The Muppets Movie

Let me lay this out right now, I am a huge fan of the Muppets. I've seen the show. I've watched the movies and I love them all. (Except the Wizard of Oz one, that I do not believe should be counted as one of the Muppets movies). And when I heard that they were remaking the Muppets for a new movie, with Disney heading it, I was pessimistic. In almost every remake of something that was funny, wholesome, and classic, the studio has a tendency to, how to I put this delicately? - Obliterate, destroy, ruin, and tear to shreds in a mouth-foaming frenzy the innocence of it. Making it more edgy, darker, and all around stained, thinking that they are appealing to this generation.

But what the Muppets Movie proves is that the best is timeless. You don't need to shade it to try to make it more appealing a generation later. They successfully show that the Muppets are timeless, no matter your age.

Growing up as a puppet in a human family can be rough. You are always the same height, everyone counts you out, and it's impossible to find someone to relate to. That is how Walter felt (get it?). Sure he had a good family, and a brother that loved him more than he loved his girlfriend (an error he balanced out later in the film), but life was for people, not puppets. That is, till a TV show aired. That show, that was new and shiny back then is what is known as the "Muppet's Show" today. The show told him that although you may be out of place, and a bit fuzzy, you can still be loved by millions, and that you have a place.

As the years go by, Walter grows up (relatively speaking) but he never gives up his never ending love for the Muppets. As he soon learns, that is something the Muppets themselves have given up. And as an oil tycoon sets his wrecking balls on Muppet's Studio, it's up to Walter to make the Muppets what they do best, come together in a movie.

I was almost sure when I walked into the theater that Disney would give the Muppets an edge, but as the movie played I learned that they took what made the show great and did.......nothing to it! They kept it in it's golden glory, not even dipping its Hollywood toes in the 80s movies. Sealing the brilliant Muppety innocence in the vacuum sealed goodness of the original show.

I don't know what really more I can say about this. It's a Muppets movie, and if you've ever seen one you can't really describe it outside the phrase "It's great!"

The Muppet's characters were untouched by 21st century's hands, keeping the pure, fuzzy love at it's pinnacle goodness. The added characters convince you that they've been in every Muppets venture, that's how good they blend in. They are charming, funny, and as smart/clueless as the rest of the Muppets.

Using spontaneous dance numbers and moments where the cast themselves point out the hilariousness of the movie they have found themselves in, coupled with brilliant celebrity cameos that the Muppet Movies are known for, this movie gives us great scripts and bellowing laughs as we watch the wonderful Muppets characters do what they do best, just....being.....Muppets.

How movies change things: Lightsabers

Ah, another fictional word that, because of a movie, everyone knows about!
I can tell right now that you are wondering why I am talking about a glorified glow stick. So stop wondering and listen.

In this post I want to show how one movie changed every one's mindset. This is something films do, change mindsets, the more popular the movie, the more ingrained into society it is.
When Mr. Lucas had this crazy idea for "StarWars" he came up with the "sword made of light" he probably thought that it was pretty cool, but it was just an effect, he probably never thought it would become an icon. But now as we all know, Lightsabers have there own Wiki page, more people know about them than StarWars, and you can look in you dictionary and locate it.

People every now hide away in there rooms, away from the eyes of friends and family, swoosh their imaginary saber around the room, matching the sounds using their mouths only to change their woosh sounds into a scream of horror as a parent barges into the room.
Not only that but almost every kid's show, every sifi, and every youtube video has a lightsaber, or their own spin on it. And all of this because of just one film.

Now I wonder what if we stopped creating weapons and starting creating morals.

One of the most hit videos on youtube is a lightsaber fight called Ryan Vs. Dorkman

Kid's TV show character Jimmy Neutron wielding what looks like a sword made of light.

In a major videogame "Supersmash Bros. Melee" characters can use the item "LightSword"

DVD TIME: Cars 2

This last week another Pixar film came out on Bluray, so if you haven't seen it in theaters, I hope that this review will help you decide to run over to RedBox right now! But, uh, don't trip.

Pixar never fails to bring us a fresh new idea, even if they are recycling one of their old ones, and Cars 2 is no exception!

