THE MUPPETS (2011)

http://i.imgur.com/4r92H.jpg
The Muppets is an upcoming comedy film from Walt Disney Pictures directed by James Bobin. The script was written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, the writer-director team behind the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. James Bobin, co-creator of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, is directing the film and Bret McKenzie, co-star of Flight of the Conchords, has written the film's songs.[1] It is the seventh theatrically released feature film to star the Muppets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppets_%28film%29

Cameo guest stars

Alan Arkin[4][5]
Jack Black[4][6]
Emily Blunt[7]
Beth Broderick[4]
James Carville[8]
George Clooney[9]
Billy Crystal[4][5]
Lady Gaga[5]
Zach Galifianakis[4]

Ricky Gervais[7]
Donald Glover[4][6]
Whoopi Goldberg[8]
Selena Gomez[8]
Kathy Griffin[10]
Dave Grohl[11]
Neil Patrick Harris[8]
Ed Helms[6]
Judd Hirsch[12]

John Krasinski[6]
Mila Kunis[13]
Rico Rodriguez[14]
Mickey Rooney[15]
French Stewart[16]
Ben Stiller[9]
Eric Stonestreet[6]
Wanda Sykes[5]
Danny Trejo[4][6]

Adam Sandler/David Beckham/The Red Hot Chili Peppers, your agents are slipping.

excited :D

Anyway, psyched.

Not sure if this franchise has legs.

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10-million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, "The Muppets" hits the big screen November 23, 2011.

Not sure if this franchise has legs.

haha

Mickey Rooney[15]

aw, hell yeah!

this actually sounds kind of promising. i'll go see it.

i think the muppet movie was the second movie i ever saw in a theater

James Carville. He is, sort of, a Muppet.

haha, totes

for some reason i think ed helms is perfect for hanging out with the muppets

For some reason I was sure I'd seen Billy Crystal with the Muppets before, and then I realised I was thinking of the Flaming Lips.

for some reason i think ed helms is perfect for hanging out with the muppets

Ten bucks says there's a dueling banjos scene with Helms and Kermit.

stoked as balls for this, but Disney are fucking idiots for changing the title from Segel's original

No Pepe the King Prawn, no cred

(checks cast list) phew, cred.

the dracula musical end of FSM made me want to stab myself so not sure i can take segal as a ventriloquist

do you hate everything that is beautiful in life?

odds that this will be Mickey Rooney's last film appearance? and Billy Crystal's?

Rooney's yes, Crystal's no way.

So excited for this film, tbh. Loved the puppet bits in FSM. Also, Chris Cooper is pretty much the best "insert generic villian" character actor ever.

so stoked for this

may be my daughter's first trip to a movie theater

glad they got some of the OG muppets guys in too. altho Frank Oz seems like a curious ommission

was making Crystal joke about his extinct box-office status, ya see

yeah it is weird that Oz isn't involved, who is doing Ms Piggy and Fozzie? Has he had a falling out with Henson or is he just too old now?

otoh Dave Goelz!!

not psyched

I'm not even phobic of puppets but Muppets always had a bit of creep to them. Especially the baby version of Animal.

Has he had a falling out with Henson or is he just too old now?

I...hope you mean the Henson organization specifically.

no. let this die. please.

apparently Frank Oz retired from doing Fozzie and Miss Piggy in 2002, and now some guy named Eric Jacobson has taken over

Ned yes obviously I meant the Henson company.

I'm sure this will be great, the last few Muppet things have not been great (Muppet Letters to Santa was ok; the christmas special a few years before sucked though), Segal has spoken at length about how much he wanted to make an old fashioned muppet movie.

Yeah, its those interviews with Segal that have me actually excited about this project. There wasn't any talk about "bringing them up to date" or "modernizing" or anything.

Having Disney produce a Muppets movie just makes me very, very afraid.

What was the original title?

End Times Are Near: The Musical

Disney has been involved with the Muppets for years, at least ten years, maybe more.

Jim Henson, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

ok I guess since 2004. that includes Muppet Wizard of Oz (apparently awful) and a bunch of tv specials, the last of which was pretty good (Muppets Letters to Santa)

This actually sounds pretty alright. The Muppet Movie was the first movie I saw in the theater.

The Moopets

I have faith in Segel...he talks about the Muppets with total reverence, so I at least trust he wouldnt set out to drag the name thru the mud. Then again the best laid plans of mice & men etc

I'm not even phobic of puppets but Muppets always had a bit of creep to them. Especially the baby version of Animal.

I never found the Muppets creepy, not even in the least. But yeah, the "Muppet Babies" was just sort of disturbing imo

The only disturbing thing about Muppet Babies was "Nanny"

and "Skeeter"

no girl should be named "Skeeter"

glad they got some of the OG muppets guys in too.

The original-original Muppets were seriously OG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ky7g1lgTwc

that's so awesome. jim henson, fuck

the second spot outta control

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, US, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds.

I confess that it was a good long while after reading this and wondering why the role of "Walter" was not credited before I realized ... Walter is the muppet that Jason Segel created.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Fn9Q8q6yNmk/TSkX9dABqdI/AAAAAAAAABM/3-2p4ffOfgg/s400/The-Muppets-Jason-Segel-and-Walter.jpg

What was the original title?

