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adamwatchesmovies · 6 years

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The Happytime Murders (2018)

The premise of The Happytime Murders didn’t excite me when I saw trailers. That doesn’t mean I went in wanting to hate. There is potential in a murder-mystery plot that features raunchy puppets but it's wasted on this film.

In a world where puppets coexist with humans, blue-skinned Phil Phillips (voiced by Bill Barretta) is a former LAPD cop, the first puppet ever admitted on a police force, who now works as a private eye. While searching for the person blackmailing a puppet nymphomaniac named Sandra (voiced by Dorien Davies), he discovers a trail of puppet murders. On the case is his former partner, Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy).

Even if the idea of puppets cursing, smoking, drinking and having sex makes you burst out laughing, the joke gets old. There are a few chuckles here and there that make good use of the gimmick but for the most part, director Brian Henson and writer Todd Berger seem content simply with the idea that “hey, wouldn’t it be HILARIOUS if the creatures we grew up watching had dirty, R-Rated cousins on the big screen?”. Even if we hadn’t seen this sort of thing done before (from Meet the Feebles to Team America: World Police), there’s little here that’s clever. We’re told that puppets are second-class citizens. Why? Because sugar is their cocaine? It’s just an excuse to pad out the film’s running time with more shock-value gags that ultimately, add little to the picture.

Take away the gimmick and all you have is a run-of-the-mill detective film. The mystery? It’s easy to solve even when the film attempts to throw you off the trail. Once you find out who it is, some of the previous actions don’t hold up, which would be fine if the film was really funny but it isn’t. The recurring gags in this picture include puppets confusing Melissa McCarthy for a man, her character having a sugar addiction… and puppets being nasty. I know I’ve mentioned it already but that’s the joke. Every time, that’s the joke. The picture to compare Happytime Murders to is Who Framed Roger Rabbit who did, essentially, the same thing but was clever about it and kept you guessing - and laughing - until the end. Even at only 91 minutes, your engagement will be long gone before exactly what’s been going on is revealed.

While The Happytime Murders has foul language, jokes about sperm and other body fluids, violence, and murder, it’s a juvenile picture. There’s nothing particularly imaginative about its story… and worst of all isn’t particularly funny either. As a debut for Henson Alternative, a banner for the Jim Henson company that specializes in adult content, this isn’t the catastrophe that was Universal’s “Dark Universe”, but it’s about as encouraging. (Theatrical version on the big screen, August 26, 2018)

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myhumaninteractionsafterall · 5 years

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The Happytime Murders (2018)

If I were to write about this movie, I would try to give it some context by seating it between the far superior Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and the much lesser Bright (2017). It plays up the same racism analogies as those films, but also has a much deeper focus on sexuality to a degree where that is its main comedic crux, and may therefore fit heavily into its subtextual theme.

I would then research Freud’s phases of psychosexual development to see if the oral, anal, and genital phases align at all with the film, but I would probably only find that one phase aligns and that this is not a film about a journey, but that the emphasis on sex is used to bind humans and puppets together so that racist differences can be disproven.

The heavy focus on murder would probably also lead me to explore the death drive from Freud and how he thought it was opposed to the sex drive, but then bring in Lacan and how he stated that the death drive was the foundational layer for every drive including the sex drive.

I am not sure what the ending is saying since the murderer reveal and its resolution seems to be set up for a forgiveness or self forgiveness/overcoming lesson, but that is not a through-line per se, so there is probably something else to it. There is a journey by the main puppet from rejection of his past to an over the top libidinous sexual stage and then via the resolution back to the law, so this could be Lacan’s journey from castration to name of the father and the law. [1]

Again, this would be if I were to write abut this film, but I doubt that I ever will.

[1] https://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/lacandevelop.html

#The Happytime Murders #film #film analysis #Film Review #psychology #freud #lacan #film notes

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agentnico · 6 years

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The Happytime Murders (2018) Review

I wonder what Paul Thomas Anderson thinks of his wife (Maya Rudolph) starring in all these crappy comedies? The man directs arguably some of the best features put to screen, with the likes of Magnolia, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood, however his wife appears in films like, well, The Happytime Murders, The Nut Job, the abysmal CHiPs and many other turd bags, and it makes you wonder what Paul Thomas Anderson thinks of this. I bet he loves it!

