Ok, I think I can start to see why now, even if I don't fully agree. I think a lot of that can be explained away by how long they were all away from showbusiness as mentioned in the movie. When you're away from something, anything, for so long, you start to question yourself. The movie touched on that, showing that Kermit had started to lose faith in himself, that he didn't think he had it in himself anymore as a result, and to me, I felt it was brilliantly handled. He'd lost his edge and started questioning everything, even when that "everything" was once so familiar to him. He essentially had to become comfortable again in his pair of gloves for him to get back to the way he was. Getting that show running again was sort of like therapy, a kick in the pants. At least, that's the way I saw it. In the end, I think he did inspire everybody, and it was particularly touching. Don't forget that they essentially had to reintroduce the Muppets to a whole new generation of people, since no Muppet movie had been produced in some time, and I think poking fun at those elements that made the Muppets great in general, was a good introduction tactic. Once they did that, they of course could focus on story for the sequel.
^I just didn't see that in the first movie. It would've been much better if Kermit had started out depressed but then gotten his act together by the midpoint; but instead he just kept right on giving up at the slightest sign of trouble and needed the other to convince him to keep trying, over and over to the point of tedium. Even his final "inspiring" speech at the end felt half-hearted. I saw what they were trying to do, and if it had been executed better, I might've liked it a lot. But it just dragged on too long.
Well, maybe he was just really deep in it. Sometimes even the cheerleaders are depressed. I appreciated that it wasn't taken lightly. It gave the movie an air of realism.
But realism doesn't always make a good story. I found Kermit's unrelenting defeatism tedious to watch. I don't give a flying boomerang fish if a Muppet movie is "realistic" -- I just want to enjoy it. I really, really did not enjoy how The Muppets handled Kermit.
^ All of this, plus I could have done without the shrewish Amy Adams character. Your boyfriend's got the chance to fulfill the dream of a lifetime, and you're pissed that that conflicts with an anniversary dinner? Have the damn dinner a week later! So long as you special time isn't forgotten, which it clearly wasn't, what freaking difference does it make?! Talk about weak-sauce drama.
I'd forgotten about that! Hah, Yeah, that I agree. Plus, you'd think she'd feel honoured spending it with the Muppets. Cause, Muppets. What a thing to make a stink about.
I'm worried that this "documentary-style approach" means something in the vein of modern "reality TV," which is not something I'd be eager to see.
Yeah, same here. It could also be more like Modern Family though, though frankly I don't really see that style working very well for the Muppets. It'd be a bit too subdued.
I kinda miss Spitting Image myself. That and DC Follies On one episode, you had Fred Willard talking to "guest star" Freddie Krueger: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1534945/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl Willard seemed to condone the offing of teenagers since "nobody really likes them anyway."
You might want to replace the trailer link with this one as the audio doesn't skip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIdJLz_4C34 I don't know what to think yet. Initially, I wasn't very impressed, but the more I watch it, the more I like it. I think what threw me was that it's more of a cinematic style than we're used to in terms of TV Show muppets. I was initially expecting more of a raw feeling to it. I think it's bound to grow on me. Nice to see Walter there!
I think anyone who is skeptical about this show should read this article. http://www.vulture.com/2015/05/the-muppets-everything-we-know-so-far.html Producer Bill Prady gives an overview of what the series will be like and why he choose this format. Long before the Big Bang Theory he started his career working on Muppet projects 30 years ago. He worked directly with Jim Henson. I am very excited about this. As he says the variety show format is long dead. The original Muppet Show was a parody of what was popular at the time. The scenario here is that Miss Piggy is the host of a talk show which Kermit produces. The reality show or documentary style is really not that different from the old show, where we saw the behind the scenes drama of getting the show made. The talk show format means we will still have celebrity guests and musical acts. Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show is actually closer to a variety show than what Carson and Leno did. With all his skits and singing and games with his guests.
Prady is right -- Henson was an innovator, always on the cutting edge of television technology and culture, and he would have wanted to satirize current media rather than wallowing in nostalgia. The thing is, I'm not that familiar with, or interested in, the type of stuff they plan to satirize. Hopefully the character stories will work for me.