Product Details

• Actors: Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy
• Directors: Various
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Legend Films
• DVD Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0030VBGJ0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,425 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Legend Films Inc. Release Date: 01/26/2010 Run time: 202 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Rifftrax? It beats Vandalism I suppose..., February 9, 2010

By 

McGillicutty "DVD Fan" (The Sooner Nation) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rifftrax: Wide World of Shorts - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000! (DVD)

Take ten shorts, mix them with riffing from three former MST3K Vets, shake 'em up and the result is the very funny collection, "Wide World of Shorts". Along with it's companion, "Shorts-tacular, Shorts-straviganza" we have two worthy DVDs for your collection.

The shorts live up to the Rifftrax title as they range from carnivorous plants to drinking kids to being scared of water to cramming food down one's piehole. We start with the dangers of suicidal depression because someone got a "B" instead of an "A" in the short, "Snap Out of It". The riffing is side-splitting, especially when the principal sits in his oddly plain office while Mike sings under his breath, "...you spin me right 'round baby right 'round..." A great start which sets the tone for the rest of the shorts.

Highlights include the pointless, "Alcohol Trigger Films" made during the '70s which shows the dangers of 10 year olds sipping beer and tearing up a rather shabby apartment, a tipsy Mother driving a stationwagon which apparently is not as dangerous as her embarassing behavior, and pre-teens slammin' schnapps in a park. "Why Vandalism" shows that boredom leads to accidentally killing a large, docile rabbit. And the pro-beer "As We Like It" which encourages what "Alcohol Trigger Films" is against.

My fave is the earnest, but hopelessly naive "The Terrible Truth" which tells the story of a young, beautiful teen who shoots up with herion non-stop, gets arrested, and destroys her life. Afterwards, she looks just as hot. I guess being on "the dope" isn't all that bad.

"Aqua Frolics" suffers from the dreaded "YouTube" strobing effect seen on other Rifftrax DVDs. Though admittedly it's not too distracting.

The DVD Menu is as plain as it gets, but it's complimented by Kevin Murphy belting out "When a Man Loves a Shark" on the soundtrack. It's hilarious, just like the riffing on the shorts. Get this today.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self Conscious Guy wants you to watch this!, June 3, 2010

By 

Ana Mardoll (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rifftrax: Wide World of Shorts - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000! (DVD)

RiffTrax: Wide World of Shorts / 844503001528 / B0030VBGJ0

This screamingly funny shorts collection contains the following:

- Snap Out of It: If you loved the "Act Your Age" short from RiffTrax Shorts Volume 2, then you'll love this - same adult actors playing extremely moody high school students, same creepily mustachioed principal, and same cheery condescending narrator! Heck, for that matter, it's the same Family Friendly Aesop!

- Alcohol Trigger Films: Drinking is Bad. To prove it, here's a series of films about drunk people exhibiting above average driving skills and having normal, dull conversations.

- Carnivorous Plants: Mousetraps are a sacrilege against God.

- Aqua Frolics: Dinner under the sea? Madness!

- Why Vandalism: A chilling short on the dangers of vandalism. Do NOT follow the white rabbit!

- Self Conscious Guy: Practice Shakespeare in front of a mirror once a day in order to gain exceptional public speaking skills and a girlfriend. (* Note: Results Not Typical.)

- As We Like It: Beer is Awesome. To prove it, here's a series of endearing water colors of happy bartenders.

- Toward Emotional Maturity: Marvel as a young lady grows up and learns that torching forests, vandalizing houses, and white-hot-fencing-hatred are all unacceptable behaviors - and all because her high school teacher threw a snake at her!

- The Terrible Truth: Being hepped up on Mary Jane is Bad, kids. Everything speeds up, until you're basically forced to take heroine to ease the shakes. And Commies are supplying our kids with drugs in order to take down our school system - like they did in China. True story.

- Good Eating Habits: If you're not tucking in six square meals a day, you're just not trying hard enough. CHEW!

Seriously, this is one of the best shorts collections yet. (And it played fine on our DVD player, so as of June 2010, the "bad batch" that other reviewers seemed to heave been getting must have been fixed.)

~ Ana Mardoll

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Carnivorous Plants And Aqua Frolics...Yes, RiffTrax Is At It Again!, June 5, 2011

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rifftrax: Wide World of Shorts - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000! (DVD)

"Wild World of Shorts" is yet another collection of strange and amusing educational short films skewered by our friends at RiffTrax, Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, and Mike Nelson. I must admit that this is not my favorite RiffTrax shorts collection, and actually teetered between a three and four star rating, but settled on four as the riffing is very good even if the source material isn't as inherently funny as in some of the other sets.

My favorite of the set were "Carnivorous Plants" which is a religious film (really,) and "Alcohol Trigger Films," which is a very 1970's look at parental alcoholism, bad behavior, and the life-scarring embarrassment it causes for children. The mother's driving skills are exhibit A, and are quite frightening: I can only imagine how much scarier she would be today in a giant SUV on her cell phone instead of serenely driving in her quaint station wagon. "Aqua Frolics" features an annoyingly flickering effect, but is still modestly amusing: they certainly don't make movies like this today.

The set unfortunately features a disproportionate number of teenage angst related pictures which are tiresomely repetitive, especially considering that the same thematic area is so well covered by other RiffTrax sets. Two cures for insomnia, "Toward Emotional Maturity" and "Why Vandalism?" headline this genre and are more similar than different, and both are unredeemable for me, even with the RiffTrax treatment. Aimed at a slightly younger crowd, "Snap Out of It" and "Good Eating Habits" are equally boring, but at least diverge (if just a bit) from the theme of juvenile delinquency. Not diverging from the JD theme, though, is "The Terrible Truth" about a beautiful girl who becomes a drug fiend. This one features some of the best writing and riffing, but didn't stray far from oft-covered ground.

"As We Like It" serves as an entertaining counterpoint to "Alcohol Trigger Films," as it celebrates the wonders of beer. Yes, in this movie, beer drinkers are erudite and cosmopolitan conversationalists in a world where everyone is polite and happy, and not only does the national economy hinge on beer production, so does the very fabric of civilized society. It's hilarious, if wholly inaccurate, and the RiffTrax crew make the most of its golden comedic potential.

"Wide World of Shorts" is amusing, but is not one of the best RiffTrax shorts collections; despite its occasional monotonous subject matter, though, fans will enjoy it.