The Muppet Movie

Last night, my daughter had a friend sleep over and we watched The Muppet Movie. I can’t remember the last time I saw The Muppet Movie. I’m guessing it’s been at least 20 years or more. I remember really enjoying the movie and I couldn’t wait to watch it with my kids and our guest.

The first thing I noticed right away was that the kids’ weren’t very into it. The Muppets aren’t really all that relevant to their generation. They know Kermit and recognized Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Animal, but that was about it. It was up to me to fill in the gaps of their knowledge. If I wasn’t providing commentary, I think the kids would have been a bit disinterested.

After all these years, the one song that I remember from the movie is Rainbow Connection. I forgot that there were a lot of other great songs in the movie, especially the Kermit/Fozzie duet, Movin’ Right Along.

One of the major aspects of the movie that I had forgotten was that there are tons of cameos by people that were famous back when the movie came out in 1979. I was reminded when I recognized Dom DeLuise in the first scene and I was looking forward to seeing who else would pop up. While it was great to see such stars as Dom DeLuise, Bob Hope, and Richard Pryor in the movie, it was sad when nearly every time a celebrity appeared, I realized that they had passed away.

Here’s a list of people that had cameos in the movie that have passed away:

• Dom DeLuise
• Richard Pryor
• Edgar Bergen (he actually died before the movie was released)
• Milton Berle
• Madeline Kahn
• Orson Welles
• James Coburn
• Bob Hope
• Telly Savalas

I didn’t even bother to try to explain who these people were because the kids would have no frame of reference. Although, I just realized that I could’ve mentioned that Dom DeLuise is the father of the guy (David DeLuise) who plays the father on The Wizards of Waverly Place, a very popular show on Disney Channel. They probably would’ve gotten a kick out of that.

Steve Martin, who is indeed still alive, had a cameo appearance as a rude waiter in a fancy restaurant where Miss Piggy and Kermit were having a romantic dinner. My son actually recognized him as “the guy from The Pink Panther movies” of all things. My daughter and her friend couldn’t believe it because he looked so different. I had to explain that I was younger than they were when the movie came out, so it was a really long time ago and Steve Martin was much younger then.

When the movie ended, they all said they liked it a lot. They seemed to be really impressed with Miss Piggy’s fighting skills and I think they wanted to see more of that. I was glad that I was able to help them enjoy the movie. I bet they would love to see The Muppet Show, which I’m sure I could find on DVD.

Recently, Jason Segel was hired to write a new Muppet movie, which I’m sure will be lots of fun (and filled with cameos of stars) and will hopefully bring The Muppets back as something that is relevant for my kids’ generation.

Yo Gabba What?!?

There’s a relatively new kids show on Nickolodeon called Yo Gabba Gabba. The look and feel of the show gives off a totally 70s, trippy vibe. My 4-year old son loves the show. As far as kids shows go, it’s probably one of the better ones and I feel it is pretty educational for little tikes.

The thing that I thought was odd is that I was seeing all of these relatively famous people appearing on the show:

• actor Elijah Wood
• R&B singer Mya
• Skateboarder Tony Hawk
• Country music group Sugarland
• Founder of Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh, who has a regular art segment
• (and my favorite) rapper Biz Markie, who has a regular feature teaching kids how to beat box
• and others

Again, thank goodness for Wikipedia because it confirmed my suspicions that the creators of the show were well connected in the “business”.

It looks like Yo Gabba Gabba may be coming to the big screen. That would be a site to see. The article ponders how this movie would compare to Pee Wee’s Playhouse. That’s an interesting comparison and makes me ready to get in line (with my son, of course) to see DJ Lance Rock and his friends on the big screen.

Spoiler Alert

I’m not a big fan of spoilers. I hate knowing what is going to happen in a movie or TV show before I see it.

I took my son to see Wall-E on Sunday. As I was getting into my car, my daughter’s friend says, “You know EVE dies at the end.”

I was not pleased. I was like, “Thanks a lot.”

Thankfully, I got so lost in the story, I forgot about the spoiler…which I’m happy to say turned out to be completely untrue.

