Film Review: The Muppets

Hey peeps! Long time no... read? Any how, I had a film experience the other day that really got to me on an emotional level.

I'm at Sci-fi Society. And... The Muppets wins the vote. And I was a bit pissed off because I really wanted to watch The Power Rangers Movie. Yeah... it's a childhood thing!

I knew it got good reviews but I assumed I would not like it because it is a children's film. And boy was I wrong!

The plot centres on Walter, The Muppet's #1 fan. He finally fulfills a live-long dream of visiting the Muppets Studios with his brother Gary (Jason Segal) and Gary's girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams). He is shocked to find it in a state of decline. While there, he overhears oil magnate Tex Richman talk of his plans to demolish the studios to drill for oil.

This was Walter's reaction:

So he gathers the Muppets to raise the money needed to rebuy the studios back.

I have always had this thing where if I go into a movie I really do not want to see, I get really grumpy. But 90% of the time I am won over, usually at about the hour mark. However, The Muppets had me in the first scene, when Walter is introduced.

I am of the generation that never really watched The Muppets, except for the movies, which I never really watched. So for the film to grab me from the very start... I was just startled by it to the point that now, after rewatching it, have no problem say it is one of my favourite movies.

For me, Walter made the film. He is adorable, charming and the relationship between him and Gary is nothing short of cute! (hint: if any of my parents happen to come across this review, I would love a stuffed Walter for my bed :P) I was in danger of breaking into tears at any point during the last half hour... and I finally did, when Walter had his moment in the spotlight. He is the heart and soul of the film, and I would happily see a sequel as long as he was in it.

The soundtrack is also very catchy. Of course this film won an Oscar for the song "Man or Muppet" (In which Sheldon pops up... any geeks dream!). The film perfectly blends nostalgia and fresh qualities to bring back original viewers as well as recruiting new fans.

Overall, this was a cracking film that I highly recommend. It is fantastic family viewing and I do hope that The Muppets gives you the same joy it gave me.

FTV #1 - Rolling...

Camera 1 - with autocue. These HD cameras are newly installed in the television studio.  We are the only |University in the country to have 4 of these.

It has been a good while since I posted on here. I have decided to start posting my filmy stuff on here. So here goes...

Basically, I'm in my 3rd year of FTV+E (Film, Television and English) and we have to make a 30 minute film by the end of the year, with 10 minutes handed in by 12th December. My roles for this term are: Set designer, Head Editor and Camera. A good challenge!

At the beginning of the term we decided on a story: a young girl who feels neglected by her family falls in with a punk crowd in 1970s Britain at the height of Jubilee hype. It was very tricky because we had to be very careful with props and set design. I love a challenge but next time I might just try and stick to present and/or futuristic storylines :P

Set

A few weeks ago we started painting the flats.

After painting them we decided to paper them and put dado rails on them as well as skirting boards. The skirting boards were cheap lino-like panels from Poundland. Attention to detail is important. As is minimal spending :P

Today we filmed the bulk of our scenes. Time was against us. Basically, we were running out of time on how long we could have the flats (walls to you) because the second-years needed them. Also, an actor playing the role of the father of the girl could only devote time before Christmas and not after. More pressure! We got together at 8am this morning and finished at 5:30pm. Long day (not helped by the fact I had to work until 7:30pm! oh wells!)

Hallway Set being looked at by our Director

Living Room Set

It was a long day and we managed to get pretty much all of the downstairs-interior house scenes filmed. I am very excited for this project and can't wait to show off more developments :)

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amy on Potter #4 - The Chamber of Secrets

 "AMAZING! This is just like magic!"



This film is a very tricky one to look at in retrospective. This is because, at the time, CoS was considered much better, broader and epic than the original with director Chris Columbus trying new things  with the camera. And it is was that way until, unfortunately, the next film came out.

On it's own CoS is a fine film, with amazingly cheesy scenes and a cracking plotline. But when one looks at it after seeing the films that come later, you can't help but think that Columbus could have done better. At the end of the day, we should not complain, we should be thankful that that films are getting better. But the tone is so drastically different from the later films, you can't help but feel disappointed.

