The Agony Booth: Difference between revisions
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{{website}}
'''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131031214846/http://www.agonybooth.com/ The Agony Booth]''' (named after [[Agony Beam|a torture device]] on ''[[Star Trek]]'') is a website that for most of its history has posted recaps of [[So Bad It's Good]] movies and TV shows. Sometimes, its recaps-cum-[[MST|MSTs]] raise a work ''up'' to [[So Bad It's Good]]. The multipage, scene-by-scene recaps usually take longer to read than watching the movie, but that's a feature, not a bug.
Unlike many movie sites, Agony Booth isn't run by fanboys; most of the mods are older professionals (their ranks include a computer programmer, a teacher, a lawyer, a soldier, etc.), some of whom are (or have been) professional authors. The house style is therefore based around thoughtful criticisms of technical and storytelling faults as well as less tangible qualities. They are willing [[Deadpan Snarker|to mock anything]], but will almost never do so without backing it up. As such, the Booth tends to have a "nothing is sacred" policy. (While it's become more apparent with the shift towards videos, it's actually always been the case, as bad films with sizable cult followings were ripe targets from the start.) The writers also have a tendency to use [[All the Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary|Troper terminology]].
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In recent years, in fact, the site's core mission -- while still fundamentally cynical -- has veered further and further into affectionate nostalgia, with a burgeoning TV-recap section that besides the Worst of Trek includes ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Degrassi Junior High]]'', ''[[Jem and The Holograms]]'' and ''[[Knight Rider]]''. These now make up the bulk of the site's postings, while films or TV shows that aren't being recapped regularly appear more occasionally then they once did.
A relentless dedication to nosing out the most offbeat and obscure hunks of pop culture cheese (''[[Deafula]]'', anyone?) also marks the site off from the Bad Movie mainstream. Over the years their article subjects have also included music videos ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140312105913/http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Heidi_Montag_s__Higher_.aspx Heidi Montag's "Higher"]), energy drinks ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140312124802/http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Steven_Seagal_s_Lightning_Bolt.aspx Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt]), interviews ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130917140456/http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Interview_with_Lloyd_Kaufman.aspx Lloyd Kaufman], [[Golden Raspberry Award|Razzies founder]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130917102712/http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Interview_with_John_Wilson.aspx John Wilson], etc.), and even the website of a presidential "candidate" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140312105909/http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Mercer_for_President_2008.aspx Lee L. Mercer, Jr.]).
In July, 2010, they began a shift towards video recap series. These include:
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** Averted with Cecil Trachenburg; the movies he does are ones he thinks [[Needs More Love|Need More Love]] or are [[So Bad It's Good|So Bad They're Good]].
* [[All-Star Cast]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312125825/http://www.agonybooth.com/video441_The_Help_2011_Emma_Stone_Viola_Davis.aspx Mendo's review of] [[The Help]] featured upwards of 10 guest stars.
* [[Alternative Character Interpretation]]: Among others, they've declared that [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312134623/http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Repo__The_Genetic_Opera_2008.aspx Rotti Largo] of ''[[Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' is a pedophile and [https://web.archive.org/web/20160328052504/http://www.agonybooth.com/movies/Its_a_Wonderful_Life_1946.aspx Mary Bailey] is the real villain of ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''.
* [[Angst Dissonance]]: In-universe, Mr. Mendo opens a serious question in his ''[[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]]'' review with a sarcastic acknowledgement that this movie doesn't speak to him in the way it does a lot of college students since he had to join the army.
* [[Badass Mustache]]: Mr. Mendo.
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* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: The forums tend to attract some rather... strange people.
* [[Conspiracy Theorist]]: Parodied. During [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312133308/http://www.agonybooth.com/video397_Last_Unicorn_Movie_Farrow_Arkin.aspx a sleepover] with The Omega, Mendo came to the conclusion that ''[[The Last Unicorn (animation)|The Last Unicorn]]'' was "an elaborate metaphor for a woman's menstrual cycle".
* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: When Mr. Mendo forwards a bunch of his hate mail to the Film Renegado's site, Renegado [https://web.archive.org/web/20131104183145/http://www.agonybooth.com/video337_Atletico_San_Pancho_Never_Too_Young_to_Dream.aspx forces him] to watch Atletico San Pancho. And, when that doesn't work, he starts playing Menudo!