Premonition

I watched the Sandra Bullock movie, Premonition, on cable last night. I was intrigued because it involves a woman who seems to be living a week out of order. I’m generally interested in any kind of story that involves the hint of time travel (although I’ll probably not watch the other Sandra Bullock time travel-like movie, The Lake House). Every morning Sandra Bullock’s character, Linda, wakes up it’s a different day in the week, she seems to be skipping ahead and back on subsequent days.  So, the movie starts on Thursday, then she jumps back to Monday, then ahead to Saturday, etc. On the surface, I liked the concept.

If you are ever planning to see this movie, I’d suggest you stop reading now because I’m going to discuss some spoilers.  You have been warned.

The movie starts on the day that she finds out that her husband died in a car accident. Lots of other stuff is revealed and it seems as though she has a chance to save him, but in the end she can’t change fate. OK? Basically, even though everything is happening to her out of order, it’s still happening and she can’t stop any of it.

So, there’s one inconsistency that really bugs me and I think the director/writer purposely put it in there so that a shocking event can happen later in the movie.

I love Wikipedia. It has a page for the movie and lists the days and events in the order that it occurred in the movie:  Thursday, Monday, Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, Wednesday.

Thursday: She finds out her husband died in a car accident on Wednesday. In the morning, she gets her kids off to school…both girls are fine. One of the things she was doing prior to finding out was putting decorative stickers on the sliding glass door.

Saturday: She sees her daughter and her face is all cut up. We don’t know what happened to her. Later that evening, Linda’s mother has her committed.

Tuesday: One of the things that happens on this day is that her daughter runs through the sliding glass door and cuts up her face pretty bad and gets lots of stitches on her face.

The events on Tuesday annoy me because if the daughter ran into the door on Tuesday, then her face would’ve already been cut up on Thursday. However, we don’t see the injuries until Saturday.

When she’s committed, Linda overhears a conversation between a policeman and her psychiatrist that makes them suspicious of her with respect to her husband’s accident because she told the psychiatrist of the husband’s death before it happened. That plot line doesn’t get formally resolved. The end of the movie implies that it was resolved, but it seems like an oversight to me to leave that dangling.

It wasn’t a horrible movie, but it was kind of depressing. The inconsistencies in the timeline really bug me, but I’m probably in the minority of people that would actually notice stuff like that.

Snow White's Step-Mother Could've Lived Happily Ever After

We own a copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves on DVD, which gets quite a bit of use, since I have two young children. After watching it for the umpteenth time the other day, I had an epiphany. I think the Evil Queen/Witch could have solved her problem without trying to kill Snow White.

What is the Queen’s ultimate goal? To be “The Fairest One of All”. It seems that the Queen had a good run on the title of “The Fairest One of All” until one day, Snow White’s beauty surpasses the Queen.

So, she decides that if Snow White is dead, she will again be the fairest. She commands a woodsman to kill her. When he confesses that he let her run away instead, the queen decides to do the job herself. What’s her big, elaborate plan? She uses magic to turn herself into an ugly, old hag to deliver a poison apple to Snow White.

There are two viable alternatives that were probably available to the queen. She could’ve used a spell to 1) turn Snow White into an ugly, old hag, or 2) make herself more beautiful than Snow White.

Number 1 was definitely an option, since we saw the queen actually use that spell on herself. Since the queen dies in her ugly, old hag mode, we don’t know if the transmutation is permanent or just temporary. I think we can assume that it’s permanant and another potion exists to reverse the effects.

Number 2 would’ve been a better choice for someone so vain. I think even if Snow White were dead or even turned ugly, the queen would become obsessed over the fact that there could be someone that is fairer than her. And, what if Snow White got her hands on the antidote?

I just thought of a third alternative. She could’ve conjured a body switching spell, so that the Snow White and the Queen switch bodies ala Freaky Friday. That way she gets the best of both worlds: she is the fairest and no one could possibly be fairer.

Out of the three options, I’ve outlined, I think number 2 is probably the best alternative, since it accomplishes the queen’s goal of being the fairest and, as a bonus, nobody gets hurt in the process. If the queen had just set aside her hate and jealousy and tried some out-the-box thinking to come up with a better plan, she could’ve lived happily ever after, too.

