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.

Movie Night: Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Review #308: Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Cast
Jason Lee (Dave Seville), David Cross (Ian Hawke), Justin Long (Alvin), Matthew Gray Gubler (Simon), Jesse McCartney (Theodore), Cameron Richardson (Claire Wilson), and Jane Lynch (Gail) Directed by Tim Hill.

Review
For anyone who might not know (Which might be either from having decent memories of them or from trying to block them from your memory long ago), Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr, originally created for a novelty record in 1958, and they've been an ongoing group ever since. As such, because I apparently thought this might be an okay Christmas film for December (I hope all this Christmas stiff doesn't annoy the stuff out of me...or you.), I'm deciding to review this film (Not the first based on the Chipmunks, which was the Chipmunk Adventure in 1987), eventual regret or not. So how is it? For my sake, it's...not good, I'll say that. I am aware this is probably intended for little children, I'll concede that. But I take that condeding back with this. Little kids? How little? Littler then than an intended audience for a Pixar, Disney, or Dreamworks film. (Yes I said Disney. Happy? I'm not.) I'm getting way off track, but that is what happens with this film. You think about other, more entertaining films or even more interesting music. Catchy as it may be, the songs might actually make Dr. Seuss look deep. (No offense to Dr. Seuss. He was awesome.) The Chipmunks don't exactly have personality (Probably how they were 50 years ago) beyond arrogant, smart, and..sweet-hearted (Each describing each of the three), and yet the only one who I actually care about is Jason Lee. He actually gives the look of "Why am I taking care of three chipmunks instead of just sending off to a far less suffering place", which...makes sense. Cross is...strangely here. It's like he only did it-Oh. Okay than. It does indeed provide entertainment for younger people, but for others (and for the younger kids who aged rapidly since 2007) it isn't a good film.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.