| abstract
| - The Agony Booth (named after 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-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 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 Troper terminology. 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 (Heidi Montag's "Higher"), energy drinks (Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt), interviews (Lloyd Kaufman, Razzies founder John Wilson, etc.), and even the website of a presidential "candidate" (Lee L. Mercer, Jr.). In July, 2010, they began a shift towards video recap series. These include:
* Mr. Mendo's Hack Attack, a video version of their traditional articles, occasionally taking on well-liked films, hosted by Mr. Mendo.
* Red Suitcase Adventures, a more positive look at popular culture, hosted by Sofie Liv.
* Stuff You Like, an analytical look at great film, great TV (and all kinds of tropes), hosted by Sursum Ursa.
* The Blockbuster Chick, celebrating big-budget bombs, hosted by Suzie Mc Ginney.
* Cartoon Palooza, a sarcastic look at recent animated features, hosted by Joey Tedesco.
* The Cheap-Arse Film Review, a look at film that can be purchased inexpensively (in England), hosted by Cheap-Arse.
* The Film Renegado: a celebration of Mexican films and culture, hosted by Jerry Nava.
* Good Bad Flicks, a salute to films that are so bad they're good, hosted by Cecil Trachenburg.
* Mystery Madness, a look at what makes mystery films work, hosted by Full of Questions.
* Saturday Morning Glory, a look at insane episodes of Saturday morning cartoons, hosted by Ryan Lohner.
* Terror Obscura, a look at horror films, good and bad, hosted by Fear Fan.
* The Following Special Presentation, a look at goofy made for TV movies, hosted by Stan Ferguson.
* Thoroughly Manly Musicals, a show about musicals, also hosted by Stan Ferguson.
* The Movie Skewer, hosted by each of the others in rotation, this is a show for the Boothers to review things outside their normal niches.
* The Special Relationship, a spin-off of Britannia Rules?, which examines American remakes of British films and TV shows, originally hosted by Richard Murphy, now run by Sursum Ursa as part of Stuff You Like. The forums attached to the site have a reputation of exclusivity that is debatably deserved; the list of rules (and rationales for banning) are long and detailed, and intelligent argument on a par with the house style is expected whether for or against the subject in question. Likewise, poorly-handled comments can expect to receive the same treatment as any recap subject.
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