Movie Night: The Muppets.

Review #522: The Muppets.

Cast
Jason Segel (Gary), Amy Adams (Mary), Chris Cooper (Tex Richman), Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog/Beaket/Statler/Rizzo the Rat/Link Hogthrob/The Muppet Newsman/Lips), Eric Jacobson (Miss Piggy/Fozzie Bear/Animal/Sam the Eagle/Marvin Suggs), Dave Goelz (Gonzo/Dr. Bunsen Honeydew/Zoot, Beauregard/Waldorf/Kermit Moopet), Bill Barretta (Rowlf the Dog/The Swedish Chef/Dr. Teeth/Pepe the King Prawn/Bobo the Bear/Beautiful Day Monster/Mahna Mahna/Behemoth/Fozzie Moope/Muppet Gary/Whatnot Hobo), Peter Linz (Walter), David Rudman (Scooter/Janice/Miss Poogy/Wayne, Nigel the Conductor/Bobby Benson), Matt Vogel (Floyd Pepper/Camilla the Chicken/Sweetums/'80s Robot, Lew Zealand/Uncle Deadly/Crazy Harry/Rowlf Moopet), Rashida Jones (Veronica), Jack Black (Himself), Alan Arkin (Muppet Studios Tour Guide), Bill Cobbs (Grandfather), Zach Galifianakis (Hobo Joe), and Jim Parsons (Human Walter) Directed by James Bobin.

Review
It had 12 years since the release of Muppets From Space (#377), and in that span the Muppets were confined to television specials only (Okay, okay, I admit to watching A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa when I was younger, it wasn't bad, but I don't remember watching any other special), until this film. I wanted to end this so called Muppet Trilogy of mine with this film because the first part of the trilogy began with the first, and so it only made sense to finish with the most recent (Muppets Most Wanted hasn't been released..yet.), and...this is a good Muppet film. It has its moments of fun, and Walter is a welcome addition for the Muppets, the human cast is interesting because Segel and Adams work alright together, and Cooper is pretty funny, and "Man or Muppet" is probably the most memorable song of the film along with being a really fitting one for a film like this. The Muppets are fine as usual and while not every joke works, the film still has enough passion for its subject to work. I hope you like this trilogy of Muppet films, as I enjoyed watching these films, and I hope you do as well.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Review #521: The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Cast
Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef, The Muppet Newsman, Waldorf, Baby Kermit, Baby Rowlf, Ernie), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Baby Piggy, Baby Fozzie, Bert, Cookie Monster), Jerry Nelson (Floyd Pepper, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Pops, Lew Zealand, Bear), Richard Hunt (Scooter, Janice, Statler, Baby Scooter), Dave Goelz (Gonzo the Great, Chester the Rat, Bill the Frog, Zoot, Penguin, Jim the Dog, Baby Gonzo), Steve Whitmire (Rizzo the Rat, Gill the Frog), Louis Zorich (Pete), Juliana Donald (Jenny), Lonny Price (Ronnie Crawford), and Art Carney (Bernard Crawford) Directed by Frank Oz.

Review

While The Muppets Take Manhattan may not be as magical as The Muppet Movie, it certainly has enough gas to chug to the finish line and it does have its moments of shine. The Muppets, as usual, are entertaining. They sing well and they mesh well with each other and the human cast. It has its standard fare of cameos (Such Art Carney, Liza Minnelli, John Landis), but I suppose at this point it makes perfect sense. The movie's plot is not exactly original (A group (or a person, take your pick) trying to make it big on Broadway), but the Muppets manage to make the most of it, the songs are nicely done and there is never a dull moment in the film. It's not great, but this film does have enough Muppet power (whatever that means) to drudge along just fine.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppet Movie.

Review #520: The Muppet Movie.

Cast
Jim Henson (Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, and the Swedish Chef), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and Marvin Suggs), Jerry Nelson (Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Camilla the Chicken and Blue Frackle), Richard Hunt (Scooter, Statler, Janice, Sweetums and Beaker), Dave Goelz (Gonzo the Great, Zoot, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Nigel the Conductor, and Doglion), Charles Durning (Doc Hopper), Austin Pendleton (Max), and Scott Walker (Snake Walker) Directed by James Frawley.

Review
Ah yes, the movie that started the Muppet film franchise, which has had 7 films released in a 35 years span, with an 8th coming this year. Usually I'd ask if this a good flick to watch, but I think we both know the answer: Yes, of course. The Muppets are entertaining, especially when they sing. The puppetry is good and all, but the real show stoppers are the many voices and characters the Muppets bring to the table. But that's not all the movie has, it also seems to have endless cameos (Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Mel Brooks, Dom Deluise and last but not least, Orson Welles), good songs (such as Rainbow Connection) and a good deal of imagination with fun, there is never a dull moment to get in the way of the pace and it always keeps itself fresh and well. It's no wonder why there were more Muppet movies after this, and I'm going to continue that with another Muppet film soon.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Review #498: The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Cast
Michael Caine (Ebenezer Scrooge), Dave Goelz (The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, Waldorf as Robert Marley, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and Betina Cratchit), Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Bean Bunny, Belinda Cratchit, Beetle, and Lips), Jerry Nelson (Tiny Tim Cratchit, Statler as Jacob Marley, Ma Bear as Ma Fozziwig, Ghost of Christmas Present, Lew Zealand, and Mr. Applegate), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit, Fozzie Bear as Fozziewig, Sam the Eagle as Headmaster of Junior High Graduates, Animal and George the Janitor), David Rudman (Peter Cratchit, Old Joe, Swedish Chef), Jessica Fox (Ghost of Christmas Past) and Steven Mackintosh (Fred) Directed by Brian Henson.

Review
I've reviewed movies based on the story A Christmas Carol (#076 - Scrooge (1951) and #079 - A Christmas Carol (1984)) before, but this one is a little different, as the Muppets (Last seen by me in #377 - Muppets from Space) intervene in the process, certainly making for a unique adaptation. Michael Caine, while not as good as say George C. Scott, does make a decent Scrooge who is entertaining enough, and he pairs off well with the Muppets. Speaking of which, the Muppets are really entertaining, especially The Great Gonzo and Rizzo, who pair well off each other all throughout the film. The story flows well and the characters are all fine and dandy, and this certainly is a fine way to spend a weekend near Christmastime. Countdown to 500 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2...

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Muppets from Space.

Review #377: Muppets from Space.

Cast
Dave Goelz (The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, The Bird Man, The Swedish Chef and Zoot), Steve Whitmire (Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker and Bean Bunny), Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam the Eagle), Bill Barretta (Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear as Agent Rentro, Johnny Fiama, Bubba the Rat and Rowlf the Dog), Jerry Nelson (Robin the Frog, Statler, Uber-Gonzo and Floyd Pepper), Jeffrey Tambor (K. Edgar Singer), and Andie MacDowell (Shelley Snipes) Directed by Tim Hill (#308 - Alvin and the Chipmunks)

Review
It figures that I review a Muppets film, and what better than on Mothers' Day? I know, I could've have picked something else. But I don't care at this point. But hey, can I trust a film directed by someone who would later on make an unspeakable sell out with chipmunks? Eh...sort of. The Muppets themselves are interesting and they do have some good lines that do make me chuckle. The Muppets are more interesting than the human characters, maybe because they have more intelligence than the actual humans, which makes me groan. The effects work alright, and the story flows well in a relatively typical run time of 88 minutes, which at this point, isn't that surprising, but oh well. At least this gives me another opportunity to watch Frank Oz and his voicework, which is welcome. The film is alright for the most part, flowing decently, and this in a way is a underrated gem.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.