The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made!!!

I totally want to get stoned with this guy and Walter and talk about the muppets.

Have you all seen that rad muppets plumbing at the Letterman studio?

What happened to Skeeter from Muppet Babies? :((

are Rooney and Alan Arkin playing Statler & Waldorf?

I'd never heard of her, but she was in a four-issue non-Langridge drawn storyline in the Roger Langridge Muppets comic last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CloKbXtD28&

The Muppets look awesome in high-def.

wow this looks great

I will go see all these Muppets.

For those of a certain (OK, my) age, getting used to the subs for Henson's voices is as difficult as getting used to the Looney Tunes subs. It's remarkable how attuned our ears are to the subtleties of Muppet speech. Just as imagine there are some who cannot hear Ms. Piggy without hearing Yoda.

Please not the fucking New Radicals

not to be a total cornster but i must have seen Muppets Take Manhattan a million times on VHS as a kid over and over and over again until I knew every line by heart - it came out the year i was born. so i'm kinda secretly hoping baby's favorite movie as a kid is gonna be this assuming it's excellent.

I am always wary when the muppets are re-mastered. Saying this, muppets from space was awsome. I will hold judgement until I have seen it, I think the muppets are insanely good. Love them to bits.

I will be VERY surprised if this is decent. Yeh, the subs for the voices annoy me - it doesn't sound like Kermit, it sounds like someone doing a Kermit impression! - and with teh odd exception and the new muppets suck ass, and not in a good way.

And that poster freaks me out too. Whenever they give muppets legs they look waaaaay creepy.

If the film manages to capture that goofy, chaotic sense of humour the Muppets have then it shouldn't be too bad.
If Disney have taken this franchise and squeezed out the last drop of goodness by making a dreadful cheesy cacophony of shite then as Fozzie Bear would say "shame on youuuuu"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jbya4kxC6E

Just to show that sub voices aren't always bad.

So stoked for this. btw has anyone mentioned Muppet Treasure Island? That one is AWESOME.

Not my favourite, but still good. Best muppet movie ever?

For me it would have to the original The Muppet Movhe ie. I am all over Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgc-_pzzz00&feature=related

Movhe ie? = Movie

I will be VERY surprised if this is decent.

Segel is great, his previous movie was great, he loves the Muppets, he pitched hard for this and won the Hensons over, he has proven enthusiasm for puppetry, director is a great match for the material with his experience on slightly off-kilter musical comedy in realistic settings. Why don't you think it will work?

The Conchords connection gives me hope, but I'm not sure if the ironic distance that works on that TV show will translate to Muppety fun. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on Segal, I've just had a look at his filmography and I find it supremely underwhelming, but ymmv I guess.

Maybe I'm being coloured by that terrible Muppets Tonight show tho, I was so disappointed by that.

That shot in the trailer of Segal walking down the street doing that silly shoulder-shrug Muppet walk was all I needed to convince me he's paid attention to details and this thing is going to be loads of fun.

For those of a certain (OK, my) age, getting used to the subs for Henson's voices is as difficult as getting used to the Looney Tunes subs. It's remarkable how attuned our ears are to the subtleties of Muppet speech. Just as imagine there are some who cannot hear Ms. Piggy without hearing Yoda.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, May 23, 2011 6:23 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

Ditto. So far, I haven't heard anything monumentally off-putting in the new Muppet voices, but so much of it is about timing. The post-Mel Blanc Looney Tunes voices are fucking abominable. In Space Jam, you'd hear a voice off-screen and you couldn't tell if it was supposed to be Daffy, Bugs, or Elmer Fudd. They were practically interchangeable.

if you haven't seen "forgetting sarah marshall" and the dracula puppet show, you can't judge segal's abilities around puppets.

The enthusiasm just about leaks off the screen, he loves puppets so damn much.

...Why don't you think it will work?

― the man who forsook his wife for fap fap fap (sic), Tuesday, 24 May 2011 11:35 (3 hours ago)

Disney?

Whenever they give muppets legs they look waaaaay creepy.

they've done this since the beginning...?

I still can't figure out how they got Kermit to ride a bike btw

I've heard he's actually a bicycling enthusiast and brought his own bicycle.

lol

xp yeh, they've done it since the beginning, and it's always looked creepy.

I want these.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b40/bettieleetwo/cupcakes-1.jpg

I've just had a look at his filmography and I find it supremely underwhelming, but ymmv I guess.

are you going by a list of films you've not seen, or by, let's say, his acting in [a bunch of those films and] Freaks & Geeks, his writing on FSM, and the puppetry enthusiasm that saw him Muppeteer a song from his Dracula musical on Craig Ferguson?

I missed this Craig Ferguson thing! Sounds like something I will be looking up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0C6YYLo_Jc

Trying to work out who's going to have the best and worst cameo in this. Worst will be Gervais probably and I'm torn between Donald Glover and Wanda Sykes as to which will be the best.

Actually Jack Black and Gaga could probably rival Gervais for worst.

