#jim henson's character designs are the best

[nebulacritter]

if i had to pick a favorite muppet, it would be frazzle because his design is pretty metal, but inside he is a literal cinnamon roll.

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE FNAF MOVIE AND I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS

✨ Non-spoiler section ✨

I had such a fun time with this movie! There were a ton of Easter eggs I caught and I’m sure there’s a few that I missed! My best advice for anyone wanting to see this movie is don’t take it super seriously, you’ll enjoy it more! The makers of this film weren’t lying when they said that they made this movie for the fans, I do feel like fans will enjoy this movie way more than a general audience and that’s perfectly fine! It’s campy at some parts and funnier than I thought it would be, but that’s what made it so fun! Now for the nitty-gritty…

❌ SPOILERS BELOW ❌

What I liked…

• First off, Matthew Patrick is a fucking LIAR! He does have a cameo in the movie, he says his iconic “That’s just a theory” line which was great! He’s a waiter at a diner, which leads me to my next point

• The diner was named “Sparky’s”, which I feel like only OG fans will get the reference. But for those of you who don’t know, back when FNAF 1 came out, there was a rumor of a secret/rare animatronic in the game called Sparky the Dog. There was a fake image floating around showing him standing in the door to parts and service. This was later confirmed to be fake. BUT! In the movie they also have a dog-looking animatronic in the parts and service room which absolutely took me out lol

• Acting was great! Everyone was fun to watch, Josh Hutcherson was a great lead as Mike and Piper Rubio was so sweet as Abby but I gotta give my props to Matthew Lillard towards the end of the movie, he looked like he was having so much fun being this unhinged monster! Speaking of…

• There is a spring lock scene!! It is real!! And God was it cathartic to watch! Obviously being PG-13, they couldn’t do blood and guts galore, but I think they managed to pull it off pretty well! Afton’s scene was definitely my favorite in the film hands down! And yes, he gets his “I always come back” line which put 5 years back on my life if I’m being honest lmao

• There is blood in this movie! Not a gratuitous amount, but it was enough for what they were going for I think! The kills of the people breaking to Freddy’s were more entertaining to watch than I thought! Especially Freddy’s kill…that caught me completely off guard lmao

• There aren’t too many jumpscares but that was fine with me! They do this repeat jumpscare with a little figurine of Balloon Boy like 3 times and I thought it was funny every time! They do a really good job with tension in this movie!

• The animatronics!!!! LOVED THEM!!!! They were so detailed and well designed, they were so fun to watch!! The Jim Henson company did an absolutely stellar job with the designs, I want to hug them 🥺

• So the story…I thought it was fine! They do stray from canon by making Vanessa Afton’s daughter in the movie instead of Mike being his son. They do confirm Afton was the one who kidnapped and killed Mike’s brother Garrett. The story is kind of left open ended as if they could continue the story (which I hope they do), but I think it leaves a more or less satisfying ending!

• There’s a minor mid-credit scene with Cory Kenshin and a secret message at the very end of the credits. I couldn’t hear it well but it’s spelled-out letters exactly like the ones from the death minigames in FNAF 2

• Yes, The Living Tombstone’s FNAF song is in the end credits, I felt my soul leave my body 😭

Minor Negatives…

• The story is slow at the beginning, it takes a little bit for anything super interesting to take place

• There are some plot points that don’t get explained or resolved (which is par for the course for FNAF) but that leads me to believe that they want to make sequels which I am all here for

• The Aunt Jane character wasn’t super important, she was fine, but she was there just to serve as an antagonist to Mike for a whole 5 minutes of the movie, if that

• I wanted so much more Afton/Spring Bonnie time, it was too short for me but I am happy with what I got. Also, he didn’t wear any purple in the movie which I think is a crime 😂

• Kind of wish there was an R rated version of this movie even though FNAF isn’t known for being bloody and gory, but some parts felt a little tame

• Also please correct me if I’m wrong but, they didn’t use the Toreador March music at all?? If I missed it, please tell me but I was waiting to hear it and it never came from what I remember

Speculation…

• So the biggest plot issue for me was that they never explained Afton’s intentions for killing. I think fans of the games know why he’s killing, but the general audience won’t. I’m sure it has something to do with the saw blade machine that tries to stuff your head into Freddy’s head. But it wasn’t clear. Vanessa never gave us a straight answer either even though she was in on it from the beginning.

• Towards the beginning of the movie, Abby is shown to be talking to her “invisible friend”, this is before Mike is hired as Freddy’s security guard. Turns out that friend is the ghost kid who possess Golden Freddy/Fredbear (again, isn’t clear lol). I wanna know why that kid showed up before Mike and Abby even went to the location??

• I may be reading too much into this, but when Mike goes in to get a new job after being fired from his mall security guard job, he’s talking to “Steve” and Steve does something interesting. He’s berating him for his inability to hold down a job, the he looks at his name on the file and just goes “…Mike S…” and just, doesn’t finish saying his name. He looks at Mike really weird like he’s trying to find something, and then just completely changes the subject. IDK, I’ll probably have to watch it again, and I think it would be a stretch to go the “Mike Afton” route especially since they established Vanessa was his kid. But ya never know with FNAF 😂

• Also the secret message that was spelled out at the end of the credits. If any of y’all know what they spelled, please tell me because I could not figure it out! I would love to know what it said!

Conclusion…

I just had a blast with this movie! I wasn’t sure what to expect with this movie but I think Blumhouse and everyone who worked on this movie did an amazing job, you can tell they put so much heart and soul into this! I will patiently be awaiting the announcement of the next movie until then!

Rating - 8.5/10

[indigovigilance]

Aziraphale, Kermit the Frog, and Fraggle Rock

Inspo from @crowleys-hips, images shamelessly ripped from original post:

The costumes and set design in the Book of Job episode were supposedly inspired mostly by The Ten Commandments but I’m ignoring that for right now because this is more fun. Now that I’ve written it, this is actually one of my dark ones.

Ready? Let’s go.

read on Ao3

The Frog Prince

[Source]

Kermit, created in 1955, was originally an abstract character without a defined species. He did not [officially] become a frog until The Frog Prince episode in 1971. At the same time, he gained his pointed collar. Kermit is not the prince in this retelling, but is one of the many frogs, who don’t believe that the Frog Prince is actually human and try to convince the Frog Prince that even if there is a curse, they don’t need to try to break it, being a frog is great!

Sing out for the swamp and sing out for the ooze The life of a frog is the life you should choose Sing out for the mud and sing out for the bog It’s ever so jolly just being a frog We love the old mud hole, we say that we soak The feeling’s so good that we just gotta croak The muck and the mire, the slush and the slime Are the reasons a frog has a wonderful time

It’s a very weird musical number. I have exactly one semester of music theory under my belt but it sounds awfully minor key to me.

It’s very much about bullying someone who doesn’t feel like they belong into conforming. Exchange “frog” for “angel” and we’ve got a pretty on-the-nose parallel story here.

Two Interpretations

First: Aziraphale is a prince among frogs whose unique identity is being ignored. The ones he has turned to for help are ignoring his pleas and insisting that their way is the best way, even though it is clearly not.

