Another Reason to Love The Muppets

Okay, every since I was a little kid I have loved the Muppets. Soon after I was born my parents gave me a stuffed Kermit that I slept with. It is older then I am, and I would like to think that Kermit had a role in developing my love of off beat humor and late night TV shows hosts. Regardless I am super excited for the new Muppet movie being released. Here is one more reason to love them.

Green with...angst?

At least Rowlf has fur when showing no shirt.

Two to grow on.

Well as per usual, things are fairly bleak on the movie front right now.  Studios tend not to release their best stuff until later in the year.  However there are a couple of movies coming out soon that intrigue me. Let’s look at The Wolfman and Shutter Island. Ironically enough both of these films are billed as horror films and come out around Valentine’s Day, which let’s face it, for us single people V-day can be pretty horrific.

The Wolfman

So if you have been to a movie at all in the last 6 months you have probably been hammered with previews for this movie.  The cast for this film is stellar, with the veteran Anthony Hopkins teaming up with Benicio Del Toro, Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt. I like the setting as well, a country estate in Victorian England and gritty industrial London. Still what has me concerned is the plot which is the basic werewolf story. A young man (Benicio Del Toro) returns from America to his family manner in England, only to learn of a terrible curse that is haunting the countryside. To make matters worse, he is bitten – first by love and secondly by the werewolf. Chaos ensues; Scotland Yard investigates, captures Del Toro and drags him to London for scientific research.  Yeah, always a bad idea.

So the question is, with the great cast and setting, can Universal come up with a script that presents a unique enough twist on an old plot to make it worth your money? Probably not, but it’s got to be better then Team Jacob and besides dear reader, this is what we are here for. We will do what so few others can, take the hit and see bad movies so you do not have to. Stay tuned for this one. Here are a couple pictures for you to savor.

"Uh sorry, wrong wolfman..."

Here we go:

Here is the link to the preview as well: http://www.thewolfmanmovie.com/

Shutter Island

This one I am VERY interested in and have fairly high expectations for. Martin Scorsese teams up again with Leonardo DiCaprio in what has to be one of the more difficult billings to spell. That being said, Scorsese does not make bad films and these two work marvelously well together. (The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Departed) Ben Kingsley adds his talent to the cast and it will also be interesting to see Scorsese make a film that is not a mob movie.

The basic plot follows U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a murderess who has escaped from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital, an institute for the criminally insane. As a hurricane blows in and traps him on the island many of the inmates escape, making life difficult for Daniels. As time goes by he becomes suspicious of the hospital’s motives and techniques many of which he discovers are out and out sinister. Eventually Daniels starts to wonder if he has been led to the island on purpose, but for what reason he does not know.

I like the thriller nature of this movie, the dark setting of an asylum in the 1050′s and the plot seems solid. With the director and cast this could be the surprise hit of the winter. Here are a couple of images.

Here is the link to the previews as well.

http://www.shutterisland.com/

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Podcast

Our latest podcast is up! In this episode we review New Moon and the overall Twilight phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. In this podcast, we not only discuss our critical review of the movies but it’s impact on pop culture, the next generation, and morality. Since none of the Babblers are big fans, we brought in two experts, or ’Twi-hards’ to help us understand what all the hype is about. Check it out and leave us your thoughts.

The Twilight podcast can be found here.

Twilight Poll

In light of the ridiculous traffic and comments we received about our latest Twilight posts, We were Twi-curious to what team our Babble readers are on. I know it’s sad that our worldview has been reduced to these few categories but humor us
Feel free to leave comments on why you support your team. Thanks and babble on!

Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon

The Twilight Zone

What are fans in love with, the actors or the fantasy?

Unlike the typical BabbleOn movie review post, I am going to get on my moral soapbox and rant a little about my thoughts on Twilight and it’s effects on culture. If you are interested in our official movie reviews, check out our past posts.