Cameos in the original Muppet movie are just so great that they set an unrealistic standard

I was going to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiGAAHG0O1A

"would you like to smell the cap?" cracks me up every time

Orson Welles
Edgar and Charlie
a bajillion other fast cameos

Gregory Hines was amazing

Mel Brooks Nazi doctor!

"In a few minutes he won't know you from kosher bacon..."

i always and still do love in muppets take manhattan when kermit dons the orange suit and wig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbd9j9-gjKk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUUcOmgYEhY

kinda bummed that they seem to have made statler and waldorf the "villians" instead of just the sardonic greek chorus

Ok, Swedish Chef jokes get me every time. And I doubt S&W are villains, probably just in a meeting because they represent the theater.

is the swedish chef saying "say hello to my little friend?"

ha, well spotted

So is this an origin story

i am going to like this.

So is this an origin story

it's a "let's get the band back together!" story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay5skbka9Yk

The spoof trailers were much better. That doesn't make me want to see it at all.

As a whole, kind of eh...

But the part where they start the Muppet Show theme song gave me the tingles

thats the first thing that has made me want to see this... fart shoes!!!!!!!!!

looks great, so much better than any muppet film since 'manhattan' and 'caper'.

As with Space Jam, I couldn't recognize a few of the characters from just their voices, and that worries me. But I'll still see it, if only to avoid rationalizing why I saw Space Jam and not this.

Space Jam was just a fucking tragedy.

space jam ruled

http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

If it turns out to be Glee with Muppets I'll be disappointed.

not watching the real trailer, but can't imagine they would have brought McKenzie in to co-write new songs if it was all going to be pop covers

Looks like shit.

Burn Hollywood Burn.

OST

1. “The Muppet Show Theme” — The Muppets (feat. Joanna Newsom)
2. “Life’s a Happy Song” — Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter (feat. Feist & Mickey Rooney)
3. “Pictures in My Head” — Kermit and the Muppets
4. “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” — Paul Simon
5. “Rainbow Connection” — The Moopets
6. “We Built This City” — Starship
7. “Me Party” — Amy Adams and Miss Piggy
8. “Let’s Talk About Me” — Chris Cooper
9. “Man or Muppet” — Jason Segel and Walter
10. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — The Muppets Barbershop Quartet
11. “Forget You” — Camilla and the Chickens
12. “Rainbow Connection” — The Muppets
13. “The Whistling Caruso” — Andrew Bird
14. “Life’s a Happy Song” — Finale Entire Cast
15. “Mahna Mahna” – Mahna Mahna and the Two Snowths

ugh when did the muppets get so twee? 'feat. joanna newsom'?!

this is a disgrace

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/10/full-tracklist-to-muppets-soundtrack-revealed-incl.html

“Rainbow Connection” — The Moopets

Most looking forward to this hilariousness

10. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — The Muppets Barbershop Quartet

Sounds trite but I really DO wish Kurt had been around to see that.

Why is Feist a thing still?

Why are YOU a thing

“Let’s Talk About Me” — Chris Cooper

Potential hidden gem ^^

Why are YOU a thing

otm

“We Built This City” — Starship

MUPPET MONTAGE!

newsom sounds like a muppet anyway i dont see why this is a reaction point

excitement level increasing

newsom sounds like a muppet anyway i dont see why this is a reaction point

+!

Feist doing 1,2,3,4 on Sesame Street was a huge thing - which I'm sure is why she's in this one

You know, if you had Newsom as a real life Janice, you'd just need to cast everyone else. (Who would be a good modern Dr. Teeth in place of Dr. John? Cee-Lo?)

... would that make Rolf John Legend?

I think we have our supergroup gelling nicely.

ILX should pre-cover the Muppets OST IMO

In that case I already know who's doing the barbershop quartet...

oh shi

Hahah. Anyway the precover's a fun idea but we already know about half the songs or more; the key to precovering is having NO idea of what the actual songs in question are like.

errr, I have no idea about any of the songs here (apart from Teen Spirit, which I can imagine quite nicely in my head).

no, John Denver was a Muppet, Newsom's more like Hello Kitty

I can understand not knowing the Muppet Show-centric songs if you've never seen the show, but "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard"? "Forget You" (aka "Fuck You")? "We Built This City"???????????

I have no idea about any of the songs here

you have never heard the Rainbow Connection and you are posting on a Muppets thread.

see I was trying not to go there

someday you'll find it

yeah OK - I lied - still, I just want to encourage the creative spirits of ILX

Dan, have you ever heard Sinatra's cover of "Bein' Green"?

I probably have, yes; it isn't immediately coming to mind but I'm gonna go look it up now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52cnnU3akfA

I'm guessing baaderonix hasn't! enjoy.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2vuYyrNuBkpL8Ugb1OIgvR

spotify I luv u

It's a pity I can't immediately find the 1990 documentary Sing! which was all about songwriter Joe Raposo -- hour long piece that was broadcast on PBS one evening. I remember it vividly because it was literally the day after or the day of Jim Henson's death, and they put together a very quick piece honoring him as well which they played before and after the screening.