Second: Aziraphale is the frog! Kermit gained his collar when he finally began to solidify as a character with a set identity. Both of these themes apply to Aziraphale’s arc in Book of Job.

*topic change*

Jim Henson & Richard Hunt

Coming back to the extreme queer theming of Season 2 (God bless you GO production team) we have a nod to Jim Henson and Richard Hunt. Much like Pterry and the Notorious NRG, both men began their artistic journeys very young. Henson began in high school, where he began developing what would later become the Muppets; he continued his work on puppets on Sesame Street. He is the creator of Kermit the Frog. He’s also well-known for The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, other queer culture mainstays. Some years later, at 18 years old, Richard Hunt shot his shot and asked for a job puppeteering on Sesame Street in 1972; he got it. He would continue to work as a puppeteer with Jim Henson on the Muppets and related works until he died in 1992 at the age of 40 due to complications of AIDS.

Gone But Not Forgotten || Terry Pratchett

If you have not read my meta on Terry Pratchett’s representation in the Final Fifteen, I will link it at the bottom as well and highly suggest you read it. It’s not necessary reading for what comes next, but it is relevant.

Richard Hunt was openly gay and heavily involved in the New York gay community during the AIDS epidemic. He was in a relationship with a painter named Nelson Bird, who died of AIDS related complications in 1985. There is some speculation that Fraggle Rock Season 5 Episode 7 is an artistic representation of Richard Hunt losing his partner. In that episode, Wembley makes a new friend, Mudwell, played by Richard Hunt, that he abruptly loses at the end of the episode following a confession of mutual affection. You can follow the link below to watch the full episode. The final-fifteen parallel content begins at 12:30:

Gone But Not Forgotten (Fraggle Rock S05E07)

The loss is followed by a conversation between two characters that centers around remembering those who have been lost by keeping the things and memories they left behind, and the partner who [survived] goes through rituals of grieving.

If you scrolled past it but would like to read it now, here’s a link to my meta Terry Pratchett’s representation in the Final Fifteen.

[hispieceofcake]

FNAF MOVIE AND MATTHEW LILLARD MASTERLIST — Interviews, Behind the scenes, unnoticed information, things about our beloved Matthew Lillard.

Hello hello Five Nights At Freddy's fans, It's good to be back, I've been having some problems with excessive tiredness, maybe a bit of a bornout, but I'm improving and trying to make the most of it whenever I feel interested in making a post (which I admit, is difficult). But well, today I came to bring you some content that I found online about the FNAF film and things that I think should be more valued, like interviews and things like that, so stick with the post, I hope you like it, enjoy reading. 💛

Warning: This post is not yet 100% complete, as I find more and more things I will add them to the post.

To start off, I want to say that I really loved this film and I can't wait to find out if they make a sequel, I could barely contain my joy when I watched it and boy, when I saw Steve Raglan/William Afton played by Matthew Lillard I could only scream (seriously, I fell even more in love with a character I already liked before, I love you Matthew Lillard). Like, it was really exciting to see this movie after years and years of waiting, I remember still being a little 11 year old girl and playing pirated FNAF games with the risk of viruses, like, seriously, I even watched videos on YouTube of cosplays and gameplays. So much so that the ones I watched most were "Pirate Cove", "Huestation" and "Core" (all are Brazilian YouTubers).

But well, moving on from my little (big) childhood obsession, let's go to the links I got.

Five Nights At Freddy's Interview: Matthew Lillard On Staying True To The Game And Returning To Horror

Matthew Lillard discusses which Five Nights At Freddy's games are the inspiration for the movie, the Scream homage, and working with Jason Blum.

Interview with FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S actor Matthew Lillard!

FANGORIA talks to actor Matthew Lillard to discuss his new movie FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S, getting the role, wearing the suit, fans and more.

Josh Hutcherson Addresses Viral Whistle Meme, Talks The Beekeeper and FNAF (Extended )

Josh Hutcherson talks about starring in Five Nights at Freddy's, the whistle edit memes of him from 2014 blowing up the internet and his role in The Beekeeper.

INTERVIEWING THE ANIMATRONIC ACTORS FROM THE FNAF MOVIE!

Making Of FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S (2023) - The best behind-the-scenes and creation of the world | Peacock

"Five Nights At Freddy's (2023)" Making Of FNAF Movie | Behind The Scenes | Set Design | Creating The World Of The Animatronics | Sound Design | Set Visit | On Set Bloopers | On Set Stunt Rehearsal | Funny Cast Moments | Featurette | On Set Interview With Josh Hutcherson & Director Emma Tammi | Peacock | Universal Pictures

Bonus DVD of the movie Five Nights at Freddy's, behind the scenes, making of and much more!!!

ALL FOOTAGE IN THIS VIDEO WAS RECORDED BY @katsterlingfan ON TWITTER I

'Five Nights at Freddy's' Director Talks Incorporating the Game, Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and More!

Director Emma Tammi dishes on her upcoming movie 'Five Nights at Freddy's'. She shares how they incorporated the game into the movie, spills that the animatronics were built at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, touches on the comedic timing of horror, and so much more. See 'Five Nights at Freddy's' in theaters October 27

Five Nights at Freddy's | BEHIND THE SCENES - 'MAKING OF' Documentary | Peacock

Dive deep into the enigmatic world of "Five Nights at Freddy's" with our exclusive "BEHIND THE SCENES - 'MAKING OF' Documentary." Uncover the untold stories of FNaF's creation, from Scott Cawthon's initial inspirations to the game's groundbreaking impact on the horror genre. Witness firsthand interviews, never-before-seen footage, deleted scenesand in-depth explorations of your favorite animatronics. Discover the intricate lore, fan theories, and the incredible community that has risen around this iconic game series. Whether you're a die-hard FNaF fan or new to the franchise, this documentary is a must-watch!

'Five Nights at Freddy's' Director Shares Which Game Elements She Brought to the Film

5 favorites from 'Five Nights at Freddy's'

Director and writer, Emma Tammi, and producer, Jason Blum, play Fandango's Five Favorites for their new movie 'Five Nights at Freddy's'!

Five Nights at Freddy's | Jason Blum Emma Tammi INTERVIEW

Based on the viral hit video game, Five Nights at Freddy’s is produced by Hollywood heavyweight horror producer Jason Blum, who took on the challenge of turning the game created by Scott Cawthon into a movie. Director Emma Tammi reveals how the game hit a nostalgic nerve evoking memories of her own childhood, making it the perfect project to turn into a film adaptation. For Tammi the world of animatronics was incredibly unique and captivating and they’re treated like a whole other cast in the film. Jim Henson’s workshop brings the creatures to life, which are cuddly, weird, scary and unique all at once. The film features Hungers Games star Josh Hutchinson as central character Mike, who brings the audience through the pizzeria and five nights of nightmare-inducing terror.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Practical Animatronics Were Crucial... and Flammable

Director Emma Tammi explains how useful having real animatronics on the set of Five Nights at Freddy's was for giving her cast some nightmare fuel... especially after one of them spontaneously combusted during filming.

