Do-It-Yourself Mystery Science Theater

Remember the much beloved and long cancelled cult favorite TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000?

If the name doesn't ring a bell, here's the short version: an average Joe and his two robot pals are marooned in space and forced to watch cheesy low-budget movies. To preserve their sanity, they mercilessly ridicule -- out loud -- what's on the screen. Much like what anyone does, sitting on the couch in front of cheesy TV. Only here you had a team of top notch comedy writers, cutting loose with two hours worth of jokes each episode. And what range -- everything from the most juvenile humor to obsure references to Greek mythology or Pinter plays.

A great show, had a long run, won a Peabody Award, I taped every episode -- but now it's gone.


But wait! Now Michael J. Nelson, the former star and head writer of MST3K, is trying something new. RiffTrax, a website where you can download MP3 files of Mike working his old magic -- riffing away at a movie.

They don't provide the movie, or any audio from the movie, just the MP3 of Mike making fun of the movie. Once you've downloaded the file (for $1.99) you can put it on your iPod, any MP3 player, burn it to a disk, whatever. Then you buy or rent the DVD of the movie in question. Get them both going at the same time, and voila! Do-It-Yourself Mystery Science Theater. The MP3s have very good instructions on how to make everything synch up, and stay in synch.

So far there only two completed Rifftrax ready for download: Roadhouse, starring Patrick Swayze, and The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis. More movies are promised, and other commentators alongside Mike are strongly hinted at.

I downloaded Fifth Element -- no problems, sounds hilarious, can't wait to synch them up this weekend.

Rifftrax