For Muppet fans out there, I'm sure you're excited about the upcoming new Muppet Movie coming out this Thanksgiving, written and starring Jason Segel, also starring Amy Adams, and a massive cast of cameos.
A week from Tuesday, on August 23, there's a new Muppet album being released as well, The Green Album. It's an album of original Muppet songs covered by various modern artists. In particular, I liked Andrew Bird's "Bein' Green," "Rainbow Connection" by Weezer and the lead singer of Paramore, Haley, and "Movin' Right Along" by Alkaline Trio. A lot of the rest are excellent as well.
That link above is to an NPR page where you can preview full versions of all the songs. I think the last Muppet release of any kind was that made for TV version of Wizard of Oz, which was alright, but nothing like the classics. There hasn't been a movie release in a decade and a half. For all those who have been waiting for a big Muppet return, enjoy!
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Obviously there's no way of knowing for sure, but, it looks like they're really capturing the old feel.
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Oh hell yes. The Muppets have been tearing it up on Youtube for a while now, it's about time they made another movie. Jason Segel's the perfect "current" comedian to do it, too - he strikes me as the kind of guy whose favorite movies are all Muppet movies.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I have been watching some of the original Saturday Night Live stuff, and as someone who grew up with The Muppet's I was pleasantly surprised to find the humor was originally just disturbed as possible. Monster muppets reading The Joys of Sex, Jim Henson was a weird guy.
Posted by Jeff C. (Member # 12496) on :
The muppets were something I really enjoyed as a kid, but somehow I think if I watched it today I'd probably be really dissapointed.
Still, I'm happy that kids today can see it and hopefully enjoy it just as much as I did.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Kathy Griffin making out with Animal the muppet only increases in comedic value. Proof. Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:somehow I think if I watched it today I'd probably be really dissapointed
The first two movies hold up well.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I still watch and enjoy a Muppet Christmas Carol.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
That is a darn good album! I have listened to it like seven times today, and I am for reals going to buy it when it comes out properly.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
btw...Muppet Movie comes out next week!!
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Great review, and SO good to know that the movie is firing on all cylinders. For a newcomer like Segel to take the reins and score a home run on a series that's been in the attic for ten years is a big accomplishment, especially with such a loyal fan base. I'm geeked to see it next week.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Lyr, your comment about Segel saddens me. He has been making movies since before 1998 when he was in SLC Punk.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
In Lyr's defense, I think it could be reasonable to label Segel as a newcomer. Though he was around doing things like Freaks and Geeks earlier on, his career has picked up a lot in the last few years due to his roles in movies like I Love You, Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (as well as voice acting in Despicable Me] and the TV show How I Met Your Mother. I think as a "new" celebrity, it's certainly notable he is able to continue a previously established franchise of such notoriety successfully and loyally.
[ November 20, 2011, 05:49 PM: Message edited by: SteveRogers ]
Posted by Tarrsk (Member # 332) on :
Lyrhawn may have been referring to Segel as a newcomer to the franchise, guys.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Since 'Muppet Christmas Carol' is one of my favourite movies, I'd love to go see the movie this Christmas season. But it doesn't come out in Europe until next year! Not until February - which seems utterly crazy. Anyone who really wants to see it will have found ways to watch it long before then.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Tarrsk had it. I meant new to the franchise. Frankly I was shocked when I heard that he more or less single handedly resurrected the series and wrote the movie. He's hilarious, and I know he likes muppets, but I'm surprised that Disney, after owning the franchise for a decade with only a direct to TV special as their production, would let him take the reins on something with this fickle a fan base.
Bella -
Muppet Christmas Carol is my favorite Muppet movie. One of my favorites in general.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
I love the shot of Animal in a tux playing the triangle.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I think the marketing campaign for this movie was pretty genius too.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Looks like there might possibly be a new muppet related show coming to a TV near you next year. A family discover that their new neighbours are Muppets.
As long as they're not Jamaican... (sorry).
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I don't have high hopes.
I loved Muppets Tonight, but I don't think it even lasted a season in the 90s.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
It lasted a couple of years. That's still better than what we've had in the decade since.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Looks like it lasted two half seasons. 22 total episodes. More than Firefly perhaps, but not exactly awe inspiring.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
The two things that we needed to have come back:
- The Muppets - Beavis and Butthead
I'm happy. Quit complaining, everyone — our complaining years are behind us. Life is good.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I don't know Samp, Sifl & Ollie and Batman: The Animated Series are still on the shelf. I reserve my non-complaining until I have newly made sock puppet humor and Paul Dini's Batman.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Sifl & Olly
*Hides his freak flag*
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
i'm fairly certain we knew chester in real life, which is more than a little disturbing
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Chester was just another voice done by Matt Crocco (aka Sifl).
You knew the guy?