Chica is happy to see Mr. Cupcake! 🐤🧁 [Clip from @Dawko 's FNaF vlog !]

Matthew Lillard reveals deal for FNAF movie TRILOGY!

Matthew Lillard (William Afton Actor) Reveals 3-Picture Deal for FNaF Movie!

Five Nights at Freddy's Movie Making of - Behind the Scenes | FNAF Movie Facts

Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the Five Nights at Freddy's movie (FNAF). The making process behind the camera with Matthew Lillard, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and the animatronics actors Kevin Foster (Freddy), Jade Kindar-Martin (Bonnie), and Jess Weiss (Chica). The secrets of the making of animatronics.

Matthew Lillard voices Shaggy for Sarah

This was at Texas Frightmare Weekend 2016. Matthew Lillard's booth was the last one we were attending for the evening, and he was extra special nice to Sarah!

Matthew Lillard teaches us how to do the voice of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo

Matthew Lillard has been in Hollywood for over 25 years, with roles in Twin Peaks: The Return, The Descendants, and Halt And Catch Fire. But one of his most recognizable roles is Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo, as Lillard has portrayed the live-action version and contributed his voice to the animated franchise. In the video above, he teaches us how to do the voice of Shaggy.

Five Nights at Freddy's - Official Behind-the-Scenes Clip (2023) Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard

Join members of the cast and crew of Five Nights at Freddy's as they give a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming horror movie. Five Nights at Freddy's stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Matthew Lillard. The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he performs the night shift at Freddy's won't be so easy to make it through. The movie Five Nights at Freddy's is written by Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi, Seth Cuddeback, and is based on the video game series created by Scott Cawthon. It is produced by Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon. Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman, and Christopher H. Warner serve as executive producers. Universal Pictures presents a Blumhouse production, in association with Striker Entertainment.

SCREAM Panel – Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich – Steel City Con June 2021

Matthew Lillard was Stuart in Scream, but is also well known as Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, plus had roles in the Wing Commander film, Thirteen Ghosts, The Bridge, Bosch, Twin Peaks and Good Girls, plus voice roles in Scooby-Doo, American Dad and Beware the Batman.

Matthew Lillard "Senseless" 1997 - Bobbie Wygant Archive

Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard Relive 'Scream' 25 Years Later | Entertainment Weekly

Stars of 'Scream' Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard look back on the film at its 25th anniversary.

Scooby-Doo and Shaggy get mad at Matthew Lillard

Well, guys, that's what I have for now, but I'll be adding more things to the blog as I find them, and if you want to share something I'd be very happy 💗

That's it, bunny kisses 🐰💗

[ericaportfolio]

My Friendly Neighborhood Review

Hey Kids! Do you want a mascot horror game that's actually good? Do you want to shoot and watch puppets fly across the room in funny ways? Or do you want to play a game that breaks you to the point of ugly crying due to the messages about selfishness versus selflessness, the trauma of war, grief, depression, death, and depending on which ending you decide, make you feel miserable or hopeful? (Boy, what I wrote there got dark!) Then you should play My Friendly Neighborhood!!!

July 8, 1993, in a very unfriendly city where the citizens that were emotionally affected by the war that lasted for twenty years by watching it from their TV sets (An in-universe version of the Vietnam War in this game), an old studio's antenna starts up playing a canceled kids show that's the in-universe version of Sesame Street, My Friendly Neighborhood, over the news. You play as repair crewman Gordon O'Brian was forcibly sent by his employer, Sprocket Palm Property Management, and their clients, City Network Broadcasting Group, to shut down the antenna at the top of the abandoned studio's hotel. Failure to do so, Gordon, due to his terrible, mean, and rude behavior, would result in getting fired. Upon getting there, SURPRISE, The Puppets Are Alive That A Lot Of Them Want To Hug You To Death!!! Along the way, Ricky the Sock Puppet guides Gordon throughout the studio trying to convince him not to disconnect the antenna. Can Gordon survive the night at the studio as he tries to find a way up to the antenna? Or will Gordon be trapped in the studio forever?

Pros... There's a lot! I can list them all day! The game is a love letter to tv shows and movies made by the Jim Henson Company over the years. The shows and movies had different names to prevent copyright claims in the game's universe. The cute factor is that you'll get attached to Ricky the Sock Puppet. He's like if Scout Prime from Hello Puppets was similar to Kermit the Frog and doesn't curse. If you're thinking, wait Hello Puppets already did possess murder puppets, that seems repetitive! Actually, the puppets aren't possessed. I'm wondering if the creators are saving a twist for another game. (Please let it be Gordon, Ricky, and the Neighborhood characters versus the villains from the in-universe The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth movies after they fell for a trap they thought was a movie deal!) I won't dive into details in this review. Let's say you have to think on your own about what's really happening here. I think for a horror game to do that was refreshing. What you might have fun with in this game is the clever ideas and designs of the weapons you find, the Rolodex and the Novelist being two of them, and the puzzles you come across along the way. However, the best part of the game has to be the writing since it takes a survival horror game and turns it into a dark comedy that would make Mel Brooks proud. If you're a completionist and you finish the game, don't leave! There's More! There are 'secret tapes' scattered around the studio, and once you finish the game, they will unlock cheats and mods to create some interesting experiences the next time you play.

There aren't many cons to this game. Something was happening with the maps, but that was fixed, thankfully. If I have some things I have to nitpick, first, this game has a lot of backtracking to other levels that many would find annoying. However, you'll make discoveries along the way. Just get ready if the previous levels you have been through get harder as more puppets appear. Second, you need to be ready to conserve your ammunition. Once it's gone and used, it's GONE, and your left with the wrench. So plan ahead, or you're dead in the finale! For beginners, this game may take hours or days to beat unless you got the patience to win. As the game continues, some of the puzzles will get harder and leave you scratching your head for a while. There have also been some complaints that the game should be considered a horror game at times, even though there are terrifying moments. Especially in the climax and ending that would leave you shaking unless you wished for more from that. So the cute factor in the game may turn off some who want something darker than this. Yet, if you read carefully the files you collect, you'll discover where the true darkness lurks in this game.

I may need to warn you of potential spoilers to some trigger warnings of war, depression, and references to taking away your own life. In a game about fighting murder puppets, the game does a shockingly good job tackling war trauma not just for the victims and soldiers but also for the citizens back on the homefront, where many viewed the soldiers as villains and getting exposed to the war on their home televisions. Because of that, the citizens in the city were traumatized and depressed by it. Even one worker at the studio wrote about "going into the light". I got a theory as to what happened to them. Something I noticed at the beginning makes sense now when reading those notes.

So there are multiple endings in the game. One is the true ending. Whichever ending you get, get your tissues ready. You might cry ugly tears of joy. Overall, spending money on this game is worth it! Even if you don't have the money, watch your favorite Gaming YouTubers and watch the game as a movie experience. It's not perfect, but it's rightfully up there, along with that antenna. This game may not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of Resident Evil (which I should start watching more gameplay of the game series if able, to be honest), you grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppets, you're a big Jim Henson Company nerd, you like puppets, you're a fan of Hello Puppets and Welcome Home, and you love film noir, this game is for you. So get it while it's still on sale, grab a buddy or two, and get learning in your favorite friendly neighborhood!

