Shocktober Fest 2019, Week 4

This week, my brother and I watched Stephen King movies.

1. Carrie (1976)
     Based on King's first published novel, about a teenage girl who develops psychic powers, Carrie is directed by Brian De Palma. De Palma's direction is stellar and Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie put in powerhouse performances as Carrie and her religious fanatic mother. I like how the film plays out like a typical teen drama, with bits of horror interspersed throughout, only to turn into a violent, blood soaked nightmare in the last act. The filmmakers somehow manage to make Carrie simultaneously sympathetic and unnerving. It has some questionable editing choices and some of the supporting actors aren't the best but, for the most part, this was really, really good.

Score: 8/10

2. The Shining (1980)
     A classic Stephen King adaptation, considered by many to be among the greatest movies ever made, The Shining is one of those classic films I've never quite been able to love. Stanley Kubrick's direction is peerless, certainly, and it is filled with scenes that really stick with you. It also has one of the best performances I've seen from a child actor, Danny Lloyd. Despite this I find it an erratic film and it never seems to succeed in sucking me in. Jack Nicholson's performance, though brilliant in it's own right, makes his character seem insane almost from the get go, and his character lacks the slow, steady descent into madness of Jack Torrence form the novel. I can appreciate why others love it, but it never seems to click for me.

8/10

3. Cujo (1983)
     Perhaps more of a thriller then a true horror film, Cujo tells the story of a mother (Dee Wallace) and son (Danny Pintauro) menaced by a rabid dog. As this film was not kindly received upon its release I was pleasantly surprised by it. Despite some plot contrivances and an overbearing musical score, I found it to be a solid thriller with some surprisingly effective character drama, as the mother and father struggle to move on after her affair. The performances are a little uneven but they mostly work and director Lewis Teague, helped in no small part by cinematographer Jan de Bont (Die Hard, Speed), directs with real panache. Underrated.

Score: 8/10

4. The Dead Zone (1983)
     Arguably not a horror film (though it does have an underlying sense of dread) The Dead Zone is nonetheless a fine film. It tells the story of a high school teacher who develops physic powers after spending 5 years in a coma as a result of a car accident. David Croneberg's direction is stellar and the film has a really gloomy, foreboding tone. This is greatly helped by Micheal Kamen's ominous score. Christopher Walken is great in the lead role, putting in a surprisingly grounded performance. I have mixed feelings about the third act, as it pushes suspension of disbelief a little far but that's really my only (potential) complaint.

Score: 9/10

 5. Christine (1983)
     The third King adaptation released in 83' Christine is directed by John Carpenter and tells the story of a nerdy highschooler whose life is turned upside down when he buys a used car with a grisly history. Though this is far from being his best film, Carpenter is truly a master of horror and is able to make the rather absurd premise genuinely scary at times (though the film is largely tongue in the cheek). The performances (thanks, no doubt, to King's writing) are unusually down-to-earth and likable for a film of this kind. There's even a friendly jock (played by John Stockwell).

Score: 8/10

6. Into the Long Grass (2019)
     The premise of Into the Long Grass, playing with space and time in an almost Lovecraftian fashion, holds a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the writers take it a little too far, leaving too little to the imagination which undermines the horror. The character drama also feels a little forced as a result. In addition to this, the direction is pretty sub-par with bland visuals (I felt like I was watching a commercial for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios half the time) and erratic pacing. The cast is, at least, pretty solid all around and Patrick Wilson steals the show with a delightful over-the-top performance.

Score: 6/10

7. Salem's Lot (1979)
     Having just recently read the novel for the first time I could not help but be a little dissapointed in Salem's Lot, which fails to do justice to King's nuanced characterization. Nonetheless it's pretty solid and really fun vampire flick, with plenty of atmosphere and lot's of memorable moments. The blood is held back a bit because of the constraints of TV, but director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) does a fine job despite this. It's also a well cast film, even if the the actor's are somewhat wasted on the underdeveloped characters. It's fine but I found it frustrating.

Score: 8/10

Shocktober Fest 2019, Week 3

This week we watched through the Alien series.

1. Alien
     The quintessential sci-fi horror film Ridley Scott's Alien is a masterpiece. From Jerry Goldsmith's thrilling score to H. R. Giger's now classic creature design, the peerless special effects, the down-to-earth dialogue and performances, and Scott's meticulous direction the film is nearly flawless in every respect. It's also one of the few films to get cosmic terror (best exemplified by the work of H. P. Lovecraft) right. The Xenomorph is such an otherworldly creature, so single-minded and inhuman, that the very idea of it inspires terror.


