The Muppets & Others

The Muppets

The Muppets according to Jason Segel (he wrote the script and stars) is apparently the first film in the franchise for 12 years. I can't exactly say The Muppets were a massive part of a my childhood, so the appeal to nostalgia wasn't a great one for me, however I've seen the likes of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan numerous times, and enjoyed them, so I'm well familiar with Kermit and co and what goes toward making a good Muppet tale.

Our journey begin with a look back at Jason Segel's character growing up with his brother Walter, who for some reason is a Muppet. They are both massive fans of The Muppet Show, and Walter dreams of one day meeting The Muppets and visiting Muppet studios. When he gets the change, he finds out that an evil rich dude is planning to tear the studios down to drill for oil, and when Walter convinces Kermit to get the gang back together for fund raiser to save the studios we've got ourselves a run o' the mill Muppets story (which is a great thing).

But never mind all that, actually. What it enjoyable about The Muppets, of course, is all the over the top fun and silliness, musical numbers and self referential humour (even if they do go a bit overboard with it.) The secondary romance storyline about Jason Segel being torn between his friendship with his brother and his love for Amy Adam's character is also a very nice addition, and doesn't feel at all tacked on. A movie that pretty much everybody can enjoy, which is something that doesn't come along all that often.

**** out *****


The Iron Lady

Another year, another biopic contending for Oscar glory. However, while last years film The King's Speech took out the glory, The Iron Lady will probably have to contend with a best actress nod for Meryl Strep (in fact, The Iron Lady hasn't even been nominated for best picture.) This account of the life of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is told as series of flashbacks, cutting back and forth constantly between the past and Thatcher's current state of dementia. While this format is at first interesting it soon becomes annoying, and while the approach to classical film making is very capably handled and the story well told, it feels as though we're merely being presented with Thatcher's life in dot point form, with nothing really being fleshed out. Streep's performance alone, however, is worth the price of admission alone, as she approaches the role with this almost reckless abandon that she does all her roles, fully embracing every aspect of her character. Some people don't see to like her much, for what reason I have no idea, as she is without a doubt one of the best of her generation.

***1/2 out of *****


Young Adult

The second collaborative project between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, who previously worked together on Juno, Young Adult tells the story of a thirty something woman, played by Charlize Theron, who is the author of a once popular series of books aimed at, well, take a guess (I''ll give you a hint, the answer's in the title.) She lives like a sloth in a apartment with her dog, and her life is going nowhere. When she finds out her ex-boyfriend and his wife have had a baby she decides she wants him back for some reason and sets out on a road trip to see him in her old home town.

What ensues is a fairly tragic and sometimes hard to watch character study about a woman who was popular and the centre of attention during high school and is subsequently still a self indulgent brat well into her 30's, with nothing to show for it but a ghost writing credit on books headed for the bargain bin. Young Adult was a bit hit and miss for me, it was funny, but not THAT funny, it was a solid character study but a bit like watching a car crash, and Theron is very good but can't produce much sympathy for her character. This is probably Reitman's weakest effort so far, but with his other credits being Thank You For Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air that's not really a knock. Good, but not great.

***1/2 out of *****


Crazy Stupid Love

For a lot of people, Crazy Stupid Love seems to be THE romantic comedy of 2011. So lets have a look at why. Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (who is THE actor of the moment.) So we've good a great cast there. It's very funny. The story is a long way off following the normal romantic comedy formula, is actually quite fresh and original. So with all that considered this one is a sure winner, right? Well, yes, but it's not without it's flaws. The storyline may be original and somewhat unpredictable, however it has a of plot contrivances and massive coincidences which are a bit hard to swallow. Also, the romance between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's characters feels a bit tacked on. Still, the mix of good characterisations and legitimate humour should mean this is one of those few rom coms that guys can feel ok about liking. I know I did.

***1/2 out of *****


Win Win

Paul Giamatti is a lawyer/high school wrestling coach struggling to make ends meet for his wife and two daughters, who after kinda screwing over an elderly client of his to make a bit of extra money for his family meets the old man's grandson. The boy is a bit troubled and detached as result of having a drug addicted mother, however Giamatti takes the boy under his wing and as he bonds with him learns is he is an excellent wrestler. He then uses the boy's talents to boost his under performing wrestling team. Win Win is essentially a study of human behaviour and relationships, and while the plot is a bit formulaic and some elements are far fetched, the characters a good, there a few laughs thrown in for good measure and the overall result is a success.

***1/2 out of *****