Movie Review - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) ***1/2

    "The feel bad movie of Christmas" That's a tongue-in-cheek tagline used to describe the newest release from talented director David Fincher, known for some pretty dark movies such Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac. It is an understatement to say the least. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has a lot of good going for it, but geez, you feel like you want to take a shower after seeing it. It's a bit grimy. The movie is based on the first book of a 3-book series by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. The books were released posthumously and have gone on to be multimillion bestsellers. I have not read the books so I can't give an honest comparison but after seeing the first film I may get around to it. All 3 books have already been made into Swedish films which received primarily positive critical acclaim. I have not seen these foreign adaptations so I cannot compare this film with its predecessors either. It remains to be seen if the other two films are going to be made for the American audience but it appears the movie is going to do well so I fully expect the sequels to come here in the next couple of years.

      I'll give a fairly basic plot summary but I can't go into much detail. The movie is a mystery and it would be very easy to spill the beans on some of its secrets, all of which should be witnessed without spoilers. The movie stars Daniel Craig as a disgraced journalist named Mikael Blomkvist who is hired to investigate the 40-year old disappearance of a wealthy patriarchs grand-daughter. The girl, Harriet, disappeared from the family's island during a family function and has not been seen or heard from since. The grandfather, Henrik (Christopher Plummer), cannot let this go because every year he receives a gift, the same gift that his granddaughter gave him before her disappearance. Henrik is convinced that the person sending the gifts is responsible for the disappearance of Harriet. Most of the family members still live on the island and are an eclectic mix of people. One of the best lines of the movie is spoken by Henrik when he says, "But what you'll really be doing is investigating thieves, misers and bullies - the most detestable collection of people you will ever meet - my family."

     Mikael starts off investigating by himself but he is eventually joined in his investigation by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the title character. Lisbeth, at first glance, is someone a lot of people would take one look at and walk the other way. With multiple piercings, tattoos and an unkempt look she is ripe for prejudice. Lisbeth is actually a very smart investigator and computer hacker herself who uses her appearance as a defense mechanism due to a troubled past. She has lots of trust issues with males and this is only complicated when her current guardian abuses and rapes her. She overcomes these issues and is able to work with Mikael in the investigation and the two make a really good investigative team. They pour through documents and photos from the day Harriet disappeared and slowly they start to put the pieces together and see the big picture of what really happened to Harriet.

     I know that plot summary is pretty vague, but it really needs to be. It's too easy to spoil parts of this movie and I would hate to do that. There is a lot of good in this movie. The detective work by Mikael and Lisbeth is very intriguing as they weave their way through this complicated family and their pasts. Rooney Mara, who had a small part in Fincher's The Social Network last year, is really the highlight of this movie. Her role is so vulnerable and tough at the same time and Mara could very well earn herself a Best Actress nomination at this years Oscars. Craig can be a bit bland at times but I liked him here in this starring role as Mikael. Stellan Skarsgard and Robin Wright play supporting roles well also.  Fincher is one of my favorite directors and while I didn't like this film quite as much as I did some of his others, I could see a lot of the marks that make him a genius behind the camera. He just has a way of creating dark suspense that can unsettle you. The script by writing guru Steven Zaillian has some hiccups but overall I was really impressed. So why do I not have this movie rated higher? I wanted to go 4 stars on it and there is a large section of this movie that is worthy of that rating, even higher possibly. The problem is, this film clocks in at about 2 hours and 40 minutes. The bulk of the mystery is in the 2 hour middle portion of the film and that is top notch. But there is roughly 20 minutes at the start and 20 minutes at the end of this film that I mentally checked out. It takes a while to get going. Once the mystery is solved, there's a 20 minute epilogue that I know why it is in here, but it just didn't work for me. I thought it fell flat compared to the rest of the film. Perhaps it's just me but I almost wish it wasn't there. Also, without spoiling things, I thought part of this mystery was pretty easy to figure out. There's a specific reason why, but I don't want to go into that here as it would possibly spoil things. But there was just a decision made that I didn't like. Talk to me about it in person if you want to know what I'm talking about. These things added up and I wasn't able to go to that fourth star, but don't let that distract you. I really enjoyed this movie, and while it will not be for everyone due to some of the subject matter, it is worthy of the praise it has been receiving.

Movie Review - "Crazy, Stupid, Love." (2011) ***

     I'm as guilty as anyone of prejudging movies I guess. You see a couple of previews and many times you decide right then whether you will like the movie or not. I guess it's just human nature, because I do this quite often, even though I should have learned my lesson. I've seen many films that I went in with the highest of expectations, only to walk away disappointed. The opposite is also true, and it's because of these films that I continue to love watching movies. When are you going to see the next movie that exceeds your expectations and surprises you? You never know. Crazy Stupid Love (I'll be ignoring the head-scratching punctuation marks in the title for the remainder of this review) is a movie that fits this description for me. It resides in that dreaded genre for me, the RomCom, or Romantic Comedy. When it comes to prejudging, I tend to do it with this genre more than any other. Is that fair? No, probably not, but it's just the way it is. I've seen too many of these movies that are just completely brain dead and do absolutely nothing for me that I can't help myself sometimes. On occasion though I have to give one a chance and I'm glad I did so with this film as I was pleasantly surprised.

      Crazy Stupid Love wastes no time getting to its premise. We meet married couple Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) as they are having dinner in a restaurant. When Cal asks Emily what she wants for dessert, she quickly blurts out "A divorce"....and then proceeds to let Cal know that she has been sleeping with another guy. At this point, Cal's life is turned upside down. He finds himself separated from his high school sweetheart, the only woman he has ever loved, and their children. Cal tries to blend back in with society but he hasn't dated since high school and he is not exactly the most "smooth" guy in the bar. It's here where Cal meets Jacob, the ideal womanizer, who seems to go home from the bar every night with a different woman of his choosing. He can say just a few words and women fall head over heels for him. He is the exact opposite of Cal. Jacob is played by Ryan Gosling, an actor I'm only familiar with in a few roles but I can already tell he's one of the best actors going today. There's just something about him that he owns the screen whenever he is on it. I've enjoyed him in Ides of March and Blue Valentine and I have heard is performance in Drive is superb as well, so that movie is definitely on my radar. 2011 has been his breakout year and what a year it's been. As for the character here, his Jacob finally gets Cal comfortable talking to ladies and Cal is able to score a night with Kate, played by the very funny (and oh so beautiful!!) Marisa Tomei. They have a great night together which knocks Cal's confidence through the roof and he is soon courting a different woman each night, just like his "teacher" Jacob.

     It's here where the movie could easily fall into a few standard storyline traps and become just another film in a myriad of raunchy, brain-dead romcom stereotypes. But Crazy Stupid Love proves it's smarter than that and has more to offer. Underneath the comedy here is a movie with actually a pretty good message about soul mates and finding the perfect person. Everyone has that soul mate out there and you never know when or how you will meet them. It also questions that if they are truly a soul mate, how hard will you fight for them when things aren't perfect. I enjoyed this third act of the film when we slip into drama a little bit more but the film doesn't stop being funny. It toes the line carefully and in the end I feel it really worked out. The honor for doing that goes to the screenwriter, Dan Fogelman, and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. They realized they had something here and didn't ruin it. Kudos to them.

      Crazy Stupid Love is not a perfect film, it has its flaws for sure. But compared to many other films of its like, I really enjoyed it. So many movies like this fail to make me laugh. This movie succeeded there, I laughed quite a few times and there were a couple of really great scenes. Marisa Tomei isn't on screen much but when she is she is simply a delight and has some of the best comedic moments in the movie. Gosling is at his best in the first half of the movie when he is working with Cal. He shines as the ultimate womanizer without being obnoxious, that's hard to do in a role like this. Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton and Jonah Bobo are all young actors who give supporting performances worth of recognition. I don't really want to go into what each of their roles are because there is actually is a slight twist in the movie and I don't want to ruin it. I thought it was pretty funny and I want the viewer to experience it for themselves. Steve Carell and Julianne Moore both give decent performances. Neither is at the top of their game, but they do just fine in the starring roles. While not perfect, Crazy Stupid Love is 2 hours of your time which shouldn't be offensive and you may find some good laughs, as I did. It's a nice surprise and I'm glad I saw it.

Movie Review - "Warrior" (2011)

     Welcome everyone to the Mind of Mickster's first ever two-person review. This past weekend my friend Justin and I got the opportunity to watch the film Warrior starring Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte. I hope you enjoy this dual review, which could turn out to be an actual duel since I know Justin and I can have some different taste in movies. I hope you enjoy.

     Warrior stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as brothers who have been estranged from each other for many years. Tommy Conlon (Hardy) is an ex-Marine who has recently returned from Iraq and has a secret past from his time in Iraq which is slowly revealed to the audience over the course of the movie.  Tommy was a superb amateur wrestler growing up, but his life was turned upside-down due to a broken household caused by his father's alcoholism. When his mom split and left their father, Tommy decided to go with her but her death left Tommy without a family. Tommy's brother, Brendan (Edgerton), decided to stay with their father, leaving the brothers relationship to be strained. As the movie opens, the father, Paddy (Nick Nolte), is 1000 days sober and regrets his past. He is surprised to arrive home one night to find Tommy waiting for him. Tommy is in town to start training for Sparta, a $5 million winner-take-all MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) tournament. Tommy earns a spot in the tournament by beating a local MMA tough guy at the gym during a sparring session. He turns to his father to train him, but makes it clear from the get-go that their relationship is strictly teacher-student because of trust issues that Tommy still has with his father. Paddy agrees to train him and while doing so, tries to prove himself to his son.

     Brendan is an ex-fighter as well who has given up the sport to be a high school teacher. He is happily married to Tess (Jennifer Morrison) and is a loving father to his kids. He has nothing to do with his father or brother and the family hasn't seen Paddy in years. When financial problems threaten the foreclosure of his home, Brendan secretly fights at unsanctioned events that take place in a parking lot behind a strip club. Brendan easily wins a fight and collects a small payday, but this information makes its way to the school principal who has to dismiss Brendan from his job. With his family in a deep financial hole, he goes to Tess with the option of him returning to the ring to fight in the Sparta tournament. Tess remembers Brendan's past and how the sport almost killed him and will not give him her blessing. Brendan does what he must though and seeks out his former trainer, Frank Campana (Frank Grillo), to get Brendan back into fighting shape. 

     I'm not spoiling anything by saying this, you'd have to have never seen a movie before to realize that it's inevitable that these two brothers will end up face-to-face in the ring. But this movie has a lot of surprises up it's sleeve and the outcome may not necessarily be what you think it is. So let's see what Justin and I thought about the movie.

Justin's Take:    **

      If I had to recommend a feel-good movie that is right for the entire family, this would fit into that category. It has the age old American dream story written all over it. The acting wasn't that bad. But one of my pet peeves is that if an actor starts out having an accent, they should be able to maintain it throughout the entirety of the film. Hardy and Edgerton seem to have an Irish accent in one scene, and then an American accent in the next scene. Other than that, it's a movie that the entire family can sit down and enjoy as decent entertainment for one evening.

     I am a huge MMA fan, which is primarily what this movie is about.  So from that standpoint, I have some different views. I think overall it doesn't give MMA a bad image. Brendan is a teacher and as a lot of MMA fans know, Rich Franklin, a prominent fighter in the UFC, was a Math teacher himself. Tommy was in the military and this is another background which a lot of fighters tend to have. So there is some authenticity there. The problem I had is one that occurs in a lot of sports movies, the lack of realism. In most of the fights in this movie, one fighter usually takes a severe beating when in reality, almost all of these fights would have been stopped by the referee before getting to this level. The other negative I found was in the style of fights and the money awarded to the participants. The Sparta tournament in this movie takes place over a couple of days but in reality, fighters generally take several months to train for just one fight. The other thing was the portrayal of the money these fighters win. Most Middleweight fighters, the level depicted in this film, don't make anywhere near the millions of dollars awarded in this tournament. George St. Pierre, the most famous middleweight fighter and current UFC champion in that weight class, makes approximately $450,000 per fight and may only fight twice a year. But most fighters never approach even that level of money.

     Overall, I would tell someone to watch the movie and accept it for what it is, a decent action film with decent acting and a decent storyline. I think Nick Nolte did a fair job thought I don't think he was as exceptional as some people are making him out to be in this role. I feel people sometimes are given extra credit just for playing a certain type of role, such as the alcoholic. I feel he was just fair in this movie. I give the movie 2 stars out of 5.

Mickster's Take:    ****

    Justin, Justin, Justin. I agree with a lot of the things you said in your review but as an overall movie experience, I got much more out of this than you did apparently. I saw a movie that has some flaws, some of which you pointed out, but I think there is a five star film here that is a few flaws away from being a classic film experience. I was sucked in by the story of these two brothers and their troubled father. The movie could have easily ventured over into a sappy category, but it avoids those pitfalls and when the movie ends I have seen a movie that has tugged at my emotions, but doesn't veer into tearjerker territory. I'm not sure what it is about boxing/fighting movies, but they just have a way of working more often than they miss. Rocky, The Fighter and Million Dollar Baby are all classic movies with a fighting theme that made my top 100 list of all time. Warrior isn't quite up to the level of these masterpieces, but it comes pretty darn close.

