still hoping this will happen:


Want a reason? Just look at Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 | RiffTrax. That's enough of a reason.
 
It had hoped to bribe Lionsgate with 55 thousand dollars from the people, figuring that's enough to get the rights to Twilight, so that it can finally get the proper respect. It's up to 225 thousand, because the need to sucker-punch this embarrassing teen vampire romance is much stronger that the need to see the comeback of a teen detective. Both are long overdue, but still....
 
If Mike Nelson and his pals do succeed, the Transformers and GI Joe won't be too far behind.
 
It's all thanks to the internet, and the creation of Kickstarter, which is also good for producing independent comics, CDs, projects and even inventions.
 
I'm still waiting for Lust for Life and Eliza Dushku's documentary on Albania, but I'm sure both are coming. I did get Eliza's autographed recipe in exchange for my support. That keeps my faith, and that's why I'll see movie revenge and a big comeback soon enough.  
 



Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Today the Volturi, Tomorrow Jar Jar Binks




Last week, Rifftrax decided to shoot for the stars, and set up a Kickstarter campaign to get enough money to bribe or use embarrassing photos convince Lionsgate to let them riff on Twilight, the teen vampire movie that launched an tween-based movie empire. They were looking for 55 thousand dollars, and according to Satellite News, that was raised in an hour.

As of 10 AM Pacific Time today (March 5), more than 4300 people have donated about 201 thousand dollars. It's safe to say that if Lionsgate has a sense of humor, and no concerns that three guys mocking this movie will affect anything, this could happen this coming August. However, if Lionsgate considers this blasphemy or could ruin the inevitable reboot someday, Rifftrax could consider another movie like Troll II, The Room, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (or, God, Where's Megan Fox When You Need Her?), Eragon, or maybe Battlefield Earth, Not-Anne Hathaway Catwoman or Batman and Robin.

Meanwhile, response by the media has been fairly slow. It's more concerned about having a president who can't tell the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. However, Geek System has written an article about this, and even Bill Corbett found out Perez Hilton added a blurb to his site. There's also been articles in Wired and Daily Dot.

However, where is the massive uprising by Twi-hards who consider a public mocking of the Sacred Sparkling Vampire Sacrament, the movie that changed their lives, the Ultimate Sin?

Well, it hasn't happened yet. Maybe they are watching all of their Twilight DVDs now that Breaking Dawn 2 is now available. The Rifftrax response is coming on March 14, and that should break the server that delivers the mp3's.
Or maybe they just realized they spent their hard-earned cash on a movie franchise that hasn't been the Supreme Teen Experience they had expected....and now want revenge!

Hey, more than 4300 people can't be wrong, and neither will the thousands more that will contribute through the end of this month. If Twilight does get the Rifftrax treatment, that means any recent movie, as in five to ten years old, is fair game. While Star Wars or Lord of the Rings movies may be a bit out of reach, movies that couldn't start franchises (hello, John Carter, The Lightning Thief, The A-Team) may be in reach. Heck, maybe my dream of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie being riffed could come true, especially if Sarah Michelle Gellar helps out.

If you'd like to donate some bucks to the Rifftrax Kickstarter site, just click here. You can also get some nice thank-you gifts, including a digital download of the August event itself. Whatever happens, it will be worth every penny, and could lead to a new era in movie mockery. Some have even hoped other MST3K alumni may help out, like Trace or Mary Jo. We can only hope.

Monday, March 4, 2013

ICWXP Comics Part 2: In Ludovico's Clutches



When last we left Rick Wolf, TopsyBot and Johnny Cylon in their attempts to strike back against Ludovico in the "lost time" between episodes 1.04 and 2.01, they were in the clutches of the evil corporation that even Wolfram and Hart is too afraid to work for (ask a Whedon fanatic).

Issue two of the ICWXP comic book series, called "The Belly Button of the Beast Is An Outie"  looks at Rick and Cylon basically trapped inside Ludovico HQ. Rick's in the chair where he's forced to see bad movies. Kincaid, hidden in shadows, taunts Rick but also promises him that he'll be with Cylon and TopsyBot again. However, he also adds to the torture thanks to some chopsticks. Meanwhile, Cylon is being examined by two scientists, and they're pretty impressed with how the bot is almost human.

Then, the story takes a strange turn: Rick's in a forest, making a remark that's a callback to the "Talking Car" short, then finds his pals. They also discover they are in a very unlikely place. This may be a hint that Rick's still stuck in a virtual reality.

It looks like Cylon and Rick will be at the mercy of Ludovico for some time, while TopsyBoy tries to fend for itself...and eventually come to the rescue.

Digital copies of both issues are available at www.icwxp.com, along with information about how to preorder the latest DVD, which is coming later this spring. Here's a preview of the next DVD, where Johnny Cylon conducts a very unusual interview that reveals a bit too much. It shows how the boys are keeping the humor of "host segments" from the MST3K days alive.




Killing the Keg


Another Closed Business

When customers at the Pyramid Alehouse on K Street in downtown Sacramento left, they were looking forward to coming back for March Madness, the next Sacramento Kings game, and even baseball.

However, when some of them returned, they found this...

What Customers Are Finding

It was a sudden announcement that the alehouse was closed for good. No "one more for the road" night, as Brew It Up did several months ago, and the Hard Rock Café before that. It was a sudden goodbye. I can imagine the staff going to sleep employed, then waking up without a job. That happens a lot these days.

The news was first announced on Facebook, ironically the day after Beer Week. They were even featuring some of their beers at a BevMo in Citrus Heights a few days before. It looks like the main office in Seattle decided to make this move at the last second. Still, even the bar should have gotten two weeks notice.

So...why? That's what a lot of people are wondering, including this woman who was interested in spending lunch....

It's Closed?

I know one person who posted on Facebook claimed it was due to "street urchins" bothering people. It could also be competition. When it first opened, it was the top choice for having a bite to eat downtown. Now, there's Dive Bar, Pizza Rock, K Bar, and a few others close by. KCRA says the closure was due to economic reasons, and that may be due to competition.

It's really a shame. I did go there a couple of times to try their beer. I prefer buying beer and having it at home, but the experienced of enjoying a pint at a brewpub is special.

I even went there on a Sunday, when people got a chance to "kill the keg", or empty out a keg of beer, for prizes. In fact, much of the decorations at the alehouse were still there:

Killing The Keg Indeed

They'll be a lot of people hoping to wet their whistle at the Pyramid Alehouse for sometime to come, and all they'll find is this:

Goodbye, and thanks for all the beer

The worst thing is that it will take weeks to remove the exterior. Hard Rock Café and Brew It Up took a long time to remove their decorations, and it took quite a while to remove "Power Balance" from outside the now-Sleep Train Arena.

There's already reports that someone will take over the alehouse. If so, maybe the former employees should be among the first to get a job there.