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I mean, there was this kid in my homegroup class in (I think) my freshman year who was pretty much a .. any interaction with him was kind of pretty much like a Chester conversation, like with the fidgety not-all-there nervousness and bizarre gaps in common sense and knowledge, the completely surreal experience of wondering what the hell he's talking about at any given moment and whether it was related to something that really happened, or was only about some sort of hallucinatory delusion, and the on and off days weaving from hypomania to drugged torpor, symbolic of psychotropics and a lifelong struggle with mental disorder. I mean, if I could go back in time and talk with him again and record it you'd think I was doing a dead-on parody skit of A Word With Chester.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Ah. So... Did he have cereal in his pocket to feed them? Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
Movie was outstanding. I can't give it higher praise. It was the epitome of a "feel good" movie. Amy Adams really shined.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I'm seeing it tomorrow.
I get the feeling from the previews that Amy Adams is the only possible female lead for this movie. I can't think of anyone else who has her...je ne sais quoi.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
If they persist in making more Muppet features I hope they will re-unite Kathy Griffin with The Prawn (does he have a proper name? King Prawn maybe?) the hardest part would be censoring Griffin enough to be in a kids movie.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: I hope they will re-unite Kathy Griffin with The Prawn (does he have a proper name? King Prawn maybe?)
You mean Pepé the Prawn? Okay?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Saw the movie earlier tonight, and...
It was DELIGHTFUL. I absolutely loved it. It was hilarious, and it was an emotional roller coaster. I was depressed in parts of the beginning because of how low they played the Muppet breakup, but by the end I was pretty choked up. It was excellent.
I didn't spoil myself on the cameos so most of them came as big, hilarious, surprises. I recommend everyone go see it. I hope this starts a new franchise with Segel at the helm.
Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
We saw it this past weekend and were all smiles and laughs the entire time! I even teared up at the end. If you loved the Muppets back in the day, you will love this movie. Chances are you will enjoy it on a deeper level than those without a Muppet-loving history.
On a related note, back in October I saw Andrew Bird live and he performed "It's Not Easty Being Green" and made mention of the movie. He joked about writing half a dozen songs for the movie folks and the great lyrics he worked into them, and then they went a chose one of him whistling. Let me just tell you, when it got to the part of the movie featuring his song, well, let's just say I had a total fangirl moment, both as a fan of the Muppets and Mr. Bird. The bruise on my husband's arm is proof. Well, okay, I didn't bruise him, but I squeezed pretty hard I was so tickled.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
To put it shortly, I love this movie. Jason Segel is my hero and they hit every comedic line I would hope to see in a muppets movie.
I would hate to ruin a single minute for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, so just go see it for yourself already.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Huh. I took my kids to see this and they laughed maybe twice. Then I bought "Muppet Treasure Island" and we watched it together, and the movie had to be stopped twice because kids were laughing so hard I thought they might wet themselves. But I don't have a Muppet history, nor do I know a thing about Amy Adams or Jason Segel. (My kids don't, either.) *shrug*
(Side note: after researching this movie some more, I see that there were a lot of celebrity cameos that went right over my head. As in...most of them did. Gotta be honest; if you don't know who the "famous" people are that pop in here and there, there isn't much reward throughout the movie. It's just...Muppets doing stuff. And with only mild funny. Seems like it appeals to people who are current on pop culture.)
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
quote:Originally posted by PSI Teleport: (Side note: after researching this movie some more, I see that there were a lot of celebrity cameos that went right over my head. As in...most of them did. Gotta be honest; if you don't know who the "famous" people are that pop in here and there, there isn't much reward throughout the movie. It's just...Muppets doing stuff. And with only mild funny. Seems like it appeals to people who are current on pop culture.)
You make a pretty convincing argument. I didn't know who most of the "famous" people were when I watched it and am not very current on pop culture outside of recent movies. You had me going thinking that I didn't like the movie... but then I remembered that I thought it was hilarious even without knowing those cameos. Oh well.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The cameos, by and large, weren't particularly funny, they just were sort of there. I thought James Carville's appearance was so off the wall that I laughed a bit. Jim Parsons was hilarious, but I think that might be more reserved as a joke for lovers of The Big Bang Theory. Dave Grohl's was kind of funny too if you actually caught him.
But really, the funny in that movie was absolutely not in the cameos.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I just read that Jack Black was in the movie, talk about not noticing a cameo. What scene was he in?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
He was in a half dozen scenes. He was introduced with Animal and then "brought back" for the final show where he was in half the scenes with the other Muppets on stage. His was a bit more than just a cameo, he was actually a fairly important plot point.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Oh, oh. You are all in danger of becoming godless commies.
Warning: This link may border on inappropriate for younger or more sensitive viewers.
It is to laugh.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Or cry. Or throw up. Or slap people. I haven't decided yet.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:"Whether it was 'Captain Planet' or Nickelodeon's 'Big Green Help,' or 'The Day After Tomorrow,'
All three of those are required viewing in my household. Who can deny the impact those three things have had on the zeitgeist!?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: Or cry. Or throw up. Or slap people. I haven't decided yet.
I'm not familiar with that Miss Piggy quote. Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:"Whether it was 'Captain Planet' or Nickelodeon's 'Big Green Help,' or 'The Day After Tomorrow,'
All three of those are required viewing in my household. Who can deny the impact those three things have had on the zeitgeist!?
