Folks, it has been a long, awesome SXSW. So color me flabbergasted when suddenly I’m deluged with news that Joss Whedon made a major announcement about the identity of the villains in The Avengers in his panel on Saturday. I had previously given a cursory overview of this in my wrapup because I really didn’t think it was news.  But yet here we are, and every day someone tells me “I heard Joss Whedon said it was ( _____ ) in The Avengers!”  Let’s clarify.

I was in the room at the time, and Whedon was clearly joking when someone asked him about whether the villains were Skrulls or not, he replied, “It’s the Vulcans. . .I don’t know a lot about the Marvel Universe, and I thought there were Vulcans. I know we’re going to get a lot of emails about that one.”

Some people have hypothesized that because of their Vulcan-like appearance, Whedon might have been teasing that Atlanteans were the villains. I want to put in a pin in that balloon based on other things I heard in that panel, and basically tell people to cool their jets.

First, let’s look at what Whedon said there: 1) He doesn’t know the universe all that well. 2) “We’re going to get a lot of emails”… I think that second statement he’s playing on the fact that he knows he’s mixing sacred genres. It would be like talking about the Enterprise landing on the Death Star, or Superman visiting Kashyyyk.

Furthermore, Whedon added the following: (from EW)

“I will say only this: It is not the Kree or the Skrulls.”

Oh, really? “Those two aliens are Marvel mainstays and have enormous backstories,” Whedon explained. “They have a big life of their own that just could not be contained in a film where I already had seven movie stars.” I asked Whedon why everyone was being so coy about who these aliens really are — was it because they knew they weren’t including either of these high-profile Marvel aliens, or is there some other revelation they’re concealing? Whedon ably dodged the question with another, perhaps less surprising revelation: “What’s probably happening is that I just said something that Marvel didn’t want me to. It’s weird to be fired so late!”

Whedon elaborated that after reading so much speculation that the identity of the aliens had to be the Skrulls or the Kree, he didn’t want anyone to go into the film and be disappointed. “The Skrulls — they can shape change. That’s a whole thing,” he said. “I’ve already got Loki. He’s got magic. Once you got magic along with your Iron Man and your Black Widow — it’s a real juggling act.”

So, would Whedon really dismiss Kree and Skrulls as having too much history to shoehorn into a movie like Avengers, but then the real villains were Atlanteans, who have, arguably, just as big of a history and influence on the 616 universe? And, uhhhhh, Namor? Could you include Atlanteans and NOT include Namor? And how, then, does that become any less complicated than what would have happened with Skrulls and Kree?

Bottom line? Whedon has re-emphasized the villain is Loki. The mooks in his army? Who cares who they are?!?! The movie is THE AVENGERS. Not The Skrulls, not The Kree, not The Kree-Skrull War, not The Atlanteans. . . I don’t care if they team up to fight adult illiteracy– it’s going to be awesome. And the speculation is pointless. Let’s say you’re right– and it is the Atlanteans.

And so,” target=”_blank”> good for you. You figured it out. Is your self-satisfaction going to add to your enjoyment of the movie? It won’t for me. And if you’ve built up your expectations so high that it’s going to be Atlanteans or The Watcher is going to show up, or Cobie Smulders is really Super Skrull. . . whatever your pet theory, if you’re wrong, you’re going to be disappointed. So don’t try.

Just wait patiently like the rest of us. You’ve got just about 2 months to wait. Enjoy John Carter and The Hunger Games in the meantime. And let’s cool it on the speculation.

Check out this new Avengers trailer from Japan – it’s got some sweet new clips we haven’t seen yet in North America!

-vs

May 4th cannot come soon enough!!!

This week marks the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the 2011 version of The Three Musketeers directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, whose directing credits primarily consist of Resident Evil movies.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, his wife Milla Jovovich stars in that franchise and also has a sizable role as Milady in the latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel.  One may question the merit of that decision, however.  Her Milady is clever but too coquettish to either be likable or adequately villainous.

The place, France.  The time, the reign of Louis XIII & Queen Anne, both young and uncertain of their relationship, making them excellent pawns for plots devised by the Duke of Buckingham and Cardinal Richelieu.  Orlando Bloom plays the Duke, and he has the most ridiculous hairstyle I’ve ever seen.  I would refer to it as a pompadour, but that word supposedly didn’t even exist until the time of Louis XV, when the king took on a mistress named Pompadour.

The movie feels like a crazy blend of elements borrowed from various other films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mission Impossible, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  It feels like a film searching for an identity but never quite finding it.  Even the music sounded too similar to that of another movie (Sherlock Holmes).