I would give this game a 9/10 for Ricky being adorable and Gordon getting some needed sleep.

[crowdsourced-webcomic-reviews]

Ruinous Fortune

If I were to quickly sum up the warm and fuzzy nostalgia I have for the Ruinous Fortune artstyle, it would be a mix of Dark Crystal Jim Henson muppets and the theatrical fantasy stylings of 80’s fantasy blockbusters (which I know is a little bit of a full circle if I were to put those two in a venn diagram, but bear with me). It’s a high fantasy that has a wide cast of unique creatures, each with fluid expressions and well developed stories.

You can read it on Webtoon, Tapas, and on it’s website here:

https://ruinousfortune.com

https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/ruinous-fortune/list?title_no=565787

https://tapas.io/series/Ruinous-Fortune/info

The plot follows Gael Fortuna, who’s adoptive Father just happens to be a horrible, terrible, demon king, and so she is making an attempt to flee his house. Along this dangerous path of rebellion, we meet all of Gaels friends who come both big and small.

Did I mention Gael has an adorable swishy tail? This is important to me as a reader, so I hope it is also important for you.

(this is Minmo, a little hamster/fairy that I would die for, I love Minmo and I will not hear otherwise.)

The art is colorful and consistent, with pops of bright neons and moments of bold style decisions. Some character designs just really hit the nail so well, that I love every moment they are on screen, even if it just so happens to be a horrible villain wearing those designs (the best kind of villain, tbh)

Without exposing too much of the plot, I’m looking forward to some scenery shredding and lovely action sequences down the road. I find myself wanting to see more and more of this unique magical world that SnowWraith has created, and I recommend you spend a few afternoons reading through and admiring a story that is both whimsical and heartbreaking, too.

[softlytowardthesun]

just for the record, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is my favorite movie of the year. and this is the same year we had Entergalactic, Wendell & Wild, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Prey, 3000 Years of Longing, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. 

Seriously, it’s brilliant. The Fascist Italy setting with the old children’s story seems strange when you first hear it, but it connects so smoothly I’m surprised this hasn’t been the go-to choice for every adaptation. Fascism demands blind obedience, so who better as a hero than a living embodiment of independent thought and free will -- a puppet with no performer?

No one literally turns into donkeys in this version, but the transformation into fascists is just as chilling if not more so. For the first time in my life, I pitied the Candlewick character and held back tears when it was clear there was no saving him from his fate. (Seriously, Collodi’s novel just treats it as a punchline that donkey Candlewick is literally worked to death; the original story is basically a black comedy and how it got transmuted into a coming of age fable is fascinating and befuddling.)

At the same time, it also takes a much more elegant approach to well-worn Pinocchio ground. Once again, Geppetto constructs the wooden boy out of grief for his dead child, but that’s not glossed over or used for pointless angst: Carlo is a real character who’s in real relationship with Geppetto and later his “younger brother” Pinocchio. The Cricket and Pinocchio have a more developed relationship, and Ewan McGregor is clearly having the time of his life in this role. 

The production design is next level. Like every Jim Henson Company project, you start off thinking “How in the world did they do that?” but soon enough the magic washes over you and you forget to be impressed by the astonishing amount of work that went into every frame. I’m so happy that the Creature Shop is still continuing Jim’s legacy, and I got a little teary eyed imagining what Jim Henson himself would have made of this.

Is there a weak link? Of course; no movie’s perfect. This movie’s a musical, and there’s no competing with the 1940 score from the cartoon. I doubt that many of the songs will make a lasting connection, but one in particular more than justifies the whole affair: I won’t spoil it, but it’s the best scatological joke of all time.

Guillermo del Toro, Lisa Henson, Patrick McHale, and Mark Gustavson have made something to be very proud of. I can’t wait for this to come to Netflix next month; I’m sure there’s dozens more details for me to find and further geek out about. If it’s in your area, please try to find time to check it out. 

[wittreviews]

reviewing movies from my childhood that I wasn't even alive for the creation of pt. 2

the movie on the chopping block today is: The Dark Crystal

Category 1 - movie poster

I've always liked any any iteration of the movie poster, I feel like the art style is beautiful and truly portrays the vibe that Jim Henson was trying to go for when he was designing the movie. The way that they have the skeksis looming over the rest of the cast is *chefs kiss*

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ four star

Category 2 - plot

I'm going to be brutally honest here, the plot is very much lacking. There are so many things in the story that are just lacking in explanation that make it very hard to understand what things are happening and why.

all in all - ⭐⭐ two stars

Category 3 - acting

Holy cow, when I say that this movie has some of the best acting I've ever seen, I genuinely mean that. With the lack of plot, the acting makes up for it. It's just so good, they way that you can feel the fear that Kira does when she is taken away by Chamberlain or Chamberlain's desperation during the scene where he's pleading for the gelflings to return with him to the castle. You even get top tier acting from fizzgig, one of the characters that doesn't even talk.

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ five stars

Category 4 - did I like it or not

This is another movie from my childhood that I just absolutely adore. The way that Jim Henson constructed his world is just so beautiful. He was able to make so many lovable characters in such a short amount of time. Although the story is kinda a little wonky, the art style and fantastic puppetry make it worth the watch.

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ four starsI give this movie a final Witt rating of: Bosanova

[tornrose24]

Random facts about my Welcome Home OC sisters Lily and Suzie:

-Lily-

-Her design was inspired by a family member’s child (and for privacy reasons that is all I am revealing).

-Hilariously, both her name and her sister’s name refer to the flower ‘Lily’ and their parents were NOT aware of this fact until it was too late. (Not even I was until awhile ago).

-She is about five or six.

-Her favorite colors are pink and blue.

-Her favorite activity is drawing.

-Her best friend is Nate, who is the nephew of Suzie’s friend.

-Is absolutely that only kid in class that has watched Rankin and Bass stop motion and Jim Henson’s Muppets, and not just current animated stuff.

-Is sort of a miracle child because her parents didn’t have children for years between the two sisters. She was born when Suzie was in high school.

-Wally’s nickname for her–‘little miracle’ is because of the circumstances of her birth but mostly because she was the very first viewer he could ACTUALLY see.

-Wally is her favorite WH character. Barnaby or Julie would be a close second.

-If Lily was on the set of Welcome Home during its heyday (supposing that it WAS real of course) she’d either be a lucky audience member or guest child who gets to interact with the characters.

-If she was a puppet, she'd be a very light shade of orange with a bubblegum pink nose.

-Her use of Suzie’s laptop is only limited to how to play episodes of WH. Since she’s still learning to read, she can’t do much else with it.

-Speaking of, she is one of those kids who WASN’T given CGI junk to be distracted with as a toddler. Suzie prevented that from happening.

-Suzie gave her access to the Welcome Home show episodes and helped her get to the website that has them.

-For some reason, Lily was able to be seen by Wally. Had she not responded or called out to him, he would have acted more like how he normally acts in canon towards the sisters.

