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Elston Gunn reviews THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE. No, not Muppets in Space. Oh, you'll see.
Alrighty folks, Elston Gunn presents another wonderful editi... Wait.. What's this? OHMIGOD!!! Eeeeeeeek! It's not a Weekly Recap! He's screwing with me. My.. Bless my soul it's a script review on THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE! No... not MUPPETS IN SPACE. But THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE.
What's It Called? I already told you, it's THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE! No, that's it's name. THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE! Yes, whaddya mean what's it called! (See folks this is where the knowledge of a great ol classic routine of Abbott and Costello's can be put to use by some fat hack in his hotel room in Minneapolis.) Well enough of that.. here's Elston...
One important lesson I've learned while working with AICN this year is
never underestimate a friend of a friend of a friend of a college dean's
buddy of a midget porn actor's pal's sister of a friend's acquaintance
because they just might hook you up with a script--among several other
things. Luckily, I was given a script and I was given a dandy.
When Jim Henson died in 1989 I was crushed, as was the rest of the
world. I had been a huge fan of everything he created--especially anything
involving the Muppets. From the show and flicks to the magazine and albums,
you could say I was rather devoted. I still consider myself a fan at heart,
though I have not seen MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND. After the Muppets came back
with MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL I suppose I thought I outgrew the Muppets I knew
and loved. I assumed they would carry on through recreations of classic
stories much like Disney animated flicks. In my mind a MUPPET HAMLET or
MUPPET MOBY DICK would be inevitable forthcoming films I could do without,
and original stories would be few and far between...until now.
Keep in mind I know practically nothing about the upcoming MUPPETS FROM
SPACE aside from what I've seen in the trailer and television spots. It
appears, however, Jim Henson Productions and Columbia Pictures may be
steering the Muppets back into the direction of fresh, new tales. With the
funny script THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE, written by Brian Lynch (BIG HELIUM DOG),
the studio could find themselves making an outstanding Muppet film having
sort of an indie vibe--all story, not many effects.
The premise is simple: Several Muppets have left "The Muppet Show" to
pursue solo projects and Kermit needs them back. The path to this conflict
and the road out is loaded with an action-packed climax (would you believe
ninjas), fun celebrity cameos and approximately every Muppet character
imaginable ("Sesame Street" not included).
Gonzo is one of the first Muppets to stray from the nest. He pursues
the film role of a popular spy with suave style and fun gadgets. Animal
tries his hand in rap music and Piggy, as would be expected, has her own
talk show. Fozzie and Lew Zealand work in television as well with their own
projects. There are several other examples, but they're too good to give
away.
So, why did they all leave? Who stayed? Did Statler and Waldorf take
off too? Will they all come back? What's Kermit doing in the interim? All
these questions are answered with great humor. There are no musical
numbers.
Lynch fills the script with a wide range of references for kids,
adults, Muppet aficionados and up-and-coming fans. The script has a
non-"cutesy poo" feel that MUPPETS FROM SPACE appears to have based on the
trailer. This script contains nothing offensive, mind you, but the story is
not JUST for kids--of course, the Muppets have never really been for
children only. I remember my dad used to watch the Muppets with me. THE
NEXT MUPPET MOVIE has a funny scene with Kermit and Piggy at a ball paying
homage to the recent modernized adaptation of ROMEO AND JULIET which starred
Claire Danes and the DiCaprio kid. So, even the so-called Generation X and
Y'ers have something.
I apologize, I feel like I'm shortchanging the readers of this review
with regard to the good stuff. I don't want to give away celebrity cameo
names, Muppet surprises, jokes or key plot points because they are all so
sweet set against the backdrop of behind-the-scenes at "The Muppet Show."
In a sense, it's almost like THE PLAYER with Muppets, if you will. I hope
they get someone funny to play the prominent human role of Mick, and The
Muppets have all the material to be in fine form: Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy,
Gonzo and even a few folks from the short-lived "Muppets Tonight" like
Clifford and Bobo. Oh, and look for Rizzo the Rat, Floyd and Zoot to be the
cult heroes of the film a la Boba Fett or Mini-Me--characters not expected
to be enjoyed so much, but are.
