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Topic: The Muppets (2011)

Mark J. Marshall
Film God

Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 11-26-2011 07:02 PM

I grew up with The Muppets and the Fraggles and all of that other Jim Henson stuff. I liked the first Muppet Movie, but the others kind of went down hill for me. I was really curious to see if this one continued that trend or came back to the top as a good movie. I thought it was great! The songs and dance numbers were good, the story moved along pretty quickly, the cameos were great... I thought this movie captured the Jim Henson magic quite well. The show I went to had a theater of only adults, and we were all laughing out loud. If you liked the Muppets growing up, you should really like this movie.

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Tony Gallimore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 108
From: Willis, Virginia, USA
Registered: Jul 2009

posted 11-28-2011 11:37 PM

Right on! I used to watch the Muppets regularly with the family (Mom, Dad, and brother) when growing up. It was such a tragedy when Jim Henson died. It seemed the muppets faded away too. I was really glad to see that someone picked up the banner and did a very decent job bringing the Muppets back to life. The movie was typical, funny and a lot of fun for us old codgers. Load up the family, yes even the kids and see this one. It should be fun for all.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-29-2011 05:00 PM

I am not a Muppets fan but I am looking forward to this. The trailer is a hoot. I may become a fan after all. (And after seeing this, maybe I'll understand the attraction at Disney World more!?)

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Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004

posted 11-29-2011 11:19 PM

CINEMA: Megaplex 14 at Legacy Crossing, Centerville, UT
AUDITORIUM: 7
PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital Cinema
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None [Cool]

RATING: Three stars (out of four)

Megaplex's newest megaplex has fourteen screens including one LIEMAX exactly the size of this auditorium. New and notable here is the concessions...instead of a food court, this building has a single station that sells basically all or most of the food available at other Megaplexes, but at one ordering point. Then you get a number which is shown on a display at a pick-up window when ready.

The auditorium, one of the two largest, actually made me think of Act III. And I had it all to myself. There was NOBODY here. Maybe five cars in the whole parking lot.

THE PLOT: A crappy dilapidated studio is slated for demolition. Wackiness ensues.

It started off strong, it had a horrible middle (including a montage set to a Starship song, a practice which should be illegal), and an awesome ending.

Oh..it also had an awesome Toy Story short before the movie.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-30-2011 01:29 AM

I didn't think it was as great as everyone is saying it is. It felt like a bad ripoff of Blues Brothers.

The best part of the movie is online though right here!

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-30-2011 06:09 PM

Was that Carmilla singing there?

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-01-2011 01:02 AM

Yup, she was saying "cluck you"!

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Jonathan Goeldner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1360
From: Washington, District of Columbia
Registered: Jun 2008

posted 12-07-2011 04:58 PM

my 6 year old niece thought the 'Cluck You' Chicken song was downright hysterical. The near sold out crowd at my screening were really too quiet for my taste, though when she started laughing, I gathered they were laughing at how funny she was reacting to the scene

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Connor Wilson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 190
From: Sterling, VA, USA
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 12-10-2011 05:06 PM

CINEMA: AMC Mazza Gallerie at Wisconsin Ave., Washington, D.C.
AUDITORIUM: 4 (THX-certified)
PRESENTATION: 35mm / Dolby Digital
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: First AFI Silver, now this. After the little MPAA rating card, the tail end of the film went through the projector. Nothing like seeing disjointed colors and the Color by Deluxe logo flash in your face while the sounds of a giant passing gas through the baffle wall envelops you. Minor problem.
RATING: Seven (out of ten)

This was my first time at the Mazza Gallerie, and it was a surprising experience. I've expected the place to go all digital but then I noticed a little scratch on that AMC Coming Soon snipe. I guess I didn't read up too well. For a THX house, this place was very modest. AMC didn't bother to promote their THX certification on all seven screens, not even a little sign in the lobby that reads "THX Certified Cinema" or something like that. The screen (auditorium 4) was pretty big, and I'm a fan of the homey textures on the side walls. While the sound system was decent, I think it didn't push it up to it's fullest potential (at least for this screen). It was lossy, 20-year-old Dolby Digital, and while it still sounds decent, it's starting to show its age in the days of uncompressed PCM audio. The print looked very well, with some scratches here or there after three weeks. They do a better job at handling 35mm than the Regal Countryside 20 can handle itself. Definitely going to go there again.