*facepalm*
The problem with those isn't that they have a message I disagree with, it's that said message is all they are. A show like Captain Planet is terrible and smacks you in the face with a simplistic message. Contrast this to a show like Gargoyles, which had several episodes with "messages" ... gun safety, illiteracy, etc... but which never felt like messages because the episodes were still great and stood on their own.
I haven't seen the Muppet movie, but I have no trouble believing there is an undercurrent of "big businessmen are villains" since that's a common theme in our fiction. But I really, really doubt that it's dominated by that message. In fact, though I've never seen it, I'd happily bet money against that likelihood.
Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_Frank: I haven't seen the Muppet movie, but I have no trouble believing there is an undercurrent of "big businessmen are villains" since that's a common theme in our fiction. But I really, really doubt that it's dominated by that message. In fact, though I've never seen it, I'd happily bet money against that likelihood.
Nope this isn't the case. The villain is stock-generic-badguy. There isn't even the slightest undercurrent of any anti-big-business propaganda. No one has a problem with the big-business guy buying the theater, or with the oil drilling. They have a problem with the destruction of the theater itself. Heck, they don't even bear any ill will toward the developer, and he is a real d-bag.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
So when you say "nope this isn't the case," you're referring to... what, exactly?
Are you arguing with me? Cause it looks like your assessment of the movie basically confirms my guess. So...
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
quote: Nope this isn't the case. The villain is stock-generic-badguy. There isn't even the slightest undercurrent of any anti-big-business propaganda. No one has a problem with the big-business guy buying the theater, or with the oil drilling. They have a problem with the destruction of the theater itself. Heck, they don't even bear any ill will toward the developer, and he is a real d-bag.
Maybe this will make it easier to understand.
Is Cruella DeVille a villain because she is rich? or maybe its her obsession with nice clothes or is it just her unfortunate last name that causes everyone to dislike her. Oh yeah, she wanted to kill a butt load of puppies for a coat. Tex Richman (the bad guy in the movie that haven't seen but are damning as propaganda) was lying to the stewards of the Muppet Theatre about how he was going to fix the place up after buying it when he was in fact going to destroy the whole place to drill for oil, that makes him a liar and liars are bad (plus he did this whole maniac laughter thing a couple times).
And really if you're gonna go after a kids movie for a self imprinted liberal scheme, we may as well discourage viewership of said movie for its unrealistic portrayal of how laws and city zoning statutes work. After all, you can't drill for oil in the middle of Hollywood.
[ December 06, 2011, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: AchillesHeel ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Yeah, although, it should be mentioned that the bad guy tycoon IS attempting to pull a bait and switch. They all think he's turning it into a museum, not an oil field. Though, he cops to it immediately when called out...and does so in song.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Lets get back to real matter at hand, is it me or was the monster looking muppet that worked for Richman one of Jim Henson's originals from the first season of Saturday Night Live?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: After all, you can't drill for oil in the middle of Hollywood.
Actually . . . I doubt that's true.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
AH, are you arguing with Fox, or with me?
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
With you, in regards to your last post before my highlighted quote.
And Fox news, I'm willing to argue with them about anything really.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
AH, I think that Dan agrees that Fox is wrong about this movie.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Thanks Boots!
AH, the movie as you've described it fits my definition of "having an undercurrent of 'big business is the villain'" to a T (tee?) Tex Richman wants to demolish a theater and drill for oil? Yeah. It's there. No surprise, since that attitude is pretty well ingrained in our pop culture and appears in countless movies. My greater point was... who cares? If I thought subliminal manipulation was occurring (a.k.a. if I was a nutball conspiracy theorist) maybe I'd care. Fortunately, I'm not, so I don't.
By all accounts it's a great movie, and I'm sure the movie never tries to have a message of "see this guy is bad cause he's a businessman!" Therefore, Fox is way off base.
You mentioned 101 Dalmations. 101 Dalmations has an undercurrent of "fur is murder, anyone who wears fur is the devil," but they don't taint their story by trying to jam that message home. So it's a great movie, you can pick that up if you see everything through that lens, but ultimately you'll miss it if you don't. Ditto for muppets and businessmen. Fox sees the world through that lens. I have a pair of multi-focals that include that lens, but I'm clever enough not to waste too much time staring through it. Posted by Traceria (Member # 11820) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_Frank: Thanks Boots!
AH, the movie as you've described it fits my definition of "having an undercurrent of 'big business is the villain'" to a T (tee?) Tex Richman wants to demolish a theater and drill for oil? Yeah. It's there. No surprise, since that attitude is pretty well ingrained in our pop culture and appears in countless movies.
See, that was one of the funniest things to us when we saw it, the fact that it was so obvious, the whole evil businessman, Tex Rich Man thing. Think of the era the Muppets hail from and were popular during. This was a classic scenario. Who's going to argue that Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem didn't at least wish they were at Woodstock or protests in the 60's and 70's? I think that while the big, bad businessman plot was overt, the humor behind it was subtle.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The fact that Tex Richman was such a buffoon of a character who couldn't really be taken seriously should deflate much of the criticism.
SPOILER And for that matter, he recants...though it takes a close head injury to get him to do so.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Spoiler Alert!
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
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