Score: 10/10

2. Aliens (1986)
     With a new director at the helm, James Cameron, Aliens is a bit of a stylistic departure from its predecessor, abandoning the slow paced, claustrophobic terror of the first film for a bigger, more action heavy approach. The characters are also less down-to-earth and more archetypal. It's more character driven, with Ripley going through an arc of sorts, and it's much more optimistic, eschewing the existential, Lovecraftian qualities of Alien. It also undermines the horror of the creature by going deeper into its world. This isn't too say it's a bad film, far from it. It's easily one of the best, if not the best mix of action and horror ever put to film (only Predator can compare) with nail-biting action scenes, top notch special effects and a terrific cast. But it is perhaps a better film in its own right then it is a sequel to Alien.

Score: 9/10

3. Alien 3 (1992)
     A huge step down from its predecessors Alien 3 is a dull, plodding film with little in the way of real tension. The effects are incredibly inconsistent and the wide shots of the Xenomorph during the climax are laughably bad. The story is also awkwardly paced and confusing at times likely a result of merciless trimming by the studio. The opening of the film treats the characters from Aliens with a lack of respect that I found unacceptable. There is a decent sense of atmosphere and supporting characters are actually pretty likable, if criminally underdeveloped (see what I did there), but it's not enough to save the film.

Score: 5/10

4. Alien: Resurrection (1997)
     The fourth film jumps forward 200 years, as a group of scientist attempt to use traces of Ripley's blood to the Xenomorph implanted in her in Alien 3 (no, this doesn't make any more sense in the movie). Though less dull then that film, this installment more then makes up for it with its addlebrained script, over-the-top characters and mix of predictable and bizarre narrative choices. Sigourney Weaver seems surprisingly committed to her role despite this and Brad Dourif puts in a brief but memorable performance as one of the scientists experimenting on Ripley. The special effects are also an improvement over 3 though the creatures continue to get less scary with each successive installment.

Score: 4/10

5. Prometheus (2012)
     Is Prometheus technically an Alien film? How much do its tenuous connections with the series impact the film? In the end it makes little difference. This is a poorly plotted, pretentious film with underwritten characters and overwritten pseudo-philosophy. The characters are all either paper thin with exaggerated personalities and confusing or vague motivations and is little-to-no depth in their relationships with each other. The actors do the best with the material their given and Idris Elba and Micheal Fassbinder manage to inject at least some humanity into their roles. The effects work is solid if largely unimaginative and there is at least one suspenseful sequence. I really have very few positive things to say though.

Score: 2/10

6. Alien: Covenant (2017)
     Micheal Fassbender's fun to watch in his duel role and the cinematography by Dariusz Wolski (The Crow, Dark City) is easy on the eyes but characters who make stupid decisions for the sake of the plot, rushed pacing and a complete lack of atmosphere or tension make Alien: Covenant yet another mediocre sequel. It does at least take it's time to set up a few relatable characters with interesting relationships so I care a little about what's happening, and it has a discernible plot. That's more then I can say for Prometheus, which watches more like a poorly researched, entry level philosophy paper then a film.

Score: 5/10

I apologize that this turned into a "dump on Prometheus" fest but I needed to vent.

Next week Stephen King!

Saturday Evening Cartoons: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Perhaps it's strange to review what's ostensibly a Christmas movie in the middle of October, but then this is a very strange Christmas movie... 

     The first full-length, stop-motion feature from a major American studio, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a benchmark of stop-motion animation. Released in 1993 the film is directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton. In it, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), the leader of Halloween Town gets himself in trouble when he happens upon Christmas Town and decides to take over the holiday for a year. The idea for the film came from a poem written by Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Taking inspiration from the television specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Burton hoped to adapt the poem into a television special but it never got off the ground as the executives at Disney felt it was too strange for their brand. Later on, after Burton's success with Beetlejuice and Batman, the studio approached him about the film, hoping to match the technical breakthrough that was Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

     Burton was not actually involved too heavily in the film's production, spending no more then 10 days on set according to director Henry Selick. Selick, who had first met Burton during his time at Disney, was a perfect choice to bring Burton's vision to life. He had worked on animation all his life, and shared many of Burton's macabre sensibilities. Selick would go on to create more stop-motion features (James and the Giant Peach and Coraline) but none would ever match the success of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Nonetheless, Tim Burton's fingerprints are all over this film from the gothic production design, to the cast (Catherine O'Hara , Glenn Shadix, and Paul Reubens are all featured), to the soundtrack by Burton's favorite collaborator Danny Elfman who also provides the singing voice for Jack.