I really wanted to love this film.  Dumas’ The Three Musketeers novel is one of my favorite stories, and I can’t count how many times I’ve seen the Disney adaptation starring Chris O’Donnell.  Yes, it was a little cheesy, but it was so much fun!  Tim Curry made a wonderful Cardinal, and Michael Wincott was a perfectly evil Rochefort.  (Rochefort, Isn’t that a smelly kind of cheese?”)  And who can forget the incredible swordfighting, so masterly choreographed by the late Bob Anderson?  No fancy camera gimmicks, but fighting with passion and elegance.

Unfortunately, the new version relies too heavily on special effects and camera trickery and less on a cohesive storyline and endearing characters.  And it follows a Hollywood trend of turning a classic story into something a bit more steampunk, which could work if done well.  I don’t feel like that was the case here.  And I’m not going to even talk about the airships.

It’s fun at times, though, and the costumes are absolutely exquisite.  I would love to have Milady’s gowns and sparkling jewelry.  And I truly appreciate the fact that her relationship with Athos is shown onscreen briefly before her true motives are revealed.  Plus, the palace rooms and gardens are no less than stunning.

I won’t say it’s a horrible film; it has its merits, as mentioned above.  Fans of the swashbuckling genre and steampunk may love it, and it obviously isn’t meant to take itself too seriously.  I know at least one guy who saw it primarily because he has a crush on Milla Jovovich.  Whatever your reasons, it’s certainly action-packed and has some crazy stunt sequences.

Plus, the 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD contain special features that include audio commentary with the director, deleted and extended scenes, cast and crew stories and a special 17th century action featurette.  So if you saw the movie in the theater and liked it, the bonus features may interest you.

Still, I’ll recommend the Disney version over this one any day.

Another awesome day at SXSW.  Yes, it is cold, wet, and rainy, but some good Texas barbecue, a couple of good films, and some awesome interactive panels kept me a happy camper.

I was in line for the “Super Secret Screening” at the Alamo Drafthouse at midnight, but word leaked out it was the film “Sinister” so I bounced. I have 9:30am interactive panels I want to be at, and we lose an hour to daylight savings, so screw that. I also wanted to write these things up for you, dear readers, as tomorrow is going to be a busy, busy day.

Marvel Comics Announcement Preview and Speculation

At 1pm CT Marvel will be making a super big super-secret announcement. . . and also showing footage from their Ultimate Spiderman Cartoon set to air April 1st on Disney XD.  There will also be an exclusive Avengers vs X-men lithograph. . . so looking forward to that.  But what could the announcement be?  Speculation zone:

1- A Marvel MMO. Rationale: They’re announcing this at the Screenburn Arcade at the Interactive Festival, which is all about online, social media, gaming, tech, etc. So, a good fit. Likelihood: Low – If this was happened we’d probably have heard of it already, and the MMO world is kinda crowded these days, and DC Universe Online didn’t exactly blow everyone’s skirts up.

2- Amazing event in an upcoming issue/arc.  Rationale: They’re teasing A v X– it’s gonna be huge. So give us a picture of a half dozen Avengers and X-men and says “At least two of these will die, and you won’t see them again in comics for quite a long time.” Likelihood:  Medium – Marvel is good about promo-ing these things in advance, this is the last big Con before A v X hits shelves, but. . .I’d think for something like this they’d have brought more creative talent. Bendis would be coming, etc.

3- Some sort of cross-platform integration. Rationale: SXSW interactive is all about cross-platform, and Marvel is uniquely able to leverage something like this with some of the world’s best known and most popular intellectual properties on the planet. Plus, now with the Disney merger, they have access to several cable channels, and oh, that whole movie studio thing. So, a comic tie-in to a recurring tv show that also you can log into the web and play a game? TV, web, and comic tie- ins to upcoming movies like The Avengers? A media utility like “HBO GO” where you can get all Marvel movies, cartoons, and digital comics in a handy mobile format? Likelihood – high If anyone was going to do it, Marvel would do it. It would give them a platform they own, and therefore get all the revenue from and have creative control over, rather than using Amazon, Netflix, iTunes store, etc. On the downside, it’s ballsy. Not sure it would do much in terms of actually creating profit for them. Since they’d be the first ones to do it, they’d more likely fail than succeed.