I think this is because it is hard to fault the first one because... well it was the first. It established the universe and the next films can expand on that as they see fit. CoS could only have been "the second one" and no matter how many people considered it good at the time, it is not considered so now because the later ones established a different path. This had better make sense... :S

This film also indirectly begins a plot point: the diary, which is revealed to actually have been a horcrux in later films. And Dobby... ah Dobby! He was an annoying little twerp in this, but by DH, he is cute and rather fun! I say that, but when Harry say "never try to save my live again" to Dobby, you can't help but feel a pang because we all know too well what happens when he does.

Also, and I have no shame in saying this, CoS contains one of my favourite scenes in the entire series: the final scene where Hagrid returns and thanks Harry and Co for helping release him. I do no know why but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy everytime. It is the perfect cheesy scene to end a fun family film with, and seeing as this is more or less the end of the "family" bit of the Potter story it seemed like a fitting goodbye. It is also Richard Harris' final scene as Dumbledore before his death in 2002. (only video I could find was poor quality)



Overall, cracking film and a fine addit.ion to the franchise, even if it does lag a bit.

Amy on Potter #3 - The Books

As said in my first post about Harry Potter, these books threw me into the wonderful world of reading. And I always try to get the Harry Potter books into my schedule if I have no book on the go. They are easy reads and before you know it, you'll be burning the midnight oil 100 pages ahead.

1) The Philosopher's Stone

"He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: 'To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!'"

So it is hear that the glorious story starts. A boy names Harry Potter finds out he is a wizard and leaves his nasty relatives to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Throughout the book, we find that he has been famous in the Wizarding world his whole life because he caused the downfall of Voldemort, a dark wizard that killed his parents, when he was just 1.

I read this book all in one afternoon after seeing the movie and I actually preferred it to the film. Yes the films are fantastic! But when I say I prefer it, I do not mean it's better, I mean I preferred it mainly because there is content that does not make it into the film, which is fair enough. Film has restrictions that written words do no have! The world also felt richer, as JK Rowling has such a wonderful way of making you feel you are part of it.

2) The Chamber of Secrets  

'That'd be a cheerful visit,' said Ron. 'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'

Continuing my last point, JK Rowling knows how to make you feel a part of a fictional world. And this is the one the made me feel the most involved. For one glorious weekend I believed that a tree can attack you, and that cars will one day be able to fly. In this one Harry is back at school with Ron and Hermione but there is a lurking evil. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened and is causing all kinds of havoc!

As I see it, it was the last of the "fairytale"-type look at Hogwarts. After this, it just gets darker and darker. It was the first book that explored the theme of racism in the wizarding community, with some people thinking they are better than everyone else because the are "pure-blooded". 

3) The Prisoner of Azkaban"  

Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else - glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday"

Now here is where the good stuff starts. It is this book that starts off the chain of events that leads to the action in the later books. It is also my favourite of the lot! The eponymous prisoner, Sirius Black, has escaped from the Wizarding Prison Askaban and is supposed to be after Harry. What I love about this one is that Voldemort does not make an appearance and that's very refreshing. It is the one book in the series that I wish I can read again for the first time. I can say that about all of them but if I had to pick one, it would be this one.

4) The Goblet of Fire 

"I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform..."

The last one was where the events of Voldemort's return are set in motion (what with Wormtail being set free) and this is the one where it all kicks off with Harry being entered into the Triwazard Tournament without his knowledge and forced to compete. I remember thinking I would not finish this because it was huge (well it was the biggest at the time!) but I flew through it. It is creepy the  appropriate parts and quite often funny, with Harry and Co need to find a date for the Yule Ball. It just makes you realize that they're growing up!

5) The Order of the Phoenix 

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..."

This one I'm a bit shaky on. I do not want to say it is my least favourite because that implies it's shit but it really isn't. So Harry is not believed by the wizarding world over his claims that Lord Voldy is back and think he's a nutter. And the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is out to get him. It actually really affected me on a personal level because all that anger displayed in the novel is how I was feeling at the time. It's a bit of a stretch to compare myself to Harry, I mean, I was a spotty, depressed 13 years old and Harry was a spotty, depressed and bereaved 15 year old. But the anger was still there and I felt it on a very raw level. 