     Elfman's music is delightful. The instrumental score, relying mainly on lower range instruments, perfectly capture the macabre, ghoulish nature of Halloween Town. The songs are great too. With eleven of them spread out over the film's 76 minute run-time, it's almost wall to wall with songs and every one is a winner. Elfman provided many of the vocals himself and his heavy use of inflection give them a really expressive quality. He brilliantly weaves the various themes and motifs established in these songs throughout the score. It was written, largely, before the script was completed. Caroline Thompson, who Elfman was dating at the time, wasn't brought in to write the screenplay until after Elfman, with Burton's input, had written the music and lyrics.

     In a sense it's like How the Grinch Stole Christmas in reverse, with a character who doesn't really understand Christmas enchanted by it. Unlike in The Grinch however there is no revelation here of what the holiday is actually about. In general the film doesn't have much of a human story but I wouldn't necessarily expect a 70 minute film inspired by Rankin and Bass Christmas specials to have much deep character drama. It's basically a midlife crisis story about an artist whose stuck in a rut and experiences something new and exciting which fills him with drive and inspiration once again.

     The animation of course is amazing. The set design is classic Tim Burton, a sort of mixture of Dr. Seuss and German expressionism and Burton's own eccentric, goth sensibilities. The art directors also drew from the works of Ronald Searle and Edward Gorey to give the film the feel of a living illustration. It took one hundred artists and technicians three years to complete the film and it's amazing to realize that they had to film the movie frame-by-frame, creating every subtle movement, change in lighting, and camera move painstakingly with their own hands. Many shots have hundreds of elements, all moving at once, yet the movement always feels lifelike and expressive.

     With it's groundbreaking animation, unique visual style and amazing soundtrack The Nightmare Before Christmas is a pitch perfect tribute to Rankin and Bass Christmas specials and a holiday classic in its own right.

Score: 10/10

Shocktober Fest 2019, Week 2

     This week my brother and I watched the first eight Friday the 13th movies. Their not great (I would hesitate to call most of them are even good) but they have their charms. An acquired taste to be sure. As these films are so short (most of them are under 90 minutes) I was able to squeeze in 8 of them.

 1. Friday the 13th (1980)
     The film that spawned the longest running slasher movie series ever, it's odd going back to the original Friday the 13th, as it lacks the most iconic element of the series, Jason Vorhees and his hockey mask which would not be introduced until Part 3. Quickly rushed out to cash in on the slasher phenomenon started by Halloween, the camerawork is clearly aping Dean Cundy's work on that film but without a clear understanding of what made it work so well. Only the admittedly clever third act revelation and some really inventive kills (aided in no small part by Tom Savini's special make-up effects, which were savagely cut down by the MPAA) distinguish it from countless other Halloween rip-offs.

Score: 7/10

2. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
     Although the production value is an improved and it does include some interesting ideas (with Jason keeping the severed head of his mother in a kind of morbid shrine) Friday the 13th Part 2 lacks the atmosphere of the first film and has a rather limp climax. With Savini gone the kills are not up to par with the first film, though there are still some good ones. It also has one of the better opening scenes of the series (disregarding the overly long flashback). Overall an inferior, but still pretty decent sequel (as far as this series goes).

Score: 6/10

 3. Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
     One of the many 3-D horror films that were trendy in the early-to-mid 1980's Friday the 13th Part III is a more conventional film then it's predecessors with some rather obvious attempts at comic relief and a Jason Vorhees who is more invulnerable and superhuman then the bag-wearing protagonist of Part 2. The climax is easily the film's saving grace and Jason is more creative with his kills then in previous installments. Oddly, as it takes place the day after the events of Part 2 the story doesn't technically even take place on Friday the 13th

Score: 6/10

4. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
     Considered by many to be the best in the series, a case could certainly be made for this. It certainly features the most distinctive characters of the first four films, particularly Corey Feldman's Tommy Jarvis. It also features some of the best kills of the series, with Tom Savini and his peerless effects work returning. On the other hand it has an over stuffed plot, with too many characters and not enough screen-time to juggle them all. Many scenes feel rather incomplete or random as a result


Score: 7/10

5. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
     An odd entry in the series and the only one (SPOILERS) not to feature Jason at all, A New Beginning suffers from tonal inconstancy and, arguably, bad taste (though when it comes to this series, complaining about taste seems like a mute point). Moving the story to a (extremely irresponsible) mental treatment facility, this film focuses on Tommy Jarvis, a survivor of the last film, who suffers from mental trauma and violent outbursts of emotion because of his experiences with Jason. I appreciate that the writers were trying to take the series in a different direction and I did feel a little more invested in the characters then usual but, in the end, A New Beginning misses the mark.

