The Muppet Movie took Kermit the Frog and company from The Muppet Show all the way to Hollywood. But beyond the “approximate” story of how the Muppets got together, what does everyone’s favorite group of frogs, pigs, bears, and whatevers do with their “rich and famous contracts”? The Great Muppet Caper, that’s what.
Ryan Luis Rodriguez of The Coolness Chronicles and Reels of Justice joins our Muppets mega-series as we break down Jim Henson’s feature directorial debut. We’ll discuss how it pays tribute to classic Hollywood musicals, why Kermit isn’t actually the main character, and whether The Great Muppet Caper is superior to its predecessor.
It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on a brand-new Franchise Detours mega-series. For the next eight episodes, we’ll be covering every single theatrically released Muppet film, journeying through spanning 35 years of Muppets on the big screen. First up is the story of “approximately” how the Muppets came together.
On this episode, Stephen Fodor of Too Much Scrolling joins the show to talk in-depth about 1979’s The Muppet Movie. We’ll discuss how the movie works as an adaptation of The Muppet Show, break down Paul Williams’ and Kenneth Ascher’s Oscar-nominated music, and answer once and for all whether the film indeed has “socially redeeming value.”
Cinema — like all art forms — is wholly subjective. And within that, comedy is perhaps most subjective of all. That being said, 1980’s Airplane! remains widely considered one of the funniest movies of all time. So as Close Watch emerges from a lengthy hiatus, we’ll take to the skies for an in-depth chat.
On this episode, film critic Albert Lanier returns to break down how Airplane! works not only as a comedy parodying the disaster films of the 1970s but also as an adaptation of the 1957 film Zero Hour. We’ll discuss the most unforgettable jokes and most iconic performances, and answer once and for all whether Airplane! is indeed the funniest movie ever made.
