basics...
The Muppets return to the big screen for the first time in years. Massive Muppet fan Walter and his brother Gary (co-writer Jason Segel) learn of Tex Richman's (Chris Cooper) plan to tear down the disused Muppet Studios and set out to convince Kermit and the rest of the gang, who have gone their separate ways, to reunite and put on a telethon to save the theatre from destruction.
brilliant...
I had high hopes for The Muppets, and when I heard that Jason Segel would be scripting and starring I prepared to lower them a little. How wrong I was. What Segel, writing partner Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin is a celebration of everything that is fantastic about the Muppets, that is respectful of their history and celebrates their unique brand of comedy in a fresh, modern way. It is as much a film as a love letter to everything the Muppets were and are, in much the same way that Hugo and The Artist drew on and celebrated early cinema. Hilarious from start to finish, the human cast, including Amy Adams and a host of cameos from the likes of Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jim Parsons and Whoopi Goldberg, are just as funny but thankfully do not overshadow the Muppet performers. Once the story is set in motion (and the plot's nothing new, a similar 'theatre-in-jeopardy' macguffin was used in TV-movie It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie) and the Muppets get back together, the humans fall into the background and Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Swedish Chef et al get to be their incredibly funny selves. The references to the original Muppet Show, including a lingering shot of Jim Henson's photograph, are touching and connect the new movie with the modern Muppets. Some of the best bits of the movie: the introduction of 80's Robot; the inspired song and dance numbers, including Oscar winning Man or Muppet; the myriad of Muppet cameos from the TV show - nearly every shot with multiple Muppets features one or two familiar faces; the montage sequence and travelling by map; and the part that had tears of laughter rolling down my face: Clarissa and the Chickens performing 'Forget You'... Priceless.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the unexpected bonus that preceded the movie in the form of the Toy Story Toon: Small Fry, a short that sees the whole of the Pixar gang reunited. A Happy Meal sized Buzz stows away in the toy's new kids' backpack while regular Buzz is inducted into a Forgotten Toys Anonymous therapy group. The magic of Pixar is well and truly captured in just 7 minutes. I'm also rather looking forward to new animation Brave, which was trailed alongside 3D Beauty and the Beast.
briefly...
The best Muppet movie in years, I left the cinema with a massive grin on my face, full of enthusiasm and praise for such a lovingly-crafted film.
Part of the massive Muppets themed bundle I got Andrew for Christmas, was season 3 of The Muppet Show on DVD, but before we get to that we had to watch season 2, so that's precisely what we did.
An improvement in tone and humour over season 1, not to mention recognisability of the guest stars over 30 years since the series went out meant that I enjoyed this season more than the previous. Knowing who the weekly guest star is doesn't necessarily improve my enjoyment of the show, but it sometimes helps! Sometimes I'd heard of someone, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out of a line up, however this season there were some true greats - Elton John, John Cleese, Peter Sellers, Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev, Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters (last seen in season 3 of Ugly Betty running YETI!) and Julie Andrews - many of whom are still around today, although all too often the guests where getting on a bit when they appeared in the Muppet Show and didn't last much longer - Zero Mostel was not old, but he died only days after his episode was shown.
One of my favourite guest stars of the season was Teresa Brewer, an American singer I was not familiar with before. She had an excellent voice and sang some great songs on the show, yet she was also very funny in the comedy sketches. Not every guest star was adept at both. John Cleese didn't really get songs, and his comedy was top rate. Some of the acts, such as Bob Hope, I don't think really 'got' what the Muppets was and so sometimes looked a bit uncomfortable - when the guests loosened up and just went with it, these were the best episodes. Rudolf Nureyev's was a surprisingly funny (and stangely hot, for he spent one number in just a towel) turn, and is an example of someone I'd heard of but wasn't very familiar with.
As for the Muppets themselves, the writers really seem to have landed on who works best and when, in comparison to season one. That means Miss Piggy gets an expanded role - especially with the introduction of the hilarious Pigs In Spaaaaaaaaaaace 'sitcom'; Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker make more appearances; the Swedish Chef becomes more of a fixture; and Fozzie gets more to do backstage than just get heckled onstage. Statler and Waldorf seem to have had more to do too, although that just may be my selective memory at work. One of my favourite recurring spots is the cringe-inducing pun-packed Doctor Bob sketch, with Rolf, Miss Piggy and Janice in an operating theatre - every time the announcer comes on at the end of the sketch and the three Muppets start looking around for his voice, it cracks me up!
There's nothing quite like the Muppet Show, and there's not been anything even remotely like it since (Muppets Tonight not withstanding), so it's a joy to watch.
I got Andrew a load of Muppets/Sesame Street themed gifts for Christmas, including CDs, a book, a belt, cuddly toys, a Swedish Chef mug, and DVDs. One of the DVDs was A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, a new Muppets movie! Well, a new TV movie, or special. As Xmas is now over, we thought we'd better watch it now or wait another 11 months.
Following of the heels of the excellent Muppet Christmas Carol, and the great It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Letters to Santa is shorter than the others at just 45 mins (plus 10 mins of hilaious 'outtakes') but no less funny and was infused with marvellous Muppet magic. Everyone is present and correct, including Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Rizzo and the relatively new Pepe the Prawn, and there are some wonderful celebrity cameos from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane and a dazzling Uma Thurman. Also cameoing for the most part are Sam Eagle, Beaker and the Swedish Chef, in 3 particularly memorable and funny scenes.
Beaker is particularly great - Doctor Honeydew invents a hat that creates whatever gift you think of while wearing it. Beaker is the usual guinea pig and he conjures up a beautiful (human) woman, who also speaks like Beaker! Genius.
There are some great modern gags about email, and computers (Pepe has to give up electrical equipment to go through an airport scanner, so deposits a Blackberry, a raspberry, a strawberry, and a photo of Halle Berry) which show that the Muppets can still be current, and their humour is not dated. This is proven by those wonderful YouTube creations from Muppet Labs - Beaker 'singing' Ode To Joy is a favourite.
I'd say the only slight downside to this movie is the inclusion of several forgettable songs that seem a bit out of place. Andrew also thought the story was a bit Disneyfied, what with the message about Christmas being a time for family, but I thought it was a nice enough moral that wasn't too cloying.
More Muppets please!
Since 'tis the season and all that we watched the non-more festive The Muppet Christmas Carol today. Naturally I've seen it before, and it's only now after reading the entry on Wikipedia that I realised I wasn't going mad. I remembered a ballad that was sung by the young Scrooge and his fiancé from the last time I watched it (on video), but there was no such scene here (on DVD)! Turns out the song was chopped from the theatrical release, put back into the video release, and then chopped out of the (Region 2 ) DVD again! Humbug!
Anyway, that aside, I enjoyed the movie lots. Watching it as an adult I was surprised as to how much this version of the story adheres to Dickens' original, right down to quotes from the text. Impressive from something that could have been just a collection of half-arsed Christmas Carol cliches as several versions I've seen are guilty of. There's much to enjoy here - the Muppets are as hilarious as ever, and Michael Caine is genuinely moving in his portrayal of Scrooge. I think it's a brave move for the film's makers to sideline such Muppet greats as Miss Piggy and Fozzie to supporting roles and concentrate so much on the human Scrooge. The three 'new' Muppets who appear as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come are effective, especially the latter, a terrifyingly mute vision in black.
This movie ranks up there with the greats - The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Treasure Island, and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie! I can't wait for Christmas day, for more Muppet-filled fun when Andrew opens his presents...!