If you are a 13 year old girl, parent to one, know one, or just plain conscious, there is no way to escape the world-wide phenomenon known as Twilight. The first novel was the biggest selling book of 2008  and, to date, has sold 17 million copies worldwide, spent over 91 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, and been translated into 37 different languages. The first film adaptation has grossed more than $382 million worldwide. It’s fan base appeals to pre-teens (or Tweeners) all the way up to suburban moms (read this funny review). The legion of ‘Twi-hard’ fans has grown with the release of New Moon like a vampiric epidemic that has been released onto the planet. What is the source of this outbreak? What is the irresistable contagion and what are the potential side effects? Are we all doomed?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of otaku and love fanatics in all shapes and types. In fact, I grew up as a ‘nerd-core’ fan to Star Trek standing in line for countless number of hours for all the movies throughout my lifetime. However, my questions are what are kind of fans is Twilight producing? For this post, I will affectionately refer to this epidemic as the T1N1 (for Twilight and New Moon). So as the legion of those affected by the T1N1 virus spreads, here are my potential concerns if this goes untreated…

• Selfishness: My biggest concern is that the central character Bella (the original host of T1N1), is quite simply not a nice person. She is completely self-absorbed, apathetic, and manipulative. She is an unfaithful friend and a disconnected daughter. I am fine with ‘anti-hero’ types but I find nothing redeeming about her character. She leads a self-destructive life oblivious to consequences. Bella’s character is clearly designed to be the one that identifies with the target audience and I don’t think the next generation need any help to be more narcissistic. The effect of T1N1 is the redefinition and retardation of protaganism.
• Superficial beauty: A huge theme of this movie is the preservation of youth. Ultimately, Bella motivation to be turned into a soulless, bloodthirsty vampire is simply to retain her teen beauty. It’s not about sacrifice or for the greater good, she just wants to ‘look’ young as she stands next to the immortal Edward. Which leads me to another issue…
• Morality: Edward is 108 and Bella is 17. Just because he looks young, is it OK that they are together? What would have happen if they made his character 40 or 50 years old instead of 108, would it have been the same? It’s a clever device, making Edward beyond a mortal age to help gloss over the fact that their relationship is grossly immoral- and illegal! The scary message is that it’s OK two people to be together as long as they look about the same age and connect on an emotional level.
• Death: The loss of life is treated so flippantly in these movies. The towns people and tourists are being preyed on but no one seems to really care. The humans are basically cattle and have no real value but to move the plot along. Bella isn’t remotely conflicted about the fact that her new associates are causing the demise of her own kind. It’s the development of a consequence-free world that says killing is OK. T1N1 is a killer.
• Boys are animals: There is a general sense that all boys are predators and girls are helpless victims. As a recovering teen boy, I am fully aware of the animalistic desires that are raging in all teen boys. The problem is that when you see someone as an animal you treat them like one. Bella’s manipulation of the boys in her life is inhumane. Edward even refers to their relationship as the Lion and the lamb. Again, it’s fine if we see unhealthy or co-dependant relationships on-screen, but you have to show the painful side effects that accompany them. Segway into next point…
• Love: Ultimately, Twilight is a visualization of a fantasy. It’s immature infatuation at best. It promotes a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ forbidden love and we all know where that lead to. In both characters, death is a better alternative than life with out each other. Heaven forbid that there are any Twilight inspired suicides that come from this. I can also see why it appeals to the older ‘desperate housewife’ audience since it’s less about sex and more about emotional passion. That’s fine if it was reality, but this is fantasy boys we are talking about- or T1N1 boys.

I don’t dislike the series. I would actually consider myself open-minded or ‘Twi-curious’. I am hopelessly fascinated with new pop culture movements regardless of my personal interest in them. I find the tension between the wolves/vampires/humans more interesting then other fantasy incarnations like Underworld. But as I stand on moral soapbox, I can’t help but be bothered with what the T1N1 virus celebrates. To me it’s less about a guilty pleasure and more about creating a culture of self-absorption. It’s about being in love with being in love.

Has Twilight replaced Star Wars for this year's Christmas list?

I have to give mad props to the level of fanaticism all around me. T1N1 is making the Swine Flu look like it’s standing still. I have not seen anything cross the generational lines and polarize the sides as much as Twilight. You rather love it or hate it. I am a bit of a controversialist so the dilemma is entertaining. Will it reach the cult following that lasts for decades like Star Wars, well only time will tell. Let’s just hope that you don’t have to be immortal to survive the negative consequences that could result from the T1N1 epidemic. Let us know which team you are on (and I don’t mean Edward or Jacob).

Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon

New Moon edges out The Blind Side at Box Office

While New Moon continues to dominate the past two weeks at the box office, The Blind Side comes out of nowhere with an even stronger 2nd weekend (+18%). This is unusual for any ‘non-holiday’ movie. Obviously strong word of mouth helped it to almost take 1st place over force of nature New Moon. It be interesting to see if it can take first place in its third week, which is unheard of. Good luck to The Blind Side!

#1 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $42,500,000 -70 10 4,042 $10,515 $230,700,000 N/A #66

#2 The Blind Side Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $40,100,000 +18 10 3,140 $12,771 $100,200,000 N/A #436

#3 2012 Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $18,000,000 -32 17 3,444 $5,226 $138,800,000 N/A #222

#4 Old Dogs Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $16,800,000 N/A 5 3,425 $4,905 $24,000,000 N/A N/A

#5 Disney’s a Christmas Carol Gross Weekly Change Days In Release Theaters Average Total Worldwide US All Time $16,000,000 +30 24 3,013 $5,310 $105,400,000 N/A #388

New Moon from a Twi-hard

A friend of mine and Twilight fan wrote a review of New Moon for BabbleOn. We thought it wouldn’t be fair not to get a perspective of a ‘Twi-hard’ and how the movies compare to the books. Thanks Ashleigh for your review! 

Tony asked me, a “twi-hard” fan, to write a review for New Moon.  I was more than happy to oblige.  After all, at this point, there is no shame.  I’m almost 30 years old, have three children and yes…I’ve read all of the books and already seen New Moon twice in the theater.  I told you.  No shame.

I actually saw the first movie before I read the books.  So I wasn’t one of those to lament on how much Twilight strayed from the original book.  I actually enjoyed the movie and then decided to read the books this summer.  And let me just stop and have a self-indulgent moment…THE BOOKS ARE FANTASTIC.  I know, I know…I am NOT the intended audience.  I found that out the hard way as I walked into a bookstore looking for the third book and was told they were in “teen fiction”.  Oh.  Got it.  Because…um…my niece just LOVES these books.  Thanks.

I digress.  But I devoured the books and was eagerly anticipating the release of this second movie.  To be honest, New Moon was actually my least favorite book of the four.  It was semi depressing and Meyer took a lot of time trying to build Jacob’s character since we didn’t see much of him in Twilight.  And during the middle third of the book, she switched from Bella’s perspective to Jacob’s.  I have always been on “Team Edward”, so the heavy focus on Jacob felt like I was just putting in time to get back to the REAL story.

Nevertheless, I gathered a few more middle aged moms and we purchased our midnight showing tickets.  Oh yes we did.  Right there next to the 13 year old girls who screamed every time Jacob took his shirt off.  The highlight of the whole experience was when the little girl next to me called me ma’am.  I still haven’t lived that one down.

New Moon not only did not disappoint, it brought the story to life in a way that didn’t make you roll your eyes…and that is no easy feat.  I found myself enjoying Jacob’s character, which is what Meyer’s intent was in the book, but I never really got there.  Taylor Lautner (who had to re-audition for the part of Jacob due to the dramatic physical change in his character between book one and two) did a fantastic job portraying the mature 16 year old who found it hard to hide his feelings for Bella.  He did a great job balancing the playfulness of a teenager and the responsibility of well…a werewolf. 

And the whole werewolf vampire thing is fine when you are sitting by a pool reading a book – but I definitely wondered how that would come off on-screen.  I mean, wolves the size of horses?  Vampires faster than speeding trains?  But the combination of EXCELLENT music and special effects made the supernatural not only fun to watch, but almost normal.  I thought for sure I would roll my eyes at the blurred visions of a red headed vampire running from werewolves, but that actually ended up being my favorite scene. 

Honestly, it felt like they actually had a budget.  The first movie was fine for what it was, but after watching the second you almost feel like they saw how successful the first was and decided to cut them a decent check this go around. 

There were very few things they changed from the book – and none of those things compromised the story at all.  Now granted, when you are reading some of the love story in the privacy of your own head it’s not embarrassing.  But then sitting amongst your peers and 13 year old girls, you realize that there is some cheese involved.  I’ll own that. 

