The Muppets
Directed by James Bodin
Starring Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Amy Adams, John Henson
Release Date: November 23, 2011

So, let me start this review by saying I wasn’t the hugest fan of The Muppets characters when I was growing up and I’ve never cared for musicals. Even today I have a healthy respect for the fandom and appreciate the iconic nature of Jim Henson’s creations, but am still not what I’d call a fan of the franchise. So with these caveats in mind I may actually be the perfect person to review this film, simply titled The Muppets, or the absolute wrong person.

I sort of stand in parallel to Jason Segel, the star of the film and co-writer. He’s the person really responsible for making the film happen. He fought to be involved with the project and fought to get the movie made, all because he loves the characters so much. Segel is an actor having starred in such films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You Man, but his true talent may be as a writer. He wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a film that ended up being much better than it should have been.

The latest trailer for the upcoming The Muppets has been released and you can watch it here below.

Since the marketing campaign for the first Muppets movie to hit theaters since 1996 kicked off back in May there have been several trailers released that either parodied various movies in released or awaiting release like Green Lantern and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which opens a month after The Muppets) or put more emphasis on the movie’s human stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams. The new trailer features more of the Muppets in action (including new character Walter), lots of hilarious gags (I love the “travel by map” goof), and a few celebrity cameos (Ooh, Neil Patrick Harris!).

A brand new poster for Walt Disney’s upcoming Muppet movie, titled The Muppets, has been released online.

The movie is written by Forgetting Sarah Marshall team Jason Segel and Nick Stoller, and it’s directed by Flight of the Conchords and Da Ali G Show writer and director James Bobin.

The Muppets also has a plethora (would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?) of well-known actors set to appear in the movie, as is expected with any Muppet adventure. Stars either starring or doing voice work on the movie include Segel, Amy Adams, John Krasinski, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, and pretty much everyone else.

You can see the new poster for The Muppets by clicking on over to the other side now!

The Bourne Trilogy
Blu-ray Collection
Directed by Doug Liman & Paul Greengrass
Starring Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper
Universal Home Entertainment
Release date: January 27, 2009

Between the new Daniel Craig James Bond films, and the Bourne trilogy, we’re kind of in a golden age of smart spy movies. And while the Bourne films may not have as long a history when compared to Bond, they’ve made up for it by bringing a new dynamic to the spy film, bringing a darkness and realism to the genre that hasn’t really been seen before. And with a fourth film in the works, it seems will be seeing more of our favorite amnesiac action hero for a while.

The three Bourne films — The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum — each have a similar story: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) follows various clues to try and discover the secrets of his past, inevitably running into a shadowy government agency, fighting against another deadly assassin, and getting into an action packed car chase.

Jarhead
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Peter Sarsgaard
Universal Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 25, 2008

Fighting enemies that you can’t really see and for a cause that you don’t fully grasp. That is what the Marines were doing in the Middle East in the late 1980s and early 90s for months and then years (they were slated to be stationed here for only a couple of weeks). Does that sound familiar in our day?

Sam Mendes shows us why he won Best Director for American Beauty. He was born to work the camera and he throws his patented touches in the film to show us what he really believes is going on in the minds and dreams of these rattled soldiers. Rather than look for or fight the enemy they sit and play cards, talk about each other’s girlfriends, and play football the entire day while they should be at home with their families and attending college. Jake Gyllenhaal is Sawford (based on the true story of this man, who also wrote a book in 2003 about his experience) and Jamie Foxx as the battalion’s staff sergeant. Jarhead shows us what these soldiers did to make the time pass and how anxious one gets in the heat of battle.