Fans of terrible movies and witty comedy look out for MKE Riffs, Milwaukee’s new monthly movie riffing show. On Thursday, Oct. 4, comedian and host Matthew Filipowicz invites the public to a nearly two-hour long foray into the worst of what the film industry has to offer.
Presented by Milwaukee’s Mojo Dojo Comedy, MKE Riffs will be a live movie commentary “in the style of ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000.’” While the movie of the night is running on a big screen, the host and a guest comedian are going to be on stage, mocking it in real time.
With a goal of “at least four jokes a minute,” Matthew Filipowicz hopes to create an event where the city’s comedy fans can gather regularly. MKE Riffs will poke fun at a new film on the first Thursday of each month at Urban Harvest Brewing Company.
Movie riffing “is a unique form of comedy that Milwaukee doesn't have,” Filipowicz says. Unlike sketches or standup, it requires excellent timing to follow the movie’s rhythm. “It is challenging, but also rewarding and a lot of fun!” he adds.
Although on-stage movie commentaries are uncommon, it is reminiscent of the culture surrounding “movies so bad they’re good,” which garners a near cult-like following among movie lovers. On the internet, making funny videos about terrible movies is also an immensely popular practice, spearheaded by creators such as the Nostalgia Critic.
This Month’s Movie: Left Behind
MKE Riffs chose to start with a bang, by picking what is arguably one of the worst movies in recent memory. The 2014 Rapture movie Left Behind, starring Nicolas Cage, will be the first to be subjected to Matthew Filipowicz’s commentary. Tim Grimes, from Chicago comedy group the Accountants of Homeland Security, will be accompanying the host for this first performance.
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With a score of 12 out of 100, Left Behind is the second worst film released that year according to Metacritic. The movie also obtained an exceptional 1% score on Rotten Tomatoes and three Razzie award nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay and Worst Actor.
The choice of the movie was mainly motivated by its star, Nicolas cage, who is “really a fun actor to make fun of” according to the comedians. For Filipowicz, Left Behind “is such a ridiculous film, [due to] the whole concept of the Rapture and how seriously this film takes this far-right, fundamentalist Christian notion.” Christians beware: the comedians will not shy away from “tackling fundamentalist right-wing ideologies”.
“We have watched the movie more times than any human being actually should, which is never, no one should ever actually watch this movie,” Filipowicz jokes. “But if you're going to watch it, we suggest you watch it with comedian supervision!”
For more information and to purchase tickets for $10, visit mkeriffs.com. MKE Riffs takes place the first Thursday of every month beginning on October 4th at Mojo Dojo Comedy at Urban Harvest Brewing Company, 1024 S. 5th St., Milwaukee.