Score: 5/10

6. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
     This one was another mixed bag for me. It has a really great, atmospheric opening scene reminiscent of the old Universal monster movies, (it's one of the series best in fact) but the rest of the film feels a little lazy. The two main characters are some of the worst in the series and most of the kills are pretty perfunctory. It also takes the series in a more over-the-top and tongue-in-the-cheek-direction, with a resurrected Jason acting more invincible and unrelenting then ever. Overall it's an uneven but still entertaining entry.

Score: 6/10

7. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
     Eschewing some of the campier elements of Part VI, The New Blood doubles down on the heightened nature of its predecessor, introducing a protagonist who has telekinetic powers. This makes for a somewhat more character driven story and also leads to an explosive (literally!) climax (it's Jason vs. Carrie!). The make-up effects for Jason (whose body has deteriorated more and more over the last few films) are top notch with his skeleton showing through the ripped up back of his shirt and his deformed face making for a shocking reveal in the third act. His final demise is pretty lame but, other then that, this is one of the better ones.

Score: 7/10

8. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
     Easily the worst of the original eight films, Jason Takes Manhattan is a lazy, tired entry that moves the action from Camp Crystal Lake to a (rather poor looking) cruise ship, only to shift to Manhattan for the last act. The cast is pretty weak (though it does feature Peter Mark Richman, whose way too good for this material) and the final girl may be the worst in the entire series. There are a couple laugh-out-loud moments (one of them involving Jason punching a man's head off) but, for the most part, this is a boring and uninspired film featuring a Jason who seems to be going through the motions, barely able to summon enough energy to kill his victims. The series had clearly run out of steam by this point.

Score: 3/10


Next week I'll tackle a more extraterrestrial series...

Shocktober Fest 2019, Week 1

And the second annual ShocktoberFest begins!

For the first week I decided to watch the first 8 Universal horror films from the sound era.

 1. Dracula (1931)
     The movie that started it all Tod Browning's Dracula reportedly made people faint when it was first shown in theaters. Eighty-eight years later, it's still an unnerving, if very flawed film. Bela Lugosi is still the iconic Dracula, his slow deliberate line delivery and icy presence are so associated with the character now that one would think Bram Stoker had written him that way! Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye are also great as Van Helsing and Renfield. With that said, some of the editing in this film is sloppy and the direction is often uninspired. The maginifcent set design is somewhat wasted as a result. The choice to replace Jonathan Harker with Renfield in the first act was also a mistake, as we shift focus away from his character in act two, causing the film to loose focus.

Score: 8/10

2. Frankenstein (1931)
     Frankenstein is an unqualified masterpiece. Director James Whale, by focusing in on the plight of the monster, is able to condense Mary Shelley's classic story into a 70 minute film with seeming ease. Boris Karloff, like Lugosi before him, is absolutely brilliant as the monster and the make-up by Jack P. Pierce is deservedly iconic. Colin Clive also puts in a fine performance as Frankenstein, the obsessive and, later, haunted scientist who tries to play god. The Gothic sets and atmospheric lighting combine with Arthur Edeson's cinematography to create a truly chilling mood. It is filled with now classic moments, from the creation of the monster (in that instantly iconic Kenneth Strickfaden set) to the fiery finale, and one scene near the end of the film remains shocking to this day.

Score: 10/10

3. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
     A loose adaptation of the Edgar Allen Poe story, the first of three featuring detective C. Auguste Dupin, this film is about a mystery involving a circus ape, a mad scientist and a series of murders. Like all of these early universal films, this movie is heavy on atmosphere. It's at its best when focusing on the mad Dr. Mirakle played by Bela Lugosi and his ape Erik. The detective element, with Leon Ames as Dupin is somewhat undermined by the fact that we, as an audience, already know the answer to the mystery. The romantic scenes between Dupin and Camille are pretty stilted, and don't really suit his character anyway. The climax, anticipating King Kong, also feels a little out of place. Altogether, it's an uneven but still pretty entertaining film.