Movie Survey

Last week, the phone rang while I was giving my son dinner. The caller ID said Florida and I didn’t recognize the number. We have friends and relatives in Florida, so I answered. It was a guy from Nielsen who wanted me to take a survey about current and new movie releases. Normally, I probably would have just hung up. However, my wife was at work, my daughter was eating over a friend’s house, and the topic interested me, so I figured “why not?”.

I asked the guy how long it would take. He responded by saying as fast as he can read the questions and I can answer. I actually didn’t time it, but it probably took about 15 minutes. A little longer than I had hoped, but it wasn’t bad at all.

Basically, the guy asked me to blindly name as many current releases and upcoming movies off the top of my head. I think I only named about 4 or 5. I just couldn’t think. Then, he started going down a list of movies asking me if I had heard of any of them. The only annoying part of that was that he had to not only say the title of the movie, but list the top-lining actors in the movie. For instance, “Are you aware of Pirates of the Carribean 2: Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley?” It became annoying fast.

I’m a huge fan of movies, so I had actually heard of all of the 20 or so movies he mentioned. He didn’t sound too impressed, but I wanted to tell him that I am a sucker for entertainment news and I visit Apple’s trailer site a few times a week. I had this weird desire to explain my answers and show him that I probably have heard of more movies than other people in my demographic — I’m on the right edge of the bell curve, dammit.

For each movie, I had to tell him if I would (definitely / probably / might or might not / probably not / definitely not) see the movie. I kept thinking to myself, “My answers would be different if I didn’t have kids.” My wife and I used to see several movies a month before we had kids. I answered “probably not” and “definitely not” a lot, which made me a little sad because I absolutely love going to the movies. I think I said “definitely” only for Pirates of the Carribean 2 and I have no idea if I’m actually going to find the time to see it in the theater.

After that, I thought we were wrapping up, but we were only half way there. The next set of questions were targeted at my daughter. He asked if I had any kids in the 4 – 7 age range, which I do. We had to do the whole thing all over again, but this time would I (definitely / probably / might or might not / probably not / definitely) not take my daughter to these movies. The annoying part of this was that I had to answer for movies that are obviously not appropriate for someone her age. There’s a horror movie coming out called The Descent. The trailer, which I’ve seen, is extremely tense and scary. There’s no doubt it’s rated R. Is it really necessary to ask me if I’m going to take my 6 year old to see this movie? I wanted to annotate my answer with, “Are you f***ing serious?” I think I answered “definitely not” to all except Monster House (probably not), The Ant Bully (probably), and Zoom (might or might not).

There were other questions, like “what’s the next movie you plan to see and when?” plus some others that I can’t recall.

All in all, the survey was a bit long, but fun to participate in. I’d like to see the breakdown of the results. How many white, 34-year old men with 2 kids making $X/year have the same kind of answers that I have? I should’ve asked for a copy of the report.

Movie Trailer: Flight 93

There’s a movie coming out on April 28th called “Flight 93”. As you may have guessed it’s about the 9/11 hijacking that crashed in Pennsylvania. When I first heard about the movie, I thought it was too soon. Actually, I still think it’s too soon. A couple of months ago, they released a teaser trailer for the movie. It really didn’t show whole bunch, but it sent chills up my spine.  (I tried to find the teaser trailer at Apple’s trailer site, but the link seems to be broken.)

The new full length trailer was just released. I was kind of apprehenvie about viewing it, but the folks at Ain’t It Cool News said it was a “killer” trailer. So, I watched it.

The trailer is extremely compelling. I was on the edge of my seat with my face practically glued to the monitor. I did find it very difficult to watch. Talk about chills up my spine. My spine was tingling the whole time and I actually felt myself starting to choke up a bit. And that’s just from the trailer! I seriously doubt I’d be able to see this in the theater when it comes out. I don’t know how anyone could possibly see this movie. I can imagine that the whole theater will be full of people sobbing. I just don’t think I could sit through it in a crowd. If I see it at all, I’d probably wait for the DVD.

Your first thought may be that this movie is exploitive, but I’m hoping it’s not. I hope it is a very respectful tribute to the brave passengers of Flight 93. Please let it turn out the way I hope.

Update: They actually changed the name of the movie from “Flight 93” to “United 93”. Personally, I think “Flight 93” is a better name.