4- Avengers movie. Rationale: Well, Joss Whedon is here. And everybody certainly wants to see some footage and hear something cool. Likelihood: We should be so lucky. I’m doubtful, plus, Marvel said their announcement would radically change the way we think about and read comics. Which leads me to believe it is most likely:

5 – Announcement about Web and Mobile digital comics distribution. Rationale: Marvel just announced last week that they would give away a free digital copy of their comics to anyone buying any of their major titles in stores. So, buy Amazing Spider-man, get the digital version. Buy New Avengers, Astonishing X-men, Deadpool? Ditto. So why not go even further? Marvel has been slow to really making their offerings for iPad, Android tablets, Kindle Fire, and B&N Nook really hum. None of them have integration with the normal Marvel Digital Unlimited Comics subscription. With the exception of running Comixology, you don’t really have a good digital collection manager out there. And if Marvel announces their digital comics are going to be cloud-based instead of saved to your local device, this would save them from piracy as well as ensure that consumers can collect to their heart’s content even with limited capacity for large, dense picture-heavy files like comics have the tendency to be. With the new iPad being announced, having it ready for launch sounds like a good idea. (also remember that Disney and Apple have ties to one another vis a vis Pixar, so this could be a nice form of corporate footsie- the kind that goes well for consumers). Likelihood: Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I want this to be the case. It fits SXSW the best, the time is right, it’s bold, but not too bold, and also enhances their business model by bolstering digital comics, but NOT at the expense of hard-copies and their brick and mortar stores.

And now onto the movie reviews!

Nature Calls

Patton Oswalt is an assistant scoutmaster whose father was the greatest scoutmaster of all. His brother Johnny Knoxville is a douche who hates scouts, the outdoors, etc. So what happens when the boys cancel a campout to go to a sleepover at Knoxville’s McMansion, only to be Shanghai’d while there to go out to a restricted area of a state park for the greatest campout ever? Hijinks ensue. And so Rob Riggle, the head of corporate security, and Patrice O’Neal, father of one of the scouts who is seeking revenge, go along to try to find the lost boys. . .and run into a skeevy park ranger played by Darryl Hammond. Oh, and there’s a naked chick on a motorcycle.

The film was written and directed by Todd Rohal, who did last year’s Catechism Cataclysm. Like that, this movie is drenched in religious (ok, blasphemous) imagery and overtones. . .and also quite funny. But it’s a different kind of funny than you’d expect– this is much more character-driven humor. While there is a lot of humorous banter, it’s funny in the “Oh my #@$% I can’t believe they actually just said that,” vein.

This film was dedicated to Patrice O’Neal, and it was his final film. He gives possibly the best performance in the movie, and the crowd I saw it with at The Paramount cheered for him specifically when his name came up in the credits, and applauded his work during the Q&A afterwards. A fitting tribute to man whose talent is sorely missed.

There are things that are shocking in this movie. But they’re also hilarious. Johnny Knoxville does something in this movie that he told Rahall that, even given all the stuff he’s done, this was the only time he was worried what his parents might think. *****MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT**** Mouse over for inviso-text: And the scene where the scoutmaster father dies is one of the most awful and hilarious things ever, and it made me feel guilty for laughing at it.

Also, Maura Tierney puts in an awesome performance as Knoxville’s long-suffering wife. Emphasis on suffering. She’s also constantly followed by one of the creepier scouts who is just as in love with her as I was when she was on Newsradio. Creepy, and hilarious.

This film was fun. I’m not sure it will connect with mainstream audiences, as it might be too quirky for them. More mainstream than a Wes Anderson movie, but less broad than a Will Ferrell flick. . . somewhere in that quirky, uncomfortable middle you will find Nature Calls.

2 1/2 stars

LCD Soundsystem: Shut Up and Play the Hits!

Why would one of the top up and coming bands call it quits right as they were peaking? This is the question we try to answer with this amazing rock documentary about the week surrounding April 22, 2011, the date of LCD Soundsystem’s final show at Madison Square Garden. The film mostly follows James Murphy, their frontman, and tries to get in his head and answer this question. It was a question by the end of the doc I was ultimately unsatisfied by the answer to– not because of the filmmaking, which is par excellence– but because I don’t think Murphy really had a clue.

We got into a secret screening at the old Spaghetti Warehouse downtown, which had been converted for just this and a few other unofficial screenings. The film actually opens the festival in a few days when the music fest starts, but this was a nice treat brought to us by the folks at Nike, who also gave me a free t-shirt.

Let me begin by saying I am not a rabid fan of LCD Soundsystem. It always seemed to me to be music that people much cooler than me would listen to– people who listen to NPR’s All Songs Considered, or shop at record stores and listen to things on vinyl. Not that I hate it, either– it’s just not music that I’d ever play in my car and turn up when it came on, singing along to it at the top of my lungs. The good news is, my view of their music did not change from the film.

Which makes my next statement even more important: the filmmaking craft and the narrative of this film blew me away. This is a beautiful, intimate, telling portrait of an incredibly complex person. We see him going through various emotional ups and downs during the film, as the feelings about the choices he’s making as an artist to just quit seem to leave him almost as confused and emotional as his fans.

You also got a lot of pretense out of him, which I think is what he’s going for. LCD Soundsystem’s music is a little pretentious. Which isn’t to say it isn’t good– pretense can be useful in rock music. You think Ziggy Stardust wasn’t a little pretentious? Mick Jagger? Michael Jackson? The Beatles and their matching outfits on The Ed Sullivan Show or on the cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band? Pink Floyd? Peter Frampton? Led Zeppelin? The Darkness? Queen? Talking Heads? Because rock and pop music are performance art, pretense is almost a natural outgrowth. James Murphy just takes it to a different level.

Early in the film they scan Murphy’s apartment, going over the stacks of records he has and the books on his bookshelf, one of which was Mason and Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. I think the filmmakers make a concerted effort to compare Murphy to Pynchon, including asking a question during the film that includes a reference to Gravity’s Rainbow. In this case, I think the comparison is apt: an artiest who doesn’t want to be a celebrity or to be defined by the works he has already made, who wants to make his own way.

Did I mention how much heart there was in this film? From scenes of Murphy and his little dog, to an emotional scene in a warehouse. . . I won’t say any more.

And on top of that, it’s a great concert film! The concert footage was shot just amazingly well. One big reason was Spike Jonze, who operated one of the cameras during the concert. It gave a lot of life to the performances. The directors also promise an extended version of just the concert. But considering it was almost 4 hours long, they’re still editing it and probably will be for a while. They teased that they’d like to take the completed concert film on tour the same way the band would’ve toured, which sounds just amazing. If it does come to a city near you– see it in the best theater you possibly can. The sound mix on this film blew me away. Absolutely amazing. The bass literally shook me at times.

But i think the best thing about this movie is the conversation it’s likely to start.  My brother and I spent the next half hour debating and discussing it. It was the best discussion I’ve had over a film in a long time.

Needless to say, if you’re at SXSW, do yourself a favor and see this at one of it’s official screenings in the coming week. If you’re not, look for it coming to DVD soon.

3 stars – 3 1/2 if you’re a fan of the band.

Oh, yeah, and Joss Whedon had a panel this morning.  Best way to sum it up? Avengers is going to kick ass. No Skrulls, No Kree. Unnamed villains. And go see Cabin in the Woods.

What happens when 5 good-looking youths go away to a secluded cabin in the woods for a weekend? Cinematic blandness? In the words of my wife, “We’ve seen this movie already.” But, oh no. No you haven’t. Not like this.

Writer/Director Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, Lost, Buffy, Angel) and Producer Joss Whedon bring us an amazing deconstruction of the slasher/horror drama, adding in elements of dystopian corporate paranoia, office comedy, and every element of fantasy horror I could possibly imagine.

I have been prohibited from posting any spoilers or from revealing any non-credited cast so as not to ruin the surprises (for example, Bill Murray in Zombieland)– and truly, if you just know the basics of the film, you’ll like it even more. So this is a completely spoiler-free review. You don’t want this movie spoiled.

The good news is from the first 20 minutes of the film you start to get what’s going on. And everything unravels from there.

Let me ask you: what are you afraid of? What scares you? What horror trope do you love?

It’s in there. Zombies? Werewolves? Bats? Snakes? Clowns? Ghosts? The Evil That Men Do? It’s ALL in there. In fact, the only major thing I never saw was vampires. How does it all get in there and not seem like a crowded mess? You’ll see. And it doesn’t feel false or gimmicky one bit. Just pure awesomeness.

The other great thing about this movie is not just how scary it is, but how funny it is. Bradley Whitford is amazing and incredibly hilarious. You ever wanted to see bong used as a weapon? You want to see the best use of a unicorn in any movie ever?

And finally, there’s a great element of self-awareness in the film. It’s very keen on what it’s doing, but it delivers without spending too much time winking at the audience.

I mentioned Bradley Whitford, but this cast all around is great. Chris Hemsworth delivers another awesome, charismatic performance. Franz Kranze (Topher from Dollhouse) also puts in an awesome performance as a wise-crackin’ stoner.

Just go see this movie. See the hell out of it. Then go see it again and bring your friends along. Loads of fun.

3 1/2 stars

It’s been no secret around these parts that I’ve been excited for the release of John Carter (of Mars). I’ve been posting every trailer, chiding people to read the books, previewing Marvel’s comics. I’ve been a fan of this franchise for a while and it’s been evident in all of my coverage.

Where some people saw doubt, I saw the team behind the film and expected that they would give me something better than the average Hollywood blockbuster fare.

My trust in them was not misplaced.

Andrew Stanton, Michael Chabon, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Giacchino, Ryan Church, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Samantha Morton. It’s names like these that made this film one of my most anticipated films of 2012.

And it came off beautifully.

There’s one thing you have to do for this movie, and that is this: forget that you’ve seen every other cliched, formulaic blockbuster of the last thirty years. The source material is the thing that inspired all of the tropes we’ve seen in cinema since the old Flash Gordon serials and somehow John Carter’s adventures have remained sacred and off the big screen.

Watch this and understand that it’s true to the source material. You’ll have fun.

But on a subconscious level, you’ll be entertained by a level of filmmaking much more even handed, capable, and mature than you’re used to. The story is told elegantly, the wraparound sequences serve a purpose, the characterizations are deep and complex. The princess, Dejah Thoris, isn’t just a damsel in distress, she’s vulnerable but can take care of herself. The hero, John Carter is that devil-may-care rogue we all love in films, but he has a complexity to him that makes him truly human, which is an important distinction when you’re in a land full of martians. There’s so much more going on in this story beneath the surface and behind all of the characters, it’s just incredible.

But it’s still a Saturday afternoon serial, perfect for a matinee.

The action and adventure in this film is top notch. Just like the books, it’s breathless and fun. I had a hard time keeping the dopey grin off of my face. Not only did the characters and situations cause that reaction, but so did the level of care that went into the craft of the filmmaking.

The editing and visual storytelling was much, much better than your average Hollywood fare. Plot points and character motivations aren’t spelled out for the dolts in the audience, it’s doled out to you like an excellent three course meal. You have to work for the understanding and context provided in the film and are rewarded with one of the most fun adventures that’s been on the big screen. This is easily one of the best films to come out this year so far, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it will probably outshine most of the summer movies this season.

Ignore the marketing they’ve done for this film and just trust me. I can’t impress upon you enough how entertained I was by this movie. You don’t need to know anything going in. All you need to do is just go.

You’ll like it.

A lot.

Trust me. I left this movie with a big grin on my face, fulfilled. Satisfied. People always seem to complain about today’s movies not being as good as movies used to be. I assure you, this movie will not have that problem. If you’re even half a fan of good adventure movies, this is how you should be spending your weekend.

To promote the theatrical release of The Muppets, several movie parodies hit the internet.  We saw Kermit and the gang pay homage to some of last year’s releases, including The Hangover 2 in “The Fuzzy Pack”, the Green Lantern and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (“>cleverly called The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo).  They mocked the release of Twilight:  Breaking Dawn with a set of posters featuring Bella Swine and WereRowlf.  And now their latest victim is one of the most eagerly awaited films of 2012:  The Hunger Games.

The clip extracts all the zany “violence” from The Muppets and combines it into one trailer loosely inspired by the arena battle of The Hunger Games.  Pepe even counts down as in the original Hunger Games trailer (but without the benefit of having a deep and intimidating voice as his counterpart).

Just as the earlier trailers promoted the theatrical release of The Muppets, the latest installment  promotes the DVD and Blu-Ray release, scheduled for March 20.  The Wocka Wocka Value Pack includes the two aforementioned versions as well as a digital copy of the film and a download card for the film’s soundtrack, including the beloved classic “The Rainbow Connection” and the Academy Award-winning song “Man or Muppet.”

May the odds be ever in the Muppets’ favor!

If there can be one man other than George Lucas who we can say defined the shape and look of the Star Wars galaxy more than any other, it would very easily be Ralph McQuarrie.

His paintings established the look of the Star Wars universe and all of its inhabitants, bringing them to visual life for the first time.

Even those early paintings that only vaguely resembled the final product were works of such fine art that they are as recognized as the films themselves.

Who of us didn’t have at least one McQuarrie painting hanging on our bedroom walls as kids or teenagers? I had more than a few and I’m sure you had a couple as well.