    I agree with you on Nick Nolte, regarding his performance here. I think he is fine and he does have one great scene in a hotel room with Tom Hardy, but I don't get where all the Oscar talk is coming from for him as a possible Supporting Actor nominee. It's just not Oscar worthy in my opinion. Fine, but not great. I actually preferred Hardy as an actor in this movie, and he's the one I feel if anyone was a dark horse for an Oscar from this film, it would be him. I certainly don't think he will get one, but I did enjoy his performance here. Edgerton is fine as well, he pulls the role off, but when I think of this movie down the line it won't be because of his performance. But it's admirable nonetheless. I also agree with Justin on the realism of the fights. I do consider myself an MMA fan now, and though I haven't been following it as long as Justin, even I pointed out that most of these fights would have been stopped well before they actually are. But I agree that this is a good promotional movie for the sport as I don't feel it portrays it in the negative light that it sometimes receives. One issue that I had with the film that Justin didn't point out is that there are a couple of plot lines which are never fully satisfied when the movie ends. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but there are loose ends that just weren't tied up well enough for me and one of them in particular was kind of glaring. But these are minor quibbles and didn't mess with my enjoyment of the movie too much.

    After seeing the film, I looked up the name of Gavin O'Connor, the director of this movie. I was surprised to see that while he doesn't have a lot of credits to his name, one of his few previous directing roles was for the Kurt Russell movie Miracle, a movie that made my top 100 list. I think with these two films on his resume, he's a director that I would like to see more of when it comes to making movies, especially sports-themed ones. I think he has a lot of talent. I really enjoyed this film and while it's flawed I felt satisfied at it's conclusion. I was refreshed to see that if you can look past the violence a little bit, there's actually a decent family movie here for people with kids who are a little older. Some of the fighting may be too intense for younger kids though. If this movie was on your radar and you missed it, go rent it the next time you are looking for something to watch. If it wasn't on your radar, it should be.






     


     

     
    

Movie Review - "Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011) ****1/2

     Wow. One simple word....WOW. Those three little letters crossed my mind many times while watching the newest installment in the Mission:Impossible film franchise. This is a franchise that I have been a big fan of. The original film just missed making my top 100 list, it was one of the last cuts actually. The scene where Tom Cruise and his team of agents infiltrate the CIA headquarters is one of my favorite movie scenes ever. M:I 2 was a bit of a letdown but I enjoyed M:I 3 a lot as well. So I was excited for this newest installment and have been waiting patiently for a couple of months to see it. I've always been a fan of Tom Cruise, the actor. (Tom Cruise the "celebrity" hasn't often been the same case). When he is on his game, and isn't too full of himself, I think he's one of the funnest actors of our generation to watch. His performance as Ethan Hunt in M:I Ghost Protocol only strengthens that argument for me.

     Describing the plot of a M:I film is not the easiest thing to do. I think I may be able to perform brain surgery better. In a nutshell, there is a person of interest with the code name of "Cobalt" who wants to start a nuclear war between Russia and the United States. The movie opens with a team of IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agents breaking Ethan Hunt out of a prison in Moscow, Russia. (Don't ask) On the outside, Hunt receives a mission to infiltrate the Kremlin in order to gain information on "Cobalt". Hunt and his two sidekicks, Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg), soon find themselves undercover deep in the heart of the Russian military but the plan goes awry and must be aborted. The Kremlin is blown up and the Russians blame the IMF and the United States, leading to tensions that haven't been this high since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The President of the US activates Ghost Protocol which disavows the entire IMF, and the team finds themselves on the run without any help from the government. They pick up a fourth member along the way, an IMF analyst named Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who we can tell from the get-go has more to him than initially meets the eye. The 4 IMF agents track "Cobalt" to Dubai, where an exchange is scheduled to happen at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It's here where a lot of the jaw-dropping special effects and action take place, highlighted by Ethan scaling the outside of the building like Spiderman in a vertigo-inducing scene. Wow. Before the movie is over we also visit Mumbai, before arriving back home in the US.

