You might remember that laughable Fox Business News Channel Report that claimed that The Muppets was brainwashing kids against capitalism and the oil industry. While doing press for the international release of the film, Kermit and Miss Piggy were finally asked and given the opportunity to respond. Watch the priceless video now, embedded after the jump.
It’s no secret that the Alamo Drafthouse is the best theater chain in the country. Sure, it’s small, but the passion they have to create the perfect environment to watch a movie is unparalleled. Case in point, their hugely popular No Texting public service announcements, incredible in-theater food selection, stunning repertory screenings and so much more.
As the new year begins, the entire staff of the Drafthouse voted on their favorite films of 2011 and selected /Film as the outlet to exclusively premiere their list. It’s extremely eclectic (The Muppets, Beginners and 13 Assassin all made the cut) but you’d be hard pressed to find a better cross section of the best 2011 had to offer. Check it out after the jump. Read More »
In 2011, I saw more new movies than I ever have in the past. Previous years I’d flirted with roughly two per week but, this year, thanks to a full Sundance Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Butt-Numb-A-Thon and other events like AFI Fest and the Los Angeles Film Festival, that number jumped up to 167. Several of those won’t be released until 2012 and others won’t get released at all, but it’s still a more than sufficient cross section of 2011 releases to adequately speak on the state of film in 2011 and give my top ten movies of the year. (Note: Any film that didn’t get an Oscar qualifying 2011 theatrical run did not qualify for this list. That’s just my personal rule.)
For me, 2011 was the year of “good, but not great.” You know the type. A film that does everything right, is entertaining, emotional, but doesn’t stick with you once you’ve left the theater. We’re lucky to have films like that because, alternatively, we could get films that are total garbage. Looking back at the year as a whole, though, very few 2011 films will stick with me as all-time favorites. It was a good year, but not great.
The films after the jump were the ones that stayed with me more than most though and, because of that, earned a place as my top ten films of 2011. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 by Angie Han
Maybe it’s just because I got a cat this year — the first living, breathing creature I’ve owned since I failed to keep a hamster alive circa 1995 — but I couldn’t help noticing that the films of 2011 featured some damn great animals. Some were the stars of their films, like Rango (Johnny Depp) in Rango, while others played second fiddle to less interesting, or at least less adorable, human stars, like Rosie (Tai) in Water for Elephants, but all deserve special mention in my book.
And yeah, okay, the fact that they also serve as a convenient excuse to post cute animal photos during a slow news week happens to a nice little bonus as well. Read on after the jump.
Posted on Monday, December 12th, 2011 by Germain Lussier
Of the many things that make me happy about The Muppets, this story concerns three of them.
James Bobin’s film does a fantastic job of not only paying respect to the Muppet legacy but also setting a foundation for a whole new world should audiences demand to see it. And why wouldn’t they? The Muppets is filled with memorable characters and an interesting story interspersed with a slew of catch tunes and sounds that can’t help but make you feel happy.
In regards to both those points, this article will provide an update from the producers on what work is being done on a sequel as well as a video from the Soundworks Collection about the music and sound of The Muppets and a music video of the song “Man or Muppet.” Read More »
Posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011 by Russ Fischer
You probably didn’t realize it at the time, because that would defeat the purpose of the brainwashing, but when you took your kids to see The Muppets, you were playing right into liberal Hollywood’s plan to indoctrinate your kids into a belief system in which wealth, corporate success and the oil industry are great evils. In other words: The Muppets hates capitalism, and by taking your kids to see it you, and your young children, might start to hate capitalism, too. Maniacal laugh!
That’s the argument of a report from Follow the Money on Fox Business. Check it out below. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 by Peter Sciretta
This is the first edition in a new regular series where I attempt to answer your questions about the film industry. We’ll be taking a look at the box office, forgotten Hollywood landmarks, the marketing process and more. Sometimes I’ll attempt to answer the question myself, and other times I will contact experts in the particular field to give a more detailed answer. Please feel free to send your questions to orfilms@gmail.com. I decided to start off this series with an easier question, and use it as a jumping-off point to delve into the more complex world of screen credits.
Over its first five days, The Muppets pulled in over $40 million, making it a bona-fide success for Disney. That’s in large part to the simple fact that the movie is just plain good.
Angie gave The Muppets a great review on the site and it’s still kicking at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. But the film wasn’t always a rainbow connection. The film had several problems before, during and after production, ranging from original puppeteers not wanting to be a part of the project; current puppeteers not agreeing with character choices; and major changes to the script at almost every stage. Nowhere is that flux better illustrated than the film’s ending. In fact, the ending you now see in theaters is not how the movie originally ended.
After the jump, we’ll reveal the original ending which – of course – will force us to spoil the current ending. If you haven’t seen The Muppets yet, go do that, then come on back. Read More »