At Star Wars Celebration V, I made the time to spend well over an hour in the display of his artwork and I said then, and I’ll say again now, that it was one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring displays of art I’d ever seen. Even just the work scribbled in his notebooks was something to marvel at.

It’s not quite fair to just talk about his contributions to Star Wars, though. He designed the looks of movies and shows like the original Battlestar Galactica, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. In fact, he came up with the biblical illustration of the Ark in Indy’s bible that he shows to the men from the Government.

His work will live on, but it’s still sad to see a man of his talent go.

For his part, George Lucas released the following statement yesterday upon news of Ralph McQuarrie’s passing:

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of such a visionary artist and such a humble man. Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph’s fabulous illustrations and say, ‘Do it like this.’

“Beyond the movies, his artwork has inspired at least two generations of younger artists—all of whom learned through Ralph that movies are designed. Like me, they were thrilled by his keen eye and creative imagination, which always brought concepts to their most ideal plateau. In many ways, he was a generous father to a conceptual art revolution that was born of his artwork, and which seized the imaginations of thousands and propelled them into the film industry. In that way, we will all be benefiting from his oeuvre for generations to come. Beyond that, I will always remember him as a kind and patient, and wonderfully talented, friend and collaborator.”

There is a more complete slideshow of his work on StarWars.com.

It looks like a sequel to The Muppets is a go, but star and co-writer Jason Segel may be absent from the film. Vulture reports that director James Bobin and Segel’s co-writer Nicholas Stoller will be returning for the next installment, but Segel has his plate full with the continued success of How I Met Your Mother, publicity for the upcoming films Five Year Engagement (also co-written with Stoller) and This is Forty, as well as scripts for other feature films.

What will a Muppet movie be like without the exuberance of Segel?  His love of the characters and Jim Henson’s legacy brought much of the charm and nostalgia to the film.  And while it was didn’t top $100 million dollars domestically, the amount grossed more than made up for the $45 million dollar budget.  Not only was it a financial success in that sense, but the song “Man or Muppet” did what even “The Rainbow Connection” failed to do—it won an Academy Award.  And though neither Segel nor the Muppets accepted the award, Kermit and Miss Piggy made an appearance at the event, giving the lackluster ceremony a much-needed shot of adrenaline.

I think many of us were apprehensive about The Muppets returning to the big screen after such a long absence, but the final result was worth the wait.  Yes, it could’ve used more appearances by our favorite characters.  But I think overall it was true to the spirit of the Muppets, and that’s what makes it so much fun to watch.  I think that if Jim were able to give us his opinion on it, he would be pleased.  Maybe it’s not exactly what he would have done, but Segel’s obvious love of the characters is contagious.

And it’s still possible he’ll appear in the film, even if it’s just for a cameo.  As we all know, cameos abound in Muppet movies.  No word on whether Walter will make a return appearance, but I think we can also assume he’s likely to have a role, even if it’s just a small one.

So go watch The Muppets if you haven’t already seen it.  Or watch it again.  It’s available for pre-order on Amazon as well as other retail outlets.  The Disney Store is offering a set of four lithographs with a pre-order (including one of Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection” ).

And weigh in with your opinions on the matter.  Will a Muppet movie without Segel be nearly as endearing?  Or is anyone else equally capable of writing the characters with as much love as he did?

Lots of rumors have been flooding the internet. We finally have gotten some real quotes from Dan Aykroyd via The Telegraph regarding the status of Ghostbusters 3:

At this point it’s in suspended animation. The studio, the director Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis feel there must be a way to do it, but Bill Murray will not do the movie.

He doesn’t want to be involved. He’s got six kids, houses all over America. He golfs in these tournaments where they pay him to turn up and have a laugh. He’s into this life and living it. I know we’d have a lot of fun [but] I can’t be mad at him. He’s a friend first, a colleague second. We have a deep personal relationship that transcends business and he doesn’t want to know.

Bill Murray’s involvement was also brought up. Will he come back? Will the movie have a CGI version of Venkman as a ghost? Let’s see what Dan said:

We’re not going to do a movie that exploits the franchise. The script has to be perfect. I’m the cheerleader, but I’m only one voice in the matter. It’s a surety that Bill Murray will not do the movie, however there is still interest from the studio.

Well there you have it. The studio is still pushing for a third movie, but the original cast is already falling from the roster. Can they make a movie without Peter Venkman? I think so. And I imagine the studio feels that way. While this is bummer news, it’s probably about time it happened. Now Dan and Harold can move on with a script that doesn’t involve Bill Murray.