Plot: When the puppet cast of an '90s children's TV show begin to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case, which means teaming up with his ex-partner, with whom he did not leave on the best of terms.

So Sesame Street tried to sue this film for copying them to much, however I honestly don’t see why Sesame would want to have any kind of connection to this film, as this film’s main gag and pitch is that puppets swear, do drugs, have sex, and basically do anything that shouldn’t be seen by a child’s eye. You heard me, parents, this ain’t another Muppets movie. Don’t take your kids to see this one! But anyway, The Happytime Murders is the perfect way to end a summer filled with bad films. I’m sorry, unlike what many think, I think this summer has been rubbish. Yes, there were a few little gems here and there, like Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Deadpool 2 and BlackKklansman, and also Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again was way better than it had any right to be, however as a whole this summer was atrocious. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Meg, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ocean’s 8, Mile 22, Tag, well, the list goes on, all these movies were super mediocre to terrible, and so far this year as a whole has been like that, which is why I am optimistically looking forward to awards season as our saving grace. But with The Happytime Murders, yes, it also is not a good film. It’s actually very bad, however at least it is enjoyable. And that’s more than can be said for many other dull films of this summer.

Filled with all the tired old cliches of a detective movie, many 5-10 minute periods where nothing interesting happens, a script so lazy that it only relies on using as many curse words as possible (a gag that works at first but does get tiresome by the end) and a wasted human cast with the likes of Joel McHale and Elizabeth Banks, whom I wish got more to do, though Maya Rudolph, so mis-used at the beginning of the film, gets more to do at the end with hilarious fashion, and then there is Melissa McCarthy, whom I never liked, and this film has not changed that.

Yes, this movie is bad, but not going to lie, me and my friends had a hell of a time watching it, since after a certain line is said and we all gathered what kind of film we were watching, which just allowed ourselves to be swayed into this world of foul humour, and yes, the movie is completely stupid and ridiculous, but that’s what made it enjoyable. But what else do you expect from a film that has one octopus-like puppet milking a cow muppet? So yeah, as something stupid to watch with your friends and pals, this might actually not be such a bad choice, however as a film its very badly made. Though you do have to admire the puppetry work that has gone into the film, especially when during the credits you get to see some behind the scenes work. It is impressive, no doubt, but that doesn’t make for a good film. Enjoyable nonetheless though.

Overall score: 3/10

TOP MOVIE QUOTE: “I have a severe condition of Imma.” “What’s Imma?” “Imma see it, Imma f*** it!”

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scottbrownmoviereviews · 6 years

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THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS FILM REVIEW

The Happytime Murders, directed by Brian Henson, is essentially The Muppets if they existed in real life. After several murders of puppets that starred in a show called “The Happytime Gang,” puppet PI Phil Philips (Bill Barretta) must reteam with his human partner (Melissa McCarthy) in order to solve them.

The premise for this film was absolutely outstanding. I loved it immediately when I first heard about it and I loved the trailer that was released for it. It looked ridiculous and really funny. I was wrong. So, so wrong. This film is horrendous.

I honestly don’t have much good to say about the film. There are barely any redeeming qualities in it. I mean, the puppeteering is good, mostly, but that’s not a surprise because this is Jim Henson’s son we’re talking about. Maya Rudolph made me laugh a couple of times because she can make most anything funny. I really have nothing else positive to say about this film.

Where to start with the negatives though. The characters? Absolutely horrible. Completely uninteresting characters with almost no motivation to them at all. There is nothing present that makes you care about any of them, human or puppet.

The story? It’s an incompetent noir that I predicted from the first ten minutes. It tries to be Chinatown but fails on about every level in doing so.

The humor? Non-existent. I only really laughed whenever Maya Rudolph was on screen and she was barely used at all, which is a shame because she’s the best part of the film.