-She serves as a reminder as to what Welcome Home was intended for to Wally and the others–a show meant for children.

-As seen in a previous drawing, she has been able to sneak Wally in his canonical-sized puppet form to the real world. She has also taken him to school but quickly stopped after he bit someone who tried to take him away from her.

-The only place in the world of Welcome Home that she hasn’t yet visited is Home itself. There’s a reason for that.

-Suzie-

-‘Suzie’ is actually short for her full name ‘Suzannah.’

-Suzie is about twenty/twenty-one.

-Attends a community college where she takes art classes

-Is trying to get a degree that can allow her to work in graphic design or illustrations

-Her dream job would be to either be an illustrator or set designer

-Is part of the campus’ LGBTQ plus club

-Identifies as bisexual and may have dated a girl for a few months during her first year of college.

-If I had a voice for her, it’d possibly be similar to Barrett Wilbert Weed (best known as Vernoica’s actor from the Heathers musical)

-Favorite colors are orange and blue.

–One of her favorite films is Labyrinth. The slight irony of that is not lost on her.

-As revealed in a previous ask, Suzie’s scar was due to a large bird attacking her on accident as a child. She is terrified of large birds because of this, and thus is terrified of Poppy.

-Found the Welcome Home website with episodes (which of course is not canon).

-Like her sister, Suzie favors Wally. Her second favorite character would be Frank or Sally.

-If Suzie was on the set of Welcome Home during its heyday (supposing that it WAS real of course) and worked there, she would be either a set designer or would do art for promotional material. She’s not a good enough character actor to actually voice one of the puppets.

If Suzie was a puppet, she would be a very light shade of orange with a dark pink nose. She would also keep her scar.

-Suzie does find Wally ‘somewhat cute’ but wouldn’t act on anything given that it's genuinely hard to tell what his preferences are. (This is partly because I don’t think it’s entirely confirmed if Wally has any preferences or is asexual just yet as of writing this.)

-Fulfilled the ‘let Wally see by drawing his eyes’ by doodling him.

-It wasn’t shown yet, but she found out that Welcome Home wasn’t exactly a real show after she did a bit more research on it and found little to nothing about it.

-Doesn’t find Wally’s infamous wide-eyed-fourth wall breaking stare creepy. She’s more annoyed by it.

-Wally’s nickname for her would be ‘pretty angel.’ Whether it is a friendly nickname or something ‘a bit more’ hasn’t been decided yet.

-I think that–in addition to her being a good sister and a fellow artist–the fact that she’s assertive and not willing to put up with any B.S. after find out the truth is what makes her interesting to Wally. (Though the fact that he was slightly tricking her up until she found out didn’t help win her over).

-In this AU, Wally is probably about 5 foot 5/6 (not counting his pompadour), so if he was the ‘canonical human size’ then he’d be an inch or two shorter than Suzie.

-Had she did any responses to Wally during an episode and he spoke to her before Lily, it’s likely things would not have gone down well.

-Had she been exposed to OUR version of the Welcome Home website, it’s doubtful she would have let her sister near it.

-While it was a creepy coincidence since I came up with it BEFORE the July 2023 update, the blue flower in her hair for her WH world attire doubles as an important easter egg. Can you guess what it is?

-Like her sister, while she has been able to visit the world of Welcome Home (and stayed far from Poppy’s home for reasons stated already) she has yet to visit Home itself. There is a reason for that.

[march-harrigan]

Totally not a WereMorta asking, but 1 headcanon for each Jervis? (Jervii?)

So many Jervi. Too many Jervi. I can't imagine I'll be able to get to them all here, so these will just be the ones I think of off hand.

Dulled Edge(My Version) - I think this applies to several versions of the character, but this man... Has a difficult time with boundaries. We're talking showing up unannounced to a friend's house in the middle of the night. Letting himself in if the door happens to be unlocked(or easy to pick) and eating all of your shredded cheese. Getting worried and sending dozens of messages in a row if the first one doesn't get an immediate response. His partner, March is trying to work with him on this.

BTAS - If you asked about his interests outside of Wonderland, he'd tell you he had a fascination with the gorgeous puppetry and animatronics of the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Especially the more fantasy-based designs. And when it comes to the media these masterpieces are featured in, he's seen it all. Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, every episode of The Story Teller. And of course he's aware that there have been adaptations of Wonderland characters. He finds himself fascinated and thoroughly impressed by all of it.

TNBA(Ratter) - I know I'm basing this on an episode that was revealed to be a dream but... Ratter is the comfort friend. The shoulder to cry on. He's always willing to lend an ear to his fellow Rogues, asking only for their friendship in return. And boy is he prepared. A vent devolves into tears? Have his handkerchief. Need to let out the rage that's been building? He's sure he has a pillow you can scream into around here somewhere. He'll even do his best to offer advice. Never unsolicited though. He'll either ask politely if he can give his input or wait for his friend to request it.

Arkhamverse - His baking is.... Haphazard at best. This is a Hatter who refuses to measure out his ingredients, always confident that he can figure it out by sight alone. Surprisingly, there are times where the results are pretty damned good. But when it turns out bad, it turns out REALLY bad. Regardless, he won't let it go to waste, either enduring his failures or simply not caring how bad it is.

Secret Six - You know the friend that brings weed brownies to the party? That's this Jervis. Except instead of brownies it's like scones and tarts and other painfully British tea pastries. It's probably best not to trust his baking unless A. You watched him make the stuff yourself and can confirm the ingredients or B. You were looking to get high in the first place.

HQ(HBO Max) - We didn't get enough of this Jervis, honestly. I thought he was a lot of fun outside of one joke that got very stale very quickly, but I still need time to consider headcanons for him. For now I'll say he wears bunny slippers to bed.

[puppetshowdown]

Any favourite info-dumps? <:O/genq

I love all of them! But here I'll share a few that really stood out to me! -The Julia one I mentioned before!: "I just….. I am love her. I was SO happy when she was introduced. Her first episode is my comfort media. Autistic representation where it isn’t framed as a bad thing is SO rare in children’s media, and “she does things a little bit differently, in a Julia sort of way” made me CRY. She is so much like me and she makes me so happy. The happy flaps when I saw her on the Sesame Street float at the Macy’s parade nearly hurt my wrist I was so happy. She is the best girl and deserves the best. Her puppet was designed to have a set of arms specifically so that she can stim, and she has a comfort toy like I do and doesn’t like the way paint feels like I don’t and loves to sing like I do and gets overwhelmed by sirens like I do and I just love her SO MUCH. (I didn’t link a picture because there are so many good ones! I like the one where she is looking at a feather, and also the one from the cover of the picture book she initially appeared in <3)" -Audrey II: "want to preface: either the stage version or the '86 movie version works, as both are portrayed by puppets! although neither is canonically a puppet in the story. i couldn't tell from the rules if this was disqualifying or not. BUT if i could get a word in for the movie Audrey II: WHAT A GORGEOUS PUPPET… or should i say SERIES of PUPPET/ANIMATRONIC HYBRIDS! there's somewhere in the ballpark of a dozen Twoies in the film to represent the different growth stages of the plant. they're all beautifully painted with vibrant detail, perfectly matching the high camp tone & setting! the mechanics of the puppet are also intricate and innovative; especially the MOUTH those lip syncs are so accurate and expressive! the largest puppets were actually so heavy that in order to remain accurate to the audio, they had to be operated along to the tracks and filmed at half speed, then sped up in editing… which means that when the actors appear with the plant in those scenes, they're ALSO performing at half speed! the stage play versions are (by necessity) less technical than these puppets, which were fabricated by the Jim Henson company btw, but lots are still really cool; a unique standout is the one from the Pasadena Playhouse production! whew. all this and i didnt even talk about the character… Audrey II is an alien plant that was beamed down to Earth and wants to take over the world. it sings some catchy songs about that. they can fit so much queercoding and slay into this plant. it's a girlboss it's a drag queen it manipulated a young man into committing several murders. we stan." -Spamton: "Hee heehee I am so obsessed with this silly puppet guy. I love how he went from an absolute snazzy lil salesman dude with his red tux, and just gradually turned into a complete disaster of himself. I like how little detail is actually shared about his past, so you're left to wonder if he was actually brought down by circumstances out of his control, or if he brought his failures upon himself and just doesn't want to accept that. I want to give him a hug and he would no doubt try to bargain for my soul in the process"

-Riley Ruckus: "SHES SO GENDER OH MY GOD SHES THIS COOL EVIL SCIENTIST WHO WAS MADE TO BE LIKE. A KIND BUT SLIGHTLY AGGRESSIVE SCIENCE TEACHER FOR A KIDS SHOW, BUT AFTER COMING TO LIFE HAD THAT TWISTED INTO MAD SCIENCE, AND SHE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT HER DOGGO AND SHES SO PRECIOUS AND WOULD ALSO RIP U APART AND IS SO VERY GENDER"

And honestly so many others! I love all the infodumps! From the long passionate paragraphs to the more silly jokey ones They're all so much fun to read!

[moonmothmama]

So...do you have a favorite Christmas Carol adaptation (s) so far?

i do have a couple! i'll list them in order of how recently i first saw them.

most recently, A VHS Christmas Carol. this is a starkid musical- the linked version is a live stage performance- that a friend exposed me to. it's about 45 mins long as i recall. the premise is like, what if a christmas carol was adapted into a 1980's music video style tv special. and it is so on-point as far as visual aesthetic/musical style/general vibe. it's a really authentic 80s flavor rather than the kind of super concentrated distillation of the decade that veers into parody. i hope to god that doesn't sound pretentious. the 80s were genuinely nuts tho- i do have hazy, very early memories of the last few years of the decade- and there is nothing subdued about this production. anyway this is super fun, and very cleverly done with virtually NO set. it's all costume and lighting. the music is fun as hell. Jacob Marley looks straight out of a Eurythmics video or some shit.

then there is the big one, a muppet christmas carol, which i could write whole essays about probably. first of all this is actually a really faithful adaptation. it cuts very little out and the spirit of the thing just glows. it's got so much to offer. firstly it's visually gorgeous, and the costumes are incredible. like my friend who's interested in historical fashion was super impressed by the accuracy of the costumes. it's also got excellent humor- there is cleverness packed into like every second of the film- which does not in the least blunt the impact of emotional scenes. it's actually really touching. also Michael Caine is maybe the best live-action Scrooge ever? and having Gonzo- as Charles Dickens- being the narrator (accompanied by bantering with Rizzo) is absolute fucking genius. plus we have that good Paul Williams soundtrack which never ever fails. also shoutout to the dedication to the late Jim Henson and Richard Hunt which makes me emotional.

finally my most nostalgic choice, the Rankin Bass Christmas Special That Time Forgot. The Stingiest Man In Town, which was if i recall correctly my first ever exposure to the story. it's based on a stage musical, so the songs are actually excellent. the animation and character designs are charming as HELL, the backgrounds are gorgeous, and it's got lovely performances by Tom Bosley as the narrator (one B.A.H. Humbug, a literal little bug dude, which is a cute device), Walter Matthau as Scrooge, and Theodore Bikel as Marley, who delivers a fittingly haunting song that tugs at my heartstrings to this day.

[srfmp]

Jim Henson

Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor and filmmaker who was known mainly for his well recognised work in making unique puppets for films that have now become popular nostalgic/childhood classics. He's best known for his work in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

The Dark Crystal

I chose to look at this film as its puppets are unique and uncanny, along with how each of the puppets are made to suit their role in the movie. Especially the vultures as they look so sinister and terrifying; I think I could take away from the vultures' appearances/mannerisms and see if I could take something away from it.

Labyrinth

In this film Jim Henson created a variety of different creatures for the world that the Goblin King was from. Some were nice and some were not so nice or mischievous, which in my opinion fitted each of their personalities or mannerisms well. This also increased how creepy/scary some of the puppets were. For example, the firey's although they each looked relatively the same you could still distinguish them from each other and although they looked silly, they were also quite creepy as they could take themselves apart. I could take that character into consideration when designing this my one, like maybe they have a distinguishable feature or ability.

Muppets

The Muppets each have very unique looks and most of their designs are based off of animals; for example, Kermit the frog and Fozzi-bear. Along with the fact some of them don't even have eyes however they're still very expressive and noticeable as a character. Taking this note into consideration, I could use animals as a helping-hand to design my character(s).

[lordkingsmith]

Animated projects I want to do/am planning to do;

Cats. Just. Cats. It’d be better animated. I can’t do it NOW because rights but. One day. One day

The Green Knight. There’s never been a good animated movie or series about the story/one at all. I’d do it with a blond Gawain, if you know why you know why lol.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. One of my siblings is obsessed with 20,000. He can quote the book, he’s seen the Disney live action movie. He’s seen the one animated movie. He owns shirts and plushies of giant squid. His favorite song by Nightwish is Nemo for obvious reasons. I made myself a promise once I get 2 animated projects done as practice, I’m making him this movie for a birthday. He’s already given me detailed descriptions of his favorite scenes for me to draw for him. It wouldn’t be terribly hard to move it from illustrations to animation. Time consuming, but not hard. I just want this one to be as perfect as possible.

Eliza and the twelve swans. I want to do this so I have footage for an edit, lol. All I want. But it’d be fun anyway and would force me to learn to draw swans. That’d be good for me.

The Harlequinade. Think Cinderella meets Romeo and Juliet but there’s a marriage not a double suicide at the end and instead of a girl getting a magic dress to go to a dance it’s a hot headed young man/person (Harlequin’s gender is a guideline AT BEST) with a magic cudgel called The Slapstick who wants to see his lady love at a party and his boss and friends and god himself arent going to stop him from going and causing chaos. Think it’d be fun and most people have forgotten about the comedy archetypes so making a movie about the most famous story would be a great way to reintroduce. (However VivziePop’s Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss follow several of the Commedia Del’Arte stories and not a lot of people have noticed. Hopefully a project explicitly about them will help people be able to notice and appreciate the details in her story too)

Mirrormask. This is similar to Cats but I wouldn’t mind one day. It’s my fave Gaiman book, and I love the Jim Henson take on it. I just want to explore it my way one day.