“Let’s Talk About Me” — Chris Cooper

Potential hidden gem ^^

― per metal injection (Eazy), Thursday, October 13, 2011 12:27 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark

Particularly if it's the Chris Cooper from Fat Worm Of Error and Barn Owl.

so I am seeing this next week. Not sure how I feel about it coming from the writers of Get Him to the Greek.

Did you see Forgetting Sarah Marshall? The puppet bits and Segal's performance as a whole makes me think they'll do fine.

I did not. Nor did I see Greek.

I was never before aware of the origin of the "Mah Na Mah Na" song:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah_N%C3%A0_Mah_N%C3%A0

Sweden heaven and hell is awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Lxd66rU-U

oh my god

I am dying here

having Sam the Eagle sing lead was the right idea

having Beaker sing all of the questionable lyrics is genius

Get Him to the Greek was actually really really funny
xps

omg lolll @ smells like teen spirit barbershop o_O

I did not. Nor did I see Greek.

well, think of it as coming from Jason Segel, the writer of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, not from Nicholas Stoller, the writer of Get Him To The Greek, and you should be warmed and mollified

video is gone

Here's another video for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XpHZsTcuos

The Cee-Lo Green cover had me laughing for a full minute.

how are the other 89 minutes

It's by no means a disgrace, I laughed out loud a few times. Didn't care for Segel's new Muppet. Needed more Piggy and Amy Adams. Also a total late boomer/GenX nostalgia trip.

have you guys seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFgtFXfnv0

This was good! Much funnier than the trailers had me expecting.

Can't believe you wanted MORE Piggy. She's always been the dullest Muppet. But this film skimped severely on Gonzo. :( He's been downgraded to a third-tier character, more or less in line with the Swedish Chef! (I love the Swedish chef.)

Biggest disappointment with the movie is that it lacks the "classic" movie-making-ness of Muppets Take Manhattan or whatever. Reminded me more of a good Pixar movie than old Woody Allen or something.

She's always been the dullest Muppet

lol whut - she's like Lucy in Peanuts, it doesn't work without her.

also Muppets Take Manhattan is the worst of the original trio!

The new Piggy guy doesn't go into that gruff register that Frank Oz used to do (or the script doesn't let him).

Alas the dullest Muppet in this one is the one with the most screen time.

The new Piggy guy doesn't go into that gruff register that Frank Oz used to do (or the script doesn't let him).

huh that seems pretty odd. does she still say "Hi-ya" and karate chop people, cuz that's what my daughter wants to see

Piggy's martial arts chops are undiminished.

BTW it's preceded by a Toy Story short that has a 12-step group spoof, and the feature has one too. Can we leave the really "knowing" dark shit out of kids' movies, guys?

Piggy's absolutely necessary - but i certainly didn't need more of her.

If Gonzo's demoted it's a shame but consistent with his constant frustration.. In the TV series he was always trying to be taken seriously "as an artist" and then just ignored by Kermit, who was trying to run a successful variety show

A number of the cameo guests listed way up in that Wiki article didn't make the cut. I wish Jack Black hadn't.
My other insights which you can read Monday.

the long strong muscular (=non-muppet) legs in that poster totally give me the creeps

haha

i get sad when the new guys can't quite nail the old voices - the one out of statler and waldorf without the mustache in the habanera clip just doesn't sound right... and kermit hasn't sounded right since henson died.

i still really wanna see this film though.

I believe Gonzo is the only (?) originally-voiced Muppet in this.

if i didn't think they were close to begin with does that mean they're still pretty far away

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Muppets%20and%20Puppets/Kermit%20the%20Frog/outofthebox.jpg <<<<

Can't believe you wanted MORE Piggy. She's always been the dullest Muppet.

This is so wrong that I don't even know where to begin.

Given that most of the Muppet stuff is meta-showbiz, she's a classic showbiz character.

This is so wrong that I don't even know where to begin.

― bouquet beatdown (Nicole), Friday, November 18, 2011 12:52 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

yeah, i was gonna say something about that but i also didnt know where to start. feel like the doctor from bridge on river kwai bein all like madness... madness....

A number of the cameo guests listed way up in that Wiki article didn't make the cut. I wish Jack Black hadn't.
My other insights which you can read Monday.

Oh, Jack Black is in it? I try to avoid everything he gets involved with. My love for the muppets overpowers my visceral dislike for JB though, so I'm still looking forward to this.

There are compensatory factors if you like to see Jack Black suffer.

Frank Oz hasn't really muppeteered since the 90s

we don't need Miss Piggy anymore, we have Jenna Maroney

morbius, does this have much of a plot or is it like beads-on-a-string? (actually i sort of feel like i'd prefer the latter.)

hmm I think I will enjoy seeing Jack Black suffer, yes

it's a getting-the-band-back-together plot.

tho there are some reprises of The Muppet Movie, sometimes the 1979 movie it reminded me of was Satr Trek: TMP.

someone who's seen it already please tell me this doesn't suck. better yet, tell me it's awesome!

if it actually is, of course. if they kill my childhood in this movie i'd rather not see it.

the only assurance I need is that Rowlf The Dog is well-represented here

My FCF loved it, sez it will appeal to anyone over 30+ with fond memories of the Muppets.

we don't need Miss Piggy anymore, we have Jenna Maroney

― Θ ̨Θƪ (sic), Friday, November 18, 2011 5:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

MIND BLOWN

tho there are some reprises of The Muppet Movie, sometimes the 1979 movie it reminded me of was Satr Trek: TMP.