* [[Cool Shades]]: Mr. Mendo's Guccis.
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The [https://web.archive.org/web/20200327081928/https://www.agonybooth.com/loonatics-unleashed-on-ice-14059 horror] that is ''[[Loonatics Unleashed]]''.
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* [[Hilarious in Hindsight]]: Several things noted [[In-Universe]]:
{{quote|'''Ryan''': "This episode was making fun of [[Paris Hilton]] before Paris Hilton even existed!"}}
* [[Hitler Ate Sugar]]: Parodied in [https://web.archive.org/web/20130918024305/http://www.agonybooth.com/movies/Tron_Legacy_2010.aspx this review] of ''[[Tron: Legacy]]''.
{{quote|You know who else was a genocidal maniac? '''Hitler!'''}}
* [[Hypocrisy Nod]]: To cap off [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312143620/http://www.agonybooth.com/video_shows/Mr_Mendos_Hack_Attack/Rubber.aspx a review of Rubber], a pointless, nonsensical film that is being watched from inside itself, Mr. Mendo and The Omega get into a pointless, nonsensical argument that is being watched from inside the review.
{{quote|'''Mr. Mendo''': "[http://www.agonybooth.com/video326_Beast_of_Yucca_Flats_1961_Coleman_Francis.aspx Trying to pick] the worst Coleman Francis film is like deciding what kind of cancer you'd like to have." *Lights cigar*}}
* [[Hypocritical Humor]]: When [https://web.archive.org/web/20130918001411/http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Star_Trek/The_Next_Generation/The_Outrageous_Okona.aspx recapping] the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "The Outrageous Okona", Albert noted that the mention of lasers having no effect on the ''Enterprise'' led to a lot of "[[Star Trek|Enterprise D]] could beat [[Star Wars|a Star Destroyer]]" debates. Then commented: "Some people just have ''way'' too much time on their hands, don't they? And now, back to my six-page dissertation on a Star Trek episode."
* [[Insistent Terminology]]: They do not ''review'' movies, they ''recap'' them. Get this wrong at your own peril.
* [[Jump Scare]]: To illustrate how over-reliant on these ''[[The Haunting In Connecticut]]'' is, Fear Fan provided a [https://web.archive.org/web/20200327081919/https://www.agonybooth.com/haunting-in-connecticut-movie-review-14057 montage] of them set to [[Dawn of the Dead (film)|different music]]. It got pretty silly.
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* [[Smoking Is Cool]]: Mr. Mendo is almost never seen without a Black and Mild (or a cigarette). A cigar even features prominently in his portrait...
{{quote|Although this has been parodied [http://www.agonybooth.com/video312_Twilight_Saga_Eclipse.aspx at least once.]}}
* [[Special Guest]]: [[The Cinema Snob]] showed up for [https://web.archive.org/web/20200327081929/https://www.agonybooth.com/leprechaun-6-back-2-tha-hood-14336 episode 6] of MMHA, as did [[Atop the Fourth Wall|Linkara]] for [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312143620/http://www.agonybooth.com/video_shows/Mr_Mendos_Hack_Attack/Rubber.aspx episode 10], [[Diamanda Hagan]] in [https://web.archive.org/web/20131027122242/http://www.agonybooth.com/video316_Antichrist_2009_Movie_Review_Lars_Von_Trier.aspx episode 14], [[The Film Renegado]] in [https://web.archive.org/web/20131104183145/http://www.agonybooth.com/video337_Atletico_San_Pancho_Never_Too_Young_to_Dream.aspx episode 17], and [[Phelous]] in [https://web.archive.org/web/20140312125825/http://www.agonybooth.com/video441_The_Help_2011_Emma_Stone_Viola_Davis.aspx Episode 23].
* [[Suckiness Is Painful]]: It's implied by the site's name.
* [[Take That]]: A [https://web.archive.org/web/20210328200347/https://www.agonybooth.com/?from=404&s=video+shows+Mr+Mendos+Hack+Attack+Donnie+Darko+aspx review]{{Dead link}} of ''[[Donnie Darko]]'' notes that Donnie's argument about [[The Smurfs|Smurfette]] is very much like a [[Natter]] reply on [[TV Tropes]].
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