News for
The Muppet Movie (1979) More at IMDbPro »

2009 | 2005

14 articles from 2009

---

'I'm not like Orson Welles. I'm a quiet director'

4 hours ago | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

The indie film-maker talks about his new film Me and Orson Welles, starring Zac Efron

In his later years Orson Welles made wine and beer commercials. He acted in The Muppet Movie and Magnum Pi and narrated a documentary about Bugs Bunny. Sometimes he gave lectures, too, shambling into the half-empty town-halls of middle America to breathlessly introduce himself as a film director, writer and actor; a magician, designer and painter. Then his eyes would flick across the rows of empty seats. "Isn't it strange," he said, "that there are so many of me and so few of you?"

It was Welles's fate to burn too brightly, too quickly. He was a man who could be everything except a cog in the Hollywood machine; an artist whose precocity would prove his undoing. He was a stage star in his teens and the creator of Citizen Kane at the age of 25. After that, »

- Xan Brooks

Permalink | Report a problem

---

The Muppets Cover Bohemian Rhapsody

24 November 2009 1:38 PM, PST | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »

The Muppets are one of the few entities that can fail with little to no retribution. People.s love for them will go on unaffected. Remember Muppets from Space? Yeah, me neither. How about The Muppets Wizard of Oz? Let me give you a clue to its quality: Ashanti starred in it. Yet, these subpar flicks could never take away from the genius that is The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie. I guess The Muppets are a lot like Weezer. But lately, there have been indicators that suggest that Jim Henson.s crew may once again grace us with quality entertainment. Judd Apatow alumni Jason Segal is penning a script for a new flick entitled The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made, which suggests that Segal will be bringing back the self-referential style that made the first film so intriguing. Then there.s the video below, which has The Muppets »

Permalink | Report a problem

---

5 Balloon Mishaps Worthy of the Attention

29 October 2009 8:07 AM, PDT | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »

With "balloon boy" costumes "practically flying off the shelves" this Halloween — and April Fools' Day less than six months away (Ok, it's a bit of a stretch) — we thought we'd offer some alternative balloon viewing.

Here are five balloon mishaps from movies that are guaranteed to elicit a variety of emotional reactions, with one notable exception: Disgust.

Next Showing:

Link | Posted 10/29/2009 by reelz

Jack Nicholson | Richard Pryor | Batman | The Muppet Movie | The Wizard of Oz | Up | The Hindenburg | Casablanca »

- reelz reelz

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal Blu-ray Reviews

7 October 2009 9:02 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

For most people, just coming up with a cast of characters as wonderfully lovable as the Muppets - to say nothing of helping spearhead a pair of television classics as durable as The Muppet Show and Sesame Street - would be enough to justify an early and lucrative retirement. For Jim Henson, however, those feats only scratched the surface of his ambition, and by the early ’80s, the man who helped turn puppets from a sideshow trick into an art form was ready to try his hand at slightly more grown-up fare. The results were 1982’s The Dark Crystal and 1986’s Labyrinth, a pair of PG-rated fantasy films that connected the dots between The Muppet Movie and The Lord of the Rings. Neither film made much of an impression at the box office, but they’ve both acquired cult status over the years - and now they’ve both been »

- Jeff Giles

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Classic Cameos: The Muppet Movie

21 September 2009 2:33 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

I think our original idea behind the Classic Cameos series was to pick one memorable cameo from a movie. However, The Muppet Movie is a long string of cameos, and why should I have to highlight only one? So many people pop up throughout the 1979 film -- my favorites are James Coburn, who owns the El Sleezo nightclub; Carol Kane's very silly "Myth? Yeth?" running gag; Mel Brooks in what's really more of an actual role than a cameo, as the mad scientist; and Orson Welles at the end of the film.