You want to see it cause it’s raunchy? Everything raunchy about it is in the trailers except a couple of things toward the beginning, so watch those instead.

And the worst part? It’s boring.

Overall, The Happytime Murders is a boring, unfunny, uninteresting slog that is trying to do what Sausage Party did a couple of years ago but lacks everything that made that film great. It’s the worst film of the year so far.

2.5/10

Thanks for reading!

#the happytime murders #puppets #melissa mccarthy #maya rudolph #henson #film #film review

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oneofusnet · 6 years

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Highly Suspect Reviews: The Happytime Murders Tweet Pin It read more on One of Us

#movie review #podcast #The Happytime Murders #film #Highly Suspect Reviews #Movie Review

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eventideent · 6 years

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THE DRIVE-IN #38 - "The Happytime Murders" Review

#2018 #aaron #comedy #drive #entertainment #eventide #film #happytime #in #lopez #movie #murders #review #the

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andrewsmoviereviews · 6 years

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The Happytime Murders (2018)

Plot: When someone begins to kill off the cast of an old TV show, disgraced puppet cop Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta) must team up with his old partner Detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) to find the killer.

Review: It would be fair to say that the reception for The Happytime Murders has not been great. However it’s sense of humour is always going to have limited appeal, much like a comedian who only tells blue jokes.

The point is it’s not for everybody - but that’s fine. Those who get the joke will laugh and laugh, those who don’t can always watch something else. That may not be music to the ears of the money-men in Hollywood - and given the five different studio logos at the beginning, there are a few with their eyes on this one - but you don’t always have to make a film that pleases everybody. Of course, you still need to make a film that pleases somebody, and that must be a new experience for Melissa McCarthy.

Aside from the vastly overrated Bridesmaids, McCarthy hasn’t done many movies which have gone over well with the general public. The new Ghostbusters surely has to have been the nadir of her career, but you can’t help but feel that the movie succeeds in spite of her, not because of her. It’s not the lines that are the problem, but her delivery of them - there is a sense that the character works much better on paper. Aside from her it’s fun to see Joel McHale as the rigid and inflexible FBI agent (a straight man for many jokes), as well as the criminally underused Maya Rudolph as Phillips secretary, Bubbles.

In fact, either her or co-star Elizabeth Banks could probably have done a better job as Edwards, but that’s enough griping; the juxtaposition of puppets doing very human, very adult things, as well as some of the better jokes, mean this film is going to tickle an audiences funny-bone, just probably not a mainstream one.

#Film #Film Review #Film Reviews #Movies #Movie Reviews #The Happytime Murders #Brian Henson #Melissa McCarthy #Elizabeth Banks #Maya Rudolph #Joel McHale #Leslie David Baker #Cynthy Wu #Bill Barretta #Dorien Davies #Kevin Clash

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speewackfilms · 6 years

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Film Review | The Happytime Murders (2018)

So I can 100% see how this was a great idea at the start, the concept works: raunchy Muppets solve a serial killer case. Not so bad, right? Jam in a really really sloppy (and often offensive) racial allegory, make the drugs be candy, and pretty much rip off Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and that’s where it all goes wrong.

Some real craft went into this, the movie is decently made. It’s the dialogue and joke writing that are just achingly bad. There are some good jokes here and there, but mostly it’s all thinly-veiled racism, which is supposed to seem silly because it’s Muppets - but it’s still racism.

It makes police brutality and systemic racism into something of a cartoon joke, and when great films like Blindspotting came out this year - it’s just time for this shit to be over.

128 of 365.

1 out of 5.

#the happytime murders #melissa mccarthy #elizabeth banks #maya rudolph #joel mchale #comedy #muppets #puppetry #brian henson #film #film review #review #films #movie #movies #speewackfilms #365 film project #365 films

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heraldofultimateness · 3 years

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that gif of that octopus muppet milking a cow muppet is from Happytime Murders, an adult humor movie that was a box office bomb and received overwhelmingly negative reviews, an absolute failure of film. it also happened to be directed by Jim Henson’s son.