     M:I - Ghost Protocol is a pure adrenaline rush from start to finish. The movie takes a break for five minutes here and there to setup what's coming next, but for the most part is action packed from start to finish. Most of the action defies logic of course, but this is one of those movies you just throw all of that garbage out the window and just go with it. I saw this movie in IMAX and if you get the opportunity to see it that way, I highly recommend it. Only about 30 minutes of the movie was filmed with IMAX technology but those are a tremendous 30 minutes. A lot of it occurs during the Burj Khalifa scene, which will immediately go with that CIA infiltration scene in the original as an instant classic. I'm not sure how the film will look on a regular screen, but I hope it doesn't lose its luster. I may give it a try, just to see the comparison. The film was directed by Brad Bird, a name you probably know but for a completely different type of film. All of Bird's previous directing work has been in animation, including the hits The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, a personal favorite of mine. He would seem like an odd choice for this job, but he has pulled off a miraculous feat. It doesn't matter what kind of movie you make, when you're good, you're good. For a film that is so action packed, the acting is also superb here. We've mentioned Cruise already, but Renner is becoming one of my favorite actors to see on screen. He earned my vote as Best Actor back in 2010 for The Hurt Locker and I also enjoyed his role in The Town. Simon Pegg provides some well-timed comic relief as Benji and Paula Patton does a kick-butt (literally) job as Jane. I highly recommend this film. If you want a 2-hour escape where you can just sit back and say WOW repeatedly, this is your movie. One of my favorites of the year so far.

Movie Review - "Bridesmaids" (2011) ***1/2

     I can't remember what movie it was that I went to see earlier this year, but as I was walking through the theater, I saw a large cardboard advertisement for Bridesmaids. I distinctly remember rolling my eyes as I passed by it and thinking to myself, "Well, there's no way THAT will be any good." I paid no attention to any reviews or promotion for the film and I had forgotten about it as the summer went along. Fast forward to the past few weeks. We are in "Awards Season" where all the different critics associations start handing out their year-end honors for the films of 2011. Something started raising my eyebrow, Bridesmaids was being nominated, and even winning, some of these accolades. When the AFI (American Film Institute) named it as one of the 10 best films of the year, that really opened my eyes up and made me second guess myself on this film. So I rented it On Demand and decided to give it a shot. The old saying is true, "Don't judge a book by its cover".......or a movie, I guess.

     The film has a pretty simple storyline. Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph) are best friends since childhood. Things have not been going well for Annie. She's in a relationship with an uncommitted jerk named Ted (Jon Hamm), her cake bakery business has gone out of business, and she is struggling to pay even the smallest bills. So when her best friend tells her that she is getting married, Annie is obviously happy for Lillian, but there is definitely a little bit of jealously. Annie agrees to be the Maid of Honor though, she is Lillian's best friend after all. At the engagement party, we meet the other bridesmaids; Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Becca (Ellie Kemper), Megan (Melissa McCarthy), and Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen is Lillian's newest friend and is one of those "perfect" ladies that other ladies usually hate right away. It isn't long before Helen and Annie are butting heads over how to give Lillian the best wedding possible. Annie is sure that Helen is trying to replace her as Maid of Honor and will do anything to avoid that. All of these ladies want the best wedding possible for Lillian, but can they come together and bond before destroying the whole event before it happens?

     I was surprised by how much I laughed during this movie, it even had me doubled over a couple of times. The movie is directed by Paul Feig, who is best known for his work in television on such shows as "Freaks and Geeks", "The Office", and "Arrested Development". Bridesmaids marks his directorial debut in movies. The movie is produced by Judd Apatow, the famous producer/director who is responsible for many comedies over the last decade and a half, including 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, just to name a few. His movies are known for their raunchiness, so you'd think this would be something different. It's not. This movie is every bit as raunchy as his predecessors, maybe that's what appealed to me. This isn't a movie for the kiddos by any means!! There is a scene, which I have learned has already become legendary, where the bridesmaids have some food poisoning "issues" while trying on bridesmaids gowns. I was shocked to see this unfold before my eyes, but I couldn't stop laughing at the same time. This is something I would expect from a movie like The Hangover, not a "chick flick". All of the actresses perform admirably, but Melissa McCarthy is the standout in my opinion as Megan. Her character is a complete riot and I would not be shocked to see her pick up an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress. Wiig's performance is also getting some well-deserved attention but a Best Actress nomination seems like a long shot. I don't know, it was just missing that little something. Don't get me wrong though, she does a great job. I doubt Bridesmaids will make my top 10 list for the year, like it did with the AFI, but it's going to be darn close. This is a funny movie and I'm glad I got over my initial bias and gave it a shot. It was a fun two hours.