After reading this script I have become extremely curious of Lynch's
film effort BIG HELIUM DOG. It has been previously reviewed on
AICN--favorably, (Click here to read more on BIG HELIUM DOG!!) I believe--but I've no idea of the fate of the flick,
though it is tied to View Askew Films having been executive produced by
Kevin Smith and cohorts. However, if Lynch continues to write scripts like
THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE, he'll have no trouble getting gigs in the future. He
finally returns the Muppets to where they belong at that much higher level
of kid-like entertainment than the a lot of the stuff that's out there. And
if this witty script is produced, the movie will make folks excited and
interested about the Muppets again. Henson would be proud.
Elston Gunn
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dude, don't worry if you didn't see Muppet Treasure Island. I agree with you completely and am very excited that the muppets are finally getting back on track
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Anyone with half a clue Re. the Muppets should know that the show wasn't geared entirely for kids. Hell, I didn't even get half the jokes until much later in my life. The joy in that show was that they were written so that kids would watch them, but adults really understood what was going on. If they can re-discover that kind of wonderful mania again (the last couple have been a bit disappointing) then I can't wait to shell out my money so that myself and my daughter can go to a movie we'll BOTH enjoy.Cheers,
??Pseudo??
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I hope that this production becomes a reality, I too am glad that the muppets are getting back to basice. Hey!! I liked Muppet Treasure Island, everyone needs a little good natured absurdity from time to time. BOOM-sha-kal-a-ka! *grin*
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Are you sure this ain't the script for the next Star Wars movie? The reviewer *DID* say that it's not gonna be aimed entirely at little kids like TPM was. But unless I'm wrong, EPISODE 2 will still be overflowing with CGI muppets of every variety in existence..... Genuine muppet flicks are the kind of films I think George Lucas would dearly love to be making - films where he's rarely burdened with dealing with *REAL* people. Things that live and breath make Lucas' brain hurt. He'd be right at home inside a fucking toy box!! He should forget about making EPISODE 2 and attempt to bring this script to life. At least then there'd be no pretense to what his TRUE intentions really are. And that's to make movies targeted squarely at kids. "Fuck adults, I wanna make movies for 5 year olds" - George Lucas.
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Hey, Flesh Cafe:
You are a bitter person. I think you have some 'family' type issues that need addressing. As Mr Cage put it "a bit of, you know, 'Im 16 and Im angry at my father." Go make your own Star Wars movie to the exclusion of toy spin-off's and then you may criticise Mr Lucas. -
...if you had put Gobbles, The Garbage Eating Goat in this, I would see it 1,000 times.
Justin "Gobbles" Sane
I Like "That Crazy Eating Goat!" -
Both me and my 6 year-old son used to have a blast watching Muppets Tonight. ABC pulled the plug way too soon. Muppet bloopers are hilarious!!
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Thi sis supposed to be Muppets talk back, not about Star Wars, but I'm going to respond to your dumb post anyway. Since TPM has made over $350 million, it would seem to me that many, many adults are seeing the movie, and seeing it more than once. When you say TPM is geared towards 5 year olds, and not adults, don't you really mean its geared towards the general public, not GEEKS and NERDS like yourself, who wanted to see Sith "death pods" and Boba Fett in 90% of the movie, and cloning cylinders, and other fanboy wet-dreams? And stuff like the emotional scenes with Ani and his mother, or Ani and Padme, or Jar Jar Binks' humor just drives you crazy because your shrivelled little soul can't handle anything that's not an explosion or a battle scene? I think that's it.
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I think i remember seeing either on AICN or on Dark Horizons a 3 or 4 year plan for the muppets. This year it involved only Muppets from Space. 2000 I think the project was Muppets Haunted House, and then in 2001 they were going to try to relaunch the muppets up into the mainstream again. This is when i think the Next Muppet Movie was scheduled for and also they are going to have another tv show. The show will not be like Muppets Tonight but more like the Muppet Show from the 80's.
Jason -
I believe, but could be mistaken, that there are still new episodes being made by the Disney Channel. Does anyone know if this is true? I know I've seen re-airings of the episodes ABC did on Disney, but I'm not 100% certain if there are any new episodes being shown at present... If you like the show, you can see it on the Disney Channel...
Don't get off-track talking about Star Wars or comparing the Muppets to it. The only similarities between the two is that they both incorporate Muppett-type characters, and that's where the similarity ends. Don't give those who want to be bitter the ammunition they need (attention) in these talkbacks by responding to what they say - you'll just encourage them to keep spouting garbage. Just ignore them or casually skim over their postings. Respond with people who actually care about the subject matter at hand. ;-) -
Hey... I've liked Rizzo forever, so he'll never just be a "cult hero" Muppet to me...