But you know what, I like cheese.  I need a little cheese.  Not like, go the ballpark and order nachos and it comes out of that nasty silver machine like syrup.  But like, “would you like a little cheese with that glass of Chardonnay?”  Yes.  Yes I would like a little cheese.  Thank you for asking.

I give it a 5 out of 5 Babbles!!!

Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon

Thanks Ashleigh, wow you might be the first reviewer to award a movie with 5 Babbles- but I sure you weren’t partial You can follow Ashleigh on Twitter @ash_carroll 

Twilight Saga New Moon

You can read my first review of Twilight here

As I begin this second review of the latest installment of Twilight, let spend some time going into the complex and intricate *smirk, smirk* story of New Moon:

A year or so passes since the last movie. Edward leaves because he doesn’t want to endanger Bella. She is sad and find solace in the arms of a hunky Jacob who runs with a pack of dogs. She is reunited with Edward but they get in trouble by the vampire police. Narrowing escaping they live happily ever after…for now.

I was EXTREMELY apprehensive about seeing this second part after my disappointing first exposure to Twilight. Especially since it would cost me $11 this time versus a borrowed DVD. Sitting in a theater of what can only be described as a giant 13 year old girl’s slumber party, it did not help ease my already waning,  semi-open mind. So you should be just as shocked as myself to read the following lines; To my surprise, about halfway through the movie, I actually thought to myself ‘this is not half bad’. After I realized the ceiling was not going to collapse in on me for thinking such counter intuitive thoughts, I settled in for the rest of the movie.

Under the new direction of Chris Weitz, New Moon went from a vapid shell of a movie to genuine guilty pleasure. Sure, it is far from quality cinema but at least it presents itself with a little dignity and some self-awareness of what it is. While the general premise doesn’t change at least the rest of the movie elements catches up from the first outing. Acting, dialogue, cinematography, score, and pacing soars to a sub-par level. New Moon has a resemblance of an actual movie instead of feeling like Dawson’s Creek meets Buffy. The same criticisms still linger from the first movie like overly drawn out, angst filled moments, nose grazing, excessive slow motion, and so on. However, this time there is a little more balance to help you keep your popcorn and soda down. After a year, it felt like the handling of the material matured along with the actors. It could be so much better but at least it allowed me to focus on the story instead on constant eye rolling or checking my watch.

Personally, I felt the story was strongest when the two mains, Edward and Bella, were apart which was for about 2/3rd of the film. The political tension between the vampires, wolves, and humans actually drew me in. I did find myself aligning with factions and hoping for certain outcomes. Weitz does a good job forcing you to sympathize with the carefully orchestrated love triangle of Bella/Edward/Jacob. I found myself to be siding ‘Team Jacob’ which is grossly embarrassing to admit. The story takes an odd leap near about the 3/4 mark to Italy where it turns into a spectacle version of Matrix meets Angels and Demons. It was an interesting layer but awkwardly handled. This is probably much better fleshed out in the book.

I was a little surprised to read the RottenTomatoes gave this one a 30% verses a 49% like its predecessor. New Moon was a more complete package offering a little bit to everyone instead of to the exclusively simple, 12 year old, mopy female.

In conclusion, I am intentionally resisting my thoughts on characters, motive, message, and culture for my “Twilight phenomenon Special” to follow soon. Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought of it.

I had to stretch to give New Moon a 3 out of 5 Babbles

Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon

 

Twilight: New Moon

With the new Twilight movie coming up, I thought I’d do a short post covering what you need to know about this new sequel. ‘New Moon’ is the 2nd book in Stephenie Meyer’s popular Fantasy-romance series called ‘Twilight’ and releases November 20th.

“The film will star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.” – Wikipedia

A short synopsis:

“After Bella recovers from the vampire attack that almost claimed her life, she looks to celebrate her birthday with Edward and his family. However, a minor accident during the festivities results in Bella’s blood being shed, a sight that proves too intense for the Cullens, who decide to leave the town of Forks, Washington for Bella and Edward’s sake. Initially heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black. Danger in different forms awaits.” – IMDB

Even though I can’t help but roll my eyes at the many women and gay men obsessed with the series, I have to admit I understand the appeal.

Trailer below: