In case you're still there...

Things have been extremely silent on the site for the entirety of the weekend, partly because I didn't expect anybody to be too clamoring for news over the weekend, but more because I didn't have much to talk about. I was busy with family, getting some financial issues worked out, and just organizing how things are going to be for the next couple weeks. I am going to be keeping up with the news of the moment, even though I'm constantly steering clear of trailers, as you can figure out here. I'm sticking to that as best I can. In any case, I just wanted to let you know that there's going to be a lot more activity in coming weeks as the awards season picks up and we move on to the end of the year.

Film Review: "The Muppets" (***1/2)

"Don't you remember? We built this city. We built this city on rock and roll!"

I'm probably the last person you'd have predicted a response such as this from, especially given my track record over the past year. With "X-Men: First Class", "Super 8", and "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" coming and going with only gaining dissatisfaction in return, it's definitely been a cynical year for cinema, at least from where I'm sitting. There's the inappropriate expectation that what the audience wants is simple spectacle, rather than excitement. It's hard to remember the last time a mainstream feat managed to raise the hairs on my spine with general thrills, and that absence has not escaped me. It would take a great deal of digging to hit the oil that the Muppets are digging for, to use a hint of intended irony.

The first moments of the film don't really get off to a brilliant start, and it really put me back in the mood I've been in for the past several months. The old-style home video reels phasing into the present day was an early sign that this wasn't gonna be the reunion I wanted, and in a few ways it wasn't. What I wanted was a fantasy, and the further the film progressed, the more those old, authentic Muppet memories came back. The opening was just a rough settling back into this world, and though it's not a sign of the joy and wound you'd feel after the film's first act, we almost needed our hopes to be let down before they could be built back up again, brick by brick.

For Your Anticipation: Fillet of Fish

I've been very silent across the last two days, mostly because I've had so much going on. Spending Thanksgiving with family always manages to divert your attention from other things. One thing it hasn't distracted me from is "The Muppets", which is the first film for me to be truly excited for in quite some time. I'll elaborate on my thoughts later on, but suffice it to say that the film turned my cynicism into absolute joy, against all odds. It's funny, delightful, and it made me cry more than any other film I've seen this year. Take my word and see it with somebody you love!

"The Muppets" Trailer Parody #3 - "Green Lantern"

Having effused about my reluctance to see Green Lantern this weekend, this comes as the most welcome surprise of the day. Completely aware of how repetitive their trailers have become, this is simply a delightful teaser, and it gives us our first look at antagonist Chris Cooper.

"The Muppets" Teaser

Disney is not having a good year, and I think we can expect that to continue on for most of the year. However, one of their most optimistic offerings has to be The Muppets. It has been in the works for a long time, and it is now finally on its way, and this trailer gives us a brief look at what to expect. Take a look below!

Television Breakdown: "Mother" Renewed (x2)

After a season like the one this has been, this news will certainly come as a delight to fans like me. How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for not just one, but two more seasons. This news does extend the story of Ted's search for his true love another two years, so the poor guy is bound for at least two more years of disappointment. You'd think the guy would have killed himself after six years of this, but Ted certainly has persevered. So this news can be taken in one of two lights, the first being that the producers just jumped at the chance to secure another two years for their hit show. That seems a bit too simple for me, so I'd rather believe that they are setting an end date, much like Lost did. I'd say that their show should end in 2013, or else it will become suddenly terrible and go the way of Two and a Half Men. On the other hand, I doubt Jason Segel is about to go on an insane night with strippers and bimbos.

Red-Band Trailer: Bad Teacher

Can you believe that a trailer for a film starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake didn't have me rolling my eyes once. I'm sure if I tried hard enough the second time through I could find something worth a shrug, but my initial reaction to the trailer for Bad Teacher is surprisingly positive. Maybe it's the fact that Diaz's best friend in the film is played by Phillis Smith from The Office. Perhaps it's the not-so-obvious way things are put, especially since Jason Segel is probably going to end up with Diaz in the end and he's only featured three times in this trailer. I have a sixth sense about where romantic comedy plots are going, even if they are largely predictable these days. This trailer didn't exactly rearrange my Summer schedule, but it could've been a lot worse.