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| The Muppet Show / Season Two : 4 of 5 | |
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1.17.2008
7:29 PM | Link |
 Since I really enjoyed watching the Season One DVD set last year, I was glad to finally see Season Two available, so it went on my Christmas list right away! I've been enjoying watching every episode for the past week or so, and it's fun to see the show evolve with new regular sketches like Pigs in Space, and also to see bigger name guest stars (even though some of them really seem to bomb their performances, such as Rich Little, who does impressions of Kermit and Fozzie that my pal Francis could top in his sleep!). It was fun to see Steve Martin back in his stand-up days (even though his talent seems wasted in a weird auditions episode), and moments like Rudolph Nureyev singing Baby, It's Cold Outside with Miss Piggy as she chases him around in a steam room are just priceless! My favorite episode was truly bizarre, where the pigs kidnap Kermit and take over the whole show, which includes pig versions of tons of characters such as a pig-Fozzie and even a pig-Swedish Chef! My biggest complaint with this set is the lack of bonus material, especially the loss of the trivia subtitles that I totally loved on Season One. Instead, there's just a music video, a Valentine's Day special (which is interesting, but weird), and some brand new interview segments with the Muppets, which have some funny lines, but unfortunately make it really obvious that these are not the original performers we know and love (Gonzo's voice is especially terrible, and even small details like mannerisms are just all wrong). But overall, having these great shows available is the important thing, and I really enjoyed laughing at the best variety show ever!
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| The Muppet Show / Season One : 4 of 5 | |
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3.01.2006
6:50 PM | Link |
 Up next in my Christmas DVD set bonanza, I've finished watching the complete first season of The Muppet Show, and I loved it even more than when I first saw it on TV! It's totally amazing to me that this season was shot in 1976 (anything before Star Wars in 1977 in ancient history!), and yet looks so fresh and amazing. Watching these early shows was really an eye opener, since I didn't realize how much the Muppets have evolved - Miss Piggy's eyes have changed dramatically (and she wasn't always performed by Frank Oz, which gave her a really different voice!), and Fozzie used to have mechanisms in his head to make his cheeks frown! Each episode includes a special "UK segment" (since everything was actually shot in England) that wasn't shown in the US, so it's nice to get a bonus scene (many of them are musical segments with Rowlf, who has become one of my favorite Muppets now). The best bonus feature by far on these DVDs is the cool "Muppet Morsels" subtitle track, which displays additional facts and trivia about each scene as you watch, so you can enjoy the show and laugh when they point out places where you can see Jim Henson's head! The original pilot for the show is here, too, though I can't believe how dull it is compared to the actual show. It was so nice to sit back and watch a true variety show, and The Muppet Show is an excellent cure for the rainy day blahs! I really hope they release a Season Two set!
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| Muppet Treasure Island : 3 of 5 | |
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7.09.2004
8:01 PM | Link |
 OK, now I've finally seen all five of the Muppet feature films. I discovered this movie at the very end, and I didn't even know it was a Disney picture until I watched it! This time the Muppets are all cast in a crazy version of Treasure Island, which actually stays fairly true to the story even though there's plenty of crazy gags along the way. I loved how they found roles for even the Muppets that seem out of place - Waldorf and Stadler (from the Muppet Show balcony) end up as wooden sculptures on the ship's bow, and the Swedish Chef cooks a feast for the natives on the island, who all worship Benjamina Gunn (they had to get Miss Piggy in somewhere!). There's also a gang of vacationing rats on the trip, who have lots of funny scenes as typical cruising tourists. Tim Curry does a fine job as Long John Silver, and the kid who plays Jim Hawkins is pretty good (though his singing voice is so high it sounds ridiculous!). There are some really funny musical numbers - my favorite was Cabin Fever, where everyone goes crazy on the ship and a huge calypso party erupts! It's cool that Gonzo has a big role as one of Jim's pals, but I think Fozzie gets cheated - all he does is act stupid and talk to his invisible friend who lives in his finger. Anyway, this was a fun film to end the Muppet movie series!
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| Muppets from Space : 3 of 5 | |
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5.31.2004
10:17 AM | Link |
 Even though nothing could top the first Muppet movie, Muppets from Space is better than the last two movies I watched combined! I haven't completely pinned down why this is, but there are several major differences. First, they dumped all of the musical numbers and replaced them with awesome funk music montages. I generally love seeing characters sing in a big production, but I'm just not super-fond of the old music, which makes these funk songs even more welcome! Second, the focus is completely on Gonzo, rather than Kermit, and the emotions he goes through seem more interesting to me than a frog's love for a pig. Finally, I think the last two movies were too focused on effects - they wanted to see what they could make the Muppets do. In this movie, they just tell a really good story and don't waste time trying to do wild stuff. Anyway, the story of Gonzo's search for his origins is fantastic, and all of the supporting Muppets (especially Pepe the Prawn and Rizzo the Rat, who have much larger roles this time around) are hilarious. The production values seem a little higher, too. I thought that this was the last Muppet movie I needed to watch, but I just discovered that I haven't seen Muppet Treasure Island! Guess I'll have to watch that one soon.
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| Muppet Pinball Mayhem / GameBoy Advance : 3 of 5 | |
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5.30.2004
10:16 AM | Link |
 Since I love playing Pokemon Pinball so much, I've decided that my absolute favorite type of game for the GameBoy Advance SP is pinball simulation! Thankfully, there are several pinball games available, so I bought a few several months ago, and I've been playing them off and on. I think that's why pinball is so great - I can get into a game with very little commitment, so I can play a ball or two in just about any random moment of the day. Anyway, this game has three Muppet-themed tables (plus a fourth that I haven't unlocked yet) - one for Kermit, one for Miss Piggy, and one for Gonzo. The Kermit table is the easiest, but I still have yet to get a score high enough to let me move from one table to the next in the middle of a single game. I think I like the Gonzo table best - the graphics are really cool on that table. The sounds are pretty fun, with a few samples of the Muppet voices, but the background music can get annoying (especially on the Miss Piggy table!). I have to say that the pinball action is a little weird - I don't think the motion of the ball has enough friction, or maybe too little gravity, but it can be unpredictable at times (unlike Pokemon Pinball, which has very lifelike action!). All in all, this is a fun game - I just need more practice!
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| The Muppets Take Manhattan : 2 of 5 | |
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5.10.2004
7:43 PM | Link |
 I'm continuing to watch the Muppet movies, but unfortunately they still aren't coming close to the fun of the original. That's not to say this third film isn't enjoyable, it's just doesn't have the pizazz of The Muppet Movie. This plot has the gang going to New York City to get their show produced on Broadway. We get to see Scooter ride a bike (guess that's a signature shot, now), and there are some cameos from the likes of Brooke Shields and the Sesame Street gang, but the best scene is when Miss Piggy dreams of all the Muppets together as babies (even though the song they sing is pretty bad), with Rowlf playing piano in diapers and little Gonzo crawling on all fours. Before the show opens, Kermit gets amnesia, which is cured by a Piggy karate chop, and then we get to see the big show as the final musical number. Kermit and Miss Piggy actually get married, and then the movie just ends - so abrupt that I was stunned! As I said, it's still a nice Muppet movie, but it leaves so much to be desired. I sure hope the next movie is better!
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| The Great Muppet Caper : 2 of 5 | |
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4.18.2004
10:27 PM | Link |
 I'm continuing with the Muppet movies, which means I recently watched this second film on DVD. It was a fun movie, but I have it say that the first movie was much better. The negatives for me were the lack of star cameos, and the music wasn't as good (though the opening song is pretty catchy), plus some of the effects were lacking - they had to stoop to the "person wearing a Muppet suit" level. Still, there are some great moments. How do you top Kermit riding a bike from the first movie? You start with Kermit and Miss Piggy both riding bikes, and then in the next scene every freakin' Muppet, even the Swedish Chef, is on a bike! I also liked the clever and funny ways they hide the Muppet's feet, like a pair of top hats strategically placed when Miss Piggy does her tap dance. I missed the emotional stuff from the first movie, too, but that won't stop me from watching the rest of the Muppet movies, of course!
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| The Muppet Movie : 4 of 5 | |
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4.10.2004
2:15 PM | Link |
 I didn't waste any time renting this movie after enjoying the music on the 25th Anniversary CD! I don't remember if I saw this in the theater (I think I did), but it was wonderful to see again, since I didn't remember hardly any of it! The plot is really fun, since it starts with Kermit's humble beginnings in the swamp, and follows him as he travels to Hollywood, meeting all of the other Muppets on the way. The songs are fun to watch, since they really make them big production numbers with all kinds of dialogue and action. I love the special effects - I still don't really know how they made Kermit ride the bike! My favorite scene is when Miss Piggy and Kermit have their intimate dinner, with Steve Martin as their waiter (there are tons of cameos from other stars, too). Animal gets some great scenes, too, and saves the day by eating Dr. Honeydew Bunson's growth pills and turning into a giant! Gonzo's song by the campfire is a beautiful moment, too - I think I like his song better than Rainbow Connection. Time to rent the next movie!
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| The Muppet Show 25th Anniversary Collection : 3 of 5 | |
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3.30.2004
6:58 PM | Link |
 I saw this CD on Amazon as one of their recommendations based on my tastes (they know me so well), so I thought I would try it out, especially now since the Muppets are part of Disney! This is an excellent collection - the first half of the CD is like an episode of the Muppet Show, complete with opening and closing music, Fozzie comedy numbers, songs by Miss Piggy and Gonzo, and even a tap dance by Kermit (complete with the heckling old men!). The second half is a chronological set of music from the Muppet movies, starting with Rainbow Connection (of course), and finishing up with Gonzo's song from Muppets from Space. I wasn't too familiar with the material from the movies (I need to rent them!), so the second half wasn't as much fun for me as the first. My main peeve is that the opening theme song is a shortened version, even though the liner notes claim it's the original (it's definitely not, because it's missing the bridge to introduce the guest star!). All in all, a really fun way to enjoy the Muppets, and now I want to watch the movies and the show again.
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| The Muppets: On With The Show / GameBoy Advance : 4 of 5 | |
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7.28.2003
8:12 AM | Link |
 I recently bought a GameBoy Advance SP for two reasons: first, it was just too cool not to buy one, and second, because I wanted to play the cool games featuring Disney and other cartoon characters (I'm basically only good at kiddie games!). This game features all of the characters from the Muppet Show in lots of small challenges - all of them are very easy, since I'm sure this was designed for younger players, but I enjoy them anyway. The graphics are fantastic, featuring wonderful colors and 3D renderings of the characters, and the sound includes lots of actual Muppet sound bites. The game also has a fun story line, too, since each game is really an act of the Muppet Show, and the two old guys in the balcony heckle your performance. A totally fun diversion!
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