If that sounds like enough cameos, I've barely started. The Muppet Movie also has appearances from Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn and Telly Savalas, Paul Williams, Cloris Leachman, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen (and Charlie McCarthy), Elliot Gould and Big Bird. Director James Frawley supposedly appears onscreen briefly, but I'm not sure I'd recognize him. I've included »

- Jette Kernion

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Cool Stuff: Product Placement T-Shirt

21 September 2009 7:00 AM, PDT | Slash Film | See recent Slash Film news »

Dutch Southern has a new t-shirt called "Product Placement", a design created by Josh Eacret. It's a tribute to the fake products and companies found in movies, and to the filmmakers who didn't want to sell out or get sued by real corporations. Each logo is accurately recreated in painstakingly detail by Josh Eacret's hand. After the jump you can find a complete listing of the fictional companies listed, and which movies they appeared in. The products and companies include: Elsinore Beer - Strange Brew Cyberdyne Systems - Terminator Weyland Yutani - Alien Chico's Bail Bonds - Bad News Bears Paper Street Soap Company - Fight Club Spatula City - Uhf S-mart - Army of Darkness Smeat - Waterworld Dapper Dan - O Brother, Where Art Thou Doc Hopper's Frog Legs - The Muppet Movie Death Records - Phantom of the Paradise Winkies - Mulholland Drive Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems - »

- Peter Sciretta

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Buy This: Product Placement Movie T-Shirt

17 September 2009 11:15 AM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

Every now and then we'll throw our fanatical shirt-making friends over at Dutch Southern a little love because those cats are always coming up with some cool, refreshing and totally random movie-related t-shirt that I simply must have. Yes, I'm a movie t-shirt guy -- as are a lot of my movie bloggin' colleagues -- and there's always been this unspoken competition amongst us to see who can show up at the next film festival or set visit with the freshest, most fanboy-esque movie t-shirt. And the shirts also make for great conversation starters. In fact, I wore my John Carpenter character shirt to an Extract screening and found myself talking to Mike Judge about it for awhile as he tried to figure out which character was from which flick.

So, that being said, the peeps at Dutch have released their latest t-shirt, called Product Placement -- and basically it »

- Erik Davis

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Disney Announces New Muppet Movie

16 September 2009 9:53 AM, PDT | ScreenRant.com | See recent Screen Rant news »

Disney Chairman Dick Cook made a big announcement at the Disney D23 Fan Convention and I haven’t been the same since.  Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) will provide the script, and word from our friends over at /Film is that The Muppets must reunite to save The Muppet Theater from a greedy oil tycoon who wants it for the reserves discovered in the soil beneath.  The name of this moving picture? The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made. No details yet on when it will go into production, let alone when it’ll be released.

Segel, who wrote (and starred in) Forgetting Sarah Marshall, also appeared in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up and got his major break starring in Apatow’s 1999 TV series, Freaks And Geeks.  Good luck coming up with zingers for Statler and Waldorf that can match up to the high standard of Muppet hilarity…

 

In »

- Scott Miller

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Irving! Brang 'em on!

10 June 2009 6:52 PM, PDT | blogs.suntimes.com/ebert | See recent Roger Ebert's Blog news »

It's been more than 25 years since Billy (Silver Dollar) Baxter last graced the Cannes Film Festival, and yet as I pack for this year's event, I am thinking about him even now, and I am smiling. Billy single-handedly created an alternate reality at Cannes, and such was the force of his personality that those who came within earshot were seduced. In the words of Elaine May, he carried on a way of life that was extinct before he was born.