Movie Review - "The Muppets" (2011) ***1/2 (***** for sentimental value)

     Well, it feels good to be back reviewing movies on the blog. I've missed this the past few months. Hopefully I won't have any more long lapses and I hope you the reader finds something here that will have you coming back for future installments. For my first review of the blog reboot, I decided to go old school in a way. I'm one of those people who is very attached to his childhood. Quite often, I like to go back and revisit things that were popular when I was growing up. One of those things that I fondly remember is The Muppets. I grew up watching The Muppet Show on television, saw all of the Muppet movies when they came on television, heck I even became a huge Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock fan. I just loved all things Muppets. I think it's safe to say that Muppets creator Jim Henson is behind only Star Wars creator George Lucas in shaping my childhood pop culture memories. So about a year ago when I first heard that a new movie was being made featuring the Muppets, I knew that was something I wanted to see. While I love the Muppets, the movies have been a bit hit or miss. My favorite is probably The Muppets Take Manhattan but the most recent film, Muppets From Space, was a bit lacking I thought. That being said, I was looking forward to this new installment with great anticipation.

     The Muppets stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams (absolutely beautiful as always, if I do say so myself), as Gary and Mary, a happy couple who has been dating almost 10 years yet still haven't gotten engaged, to Mary's disappointment. Gary has a brother named Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan. Gary surprises Walter one day by inviting him on a vacation that he had planned with Mary to Los Angeles. Gary says they can stop by the Muppet Studios while visiting L.A., which obviously excites Walter. Upon arriving, the trio learn a harsh reality. The Muppet Studios are worn down and a rich, oil tycoon named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is planning on buying the studios and tearing them down because he suspects oil is underneath the foundation. Walter learns that the only way to save the studios from the nefarious Richman is to come up with $10 million quickly. Walter, Mary and Gary come up with a plan to reunite the Muppet gang and have a telethon to raise money so they can save the studios. They visit Kermit to pitch the idea but he is down on it because the gang has all split up and went their separate ways because the Muppets are no longer important to anyone. They do eventually get Kermit to agree though and soon all of our favorites; Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Animal and the rest are back at it. Can they pull off a good show and raise enough money in time, or will evil Tex Richman get the last laugh? (maniacal laugh)

      So, is The Muppets a great movie? Yes....and No. From a story standpoint, I wasn't really invested. It's not like we don't know how it's going to turn out or anything. The acting is fine, nothing to write home about. Segel, Adams and Cooper all do good enough jobs, and there are a ton of cameos to look for throughout the picture which was a lot of fun. But this movie works simply for sentimental reasons. The characters could have been on screen reading the phone book and I would have had a smile on my face. It's just fun seeing Fozzie try to crack a joke. Or Piggy, being as sassy as ever. One of my favorite touches was seeing Animal in anger management class, now that's good stuff. By the time we get to a singing of "Rainbow Connection", I'm completely hooked and the smile won't leave my face. I may have even had a tear well up in my eye a time or two. The movie works tremendously in that sense. I specifically made a mental note to watch the children in the audience, to see how they reacted to this movie. While there was some rustling and fidgeting during the first 45 minutes or so, by the end of the film, you couldn't hear anyone talking or moving in that theater, the kids were hooked on the screen. That warmed my heart more than anything. The Muppets brought a lot of joy to people in my age range, I think some of you are probably smiling right now reading this, you know who you are. But this movie will allow the Muppets gang to reach a new generation of children and with some of the trash out there these days, that can only be a good thing. We need more of the Muppets.

The Blog: The Sequel

    Well, after disappearing for a few months, I've decided to wipe the dust off the movie blog and give it another shot. I had a lot of fun doing it when I started but I got kind of discouraged when it felt like nobody was coming unless I linked them to it. So I just decided to let it go and my suspicions were confirmed when nobody asked about it for two months. I guess it wasn't missed much. That's okay though. It's something I enjoy doing and that should be the only motivation I need. I love movies. I love watching them, I love talking about them, I love debating them. Hopefully, if I rebuild it, people will come. If not, that's okay though. For the two people who seemed interested, and you know who you are, this is for you.