This is as close to "ringing endorsement" as I can imagine! I love ST: TMP. It's my 2nd or 3rd favorite Trek movie after Khan!

well, it's funnier, and no one's as stiff as Persis Khambatta.

persis khambatta rip :(

she was only 49

yes, that was a pity.

NYT feature on Bret McKenzie and his 3 songs (the vid here with Kermit is preferable to the perfs of the song in the film):

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/bret-mckenzie-muppets.html

Better than Muppets in Space; got nothing on the original trilogy.

Also, yes, jaymc's FCF OTM in that it want to make kids laugh but, more importantly, make adults get a good nostalgic cry.

Big fan of Miss Poogy over here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIr99TP7_mw

"You saw All About Eve, right?"

There's a woman always smoking in front of my building who reminds me quite a bit of Miss Poogy.

Actually this could've eclipsed the first movie with a couple moves:

-no Walter
-team up Piggy and Adams

Could've done entirely without Segal, Adams and Walter entirely.

Entirely, in case that wasn't clear.

Adams was criminally underused. Would've preferred the reunion to be instigated by Mark Wahlberg and Adams as their Fighter characters.

I will be interested in hearing kids' reactions, as it's not aimed much at em as you say.

and yes, it'a 100% nostalgia fest and my eyes were leaking in 5 mins.

^^^^ this is all I need to know. I have to see this.

saw this last night in a discount theater jammed to the rafters with single-digits and their stoic herders. movie was fun, but took waaaaay too long to get going. tons of mopey, draggy musical numbers and laugh-free "character development" stretches. as a result, the kids were restless as all hell. serious bag-crinkling set in about ten minutes after the film started and never stopped. surprised that the parents didn't laugh more, though, cuz i found a lot of it pretty damn funny: muppet man, the telethon numbers, etc.

there was a low stage in front of the theater screen on which, during the credits when the lights came up, a bunch of kids danced and played. best thing about the movie. meanwhile, this one little girl, seated behind us with her parents, said "i want to make my own muppet!" her parents just grunted, so she repeated the idea, this time met with silence. then she said that it would be fun to play on stage with the other kids. so her parents got up to leave, again without speaking a word. lesson: parents suck.

this was ok beut somehow didn't feel "big" enough? i mean i capitalized this thread title for a reason.

Way, way, way too much unfunny emphasis on (star and writer and executive producer) Jason Segel, his Amy Adams wife and puppet brother. Detracted from the muppetness, forced tedious "relationship arc" bullshit on the movie.

"Well yes, I know it's called 'The Muppets'. All the more reason it should mostly be about MEEEEEEE!"

Kind of too much to ask for from a movie for kids, but it'd have been nice to have the Segel/Adams arc be emphasized a little less and have more Chris Cooper/Kermit action. I kind of feel like the framing device took over a little too much of the movie.

I did enjoy all the references to the Muppet Show and not just the movies.

"i want to make my own muppet!" her parents just grunted, so she repeated the idea, this time met with silence. then she said that it would be fun to play on stage with the other kids. so her parents got up to leave, again without speaking a word. lesson: parents suck.

don't judge these people, you have no idea what they endured that day

F.A.O. Schwarz in NY has a "make yr own muppet" place.

We saw a couple of already made ones that resembled Amber and Alice, they were quite expensive but I was all for pushing out the boat and getting them. But the kids were both "yeah, they're great, but they're not worth it dad."

Pragmatic kids, aged 9 and 11 at the time.

Kind of too much to ask for from a movie for kids, but it'd have been nice to have the Segel/Adams arc be emphasized a little less and have more Chris Cooper/Kermit action.Don't see why that would be too much to ask for. From what I saw in the theater, the younger kids were bored silly by the Segal/Adams business.

</p>

again, the target aud for this film was 35+. My sister didn't get to see it cuz her 5-year-old dragged her to Chipwrecked.

I agree with this, but only to an extent. While The Muppets clearly intends to appeal to the nostalgia of an older audience and much of its humor is too referential for young children to understand, it was marketed at least in part as a children's film. I don't think it was terribly successful on that level. As a nostalgic 35+, I'd have preferred a bit more unselfconscious muppetation, a bit less trite drama and retro referentiality.

a bit less trite drama and retro referentiality

this is basically what i have wanted from every hollywood comedy in the past 15 years

still gonna see this though

I am prime nostalgo demo for this, saw it with my mom and my 6-y-o son, movie a huge success for all three of us; I thought it did a superb job of offering something to all age tranches.

Saw this today. I loved it (being of prime age to be nostalgised to the max). The kids in the cinema, not so much.

The Toy Story short preceding it was great too, but again felt aimed at me rather than at kids.

i want to buy every fucking toy in that short. ghost burger!

