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March is kind of a bummer, isn’t it? I mean, its great in a lot of ways, don’t get me wrong. Saint Patrick’s Day is nice (if you’re Irish and/or like drinking). Sometimes Easter is in March (and if not, April is by then fast approaching). The weather isn’t yet the wretched heat of summer and no longer the brutal chill of winter. But still, its not yet summer vacation (for you students) nor is it time for that much-needed string of holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day) for those lucky enough to work in an office. Sometimes the box office can be a bit dull too, given the lull between the end of Oscar season and the start of the big summer blockbusters. For this reason and more, I present you with…
Five reasons why I seriously cannot wait for The Hunger Games (March 23)
1. The book is incredible.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I am not going to talk myself blue in the face trying to convince you why you should. I’ve done that to enough of my friends and really, they are the ones missing out, so I’ll just save myself the effort from now on. It’s sort of like trying to get someone to start watching Doctor Who. You can drive yourself crazy talking it up for months, knowing how much the other person would love it if they just took a break from watching garbage like Grey’s Anatomy to watch an episode or two, eventually just trying not to write them off completely for ignoring your well-intentioned harassment. Life is too short though, and you’re better off just letting people do their own (stupid) thing.
2. The trailer.
Guess what? The trailer looks awesome. If you don’t agree with me, you probably didn’t read the book yet. See above.
3. The soundtrack.
Although only a few artists/songs have been announced, this is already looking like a promising collection so far, boasting tracks from Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Taylor Swift (don’t hate).
So far, I have only seen her in X-Men: First Class, but her performance in that was pretty excellent. She certainly has the outside look of Katniss down, judging by the movie art and the trailers. Here’s hoping she gets at what’s beneath the surface as well.
5. WOODY HARRELSON <3 HAYMITCH.
The whole movie could be a complete wreck (which I doubt) but it would still be worth seeing for this alone. When I was reading the book, I had no knowledge of the casting choices, so I didn’t picture the characters as any actors in particular. Once I finished the book and began to look up everything I could about the upcoming film, learning that Woody Harrelson would be playing Haymitch Abernathy was like being hit with a ton of bricks (in a good way). Not only is he one of my favorite actors, but he is flat out perfect for the role.
A movie came out that lead me to think about the complexity of gender identity and the reasons people choose to dress, act and present themselves a certain way. So today I wanted to explore some of these titles and the different things they say.
The movie that started me thinking about this is Albert Nobbs starring Glenn Close: a standout movie about a woman putting herself in the place of a man where many movies as a means to an end. Becoming a male, is a way to a new life.
Nobbs is a woman in 19th century Ireland who after a horrific event in her young years, decides that she’d be able to move in the world better if she acted and dressed as a man.Of course nothing is that easy, and trying to create a life as a man twists and alters the way Albert can see the world and the options she has reach his ultimate goal. There isn’t much to say without totally ruining the movie except it’s beautiful, sweet, touching and a little sad.
To carry on the dramatic theme there are titles like Boys Don’t Cry, where a woman feels deep down that she, should be a he and does everything in his power to make the body match the mind. It’s a tragic story based on the real story of Brandon Teena (The Brandon Teena Story), a male to female transsexual who was brutally murdered for being who he was.
Now, not all movies about the subject of being free to be who you are, are tales of sorrow. There are a number of comedies that deal with this idea and one of the most well known is The Birdcage the movie adaptation of the French play La Cage aux Folles (Which was turned into a Broadway musical in 1983). Starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams as the delightful, very openly gay, couple who are the fathers of the handsome young Val, who has just become engaged. Unfortunately the woman he loves is the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician and he wants his flamboyant fathers to tone it down for a visit by his future in-laws. Hilarity follows and of course a change of heart by everyone involved and acceptance is the name of the game.
Another well known comedy is To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! – Julie Newmar starring Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes as three wild drag queens on the road to to the biggest Drag beauty pagent in the country. When their car breaks down in the middle of no-where they’re faced with small town ideas, small town people and the chance and style to change the lives of everyone they meet.
Now, to switch gears to documentaries, one of the most interesting is called Venus Boyz which focuses on a group of women who are exploring what it is like to dress like men and present themselves in that way. It delves into their reasons, their personal lives and their explorations in what some of the most subtle differences between men and women are when you’ve seen it from both sides.
A totally fun title is Pageant which follows a group of men who are trying to win the title of Miss Gay America an underground female impersonator (aka Drag queen) competition. It has interviews with the competitors, families and friends sharing what motivates these men to go against convention and shine as who they are.