Billy was a loudmouth operator from the pages of Damon Runyon, whose gift was creating scenarios to entertain us. He didn't want our money, he didn't want publicity, he didn't want a free lunch, he only wanted our laughter, and to know that we would pass around the latest "Billy Baxter story." We are still passing them around. Billy is still very much alive, and we are in touch; he lives not far from Broadway, »

- Roger Ebert

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Going ‘Up’ With Hollywood’s Greatest Balloons

29 May 2009 9:00 AM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

Forgive me for being rather corny, but is there anything as sweet and simple as a balloon? No matter how old you are, if someone hands you a balloon your day gets just a little bit brighter. Who out there hasn’t taken hold of one and hoped, just this once, that it would take off with you attached? Who hasn’t wondered how many it would take to send you flying into the air? Few of us have ever dreamed as ambitiously as Carl (Ed Asner), the elderly hero of Disney/Pixar’s “Up,” which floats into theaters this Friday. Carl painstakingly figures out just how many balloons it would take to carry his whole house into the sky, and he flies away on the adventure of a lifetime.

In the spirit of Carl, I’ve decided to list five of Hollywood’s greatest balloons. It was tough work, »

- Elisabeth Rappe

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Dom DeLuise Remembered. Today in Film Bloggery 05/05/09

5 May 2009 2:55 PM, PDT | Spout.com | See recent Spout news »

While it's nice to learn that so many other people love The Cannonball Run as much as I do, it's very unfortunate that such a discovery comes only with the death of Dom DeLuise. The actor passed away peacefully last night at the age of 75, and today the Internet is heavy in mourning, as well as in discussion and celebration of underrated DeLuise classics. For me, after the apparently "classic" Cannonball Run movies and my obvious rememberance of the actor's appearances in The Muppet Movie and on The Muppet Show, I thought of Don Bluth's animated features, many of which feature the voice of DeLuise. I recall being so excited upon the release ... »

- Christopher Campbell

Permalink | Report a problem

---

R.I.P. Dom DeLuise

5 May 2009 12:02 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

Wow. Leave it to one friend's muted Facebook status to tip me off to the fact that actor Dom DeLuise passed away yesterday at the age of 75.

Most of us probably grew up watching his comedic work, whether it was live-action -- Blazing Saddles, The Muppet Movie, The Cannonball Run -- or animated -- An American Tail, The Secret of Nimh, All Dogs Go to Heaven. He also frequently appeared on the small screen, eventually garnering a Golden Globe nomination and a Daytime Emmy for his live-action and animated TV work, respectively. He also authored several children's books and cookbooks in his spare time.

According to Popeater, he is survived by his wife of 54 years and three sons. No cause of death has been given at the time of this posting.Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family Films, Obits

Permalink | Email this | Comments »

- William Goss

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Muppets & Nw Film Center (Jim Henson Fest)

22 April 2009 10:23 PM, PDT | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

The Muppets for the month of May. We are truly blessed here in Portland. Thank you, Northwest Film Center. And now to make sure this is in your head the rest of the day …

It’s time to play the music

It’s time to light the lights

It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

It’s time to put on makeup

It’s time to dress up right

It’s time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.

Why do we always come here

I guess we’ll never know

It’s like a kind of torture

To have to watch the show

And now let’s get things started

Why don’t you get things started

It’s time to get things started

On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational

This is what we call the Muppet Show

The Northwest Film »

- Jeff Bayer

Permalink | Report a problem

---

Paul "Bugsy Malone" Williams Takes the Reins as Ascap Prez

18 April 2009 8:03 AM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »

Attention, musicians: Little Enos is now in charge of your copyright. Yee-ha!

Yep, singer-songwriter-actor-short person Paul Williams has been elected President and Chairman of the Board of Ascap (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), making him the first alumnus of Smokey and the Bandit to head up a major show-biz trade organization. Well, that we know of, anyway.

As a songwriter, Williams penned "Evergreen" (from A Star is Born), "The Rainbow Connection" (The Muppet Movie), and the score for Bugsy Malone. He also wrote hits for some of the biggest artists in the music industry, including the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays," the Three Dog Night classic "An Old Fashioned Love Song," and Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World."

But to movie lovers, he'll always be Little Enos Burdette, son of Big Enos (Pat McCormick), payin' the Bandit $80,000 to illegally »

- Dawn Taylor

Permalink | Report a problem

---

2009 | 2005

14 articles from 2009

---