Gremlins Online!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7cpAcTIhlc

Originally CinemaSins made a video about Gremlins about 12 years ago, but they have made a new version that is 20 minutes longer than the original, and a much higher modern production value, check a look then come back here for some ranting!

CinemaSins is a an oft-divisive comedy YouTube channel that personally I have been a fan of for a many years. It takes riffing and nitpicking that MST3K perfected eons ago, and puts it in an addictive and easily-digestible format.

I understand some people take films seriously, but I love picking apart my favorite movies, especially Gremlins. This movie is one I have seen more times that I care to try and count, and can recite in my sleep but I still love to laugh at the errors, silliness, and ridiculous plot points that the film presents.

Personally I think the “sinning” the channel does is good-natured in general, especially as the writers and narrator have gotten better over time. Much like well-done parodies by artists like “Weird Al” Yankovic, the great luke Ski, and Insane Ian, this kind of comedy requires a true passion for the source material or it falls apart. Those comedy musicians all appreciate the artists and songs they parody, and are not malicious in their work. Learning the style of another artist or band and adapting it into something else while being respectful of the original is a talent few possess. Most people just punch down in parody, with the intent to hurt. That just isn’t me.
The same holds true for the crew at CinemaSins.
The work they do shows that they truly love film. I mentioned MST3K earlier, can you imagine watching those movies over and over again while trying to write riffs if you truly hated “bad” movies?
Frank Conniff, best known as TV’s Frank in MST3K wrote about this in Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed My Life in No Way Whatsoever. He was the one that would sit through the majority of the worst of the worst films to find the ones that fit the MST3K mould best.

Why do I say all this? It seems every time I bring up the subject of riffing movies or CinemaSins specifically, there is a contingent of people who get extremely offended and agitated that it exists and that the jokes are actual criticism and attacks on their favorite films. Plus I felt like ranting a bit about nitpicking for fun but still enjoying the end product.

Of course they call Stripe “Spike” at one point in this video and it made me want to throw things in an impotent and “person that takes this far too seriously” rage, all while telling everyone to lighten up.

Wow that was a lot for me to say “check out this funny video”.