Yes!

sorry, that shit was the worst

plot was shit, toys were lol

OTM. DJ Penguin toy was terrific.

Saw this yesterday and welled up a bit in places. I liked how they worked pretty much an entire episode of The Muppet Show in near the end. Could have done with being a bit longer maybe, I wanted at least 15 minutes more of the show really. Loved how old-school it was - Clifford, Rizzo The Rat etc wisely left out.

Bunsen and Beaker sadly underused though.

I just watched and it made me a little sad. In Muppet's from space they all live in a big house, as a big family and their narrative has heart and soul. It's warm and kooky, much like the Muppet's themselves. In this film they are a bit cold,live in a world of mistakes and breakdowns of relationships. Not how I like my Muppet's served up. Don't get me wrong, it is still good, funny and great to watch. Although saying that, Fozzie Bear just isn't right, obviously it has a different puppeteer and voice characterisation but it just doesn't nail it well enough for me. Great film, but has lost that little something that makes the original stuff, when the dream team of " were at their most creative. Only my opinion but the tone, or culture of the Muppet's seems to have changed, and it's turned into 21st century capatalism, with the death of community and relationships. Yes, they get it all back together by the end, but all feels a bit tainted by then. The heart has been ripped out of it. Shame on you Disney (said in a Fozzie Bear voice)

Makes me feel a bit like this.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhoj9x72Mk1qbxh0co1_500.pnghttp

But I maybe over thinking this.

no, that's otm. missed the joy & effervescence of the best previous muppet outings. and muppets from space is great!

Bobin replacing Segel as co-writer on the next one, apparently

Yeah, having read a number of sentiments like that captain rosie's (and Frank Oz's), I'm really wary about seeing this. I love the Muppets, not so much for the characters themselves but more for the overall spirit of the enterprise (at least as it existed during Henson's lifetime). The Muppet Movie is one of my all-time favorite "forging one's own family" movies, and the new movie sounds like it's just on a whole other wavelength.

the different spirit is more acknowledging that the family has kind of lost its way and been separated through the recent years of Disney / Henson hot potatoing imo; it's doing a not-entirely-necessary semi-re-origin story (ending with the family reunited and ready to carry on entertaining) in the same way The Muppet Movie did an entirely-unnecessary origin story.

The new one really relies on and acknowledges that The Muppet Show was a thing in a way the prior movies didn't really?

yes.

Muppets from Space is not that good guys, gtfo

I thought the new one was plenty heartwarming. I was smiling throughout

I thought the new one was really good - even so (as my video store guy put it) it is the 4th best Muppet Movie

Yeaaaaah...I probably should've trusted my wariness. This was emo as fuck and just not at all in keeping with what Henson brought to the game (quelle surprise). It's not a bad movie, but I feel like it was mostly intended to be a nostalgia fest for people who haven't had any engagement with the Muppets in 20 years. But I'm the guy who regularly watches Henson-era stuff and has two Muppet movies very high in his 'best comedies of all time' ballot. Like, I make no bones about my Jim Henson hero worship. So despite the fact that it might appear otherwise on paper, I think I'm just about the opposite of the target audience. Aaaand so my opinion should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

But I'm the guy who regularly watches Henson-era stuff and has two Muppet movies very high in his 'best comedies of all time' ballot. Like, I make no bones about my Jim Henson hero worship. So despite the fact that it might appear otherwise on paper, I think I'm just about the opposite of the target audience.

I would think so, given that you're actually the protagonist of the movie.

I think the core problem is that I'm no more interested in a presentation of Jason Segel's subjective Muppets fandom than I would expect anyone else to be in mine.

Also, I'm a big enough fan of Henson at his prime that I would've been perfectly okay with the band getting back together at this point in time. But here's to hoping that the people currently working with the Muppets can make it their own thing from here on out and stop sadly living in the shadow of what came before. Because continuing to invite those comparisons isn't gonna do them any favors.

'okay with the band never getting back together'

We recently watched The Muppets Take Manhattan and I never realized how much I dislike Ms. Piggy. She completely annoyed me through out the whole show, needy and that phony voice she puts on! I don't remember not liking her as a kid, but Kermit really made a mistake marrying that pig.

haha otm

people currently working with the Muppets can make it their own thing from here on out and stop sadly living in the shadow of what came before.

like I said ^^, this film really leaves the characters in a good place to carry on straight entertaining from here, having been as unnecessary an origin story as The Muppet Movie. And with Segel out of the writing picture, that strand of hat-tipping to the past could well be removed altogether.

All Segel hate aside this was still great

DWH, you do realize that the sensibility of the 2 Muppet movies you love so much rest heavily on the concepts and style of vaudeville and pre-1950s Hollywood comedy that you seemingly have absolutely no time for?

Morbs, you do realize that I give the impression of having absolutely no time for those things because it gets your goat?

(I was wondering how long it was going to take you to make that exact comment, btw, amidst my Muppet trumpeting in the comedy thread.)

it's just funnier when muppets do it

or feltier

feltier isn't a french director from the 30's or anything?