Doesn't Amy Schumer fuck a puppet in that movie?

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s1mpl3sp0ng3 · 6 years

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almost every reaction to the happytime murders trailer is “jim henson is rolling in his grave!!” so let me remind you that jim henson:

responded to a critic’s scathing and ridiculous review of one of his early short films, the cube, with a letter that contained a single sentence: “What the fuck are you talking about?”

before the muppets, he wanted to build a futuristic night club

partook in LSD at least one (it apparently didn’t affect him)

did an snl sketch series in the 60s called “the land of gorch” which was literally all about puppets having sex and doing other adult things

did not want to be billed as a children’s entertainer because of his muppet projects and made frequent forays into darker subject matter (the dark crystal is actually pretty fucked up and so is his short film “time piece”)

holy shit people one of the first muppet show pilots was called “the muppet show: sex and violence” and the original muppet show is fulled with innuendo. it wasn’t uncommon for muppets to get drunk and blow each other up for fuck’s sake

jim henson was not this wholly pure children’s entertainer who never said a swear word in his life, he was a human being who, like all human beings, knew life could be fucked up

feel free to make your own additions to this list

#jim henson #i just watched the trailer it looks pretty good #i think they're just ramping up the dirty humor to draw in crowds #trailers aren't honest at all

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trulyterriblegamers · 5 years

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It’s the 39th Annual Razzie Awards! (2018 Films)

I’ll be honest with myself. I really do love the worst of the worst. That goes for all types of media I can get my hands on, including the big-screen pictures. Now that I’ve got my list of those to consider for the infamous title, I want to put myself to the test. Can I predict what’s truly the worst of the worst for 2018? If not, I better put my money where my mouth is. I’ll take suggestions as to how I should punish myself for failing.

I’ve been meaning to do this last year, but I paced myself rather poorly and the award show started without me (shocker, I know...). So now that it’s a new year, I’m ready to go full Razzies for the next 32 days!!

Let’s see this years nominations!

(NOTE: I’ve been tracking this years movies from this forum thread (Thank you GoldDerby!!!), I’ll likely make my predictions public there too, but if you want a good timeline of 2018′s worst movies, this is a great place to start!)

Worst Screenplay:

Death of a Nation – Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley; based on The Big Lie and Death of a Nation by D'Souza

Fifty Shades Freed – Niall Leonard; based from the novel by E. L. James

Gotti – Lem Dobbs and Leo Rossi

The Happytime Murders – Todd Berger; story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson

Winchester – The Spierig Brothers and Tom Vaughan

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel:

Death of a Nation – (Quality Flix; remake of Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party)

Death Wish – (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Holmes & Watson – (Columbia)

The Meg – (Warner Bros.; rip-off of Jaws)

Robin Hood – (Summit)

Worst Screen Combo:

Any two actors or puppets – The Happytime Murders

Johnny Depp & “his fast-fading film career” – Sherlock Gnomes

Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly – Holmes & Watson

Kelly Preston & John Travolta – Gotti

Donald Trump & his self-perpetuating pettiness – Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9

Worst Supporting Actress:

Kellyanne Conway – Fahrenheit 11/9 as herself

Marcia Gay Harden – Fifty Shades Freed as Grace Trevelyan Grey

Kelly Preston – Gotti as Victoria Gotti

Jaz Sinclair – Slender Man as Chloe

Melania Trump – Fahrenheit 11/9 as herself

Worst Supporting Actor:

Chris "Ludacris" Bridges (voice only) – Show Dogs as Max

Jamie Foxx – Robin Hood as Little John

Joel McHale – The Happytime Murders as Special Agent Campbell

John C. Reilly – Holmes & Watson as Dr. John Watson

Justice Smith – Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as Franklin Webb

Worst Actress:

Jennifer Garner – Peppermint as Riley North

Amber Heard – London Fields as Nicola Six

Melissa McCarthy – The Happytime Murders as Detective Connie Edwards

Helen Mirren – Winchester as Sarah Winchester

Amanda Seyfried – The Clapper as Judy

Worst Actor:

Johnny Depp (voice only) – Sherlock Gnomes as Sherlock Gnomes

Will Ferrell – Holmes & Watson as Sherlock Holmes

John Travolta – Gotti as John Gotti

Donald Trump – Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9 as himself

Bruce Willis – Death Wish as Paul Kersey

Worst Director:

Etan Cohen – Holmes & Watson

Kevin Connolly – Gotti

James Foley – Fifty Shades Freed

Brian Henson – The Happytime Murders

The Spierig Brothers – Winchester

Barry L. Bumstead Award: (unofficial)

(for the movie that cost a lot and lost a lot!)

Robin Hood - ($ -17,751,186)

The Happytime Murders - ($ -12,493,548)

London Fields - ($ -7,747,324)

Gotti - ($ -5,656,773)

Holmes & Watson - ($ -3,439,858)

Worst Picture:

Gotti (Vertical Entertainment) – Randall Emmett, Marc Fiore, Michael Froch, George Furla

The Happytime Murders (STX) – Ben Falcone, Jeffrey Hayes, Brian Henson, Melissa McCarthy

Holmes & Watson (Columbia) – Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Clayton Townsend

Robin Hood (Summit) – Jennifer Davisson, Leonardo DiCaprio

Winchester (Lionsgate) – Tim McGahan, Brett Tomberlin

Notable Snubs: (for better or for worse...)

Venom

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Predator

A Wrinkle in Time

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The Cloverfield Paradox

The Nun

The Strangers: Pray at Night

Nominations per Film:

The Meg - 1

Slender Man - 1

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - 1

Show Dogs - 1

Peppermint - 1

London Fields - 1

The Clapper - 1

Sherlock Gnomes - 2

Death Wish - 2

Robin Hood - 3

Fifty Shades Freed - 3

Winchester - 4

Fahrenheit 11/9 - 4

Death of a Nation - 4

Holmes & Watson - 6

The Happytime Murders - 6

Gotti - 6

Tentative Schedule for Movies and write-ups:

Ideally, I’d like to save the movies with the most nominations for last. Making a video per movie would take too long, so I’ll just do quick bullet-point write-ups of what I thought of the movie and their nomination in their specific category. I’ll get these write-ups posted as soon as possible, even with Saturdays looking to be pretty grueling!

(NOTE: I’m gonna pass on watching Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9. They’re too political, too divisive, and know there’s nothing to be gained by reviewing them, so I’ll take the high road.)

The Meg - Friday, January 25th

Slender Man - Saturday, January 26th

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Saturday, January 26th

Show Dogs - Sunday, January 27th

Peppermint - Friday, February 1st

London Fields - Saturday, February 2nd

The Clapper - Sunday, February 3rd

Sherlock Gnomes - Friday, February 8th

Death Wish - Saturday, February 9th

Robin Hood - Saturday, February 9th

Fifty Shades Freed - Sunday, February 10th

Winchester - Friday, February 15th

Holmes & Watson - Saturday, February 16th

The Happytime Murders - Saturday, February 16th

Gotti - Sunday, February 17th

Catch-up days: Tuesdays

FINAL PREDICTIONS: Friday, February 22nd!

39th Razzie Awards: Saturday, February 23rd

Best of Luck to all of the movies selected and any other movie fans who choose to read this blog. Feel free to join in with your predictions, if you’d like! It’ll be an interesting month of movies, that’s for sure!

#movies #2019 razzies #Razzies #gotti #the happytime murders #2019 movies #the meg #slender man #jurassic world fallen kingdom #show dogs #peppermint #london fields #the clapper #sherlock gnomes #death wish #robin hood #fifty shades freed #winchester #holmes & watson

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valiantattemptgaming · 6 years

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WHAT WENT WRONG - Happytime Murders Review

After way too long away, Tony decides to come back with a sort of review of the recently released Happytime Murders! WARNING: Some of the topics discussed in this review can be a bit more on the mature side, and the discussion involves revealing the entire overall plot of the film, so viewer discretion advised.

