Reviews

While the 1951 Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol is the most faithful to the original Dickens story, A Muppet Christmas Carol possesses heart, whimsey, and a joy that is so very much lacking in our evermore commercialized holiday season. Michael Caine's performance as Scrooge easily surpasses those of Reginald Owen (1938), George C. Scott (1984) and Patrick Stewart (2001). There is a more genuine degree of transformation and redemption in his characterization than has often been portrayed. This makes the story a truly wonderful experience both for adults as well as for children.

The use of the Muppets in the various roles makes for a lively film experience. Statler and Waldorf as Jacob & Robert Marley are appropriately heckling as they seek to convince Scrooge to change his ways. Kermit the Frog is a wonderfully sympathetic Bob Crachit just as Miss Piggy is appropriately and aggressively belligerent Mrs. Crachit. Perhaps one of the better-inspired comedy bits comes with the arrival of Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past at Scrooge's former workplace, described as "Fozziwig's Rubber Chicken Factory." Such bits are frequent and help to keep the story fun. Paul Williams' music score and songs are eminently singable and leave the viewer with a lasting memory.

A Muppet Christmas Carol has joined the pantheon of classic holiday films, easily ranking alongside Holiday Inn, White Christmas and A Christmas Story. It is the opinion of this reviewer that for those whom holiday films have become a part of holiday celebration should make this a part of their seasonal experience. One might even complete the film humming the tunes and thinking better of themselves as well as of their fellow humans. In other words, Henson and company have made Dickens story as memorable as Dickens himself wished it to be.

On the film masterpiece Magnolia, which to me is one of the greatest films of our generation, gave me almost a revelation after I had seen it. I had gone with my friend on the first day of spring break, and was expecting a good movie, one that would entertain us for the three hours-plus length that it is, but it gave me a new way to look at things. When we came out of the theater, I looked up just to see if there were any of what the final act entails, coming down on us. I knew that they were not going to be there but still, I looked all because of a movie. Not many films can do that to me. I sort of think of myself as one who is schooled in the art of film, I know that I know a lot, but this film was not like what I had seen before. Sure, it had things that happen in other films, like the estranged son coming to his father's deathbed, and the child genius and the loser, but this just put all of these people in a film that treated them like heroes, even if they had not something heroic, or maybe something far from. Paul Thomas Anderson has to be one of the most talented writer/director of this time. I had seen Boogie Nights before I saw Hard Eight, or Sydney, where it is sometimes billed as, and it was highly original and very funny. The acting in it was just great and it was a film that loved its actors. If you see, almost every shot of that film has a closeup of someone. Anyway, this film hinted the originality that was Paul Anderson. When I saw Hard Eight, I thought that this was a film that should of gotten more recognition than it deserved. This showed that P. T. Anderson knew what he was doing and that he could do it again easily. With Magnolia, I am almost at a loss of words, I have talked about his other films because I almost can't put what I want to say about Magnolia into my mouth. All I know is that it should of been the contendor for the best picture category for the oscars. So, if you can, watch Hard Eight and Boogie Nights before you see this. That way you can see the level of maturity and originality that P. T. Anderson puts into his films. I can't wait for is next one.

Annie Hall embodies the self- indulgent neurotic self absorbed generation. It was humorous in the idiosyncratic way that is Woody Allen. It ranks as a "10" on my scale, right next to movies that characterize their generation. Like Easy Rider was to the '60's. Like, well, there was no influential, coming of age film of the 80's. Like the "Brat pack movies of the 90's.