The Nettle Spinner. Read the story in the link and tell me that’s not begging to be an epic animated film. I cannot. I love this. I love the main character, she’s badass. (Two of six main characters designed, script in progress)

The dirty shepherdess/I love you more than meat loves salt. So Tangled had an…early early concept where two kids get sucked into a fairy tale book and have to enact the story of Rapunzel. I like this idea. It’s an oldie but a goody. For my take, two kids who work at a bookstore have this happen to them with a Cinderella type story, and shenanigans and romance ensue.

Belle Belle. It’s Mulan but magic, takes place in France, has bisexual representation (both a princess and prince want the main character Belle Belle), potential trans representation(Belle Belle is literally turned into a male body for the majority of the story and the prince is still into him/her before she gets back in a dress), and I just. I need Belle Belle. I need Belle Belle onscreen. I need to see her story play out. I need villainess princess being a villain because she’s pissed off “the handsome soldier” snubs her advances for the preference of the attention of the prince. As a male presenting solider at the time. We need this. I do, kids do, we all do. Plus, we can update it to be more explicitly positive lgbt than tropes. And 15th century tropes at that. Also it’s written by the same person who wrote beauty and the beast

King Arthur and Jack the Giant killer reborn in sci fi dystopia, and in love with each other

Katie Crackernuts. If you don’t know the story it’s a lot of fun. Has been referenced in Hellboy. Her sister gets her head taken by the Fae so Katie recruits the help of a prince and they go wage war on the unlucky schmucks who stole the head in the first place (no offense I call them schmucks as they had no idea who they were picking a fight with and she TERRORIZES THEM)

Babes in Toyland. Yes I know there’s been three separate movie adaptations of the musical. The beauty of this thing is all three of them are wildly different takes from each other and the source material but also all of them are fairly faithful to the spirit of the source material. Which is cool. There’s a lot you can do with it. I’d love to do something from it.

Ariadne and Dionysus, but as the perspective of Dionysus getting her from the underworld. Explore his self through going to the underworld after his wife, exploring humanity he’s always been among but never been part of. Explore how he’s been here before, and he’s here to steal a soul-again. And who, exactly that soul is. I feel it’s interesting Dionysus is married to the goddess of labyrinths and paths. Plus, her family is as fascinating as he is.

We’ve seen a steampunk version of treasure island, now I wanna see a cyberpunk version. Where the internet is not unlike rivers or oceans among the towers and buildings of the cities. The question is what the treasure is, what the island is, in this version.

An animated horror movie about gods being vampiric in nature. Feeding off of and forcibly turning humans into gods to stay alive and in power.

Psyche and Eros. I mean. She’s similar to Hercules, down to pissing off a goddess who turns into her mother in law at the end of her feats. She becomes a god like Hercules does. Has a ton of novel retellings but no movies? Come on now. Hercules can’t be the only one with movies, or just a focus on the male heroes. It’s neither accurate nor fair. Loverboy by Mattis solidified it for me. It really fits Eros well, especially in the throes of his longing for Psyche. I also love God Is A Woman for Psyche vs Aphrodite

Web/TV Shows;

Power rangers fan animated show. For a next gen group of kids and supernatural group of rangers. It centers around Night Crew, a group of unusual colors as rangers. Only one of their group is human. They fight against Rito and a group of evil rangers, former friends (script of episode one in progress)

Bodies Are My Hobby. A supernatural detective story about a disabled Detective named Asher Crow teaming up with a strange spirit. Goal of the show is show off different supernatural creatures and have them framed for murders…but it’s always humans. The spirits ask Asher to clear their names. The seven deadly sins and seven heavenly virtues get pulled into this as well, eventually. Asher has a love interest named Legend Salt. I’ve drawn Legend before

I love Legend way too much lol (two main characters designed, story completely plotted out, episode one’s script partly written out)

The Magician’s Nephews. Disney associated. Mickeys nephews are the only direct child aged family of the friend trio that’s never been given their own shows. He has a twin sister. I wanna see his family! In a show! I want him being a weird Cryptid! But until Disney gets over themselves I’m not pitching this to them. No. Sorry, no. I want to but…-sighs-

Star Wars Visions episode. You have to be invited to do an episode. I want to get to a point where I am invited. Episodes are not considered canon so you can really do whatever you want. A conversation with a sibling caused me to go “wait-WAIT” and now that convo I want to make an episode. It involves Savage Opress and Asajj Ventress. As my brother said “it’s possible Asajj had a kid with Savage. She’s the more powerful one in the relationship; she wouldn’t have to tell him about the kid.” Heh. It’s too good an opportunity. But like Magician’s Nephews I’d rather do it when Disney gets their shit together but. I’d still take the invitation -shrugs- doubtful it’ll happen so I can daydream all I want

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Halloween Horror-thon: Part 6 - #26-32 [FINALE]

Alright, here's the bottom of the pile, the weakest bunch of the month. Overall, a nice little bunch of movies. I genuinely loved most of them, and at the very least had a good time with most of the others. None of them made me actually regret watching it. Well... except for one...

#26: Cry Baby Lane (2000, dir. Peter Lauer)

This one is a case of the story/history of the thing being vastly more interesting than the thing itself. This was a film produced for Nickelodeon in 2000 to be aired as a part of their Halloween programming for the year. It aired on October 28, 2000, and Nickelodeon received so many complaint letters from parents saying their children were mortified by it that it was promptly pulled from any future programming and never aired again (until 2011 when Teen Nick ran the film one last time as a reaction to an online rallying campaign to dredge the film back up). If that doesn't peak your attention then I don't know what will. The movie itself, unfortunately, is fairly lackluster. I mean, it's decent enough, but it is most definitely not scary (I don't even think by child standards this would really make waves nowadays), and the acting is, well, early 2000's Nickelodeon TV movie acting. Oscar-nominated Frank Langella is in it and even his performance feels very phoned in. I'm glad I watched this for the experience and the history of it alone, but I can't recommend it based on its own merits, it's incredibly forgettable without its historical context. Score: 5/10 You can find this on YouTube in it's original broadcast format, October 2000 commercial breaks included, so if you're interested in that it's a fun little time capsule.

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#27: Five Nights at Freddy's (2023, dir. Emma Tammi)

This year's big horror release was the film adaptation of the smash hit video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy's. Now, I am very aware of the FNAF series of games and am aware of its lore from a tertiary perspective. I've always found them to be slightly cringe-inducing and not super fun to play, but I appreciate its tenacity and willpower to keep expanding. That being said, I have always liked the character designs and the general premise of "possessed malicious animatronics." It's rife with possibilites. This particular film, however, doesn't seem to fully capitalize on any of the things that could have made it worthwhile. The animatronics are still creepy and very well constructed (they were made at the Jim Henson creature shop, so that should come as no surprise), but they don't feel fully realized. The moments they get in the movie are good, some might even say they're the best part of the whole thing, but there's just not enough of them. The acting from Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard is good, but they get caught in the crossfire of the tonal game of tug-of-war the film plays. Ultimately the film's biggest issue is that it can't seem to decide if it wants to be scary or campy, and the mix that it compromises with itself on feels like its not enough of either to make any kind of impact. The plot contrivances (of which there are a lot) are ludicrous and eye-roll inducing, but in the film's defense I think the games are exactly the same, so I'm sure if you're into the games this might actually work quite well for you. Although, I have heard that fans are disappointed with the changes made to some of the lore, to which my reaction so far has been "who really cares?" All this to say that I did actually have fun with my time watching FNAF, but I'm sure the further away I get from it, the more forgettable it will become. Score: 5/10 Currently in theaters and streaming on Peacock.

