When last we saw the Muppets, it was 1999, we were following the muppets in to space and we were finally learning the secret behind Gonzo. And, let’s face it, audiences weren’t exactly clamoring to learn about Gonzo and his origin. Especially in the midst of game changing movies like “The Matrix” steamrolling theaters. This 2011 reboot basically acknowledges how antiquated the muppets have become in a society bred on computer animation and 3D and how dusty their parts have been in the face of a new generation. In spite of the nostalgia, the muppets aren’t exactly the most popular property out there and the makers behind this fully acknowledge that and create in the process a revival that’s both a tribute to the muppets and a hopeful restart of the franchise once and for all. I can’t be the only one hoping for new Kermit and Fozzy films.
Tag Archives: Drama
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
It’s very rare these days that a film can be unsettling without having to resort to cheap tactics to manipulate its audience in to feeling so. Most often horror movies are given the burden of making audiences feel uneasy and queasy while delivering something gory or horrifying. The truth behind “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is that is it the most unsettling and outright disturbing film of the year, and isn’t necessarily what one could call a horror film. It packs in frights in small portions through the persona of the cult our protagonist Martha is hopelessly leashed to, but it isn’t necessarily a horror film. “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is about the subtleties, the quirk in facial expressions, and the flick of the face.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
A long time ago a hateful loathsome woman gave birth to a sociopathic little shit who grew up and turned in to a murderer. There, I just saved you two hours of one of the most irritating movies to arrive in theaters this year. A waste of talent and of time, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” is about nothing more than the searing hatred felt between a mother and a son and what results out of apathy, neglect, and outright torturous mental abuse. This is basically the origin of Michael Myers. An upright well adjusted family bringing up a young boy in a suburban home, all of whom seem normal but are filled with maladjusted individuals who one day awake to discover their boy is a disgusting monster who offers nothing to society.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
To say that I knew what I was getting in to with “Midnight in Paris” is indeed would be a gross error. I had no idea what “Midnight in Paris” would bring me. So for the sake of not ruining what is ultimately a surprise filled comedy drama, I beg you to heed my warning about spoilers as “Midnight in Paris” is such a film that will demand audiences to suspend their belief, but in the meanwhile is typical Woody Allen whimsy. The man has the ability to channel surrealism and fantasy with films like “Zelig” and “Sleeper,” and thankfully “Midnight in Paris” is a return to form. Once again, Allen has lost a lot of his touch with his past films as he no longer spotlights the regular individual, but the glamorous one, but he surmounts such a caveat by delivering a premise in the tradition of the classic Allen pictures. The demented and lively, the ridiculous but existential.
Submarine (2011)
“Submarine” isn’t just the anti-teen romance, it’s actually a film that doesn’t glamorize the romance even though it’s essentially about falling in love and losing love. Almost like a lost Wes Anderson film, director Richard Ayoade’s dramedy is a bold cinematic venture that dares to defy any preconceived freshman notions about his film making and fully grasps on to pretension (featuring title cards and monotonous narration et al). This is basically because our main protagonist Oliver is anything but a humble heroic young man. In actuality, he’s very much filled with enormous pretension, and enough self-loathing to garner expectations from the girls of his dreams that are rock bottom.
Young Justice: Season One, Volume One (DVD)
After the success that was “Teen Titans,” it was only a matter of time until the Cartoon Network in America decided to re-tap the well that provided them with top ratings and dive in to a famous title from the comic world. This time around, Warner has tackled the “Young Justice” brand, a title about the second tier young cohorts of DC Comics titan elite and their efforts to prove themselves to their elders. This time providing a sterner tone and more defined animation styles, “Young Justice” is a definite contender for breakout series of the DC label.
The Surge (2002)
I guess it’s too much to ask for a good time from a film from The Asylum, but I’m an ever so optimistic movie watcher. Some would say naive, in fact. “The Surge,” also known as “The Secret Craft” also known as “The Source,” has a relatively good idea on its shoulder that could be turned in to something of a magnificent low budget epic if it really had some talent in its corner. Alas it doesn’t, thus we’re subjected to what is primarily a really bad rip-off of “The Craft.”