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Looking for a reason to drag out your old copy of The Matrix or Raiders of the Lost Ark? OK, bad examples, you don’t really need a reason for those. How about Batman and Robin or Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith? These movies can actually be tolerable with the help of Rifftrax, possibly the greatest thing to happen to home movie viewing since Netflix. Created by Mystery Science Theater 3000 alum Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, they continue the tried and true formula of commenting (hilariously) as a film plays. If you’re not familiar with the format, think of it as having your three most sarcastic and absurd friends sitting in your living room with you, with a constant running commentary. Yes, it could be annoying if you’ve never seen the film, but Rifftrax tends to hit the most popular blockbusters that you’ve likely seen 50 times.

I’ve seen MST3K in the past, and Ryan is a huge fan (and by “fan” I mean he was an actual fan club member…), but it was our friend Dan that introduced us to Rifftrax a few months ago. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard more about it, considering how neatly it fits into two major areas of interest for me: geeky movies and downloadable content. Getting your Rifftrax is easy enough: you pick a movie, download the Rifftrax audio file, and then follow the syncing instructions. Throughout the film, DisembAudio (the robotic voice behind their “Perfect Synch Technology”) will read a line of dialog at the moment it should be said on the film, so you can pause for a second if you’re out of sync. Beware — the syncing process can lead to arguments amongst video watchers: “No, just pause the film for a second!” “No way, it’s the Rifftrax that’s off, pause that!” “Oh great, now it’s totally screwed up…” and so forth. Luckily, they have their own RiffTrax Player that will do all the work for you, if you’re watching the DVD on a PC (dammit).

I’ve seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, 300, and The Matrix so far, and 300 was definitely my favorite. There are over 50 titles available and they cost between $1.99-3.99, and it’s absolutely worth the money to breathe new life into some of these films.