All footage used in this review is intended for review purposes, and is subject to protections granted by Fair Use. No profit is gained from this video, and none of the footage or images used are the property of Valiant Attempt Gaming.

#the happytime murders #jim henson #valiant attempt gaming #valiantattemptgaming #va tony #valiant discussions

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ryanmeft · 6 years

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The Happytime Murders Movie Review

Early in my screening of The Happyplace Hooligans, an older couple in front of me walked out, muttering disgustedly. Now, on any other day, I’d applaud a movie that makes people walk out, muttering disgustedly. This time, though, I just longed for the freedom they had gained. The Gladtime Shenanigans is not a movie so much as the equivalent of a third-grader dropping the f-bomb a lot because they have just learned it and think it makes them more adult.

The worst thing about the movie is that it could have worked. The premise is that, in a world where puppets and humans co-exist, members of the first ever show to feature both humans and puppets have been getting killed off. Odd couple partners, puppet P.I. Phil Philips (Bill Barretta) and cop Melissa McCarthy Playing Melissa McCarthy have to overcome their years-old feud over the former’s dismissal from the force to solve the crimes. Hilarious things we get along the way:

1.“Fuck you” used over and over by most every character as though it is a hilarious punchline in and of itself.

2.Every single pot-boiler cliche ever made (“Why don’t you make this easy on yourself”, “I’d never find the killer if I was locked up in jail”, and a dozen others)

3.A scene in which Phil, having had sex with his client, who is also a puppet, proceeds to, ahem, completely cover his office in what seems to be silly string. You…you get the drift.

That last bit typifies the ways in which the film is flawed at a very basic level: the venerable Jim Henson studios, having opened a new adult branding to release this film, seems to believe that “Puppets plus raunch” is enough to produce hilarity. Occasionally there is a flash of satire that would work in more capable hands. Sandra White (Dorien Davies) is another puppet who brings a case to Phil, claiming she can’t stop having sex and is being blackmailed, and instantly trying to jump Phil’s puppet bones. Anyone familiar with noir will recognize the movie is trying to spoof the cliche of the female client who immediately tries to seduce the hero, but director Brian Henson and writer Todd Berger can’t, well, keep it in their pants. Instead of her character remaining a subtle burn on the old stereotype, they eventually have to go over the top with it, finally resulting in that horrible, elongated (pun intended) scene with the, ugh, the string. I reflexively rubbed my temples just thinking about it.

Truth is, I’m trying to dissect what’s so bad about the film, but I can feel the ennui setting in just from thinking about it. I took a break and watched some old Looney Tunes cartoons (more entertainment in 5% of the runtime) The subversive premise of The Joytime Riots could work. The beloved Muppets are already family-friendly satire, and theoretically Henson, son of Jim, should have been able to tap into the natural wit seen in the old films and just shift it a liiiitle bit, into dirty territory, while maintaining the clever writing and excellent character repartee. He is not able to do that. Worse still is that McCarthy sleepwalks through the material, offering not a single bit of either the verbal wit or high-energy physical comedy we get from her in her best roles. Angry rants, profanity, and insinuations from other characters that she is a man (a sort of humor I thought we had evolved beyond) make up the entirety of her role. It may be time for her to branch out, to move beyond “Melissa McCarthy gets in a fight” or “Melissa McCarthy swears”. It may also be that she simply teams well with Paul Feig, who has directed her best roles, and that others are at a loss as to what to do with her. Bridesmaids made me want to see much more of her; this movie made me want to see much less.

The other human actors have roles so wasted on nothing that I truly feel for them. Maya Rudolph as a bubbly secretary who wants to date her boss is the closest to being successful, and yet I am still trying to figure out what was supposed to be funny about her craving a banana; given the sophistication of the rest of the film, your guess is probably the same as mine. Elizabeth Banks is wasted as an ex-TV star turned stripper, as is Leslie David Baker as McCarthy’s superior. Then there’s Joel McHale, stuffed into a humor-free, lowest-effort-possible send-up of the Federal Agent who Doesn’t Trust Anyone role. I loved McHale in Community. I can’t tell you how much I dreaded him showing up on screen here. Every time he’s trotted out, he absorbs whatever tiny hope for entertainment that scene might have had.