Him, Gonzo, and Sam the Eagle always tend to get the best lines... -
Maybe I dreamed it, but I thought that I heard that Henson productions had plans for a cable channel. Any news on that?
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and one of the muppets checking out a girl shaking what her moma gave her. I bet Jim Henson is turning over in his grave. I just know Muppet Eyes Wide Shut and Pulp Gonzo are on the way.
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was off his freaking rocker. If there's a problem with the last few muppet movies, it's been that they made too much sense. The muppets were crazy (remember that scene in the GMC when the cab driver says "sorry, I can only take you as far as the lobby" and proceeds to do so?). So, hopefully the next couple movies will have the great stories and same sense of insanity the first few had.
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I hope they move quickly and make this film. Muppets rock. And it's been too long since a really great Muppet film.
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You sir, are one stupid fuck! The point of my post was to show the similarities between TPM and the Muppets - of which there are many. Also, didn't the guy who voiced most of the muppets also bring life to a certain Jedi Master named Yoda? So I wasn't as off-topic in my post as you whining bitches make out. Oh, and RodimusPrime: weren't you the fucking guy who posted at a Talk Back a few days ago THAT HAD NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH STAR WARS, AND YET YOU STILL SPOUTED YOUR LUCAS PROPAGANDA??? Practice what you preach, dickhead!
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I grew up with and love the Muppets.
Of course, it never has really been the same since Jim died, but his son and Frank Oz and all the others have done an admirable job, and I wish them the best of success. I hope Muppets From Space is good, and this project mentioned here sounds like a real nice throwback. If both of these are done right, then I, even at 23 years old, an adult male, will be one of the first in line. ;-) -
Jim Henson died on May 16, 1990, not in 1989. The original Muppet Show ran from 1976-81, making it more of a 70s than an 80s show (pardon my anal retentiveness.
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yup, thats right, still a moron.
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To answer Garibaldi's question: ABC did renew MT for a second season, but never ran them. When The Disney Channel bought the series, they ended up with first-runs of the unaired shows!
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I am SO glad to hear that the script for "MFS" is smart and clever and everything that they Muppets should be! I'd definately put this film between TPM and EWS as my second most anticipated movie of the year.
I enjoyed "Muppet Tresure Island", but I think that people are correct in saying that it didn't have the proper "madness" that Jim Henson brought to his characters. (Although the part where Rizzo is packing and finds a copy of Henry Kissinger's _Diplomacy_ is cute.) It was still so sad when we lost Jim Henson... I still keep the copy of Life magazine from when he passed away, with a forelorn looking Kermit sitting on a Jim Henson director's chair. -
There is a channel that is a joint venture between Jim Henson productions and Hallmark entertainment called Odyssey. They show a lot of Hallmark movies, NBC mini seires like Gulliver's Travels, and a lot of Muppet episodes and movies I have never seen before. Its very cool indeed.
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i worked briefly (way too briefly) as an extra muppeteer on muppets from space last fall. from what i could see and the script at its stage then, the muppets are back on track. they are in the movie as themselves, not portraying other characters as they did in chrismtas carol and treasure island. most of the gang lives together in an old boarding house. there are some musical numbers, but based around established pop songs. the plot involves gonzo wondering why he's so different, and it's no spoiler to say he learns he's an alien whose kin are looking for him. he keeps getting messages in his food ("this means something"). he gains the attention of an x-files type organization with overtones of men in black and a lab straight out of independence day, and becomes piggy's meal ticket to stardom in a syndicated tabloid tv show dedicated to the paranormal. the cast is a mix of the best of the newer "muppets tonight" characters and our friends from the classic show. best of all, dr. teeth and the electric mayhem are re-united. muppeteer steve whitmire has gotten kermit down as well as anyone could short of being jim henson himself, and doubles on other characters such as his own rizzo the rat. newer puppeteers are learning some of the old characters with amazing accuracy, but frank oz is still the voice and soul of miss piggy. a lot of care has been taken with this bunch, with humour on many levels. i have not seen the final cut but have great hopes for the future. like time magazine said about the original muppet show: "the only adult show on television". oh...and to the poster who asked about a henson cable channel: henson and hallmark have a controlling interest in the oddysey channel, which used to be all religious/inspirational. while some of the original programing remains, it's now a showcase for family shows, including muppet products like the original show, fraggle rock, ghost of faffner hall, the short-run of the jim henson hour, and other henson productions, although it is not "all muppets all the time". hi ho.
