The Agony Booth: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
(Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.8.6)
(Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.8.6)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{website}}
{{website}}
'''[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.
'''[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]].
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]].
Line 6: Line 6:
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.
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 ([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.]).
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:
In July, 2010, they began a shift towards video recap series. These include:
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/The_Agony_Booth"