This time instead of racing and fixing egos, this Cars movie revolves around believe it or not, SPIES! Which is quite clever if you think about it, one of the coolest gadgets a spy has is his car. Spy Cars that can shoot missiles, fly and burn rubber are all a part of this flick, but the way Pixar does it makes James Bond wish he was a car.

This is the most filled out Pixar movie I have ever seen, there is not a single scene where they could have added another thing. The movie was a completely basted turkey with all the trimmings. It's one of those movies where you wish that you could view the entire film in slow motion just so you could see each and every minute detail!

But sadly, the most of characters that you all knew and loved in the last were somewhat "hollow" last second additions to the movie. They were all nothing but a shell of their former selves (a little joke for the people who know computer animation). Mater is the only exception for he is the star of the film and the new characters replace the old in a way that "somewhat" makes it "ok". Somehow I think that the only reason they kept the old characters is so they could make some money in a toy deal.

But one thing I did not expect in this race em up, is that it would also be a "shoot em up". Cars get blown up, shot, and tortured until they writhe in pain and die a painful death.......something I was not expecting in a "G" rated kids film. I don't know how the ratings board let this film get a "G". And these being colorful Pixar characters, it makes the violence worse. In one cringing scene we see the cubed remains of an agent car. But if you remove the few violent scenes that I have all mentioned here, you've got yourself one heck of an action film!  

Characters and violence aside, Pixar out did themselves in this film. It was a good film, but a classic summer movie with explosions and shiny things. But I did not try in any way to make this flick sound bad, it was another great pixar movie, a movie everyone needs to see and enjoy!

Captain America

Captain America has been reinvented by marvel in a desperate attempt to salvage what is left of the American way. Only one problem... Does anyone remember the American way?

This has been my most anticipated Marvel movie, something about superheroes and the 1940s really spoke to me and it said "cool". But then I finished watching it the disembodied voice finally said "I tried to be cool."

WARNING, NERD RANT:

The movie was too unrealistic and fast-paced. The technology available to the Germans was better than what we have available today! If they wanted watchers to believe what was going one they would have made more effort to preserve the integrity of the year the movie was taking place in! Not only that but the damage the Germans did with these weapons caused many towns to crumble, if they wanted people to be convinced then why wouldn't they explain why these destructions where completely wiped from history?!? Now down to the fast paced part, the movie would not let you get close to any of the characters. In fact, they killed off a main character before you even had a chance to care! The movie just kept a truckin, one second you are at a fair, the next you seeing Cap get muscles, next thing you know he's on Broadway, then he breaks into one of the most fortified compounds known to man.....by himself without any formal training whats-so-ever, then he's promoted, forms a band of misfit fighters (With an American Asian solder, which, if I know my history, wasn't all Asians sent to a consentrason camp after pearl harbor?) Then he's on a train, then a bike, then he beats the bad guy...... As with Thor, character development was almost non-existant.


Sorry, the nerd in me took over. But in all seriousness, it was a movie, more fun than action. It wasn't meant to be realist, it was just simply made to be a film. For amusement (not thinking). And to get Capt. in the film series before the avengers comes out.

If you ask me, I would call the movie Marvel's attempt at family movie night, but if you ask me another question, I would say the the video game had a way better plot.

Movie Credits

Ask anyone who knows me and they will confirm that I always say "I always judge the quality of a movie by it's credits." And if you don't stay till the end of the credits, you are lame. You aren't giving these thousands of people credit.......and you might miss out on some cool last clip.

Now why you ask do I do that? That is because credits are supposed to be fun! The end of a movie, when the tension dies down, when you finally get to wipe your eyes from laughing so hard, when you can breath a sigh of relief! If you can tell that they spent no money on the end, you can bet that these people didn't love making the film.

My favorite credits are ones that fill in the gap, where you find out what happens after the happily ever after! Along with the ones that aren't over the top, like iRobot, where bits of tech-looking lines pop up according to the music in a very dramatic fashion, to match the drama of the movie.
Remember, credits match the mood of the movie, look for it the next time you watch a film!

Here are two credits that mirror the film.
Bolt, which shows the carefree fun, and whimsey of the movie using a different yet equally as effective art style
And iRobot, which shows the drama, without the need for many visuals.