THE PLOT: Oil. Wackiness ensues.

Campy for the sake of it. It wasn't "incredible", yes but it's just a fun film. Nothing more or less. It gave me a smile. That's all I can really say.

Oh, and Brad, thanks for the MP3 of "Cluck You." Going to listen to it often this week.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 12-10-2011 05:48 PM

quote: Connor Wilson
After the little MPAA rating card, the tail end of the film went through the projector. Nothing like seeing disjointed colors and the Color by Deluxe logo flash in your face while the sounds of a giant passing gas through the baffle wall envelops you. Minor problem

Minor problem? Still bad presentation, but typical with booth clown operations ...

Oh well, at least two good things about digital:

1-no more tail end runout and sound to go with it
and,
2-no more booth clowns to allow this to happen.

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Connor Wilson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 190
From: Sterling, VA, USA
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 12-10-2011 08:54 PM

Just because the tail of the film ran through the projector doesn't automatically make it a "bad presentation." The print was in very decent shape, although reel 3 kind of did look soft, I will tell you that (maybe a lab issue). Heck, the print itself outdid the trailers (and even the Toy Story short, for unknown reasons).

Oh, and think about what you said to the AFI Silver for calling out a "booth clown." Professionalism is key in that theater and it was a midnight showing, so I guess after the projectionist cued reel 5 (it was a changeover presentation) he went right to bed as the computer turned up the lights. But now we are getting off-topic.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 12-10-2011 09:42 PM

Just sloppy film handling when you have tail runout along with sound.

Show should end quiet and clean.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-02-2012 08:46 PM

quote: Connor Wilson
Just because the tail of the film ran through the projector doesn't automatically make it a "bad presentation."

Actually, yes it does.

Also you might be in trouble using "Wackiness ensues." Everybody knows The Evil Sam Graham has a trademark on that phrase! [Big Grin]

We're playing this right now, to disappointing crowds.

The Toy Story short at the beginning was top notch -- this being the second post-TS3 short featuring the original Toy Story cast, I'm curious how much of this stuff they have lying around at Pixar! It sure was a nice thing to see a pre-feature short that (a) was more than 4 minutes long, (b) wasn't actually a trailer for an Ice Age movie, (c) was really funny and well-done, and (d) didn't take classic characters and dumb-them-down for 2011 audiences like some of the recent WB shorts have.

But I shouldn't gripe...I wish ALL movies came with a short before the feature.

Speaking of the feature, I'll have to wait a while to comment on that because I haven't seen it yet. But it sounds hilarious, even for me being a non-fan.

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Jonathan Goeldner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1360
From: Washington, District of Columbia
Registered: Jun 2008

posted 01-02-2012 09:01 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley

Actually, yes it does.

Also you might be in trouble using "Wackiness ensues." Everybody knows The Evil Sam Graham has a trademark on that phrase!

We're playing this right now, to disappointing crowds.

The Toy Story short at the beginning was top notch -- this being the second post-TS3 short featuring the original Toy Story cast, I'm curious how much of this stuff they have lying around at Pixar! It sure was a nice thing to see a pre-feature short that (a) was more than 4 minutes long, (b) wasn't actually a trailer for an Ice Age movie, (c) was really funny and well-done, and (d) didn't take classic characters and dumb-them-down for 2011 audiences like some of the recent WB shorts have.

But I shouldn't gripe...I wish ALL movies came with a short before the feature.

Speaking of the feature, I'll have to wait a while to comment on that because I haven't seen it yet. But it sounds hilarious, even for me being a non-fan.

speak for yourself I thought the 2011 3D CGI "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat" was really funny.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-02-2012 10:27 PM

It WAS funny, in fact it was the best of the modern-day Looney Tunes as far as I'm concerned -- but come on, you know it doesn't even hold a candle to a classic Looney Tune.

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