Score: 7/10

4. The Old Dark House (1932)
     A forgotten Gothic horror classic The Old Dark House sees husband and wife Philip and Magaret Waverton (Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart) and their friend Roger Penderel (Melvyn Douglas) seek shelter in an old decrepit mansion during a storm. Soon after they are joined by Sir William Porterhouse (Charles Laughton) and his female companion Gladys DuCane (Lilian Bond). The five strangers soon find that the old house and its inhabitants (brother and sister Horace and Rebecca Femm played by Ernest Thesiger and Eva Moore and their butler Morgan played by Boris Karloff) hide a dark secret. Once again James Whale directs with panache and the cast are all at their best, especially Laughton.

Score: 9/10

5. The Mummy (1932)
     The third classic universal monster movie, the mummy's first outing is distinct from the later entries for it's focus on Boris Karloff's resurrected Egyptian priest, rather then the mindless bandaged covered zombie of the sequels. Perhaps it was my mood (I was excessively tired the night I watched it) but I found The Mummy a somewhat dull affair, held up only by Karloff's steely presence and the intriguing back story for Imhotep. Van Sloan's Dr. Muller seems all to ineffectual as the Mummy's adversary for their conflict to really be engaging and the romance between Zita Johann's Helen and Arthur Byron's Sir Joseph didn't really work for me.

Score: 7/10

6. The Secret of the Blue Room (1933)
     This remake of a 1932 German film is a bit of a mixed bag. The Secret of the Blue Room sees three men (played by Paul Lukas, Onslow Stevens and William Janney), all suitors of Gloria Stuart's Irene von Helldorf, agree to stay in a room in her house, on three separate nights, that has a deadly history. Filled with twists and turns and well acted by all the cast it is a well made mystery thriller. Unfortunately the suspense is undermined by a solution to the mystery which is incredibly easy to predict almost from the get-go.

Score: 7/10

7. The Invisible Man (1933)
     The third horror film Whale made for Universal, The Invisible Man takes a more comedic approach then the director's earlier efforts. The story of a scientist whose invisibility experiments drive him insane, the film takes full advantage of it's quirky concept, exploring the real life implications of turning invisible (for instance, could one digest food without being seen?) The performances are strong all around, especially Rains as the titular villain, but it's the state-of-the-art special effects by John P. Fulton, John J. Mescall and Frank D. Williams that is the real star, making Jack Griffin's invisibility really believable.

Score: 9/10

8. The Black Cat (1934 film)
    A landmark film, The Black Cat is the first pairing of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. It's also considered progenitor of the psychological horror sub-genre. A truly unnerving film, it tells the story of a WWI veteren (Lugosi) who returns to Hungary after years in a Russian prison camp to exact vengeance on his traitorous commanding officer (Karloff). The two actors are magnificent together with Karloff's cold, steely presence contrasting wonderfully with Lugosi's fiery, exotic charm. David Manners and Julie Bishop are also solid as the newlywed honeymooners stuck on the middle of Lugosi and Karloff's feud. For a film made in 1934, it's quite shocking at times, with many violent and sexual acts implied throughout. The ending is, sadly, a little rushed, but, on the whole this film is a slow, steady descent into madness. A near masterpiece.

Score: 9/10

Shocktober will return next Sunday, where I'll tackle an iconic slasher franchise...

My Favorite Films: The Muppet Movie (1979) (Musical Mondays)

     I've always loved the Muppets. Ever since I was a kid Jim Henson's creations have made me smile, laugh, and sing and have generally been a source of joy. I fondly remember watching compilations of The Muppet Show on VHS and getting The Great Muppet Caper and Muppet Treasure Island (1996) from the local library. Interestingly, I didn't watch The Muppet Movie until I was in high school. I think my father was concerned that Doc Hopper's nefarious schemes would give me nightmares. Nonetheless, I think it perfectly captures what I'd always loved about the Muppets as a kid.

     There is something truly unique about Henson's creation. Part of the genius of The Muppet Show was Henson's use of the Variety Show format to "sell" the idea of the Muppets. By eschewing a more dramatic format such as Mr. Roger's "The Neighborhood of Make-Believe" Henson is able to present the Muppets as actual celebrities. Kermit is not a a character on The Muppet Show, he's a host like Ed Sullivan. Fozzie is a stand-up comedian, Miss Piggy is diva, etc.

