Friday, January 17, 2014

We're Off To Riff The Wizard, The Riffable Wizard of Oz


How could you, Rifftrax?
Why have you become insane with power, and decided to target a movie that is practically a third of all the riffs you have ever delivered on MST3K? Do you think nothing is sacred?

Come to think of it, everyone has teed off on this movie in one way or another. SyFy made its own "variation" with Tin Man a few years back, South Park had its version which ended with Saddam Hussein captured, Saturday Night Live mocked this movie at least twice, and Mad Magazine had a version called "The Guru of Ours" about a fake Timothy Leary-type in 1969. Just recently, NBC unveiled plans for its own variation of Oz, but make it more like Game of Thrones.

So what can Rifftrax to this classic movie from the greatest year of movies ever, 1939?
For one thing, it inspired probably one of my best tweets: "They'll riff you, my pretty, and your little dog, too...and all of us, really"--Wicked Witch of the West after hearing about @Rifftrax". Let's just say Rifftrax liked it.

I also had to do my own Photoshop bit, as you see above. If you remember the MST3K movie, it had its own version of the scene where Dorothy thinks she sees Auntie Em in the crystal ball, and it was really the Wicked Witch mocking her. You might say this was the next level.

So, here's a sample:



The mp3 is now available, and it's safe to say they used both barrels on this movie. For one thing, they kept listing some urban legends about the Munchkins, and expressed deep bias against Kansas.

Update: hey, another clip, but it's more of a random mix of clips.




Here's some of the other riffs they threw at this movie:

Dorothy sings "Over the Rainbow":

Kevin:  It's really adorable until you realize she's freshly covered in pig excrement

The tornado arrives:

Bill:  Well, Toto, you knew this day would come. Time to sacrifice you to the storm gods.

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too"

Mike:  Toto immediately starts planning his revenge piddle

The Scarecrow complaining on how crows aren't scared by him

Kevin:  I've never been able to stop the Batman, either.

Dorothy finds the Tin Man

Mike:  David Blaine's final, lethal stunt

They reach the Emerald City

Bill:  Welcome to Cirque du Soliel World Headquarters

The Cowardly Lion is afraid to meet the Wizard

Kevin:  I don't even like Fred Savage (Google "Fred Savage" and "The Wizard" to get joke)

One of the flying monkeys grabs Toto

Kevin:  Hey, look at me with the dog, I'm Paris Hilton

There's also riffs based on Zero Dark 30, the Kansas City Royals, Nick Nolte (again), a certain spaced-out short, Hugh Hefner, a certain rock band that has a connection with this movie, a really obscure Marvel comics character, two Disney films, and someone from Kate Hudson's family (if you see the second sample, you know which one). There's also a riff connected with Wicked and Oz, the Great and Powerful, too.

It's a very funny riff on a classic film, and may make you starting thinking things about the movie you never had before...and that even after the Oz prequel from last year.

If the Wicked Witch of the West did know about this, she'd probably Netflix the film through her HD Crystal Ball, then hear the riffs  through her iPod, and wonder why Rifftrax didn't target the other Oz movie with James Franco. After all, fair's fair.

UPDATE:  Apparently they're branching out to sound versions of MST3K host segments. Mike Nelson has two Rifftrax home segments in a SoundCloud page. There's an interview of the Munchkin Who Hung Himself just after the Tin Man joined Dorothy and Scarecrow on the road to Oz, which never happened, and Elmira Gulch, the Wicked Witch of Kansas takes on another evil movie character.

Meanwhile, an iRiffer named Ronin Fox had his own version of The Wizard of Oz. Here's his take in two videos:





It's also for sale, and people are starting to compare them both.

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