Don't Push That Button, Part II

Last night, I was using my Tivo.  Under the  Music, Photos, & More menu, I noticed a new item.  I can’t remember exactly what it said, but it was something like, “Browse and Purchase Movie Tickets” or something like that.  It seems pretty cool, but it doesn’t seem to work yet.  I selected it and it prompted me to enter my ZIP code.  Then, I got a server error.  It seems to be a collaboration between Tivo and Fandango, the online movie ticket purchasing website.

This seems like a pretty cool feature.  I did some checking online and found this thread about it on TivoCommunity.com.

It seems that at least one person got it working and there is a $1.50/ticket service charge.  That seems a bit extreme to me.  I think the most useful part is just checking movie times and reading reviews.  Hopefully, they’ll get it working reliably pretty soon.

My only concern is that I’ll start seeing charges on my credit card for movie tickets because my 20-month old son likes to play with the Tivo remote.

Ode to Serenity

I finally saw Serenity last night.  It was fantastic!  I had high expectations going in and I was not disappointed in the least.  I must disclose the fact that I am a huge Joss Whedon fan and a huge fan of the Firefly series that the movie was based on.  However, I am not a blind follower.  I would tell you if the movie sucked.  It did not…at all.

It had everything you could ever want in a movie:  action, drama, comedy, surprises, thrills, action, action, and more action.  It’s one of those movies where you have to catch your breath before you leave the theater.  I do not understand why this movie is doing so poorly at the box office.  I have yet to read a bad review.  Don’t reviews count for anything anymore?  I think the only problem is the title of the movie.  “Serenity” just doesn’t scream “exciting movie” and is probably the reason people do not have it on their “must see” lists.

I would see it again, if given the opportunity.  The fact that I had to wait until the 3rd weekend of release to see it pretty much tells you that I’ll probably have to wait until it comes out on DVD to see it again.  I just hope it does enough business to warrant a sequel.  Even if it’s direct-to-DVD, I don’t care.  I crave more.

A New Perspective on Return of the Jedi

On Friday night, I watched Return of the Jedi. I wanted to examine Luke and Darth Vader’s interaction to see if my perspective changed a bit by what I saw in Episode III. And, I am surprised say, it has — and probably for the better. In Jedi, Darth Vader certainly seems like a reluctant apprentice to Palpatine. It kind of plays into what caused him to turn to the Dark Side in the first place: love. It’s love that drove him to the Dark Side and it’s love that pulled him back.

I think Anakin remained loyal to Palpatine out of guilt over Padme. I think he knew what he did was wrong. In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader tries to convince Luke to join him to overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Episode III gives me two different ways of looking at this:

1) When Palpatine recounts the story of Darth Plaegus (sp?), he says that Plaegus’ apprentice killed him. Since the Dark Side is always concerned with gaining more power, I would have to say that this is not unexpected. All Sith Lords probably live in fear of being offed by their apprentices. So, with that being said, it is not surprising why Vader would want to join with Luke to kill Palpatine.

2) However, Vader probably wants revenge on Palpatine for seducing him to the Dark Side based on an empty promise, but he’s become so corrupted that he thinks the only way he can redeem himself is by corrupting his son in the process. I think he doesn’t want to be bad, but he knows no other way, so he probably hopes that more power would make him feel less guilty about Padme and all of the Jedi he betrayed.

I think Vader feels empowered (and maybe even a bit jealous) when Luke is able to resist Palpatine’s efforts to turn him. I think that, along with watching Palpatine fry Luke, is what finally brought Anakin back from the Dark Side. Up until then, Vader probably thought that “resistance is futile”. He finally came to his senses and figured out that he really is “The Chosen One”.

The prequels refer to Anakin as “The Chosen One”: The one that will bring balance to the force by destroying the Sith. In Return of the Jedi, he does finally fulfill the prophesy. Prophesies are a funny thing. It came true, but no one expected the path to fulfillment. The same can also be said of the prequels. I had to suffer through two sub-par movies to be rewarded with Revenge of the Sith. I certainly didn’t expect this path, but, in a way, it was worth it. The whole series is actually made better by the prequels. I can now look at Star Wars as one 6-movie series, rather than as two trilogies.