     Of course this would never work for a movie. For that, some sort of linear storyline is needed. In order to maintain the same sort of sleight of hand that made the show work so brilliantly Henson has the Muppets break the fourth wall. So were not watching the real story of how the Muppets came together but the gang's retelling of that story. So Kermit and company, like a comedian in a Mel Brooks comedy, are able to break the fourth wall and acknowledge that they're in a movie. This make the Muppets, in a sense, feel more real then the movie they're in.

     The groundbreaking puppetry of course, is a great help here. Many of the characters are seen as full figures for the first time, rather then just from the waist up. To film Kermit playing the banjo in a swamp, Jim Henson had to squeeze into a metal container with an air hose to breath, a rubber sleeve to work Kermit and a monitor to see the puppet. This scene took five days to shoot. The film's most iconic special effect, with Kermit riding on a bicycle, was actually a relatively simple trick, a marionette with strings, though it took many takes to get it right. They would repeat this trick on a much larger scale in The Great Muppet Caper.

     The Muppet performers of course are all brilliant. By this point they had performed these characters for many years and they all practically inhabit them. It's no wonder that the property has never been quite the same since Henson's death. The cameos are great as well, especially Steve Martin, Mel Brooks and Elliott Gould, who are all hilarious. Orson Welles is perfectly cast as Lew Lord, the Hollywood mogul who makes the Muppets "rich and famous." Edgar Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy, playing judges at the Bogen County Fair, would make their final appearance her as Bergen died shortly after his scene was filmed. Bergen and Charlie had been a major inspiration for Henson.

     The story couldn't be simpler. Kermit the Frog, after meeting a Hollywood agent boating through his swamp, is inspired to go to Hollywood and become a star. Along the way he meets and befriends Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and Rolf the Dog, who join him on his journey. He also encounters Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) who wants Kermit to become the mascot for his frog legs fast food chain, much to the frog's chagrin. It's a roadtrip movie and a story about pursuing your dreams. Along the way the movie both lampoons and celebrates this idea.

     The academy award winning songs, by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher are filled with clever lyrics and catchy tunes. "Movin' Right Along" with its parody of traveling montages, mostly achieved by its use of forced or obvious rhymes ("Hey LA, where've you gone? Send someone to fetch us, were in Sasketchewan!") is also incredibly catchy thanks to its memorable, upbeat melody. "Can You Picture That?" features the kind of absurd lyrics typically of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. "Never Before, Never Again" is so over-the-top in its romantic yearning that it's absolutely hilarious. "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" is another playful tune that, like "Movin' Right Along" pokes fun at Hollywood conventions, in this case two bachelors commiserating after a romantic rejection.

     Contrasting this is "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" which is heartfelt and sad (it was performed at Jim Henson’s memorial service in 1990) echoing Dave Goelz original sad-sack vision for Gonzo (who had morphed into a more zany, wide-eyed performance artist by this point). The film's main theme "Rainbow Connection" is also incredibly heartfelt and filled with a sense of sincerity and optimism that would seem to contradict the clever satire of most of the other songs. But this gets to the real heart of the Muppets.

     Jim Henson does not ignore the cynical nature of the modern world but confronts it with unflagging optimism and a belief in the inherent goodness of mankind. As Kermit tells Doc Hopper in the film's climax. "I've got a dream too. But it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. The kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with." It's this quality of the Muppet's, their ability to combine biting satire with earnest optimism, that really makes them enduring and this film really embodies that.

     This is perhaps best displayed in the final musical number "The Magic Store" where the Muppets, finally having achieved their dream and filming their first movie in Hollywood, proceed to destroy the set they've built as Gonzo crashes into the prop rainbow, only to have a real rainbow shine through the hole they've busted in the roof.

"Life's like a movie 

Write your own ending 

Keep believing 

Keep pretending 

We've done just what we set out to do 

Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you!"

Blog Update: Back to Bussiness

     Welp, Westember is over. I hope everyone enjoyed watching (and reading) along. Going forward I'm going to get back to Saturday Evening Cartoons and Musical Mondays. I'm taking a break from westerns for a little while so Westerns Wednesdays is on hold until November. I'm also planning on doing another Shocktober Fest this year, doing weekly round-ups of the horror films I'm watching throughout October. So stay tuned everybody!