And lastly I’ve got a documentary that is all about drag (both men and women) and it’s history in performances. They talk about everything from Norman Bates to Frank-n-Furter in Rocky Horror, Divine in Hairspray and even Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare In Love. Ladies Or Gentlemen is a fun look at the history and the meaning behind some of the best gender-bending roles in modern movies.
Okay, okay so I’m late on this, I’m sorry! I was distracted getting caught up on my Muppets, since the movie came out last month.
Starting of course with of course with the The Muppet Show.Which first aired on September 5, 1976 and aired it’s last episode in 1981 after 5 seasons. It was one of my favorite shows, even though I wasn’t born until 3 years after it went off the air. So to really do a proper post about the Muppets I should introduce some of the characters for those who don’t know them (Gasp)
Kermit the Frog, theater director and the shows host became an iconic figure of flailing, scrunched faces and a very gentle manner. His girlfriend (wife, whatever) Miss Piggy is the opposite of him, loud, rough and a total diva. (No wonder they’ve never managed to make it down the isle)
Then of course you’ve got Fozzie The Bear, Scooter, Gonzo (The Great) , The Swedish Chef, Rowlf The Dog, Dr. Honeydew and his assistant Beaker and so many more. There’s a wild cast of characters and it would be a long post to just list them all!
Over the 5 years that The Muppet Show was on the air the had guests stars that included Lena Horne, Phyllis Diller, Vincent Price, George Burns, John Cleese, Steve Martin, Gilda Radner, Raquel Welch, Alice Cooper (Yes really!) , John Denver, Mark Hammal, Diana Ross, Roger Moore, Johnny Cash, Carol Burnett and many more. Each episode had one sometimes two guest stars who did songs, participated in skits and much more.
In 1979 the Muppets left the small screen and made a movie the rather aptly titled The Muppet Movie about how the Muppets came together in the first place (approximately anyway). As with the t.v show the movie had a long list of stars, and guest cameos including Charles Durning, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Dom Deluise, Steve Martin, Orson Welles and many others.
In 1981 the Muppets reappeared on the big screen in The Great Muppet Caper which has Kermit and Fozzie playing twin reporters sent to investigate the theft of some jewels in England. It stars Diana Rigg, Jack Warden and John Cleese and Joan Sanderson have cameos
In 1984 the Muppets are graduating from college (Don’t ask it’s Muppet time) in The Muppets Take Manhattan. They’re trying to take their show to Broadway but when that doesn’t work out the entire troupe has to take jobs all over the country spreading out from Ohio to Michigan and beyond. After a bunch of fumbles and foibles they manage to get their shot at Broadway. After Kermit realizes what the show is missing and brings on more “frog and dogs and chickens and whatever” including characters from Sesame Street.
Then there is a 12 year break of theater movies (There are several t.v specials) until 1996 and Muppet Treasure Island which is my personal favorite. It focuses on Jim Hawkins a young boy who wants to go to sea. With Gonzo and Rizzo at his side he joins Captain Abraham Smollet (Kermit the Frog) on the Hispaniola to find treasure! However Long John Silver (The utterly charming Tim Curry) has other plans. And after recently watching another version, and looking it up, it keeps the plot surprisingly close to the source, especially for a Muppet movie.
In 1999 came Muppets In Space which focuses on Gonzo trying to discover who he is, and finding out that he is in fact an Alien from outer-space. This was the first Muppet movie since the death of Jim Henson and it shows a little, and despite being considered a flop in the theaters, it is a pretty good Muppet showing.
In 2005 there was a telefilm called The Muppets’ Wizard Of Oz which takes the Muppets and puts them in the standard Oz rolls. It was well received by kids and young adults.
And finally there is The Muppets the 2011, this was a great way to reintroduce the Muppets to a generation of kids that maybe don’t know about them with some shout outs to the older movies, so visit The Muppets at the Muppet Theater and on all their adventures!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for movies! December is in full-swing, bringing along with it a chilling array of theatrical releases that are sure to warm your spirits even better than a mug of spiked hot cocoa. From potential blockbusters to award-hopefuls and under-the-radar gems, Team Video’s Allan and Nicole say “Whazzzaaaap winter!” in the latest episode of our ongoing podcast. Are you on the edge of your seat for Black Swan? Geeking out over Tron Legacy? Counting down the days until Yogi Bear? (Come on, somebody has to be…) Get all the info you need on the upcoming films in our Winter Movie Preview! Check it out via streaming, download or on iTunes and let us know what you think on Twitter – @team_video.
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