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#28: Idle Hands (1999, dir. Rodman Flender)

Good lord, what were they thinking when they made this? A stoner comedy/horror that catches just as many groans as it does laughs, Idle Hands is just stupid enough to tip its scale back towards funny, planting it in the "so bad it's good" camp. Devon Sawa's commitment to the bit is admirable, and the stoner buds played by Seth Green and Elden Henson provide all the witty slapstick comic relief you could want from a film of this caliber. It's a film that understands that its premise is dumb, and I applaud it for that, but it's filled with so many late-90s bad movie trademarks that some of them are pretty hard to overlook. Score: 5/10 Not currently available on streaming.

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#29: Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005, dir. Paul Schrader)

The film that Morgan Creek hated so much that they scrapped it and re-filmed it with a mostly new cast, a new director, and a slightly altered story before ultimately releasing both films anyway. A Paul Schrader-directed Exorcist prequel sounds like it would be interesting, at the very least, and to its credit it manages to be the least bad of the four bad films in the franchise. Schrader is a great director and that can be tangentially felt here. It's a weak pulse, but it is there. The other plus I'll throw in Dominion's corner is Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Father Merrin (played by Max von Sydow in the original 1973 film) the best he can given the material. It's a rough go only because it is very middling and forgettable and the narrative is mildly ridiculous every now and then. My score might seem high, but that's most likely because I know what a bad Exorcist film looks like, and it ain't this. Score: 5/10 Currently streaming on Starz and for free on Vudu with ads.

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#30: Exorcist: The Beginning (2004, dir. Renny Harlin)

The aforementioned re-filmed version of Paul Schrader's Exorcist prequel is objectively a worse film. It is messy, even more ludicrous than its originator, and the third act is essentially an action movie. While there are a couple of worse films in the franchise (more on those in a second), this one feels like the most of a complete opposite from the original. Taking all of the things that made the original film a masterwork and just going "but what if we did it this other way instead?" Stellan Skarsgård is still here, but he's having to work even harder to maintain any kind of credibility with a script this sub-par. It's hollow and baseless and doesn't really seem to be interested in being anything but a tepid cash grab. Score: 3/10 Currently streaming on Hulu and Peacock.

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#31: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977, dir. John Boorman)

While Exorcist: The Beginning felt like a tepid cash grab, The Heretic feels like a deliberate and reckless one. Coming only four years after the original, the memory of The Exorcist was still fairly fresh in the cultural zeitgeist, which must have made this sting all the more. The sound design is atrocious, with the whole film sounding like it was ADR'd by a toddler, the acting is horrible, especially when you consider the talent this was able to round up (Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, and James Earl Jones are in this!), and I think the worst thing is that it's just really silly. There are multiple sequences where the camera hitches a piggyback ride on the back of the most fake locust you've ever seen. It's laughably bad, and the ending that so badly wants to feel epic, but just comes off as cheap and bewildering, is just the cherry on top. When the industry talks about bad horror sequels, I have to imagine this is the prime example. If you're interested in diving into the Exorcist beyond the first film, just skip straight over this one and go to The Exorcist III. You're not missing anything, trust me. Score: 2/10 Not currently available on streaming.

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#32: The Exorcist: Believer (2023, dir. David Gordon Green)

While both The Beginning and The Heretic made me disappointed, Believer just made me unbelievably mad. There's just something about David Gordon Green's recent horror efforts that bring out a rage in me that most things don't. The other Exorcist sequels don't seem interested in what worked about the original, they were just cash grabbing on the notoriety and acclaim of that first film, but Believer seems to have learned all of the wrong lessons from William Friedkin's masterpiece and accented them, all the while genuinely thinking they were doing a good job. The Exorcist isn't the pea soup vomit, it isn't the 360-degree head turn, it's not the heavily makeup-altered little girl. That was its reputation among the masses, sure, but that is such a simplification and a misunderstanding of the film's themes. The Exorcist is Father Karras' crisis of faith. It's him having to come to terms with the crisis in the face of the most powerful evil he could possibly come up against. It's the desperation of Chris MacNeil, a mother at the end of her rope, trying to save her daughter from something the she has no frame of reference for and no power of her own to stop. It's the sacrifice (and not the kind that's made in this trash heap of a movie), it's the compassion. There is no compassion in Believer, there is no crisis, it's all just suffering and cheap attempts at nostalgia and scares that aren't there. There are so many ways to have done this where it worked, but it ended up being so unbearably horrible that even the return of Ellen Burstyn couldn't save this (a lot of my absolute biggest grievances actually came around the time she shows up). There is no regard for the 1973 original in this, there is no attempt at anything other than a repeat of all the gross-out and disturbing things that take place in the original film as well, but as I said in my write-up for that movie, those things work in the original because you actually care about the characters, you actually resonant with what's happening on screen. You're disturbed because the movie has built a relationship between you and Reagan, and it's powerful. I will give The Exorcist: Believer one, and only one, compliment. Leslie Odom Jr., for what it's worth, gives a performance that feels genuine, but it's not enough. It's not nearly enough to forgive this sorry excuse of a movie. Score: 1/10 Currently in theaters.

[mrmistoffles]

reviewing movies from my childhood that I wasn't even alive for the creation of pt. 2

the movie on the chopping block today is: The Dark Crystal

Category 1 - movie poster

I've always liked any any iteration of the movie poster, I feel like the art style is beautiful and truly portrays the vibe that Jim Henson was trying to go for when he was designing the movie. The way that they have the skeksis looming over the rest of the cast is *chefs kiss*

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ four stars

Category 2 - plot

I'm going to be brutally honest here, the plot is very much lacking. There are so many things in the story that are just lacking in explanation that make it very hard to understand what things are happening and why.

all in all - ⭐⭐ two stars

Category 3 - acting

Holy cow, when I say that this movie has some of the best acting I've ever seen, I genuinely mean that. With the lack of plot, the acting makes up for it. It's just so good, they way that you can feel the fear that Kira does when she is taken away by Chamberlain or Chamberlain's desperation during the scene where he's pleading for the gelflings to return with him to the castle. You even get top tier acting from fizzgig, one of the characters that doesn't even talk.

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ five stars

Category 4 - did I like it or not

This is another movie from my childhood that I just absolutely adore. The way that Jim Henson constructed his world is just so beautiful. He was able to make so many lovable characters in such a short amount of time. Although the story is kinda a little wonky, the art style and fantastic puppetry make it worth the watch.

all in all - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ four stars

I give this movie a final Witt rating of: Bosanova