Known for Acting
Monty Python’s influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles’ influence on music, a pivotal moment in the evolution of television humor. Celebrating the cultural legacy and influence of the troupe, this special pairs their original material with new and entertaining commentary from celebrities who consider Monty Python hugely significant, both personally and to the history of screen satire. Celebrity humorists discuss, laugh, and reminisce about various Python segments and bring a fresh perspective to the material, connecting Monty Python’s work to today’s most successful television humor. In a time when a few moments of escape and laughter couldn’t be more sought after, this special reminds viewers of Python’s cultural impact, and that PBS introduced them to American viewers.
Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu are back in the movie-riffing business. They wrote, and starred as Dr. Clayton Forrester/Crow T. Robot (Trace) and TV’s Frank (Frank) on a little Minnesotan puppet show you may have heard of called Mystery Science Theater 3000. Now they’re at it again, riffing movies across the US and live online, every second Tuesday of the month.
Bill and Kevin are joined onstage by the great Paul F. Tompkins, and together they host and riff an amazing set of bizarre short films. The shorts cover every subject under the sun (y’know, because “Day”), from workplace safety to childhood safety to sentient talking pillow safety. And that’s not all - we’ve got more guests, riffing teams and legends galore! John Hodgman, Frank Conniff & Trace Beaulieu, Cole Stratton & Janet Varney, and Bridget Nelson with Sean Thomason, RiffTrax Senior Writer, making his live riffing debut.
Scott Bateman has suffered from depression most of his life, so of course now he has made a funny and visually-inventive autobiographical documentary about how his depression feels. The film is structured as a fast-paced 100-question test and includes appearances by Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut), Frank Conniff (Mystery Science Theater 3000), comedians Lane Moore (Tinder Live) and Dave Hill (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and more. Made on a budget of $5000, the film is packed with visual effects and animation created by director Scott Bateman, who also wrote, composed the music, edited and shot The Bateman Lectures on Depression.
Made for television in 1978, The Astral Factor features a convicted murder who learns to use the power of his mind to move objects and make himself invisible. he escapes from prison and hunts down the women whom he believes have wronged him. He is pursued by a dogged police lieutenant.
Mike, Kevin and Bill were joined on stage by their MST3K colleagues at the State Theatre in Minneapolis to bring it back to their roots in an MST3K cast reunion the likes of which have never been seen before! Joining the guys are their old cohorts Frank Conniff (TV's Frank), Trace Beaulieu (Crow, Dr. Forrestor), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), Bridget Nelson (Nuveena, Mr. B), as well as Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson, AND the host of the revived MST, Jonah Ray, for a hilarious night of riffing for RiffTrax's 20th Live event. Taking turns in various permutations to riff on a slew of old-timey shorts, the show culminates in a Super Riff-A-Palooza finale with all nine riffers on stage at once!
A travel show fronted by our intrepid host, Jonah Ray, where the places are real, but the people aren't. America's Never Been Citier...
THE FRANK is a light-hearted music video featuring many of the original cast and crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000, with a special appearance by Dave (Gruber) Allen. A misguided Mad Doctor misses one of his oldest and deadest friends. Goaded by the demands of the children in the neighborhood, and assisted by his ghoulish, yet whimsical butler (Gruber), he sets out to reboot his old pal and bring him back to life - in a song. Featuring the song "Do the Frank".
Before Lisa Lampanelli and Sarah Silverman shocked audiences with dirty jokes and raised questions of a woman's place in comedy, there was Mae West. And at the same time as Mae West, there was Margot Rourke, who nobody has heard of but who was responsible for the greatest dirty ditty of all time. This is her story — a short film about the first female fart comic.
Something is very wrong in the Southwestern desert! It starts when rogue rattlesnakes attack two young boys, and it goes downhill from there. The local authorities summon herpetologist Dr. Tom Parkinson to investigate why the snakes are being such jerks. With the help of photographer and fledgling feminist Ann Bradley, the two of them embark on a haphazard and half-assed investigation – and romance. The hunt leads them to a nearby army base and its uncooperative commanding officer, Colonel Stroud. But when marauding rattlers kill two soldiers, the medical officer on the base can no longer keep silent and reveals the terrible secret, unleashing a chain of events, which lead to all kinds of explodey 1976 action, putting an end to the deadly rattlers. Maybe...
Fed up with the cruelty and stupidity of American culture, an unlikely duo goes on a killing spree, killing reality TV stars, bigots and others they find repugnant.
The bugs shall inherit the earth! Or so says Annabelle, the hottest, the sexiest, and by far the craziest psycho blonde chick to hit Japan since WWII. Deeply embittered about the whole man's-inhumanity-to-man thing, she enacts a diabolical plot to unleash a swarm of mutant insects on the world that will destroy all living creatures except creepy crawlers. Ensnared in all this madness is a philandering island-hopping bug collector and his compliant and slightly pregnant wife, a humorless doctor from the mainland, and a United States airman named Charlie, whose way of starting a conversation is to hysterically scream "Genocide!" and then go off his rocker like the dedicated military professional he is. If you want to watch a story where everybody gets their nuclear holocaust on in the grand tradition of radioactive Japanese monster movies, this is the film for you!
