The Muppets (2011)

I've never really been into the Muppets. Sure, I saw their films as a child, and I loved them for it, but I still have never seen an episode of the show (blasphemous) and as a result, they are not a huge part of my childhood, as they are for others. That being said, this movie still provides people less in love with the Muppets with plenty of reason to enjoy the flick, as we get a round-up of all the classic characters, plus a new one.

The plot revolves around Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (voice of Peter Linz), a man and Muppet who grew up together. Problem for Walter is he never really "grew" and as such feels like a bit of an outcast, until he discovers the Muppet Show and falls in love. Gary, Walter, and Gary's 10-year long girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) go from Smalltown to Tinsel town to visit the Muppet studios, which they discover is in ruins. Walter further uncovers a plot by a rich Texas oil man Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to demolish the studios to drill for oil that supposedly lies underneath. So Gary, Mary, and Walter enlist Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire filling in for the late Jim Henson) to roundup the old gang and put on a show to save the studio!

The film is very self aware, to the point that would make Mel Brooks proud, and gets a lot of mileage out of characters referencing the dance numbers they just performed, or other gags such as "travelling by map" because, well, its faster. Despite the original Mupeteers being all but absent, somehow Segel and co-writer Nicholas Stoller (who directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall) manager to make the dynamic between all the old Muppet characters work. Chris Cooper even gets some good scenes, including one random rap complete with sing-a-long text.

But where the film doesn't work is in the addition of the three "straight" characters, Gary, Mary, and Walter. Mary feels neglected by Gary, who always puts Walter first, and Walter is invited to participate in the Muppet Show and struggles with figuring out what his real talent is. The problem is, these stories are not very compelling, and I almost wish Segel and Stoller had written a script that did not include these characters. They are fine for the first 15 minutes, but once Kermit begins rounding up the gang, they are relegated to the background and you forget their stories because, well, they were boring, until it is suddenly brought back to the forefront to remind that, hey, these guys matter too.

Walter is also probably the worst Muppet...ever. He has no personality to speak of, versus every other Muppet who has something that characterizes them. And I won't give away what his "talent" is, but I felt cheated that the film didn't foreshadow this in some way. Walter just produces this ability out of his ass.

Top all that off with Animal's anger management problems, the tension between Kermit and Miss Piggy, and the pressure to put on the show and beat Tex, and you have a lot of plots spinning around. I would have much preferred the film if it had focused on the Muppets and left Gary, Mary and Walter out of it completely. But as it is, there is just too much going on, and though it produces some funny musical numbers (Man or Muppet and Me Party) it doesn't gel as easily as it should.

But I do want to reiterate that despite the plotting problems, the film is still a ton of fun. Cooper, Segel, and Adams are all clearly having a good time, and the vast menagerie of guest stars that show up is also entertaining. If a second film is made, I hope Walter is merely a secondary cast member, and that Gary and Mary stay put in Smalltown, USA.

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

As the final shot of the movie faded out, and the credits began to roll, I started to absorb what I had seen, process what I had heard, and interpret how I felt. But it was all quickly summed up by the old lady who was sitting behind, who said, "That movie almost made me cry."

I do not clearly remember Maurice Sendak's 1963 story book, on which this is based. That book contains 338 words, I guess, and this movie contains 101 minutes. How you expand a book that you could read in under a minute to a full length feature that explores all the emotions and turmoils of childhood is a sight to behold and fall in love with.

The plot is thin, but basically tells the story of young Max (Max Records) who likes to play, but who also is somewhat ignored by his older sister. When his mother and he have a disagreement, he runs away, and enters his imaginary world via a little boat. There he meets the Wild Things, voiced by an all-star cast including James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker, and Paul Dano. Gadolfini is the only one I was able to recognize, and the rest disappeared into the fur and feathers of their characters.

The movie is a dark one, especially for one intended for children. I believe the movie will scare children, but it will not scare them in a horror film-kind-of-way; at a horror film, you experience empty, meaningless scares which hold no emotional resonance and that you can shake off later (save the few great masterpieces of horror). This will scare kids because it bleeds with truth, and is something that will resonate with any grown-up or child. I say it is scary, but I don't say that meaning kids won't like it. They will. People don't give kids enough credit for being able to understand deeper, more thematic issues.

The CGI in this film is incredible because it serves the story and enhances everything around it, something I wish more filmmakers would pay attention to. The Wild Things exist, are in fact people in fur costumes, but the faces are CGI, and that is what is important. It allows young Max, who is quite incredible in this movie, to be able to act off these characters because they exist for him as they do for us. He doesn't have to pretend that these things exist and hope that the emotion comes through later.

And the performances are all around magnificent, from little Max to all the voice cast who add so much depth and emotion to their characters that you love each and every Wild Thing, for all their flaws and attributes. And though I kept thinking of Tony Soprano whenever Carol, the main Wild Thing talked, I eventually forgot Soprano because this is a different character completely. The Wild Things are kids themselves, and that is what makes this movie so beautiful.

Because really, it is all in Max's head, everything that goes on. Or maybe it isn't. Who knows. The movie is beautiful because it is so honest about childhood, and I kept having memories flood through my brain of events in my past that oddly mirrored what happened in this film. Max claims to have magic that slips through the cracks, and gets into an argument with Judith (O'Hara) about how there is nothing that can plug up the cracks. And a dirt clod match ends with Alexander (Paul Dano) calling time-out, but still getting attacked and getting upset. And when Max tells Carol how the sun will eventually die. These are all just a few scenes that make up a greater movie.

And this kid's film is one-in-a-million because it is quite drab, it's colors primarily browns, blacks, and whites, and not as vivid as what our ADD addled youths are used to these days. Like Pixar, it ignored making the pop culture references and focuses on characters and story, and that is what kids and adults want more then anything. Warner Bros. should be commended for sticking with this project, and letting Spike Jonze, who's only other feature credits include the incredible Being John Malkovich (1999) and Adaptation (2002) (both Charlie Kaufman scripts) run wild with his imagination. So far he's only made three films, and I consider all three to be spectacular. Whatever Jonze does next, I'll be paying attention.

Rated PG, contains many dark themes and a limb dismemberment.