Also, despite being my least favourite book, Rowling provides us with one of the best characters. The pathologically cheery bitch Dolores Umbridge. Now, it's all well and good to hate a character: we hate Voldy because he killed a lot of people and is the antagonist; we hate Bellatrix because we love Neville and she is part of the Black/Malfoy clan. But Dolores Umbridge was a character that was written of her to be the absolute hated of the lot: a racist, patronizing sadist who is appointed at the school out of the Ministry's fear that Dumbledore is creating an Army out of the students. She ends up abusing her power to put the school under her control. A better villain than Voldy!

6)The Half-Blood Prince 

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure"

This one is less serious, for the most part. HBP is about exploring Voldy's past and trying to find ways to defeat him. Harry is still trying to come to terms with the death of Sirius and in turn deal with his feelings for Ginny. There is a cracking bit where Harry takes some "lucky potion" and it is almost like a recreational 

drug use with hilarious results. But this is only part of the fun. The novel ends in such a way that makes you wonder what the hell is in store for Harry and Co for the next, and final book. 

7) The Deathly Hallows" 

Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him"

Book 7 strays away from the formula that we are so used to that it throws us off guard: There is no Hogwarts, Death Eaters are everywhere and Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the run trying to find the Horcruxes, eventually leading to the final battle at Hogwarts. The series couldn't have ended better. And most would probably fair better in the film than the book. 

It's hard to describe just how much these books meant to me over the years.  I started reading them at 11, which is when, in the HP universe, you get your admittance letter for Hogwarts. So it was ripe in the imagination and as Harry grew up, the genre of the series shifted. So it is an integral part of my life. How many book series change to your own style as you grow up? Answer: only 1... Harry Potter. And with this last film coming out it would truly have ended... except for Pottermore. Which I am looking forward to!

Amezzeray Out...

Amy's Bookshelf: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be an heroine."

So, remember last year when I said I was going to make an effort to read more? Well I did... I just didn't blog about them! Haha! Ooops! My blogging has been lacking of late. I like to think of it as a good thing, as I was reading for University and then studying, so the procrastination that is ever so noted in the very name of this blog was widely averted. Twitter still had me though...


Anyhow, even though it is only July, I thought I would get started on my reading list for the next academic year. I have to read at least 1 book per week and my course only consists of 40% of my degree. I really feel for the poor fuckers who are doing the full subject. So I got started with Gulliver's Travels initially, but I struggled with it a bit and by the time I was getting somewhere I had to hand it back to the library because of a stupid loan request. So... Northanger Abbey it is! I have been meaning to read Jane Austen for years. I have a copy of Pride and Prejudice gathering dust. After my struggle with Gulliver's Travels (which I, admittedly, put down to my own lack of intelligence as an English student rather than general bad writing as I do struggle with older texts) I was expecting all of the books on this particular module to also be difficult. But Austen is not the case.


Jane Austen writes with a satirical wit that had me giggling into the night, which greatly annoyed my sister and, in turn, made me even happier! I actually managed to read the last 2/3s of the book in one day I got so into it! So... coutesy of Goodreads:

The story’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry’s mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.

Catherine is a fantastic character to follow. Her naivety and her innocence makes you really feel for her and you can see her growing up and learning over the course of the novel. It is the events at the Abbey that make her realize just how naive she has been and  how her imagination needs a leash!


Overall of course the novel is satirizing society with Austen using Catherine's aforementioned naivety as a way of making the reader notice just how silly and stupid it all really is! But she slowly gets drawn in and then it shifts to the parody of the Gothic novel, which were all the range back when this was written. It is quite funny at times when Catherine is exploring her room at Northanger and she finds a "manuscript" in an old drawer. It makes you feel tense for a moment and then the pieces of paper are revealed to be something completely mundane, making Catherine, and equally yourself, feel a bit silly. But you see the true value of a heroine in this book; a heroine is not just someone in the blockbusters, or overcomes pride etc... it is someone who rises to be better than they were 100 pages ago.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and I recommend it! It may not be for everyone though as it takes a good 2/3s of the book to actually get a mention of Northanger but most of the charm is in the slow build-up.

I give it 8/10/ With 4 for wit and 4 for charm!

Amy on Potter #2 - Potter Puppet Pals

Just one example of a glorious thing that HP has brought us.