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David Lynch would get a hold of this script. Lynch+Muppets= Wicked Fun For All!
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Jul 02, 1999 3:19:36 PM CDT
Darn, I thought this was going to be about Star Wars Episode II
by rodzilla
Hehehehehehehe!
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Phibes- (and anyone else who cares),
there is a cable Henson channel. It's the Odyssey Channel and is being billed as "The Hallmark and Henson Network." As a Henson addict myself, I was thrilled to find The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock being aired again! They occasionally show the mives too. Check it out-it's pretty cool. -
I loved that movie - Singing muppet skulls - how can you go wrong! Although I must admit that I am happy that they are getting their own story. It's great to hear about TNMM! Thanks for ze news.
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No musical numbers? I'm there already. It is good to see the Muppets back on track. It's also good to see there is someone else on AICN (other than Moriarty) who can write. Good review.
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The Muppets have been part of my life since 1976, when I was a year and a half old. I grew up on THE MUPPET SHOW (still my favorite Henson creation), SESAME STREET, FRAGGLE ROCK, MUPPET BABIES, etc. THE MUPPET MOVIE was the first film I saw in a theater. Jim Henson's death in 1990 was the first major celebrity death to affect me (actually, now that I type this, Henson's death was the SECOND celebrity death to affect me; the first was John Lennon's death in 1980. I was only five, but already an avid Beatle fan). While many of the more recent Muppet movies and TV stuff hasn't been up to par (with the single glorious exceptions of THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL and MUPPETS TONIGHT -- eons ahead of the previous attempt to bring Kermit and the gang back to prime time, THE JIM HENSON HOUR), I am looking forward to THE NEXT MUPPET MOVIE, and whatever else Brian Henson has up his sleeve (that Muppet haunted house thing), and I would pay good money to see the Muppets attempt Shakespeare as a full-length film. HAMLET starring Kermit as the Melencholy Dane, Fozzie as Horatio, Gonzo as Laertes, Miss Piggy as Ophelia, The Electric Mayhem as the Players, Sam the Eagle as Claudius...I remember when they poked fun at the play on THE MUPPET SHOW. I think Christopher Reeve was the guest, and he had a talking Yorick skull...yeah, I gotta get out more...
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I don't see why so many people are so happy to hear that there aren't any musical numbers. The muppets have always been about musicals and some of them rule. The numbers in The Muppet Movie rule. My favorite scene is when the Electric Mayhem paint the car that Fozzie and Kermit are in while singing "Can you Picture That?" It's awesome. And then when Ralph sings that "I hope something better comes along." after Piggy takes off is classic. As long as the songs are well done and don't turn into broadway type dance jobbies, it's usually pretty good. Just a note. By the way, up to a year ago my favorite movie was Braveheart and then I saw the Muppet Movie on cable for the first time in 10 years. Now I have a new favorite movie. The whole thing is so well done. Every cameo is hilarious (especially Steve Martin) Anyway, heres to some good Muppet movies in the future.
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TNMM sounds rad. Although the Muppets have been straggling a bit after Saint Henson's death, Treasure Island showed that they were getting their wit back. Although I haven't had a chance to see MFS yet (will do this week though), I'm so glad they're doing original stories where the characters play themselves again. This is where the Muppets belong!
As for musical numbers--TMM has the best soundtrack I've ever owned or even heared.
All Hail The Muppets! -
The Muppet Show
Statler: 'Is this show cruel to animals?' Waldorf: 'Only if they're watching it.'
GMC
Janice: 'So I said, 'Look, Ma, It's my life, okay. If I want to live on a beach and walk around naked...'
Cracks me up each and every time!
Can anyone help me with this...I saw a documentary on Jim Henson a few weeks ago at 3am on British Television (C4), there was a clip in it of an absolutely INSANE version of 'Windmills of My Mind' from The Tomas Crown Affair, I spat my tea out all over the kitchen floor in fits of laughter! I don't know if it was from a Muppet Show or from a Special, if someone could let me know or If they have a copy of the documentary drop me a line, I'd be much oblidged.
'It helps to speak a second language' -
...and dreaming....
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http://www.aintitcool.com/tb_display.cgi?id=6925#202377
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It's nice. Quiet. Let's me test to see if I can make a TradeMark™ Symbol without doing it on an active thread and looking like a douche if it doesn't work.
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My test is much louder.
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