I am 100% sincere on the interwebs and expect the same of all

done and done

where does all this talk of Segel leaving the boat come from? What happened there?

he allegedly had an affair with miss piggy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=14njUwJUg1I

finely aged jokes

let's try that again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14njUwJUg1I

New one is good. No thread for?

looks great from trailers I'm excited

i've seen this twice

it's brilliant

Nice -- been meaning to catch it.

i m going to watch the segal film tomorrow with mk2 as he really wants to see the new one during the easter holidays.

genuinely excited, when the muppet film was out neither of the boys wanted to see it, so i got voted out.

cant wait.

Eh, new movie has its moments. Like, two or three, in passing, plus the occasion meta joke. It's mostly passable, and Gervais and Fey are better-fit humans than Chris Cooper in the last one. My 6.5 year old turned to me halfway through and said she liked the other one better.

As some critic put it, it's remarkable how the same team behind the last one, minus Segal, could make a movie so tonally different.

Thinking back, I really have no fond movies of the 2011 one. This one has, at the very very least, "Good-night, Danny Trejo."

My fave joke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9gPZnqiGY#t=70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9gPZnqiGY#t=70

I tried to get through the first (Segel) one the other day but no dice. I guess just nostalgia, old, etc. and I couldn't get with the changes. Plus Segel and Adams annoyed me.

I saw this last night. There was a park movie screening and I thought it was going to be the old Muppets movie but we decided to stay and watch this anyways. It was enjoyable! I can see how the emo muppet and that whole plot thread could get grating, but the muppets themselves were a RIOT and there were many LOL parts. Great uyse of Jack Black. Amy Adams is adorable and awesome. Jason Segel is ok, some emo dude, whatever. But that "Am I A Muppet Or a Man?" song was hilarious and rightfully poked fun at that whole thread. Oh, and barbershop "Teen Spirit" definitely the only Nirvana-related thing in 20 years Kurt should've seen.

Watched Muppets Most Wanted the other night, highly amusing beyond my expectations. Some really really good jokes.

Also easily the most I've enjoyed Gervais since The Office.

did that bomb or what? I feel like no one had anything to say about it

Yeah I wasn't even aware of its existence till my flatmate suggested watching it.

http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2014&p=.htm

Its $50M seemed respectable until I noticed a) its production budget was $50M, and b) it ranks below God's Not Dead, Son of God and Heaven is For Real.

with small kids I would've thought some other parents would have mentioned it to me but it's never come up once

I'll probably still watch it though.

I saw it three times in the cinema fwiw

I think Muppets Most Wanted is easily the best Muppet flick since the first one. All the kids round here love it too.

that's some p high Muppets praise. iirc around here people's favorite muppet movie is actually (rather inexplicably imo) the third one

Second one's where it's at. Third...meh.

1st, 2nd, 3rd are all fine. As is this newest one.

Forced to choose, I think Caper is the best tho.

So funny, so entertaining. It might be the Muppets at their peak, imo.

And it has the best songs, too.

my memory is caper is best but i haven't seen it since it was in theaters.

i have to admit to liking muppets take manhattan

my fave

Muppets Most Wanted > The Muppets

v solid, tons of great gags, good songs, good villains, cameos funny and not in the way

Muppets Most Wanted > The Muppets

Yup. I can't even fathom not feeling this way.

I get why the studio felt they had to lean so heavily on Segel (and good on him for even pushing to get the movie made) but it felt better to have the Muppets actually be the center of everything in the film instead of Segel and his Muppet stand-in and his girlfriend etc. Humans should always be incidental/secondary.

baffled that Muppets Most Wanted is considered a flop - I liked it more than the Segel one and seemed like a bunch of kids saw it

I see I am repeating myself

Yeah, it made money and was an incredibly better film ... but the cool kids shrugged it off so what are you gonna do.

I was just reading a thing yesterday about how Disney considers Age of Ultron (the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time) a relative flop. So who even knows what 'flop' means anymore.

most wanted is really good - totally absurd in the best way

really hope they can successfully carry that into the upcoming new tv show

lolwut disney are you insane xp

I would guess that at least part of the rationale is that three of the six highest-grossing movies of all time were released this summer, and the other two outperformed AoU. You all have enormous dicks, there's no need to fret over a centimeter.

NYC subway ads for Muppet TV show are all salaciously adult-aimed, kinda depressing tbqh

they always treaded a fine line, but yeah disappointing when they don't do it well

Yeah, I don't have a lot of time for post-Henson Muppet stuff. Something always feels off.

there was some piece about this new show pointing out how damaged the brand got over the years with the aggressive marketing exclusively to small children, shitty cheaply made low-concept "Muppets do ____" projects, etc. and now they're swinging the other way to try and be hip/adult... yeah idk. I'll give this show a try but I'm a little skeptical. Without Henson at the helm it really is just another property at the mercy of corporate perogatives and poorly thought out one-offs.

I get why they continue using the tried-and-true characters, but in a way they aren't as much characters as they are extensions of their original performers. I'd honestly prefer to see the newer performers develop their own characters and bring them to the fore.

but presold is where the biggest bucks come in. that's why Disney grabbed Star Wars too, just as the old stars were ready to hobble back into action.

^^^

I'd honestly prefer to see the newer performers develop their own characters and bring them to the fore.

Segel's muppet analogue was such a non-entity

Yeah, that thing was stupid. Pepe is probably the best character of the post-Henson era, though, and I think that's precisely because he was built from the ground up rather than being stuck on someone else's arm after thirty years. Gonzo is the only one of the old crew that still has any life in him because Dave Goelz is still doing the work. And don't get me started on the increasingly-sleek designs that continually chisel away the visual quirks of the characters.

Like I said, though, I get it. Recognizable IP = $$$. But still.

it is weird/sad to me that Oz is no longer involved

I don't know if he's ever made a public statement about his disengagement, but he's getting up there in years and I know it takes a physical toll, so I get it.

iirc they tried to get him for the reboot and he refused/had issues (I know he objected to Fozzie doing a fart joke)

but he was involved as recently as Muppets in Space, and he still did fucking Yoda so...

Oz just did the voice for Yoda this time around, and Muppets From Space was made >15 years ago. It probably would also suck to return to a thing you used to do with friends who are pretty much all dead now.

Look, at the end of the day Muppets Most Wanted proved that they could still do right by old school Muppets style.

TBF, haven't watched Muppets Most Wanted yet, but I was definitely unimpressed by its predecessor.

it is much better

the plot, the songs, the villain, the cameos, the way the characters interact - it's all an improvement

how damaged the brand got over the years with the aggressive marketing exclusively to small children, shitty cheaply made low-concept "Muppets do ____" projects, etc. and now they're swinging the other way to try and be hip/adult...

Coming next, Muppets: The End Times.

The title of one of the original Muppet Show pilots:

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051206062447/muppet/images/8/8d/Title.sex.jpg

They've historically run the demographic gamut.

yeah that's what I meant above about them treading a fine line - at their best (and I would say during most of Henson's stewardship) they were never exclusively for adults or for children, they were kind of in the middle, which is a hard spot to maintain

one of the subway ads has a head-on Kermit pic promising a show with "full frontal nudity"

I think I read that the first episode involves Kermit accidentally sending the rest of the gang his dick pics. Hijinks ensue.

frogs don't have penises

Somebody better send ABC a memo before this thing airs.

Cloaca pics just doesnt have the same ring to it

Have they done a Real Housepigs parody yet?

yet? it hasn't even aired

just want to echo the muppets most wanted love, i enjoyed the muppets (2011) alot but watching muppets most wanted is where i thought 'ok, this is a muppets movie'.

Muppets Most Wanted was fantastic

I thought the songs in Muppets Most Wanted were pretty awful compared to ones used in the Muppets. Kind of a Flight on the Conchords season one vs season two rush problem.

Not even sure I agree with that, but it's been awhile since I heard the first movie's songs.

the idea of kermit having a lookalike with a comedy accent was ridiculous and muppety enough that I can forgive much

"i love you, pig!"

"i am kyirmit"

i remember when gosford park came out telling my friends it was so good that ryan phillipe was good in it. well muppets most wanted is so good that ricky gervais is good in it.

kinda disappointed they're not gonna keep doing movies if that's the case. the stuff w/ the new show has not intrigued me. really think they should've just done a variety show again, maybe even just make it occasional like once a month or twice a month, rotate it w/ a movie or something on saturday nights, boom there's yr new wonderful world of disney, disney could even go hardcore w/ their 'we own all the franchises now' by putting marvel movies and star wars in the rotation (hell they could so the unspecial edition star wars again and hype the hell out of it). then if they wanted to they could do their 'what if the office had starred the muppets? it might go a little something like this...' stuff as shorts and get viral whatever that way.

songs in Muppets most wanted are just. fuckin. *great*.

songs in fotc season two are also j.f.*g*.

And some of the best jokes are in fact the bawdiest, like Fozzie lamenting about declaring yourself a bear in the online dating world and the kind of attention that can attract — complete with a “not that there’s anything wrong with that” panicked punchline — or Animal wistfully lamenting why he doesn’t tour anymore: “So many women, so many towns.”

fuck this

uh that was supposed to be in italics but you get the idea

so Paul Williams has gone from writing songs to dialogue?

it's a whole new tv show, you can probly make a new thread

what do you have against Paul Williams idgi

i just saw that in the doc he said he wasnt proud of boasting of groupie-screwing

i like most of what i know of him actually

http://static.spin.com/files/130510-daft-punk_0.jpg

lol that pic

that doc is a fucking crime btw

hated the first ep of the new show, won't be watching.

watch Phantom of the Paradise instead

Watched "Muppets Most Wanted" two nights ago. So much better than the previous film - ROFLs galore. Kyrmit didn't get old.

new tv show kinda sucked

https://twitter.com/natepatrin/status/646893269616562177

i thought it was fine. nice to see them back on tv.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/e/eb/TheMuppets-S01E04-PepeWithStatler

"Look at me! I'm Bradley Coopers!"

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/e/eb/TheMuppets-S01E04-PepeWithStatler'sTeeth.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/267?cb=20151013211323