A little trivia for you: Disney is, according to Robert Zemeckis, stubbornly sitting on a ready-to-go sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and we very much need someone to step in and fill that half-human half-something-else genre-satire-with-a-soul niche. Whereas Roger and the original Muppets took on Hollywood with the three necessary qualities of wit, respect and subversiveness, the only arrow The Happyplace Killings has in the quiver is pure nastiness, the sort of thing that might have made me laugh when I was 14 but left me ashamed to have done so as an adult. It’s the kind of movie that’s so blah, even a seasoned reviewer could forget what it was called multiple times. I’m going to stop writing about it now, and I apologize for having done so in the first place.

Verdict: Avoid Like the Plague

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts. I suppose you could consider each one as adding a star.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/

Or his very infrequent tweets here:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

All images are property of the people what own the movie.

#puppets #muppets #jim henson #brian henson #melissa mccarthy #joel mchale #Elizabeth Banks #maya rudolph #looney tunes #the happytime murders #paul feig #movies #pleasemakeitstop

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doomonfilm · 6 years

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Review : The Happytime Murders (2018)

Any child of the 1980′s (like myself) had a huge chunk of their education and morals shaped by puppets. Be it Big Bird, Kermit the Frog or any of the other iconic felt masterpieces, young boys and girls were taught how to share, how to care, and how to be aware of the feelings of others. I’m sure that many of us wondered what life would be like if those puppets were real... if the existed among us, making a day to day living like the rest of us. Brian Henson, with the help of The Jim Henson Company’s adult imprint Henson Alternative, is helping us quell those wonders with the dark comedy The Happytime Murders.

Private investigator Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta) is a puppet working in Los Angeles in the wake of losing his job as the first puppet officer in the LAPD. Even though humans and puppets have trouble coexisting, Phillips manages to operate his business with the help of his human secretary Bubbles (Maya Rudolph). When new client Sandra (Dorien Davies), a puppet being blackmailed, offers Phillips a job, he reluctantly accepts, not knowing just how deep the job will take him into a personal hell. Things start off with a bang when, during his investigation, he ends up in a porn shop with former member of The Happytime Gang (and old friend) Mr. Bumblypants (Kevin Clash), only to miss his murder by moments while looking through files in the back office. As a possible witness, Phillips finds himself back in the world of the LAPD and his former partner Detective Edwards (Melissa McCarthy). The murder of Mr. Bumblypants turns out to be the first of a string of murders featuring former cast members of The Happytime Gang : puppets Coach Lyle (Clash), Goofer (Drew Massey), Ezra (Ted Michaels), Cara (Colleen Smith), Phillips’ brother Larry Shenanigans Phillips (Victor Yerrid), and human member Jenny (Elizabeth Banks). As the walls close in around Phillips, he is forced to face his past in order to secure a future for himself and those close to him.

The way this film deals with issues of persecution and prejudice is very smart. Several little things presented ring very true to the minority experience in America, though they are not force fed to us in the film. Most of these events are subtle : puppets not being ‘competent’ enough for a job like police officer, puppets being attacked by dogs, puppets having nothing to offer to society but songs and dancing, and so on. Henson and company do a wonderful job of weaving these real threads into their story without undercutting the dark humor or coming off as preachy, and thus deepening our investment in what takes place during the film.

The humorous elements of the film tied to the nature of puppets are completely on point and extremely hilarious. Objects like silly string, liquid filled with glitter, stuffing, plastic eggs, sugar and candy are completely contextualized in a new light. The design of the puppets is brilliant as well, especially in moments like Coach Lyles’ drug den where we get huge muscular puppets, or puppets with extremely expressive faces. Lots of obvious humor is also played well, including an ungodly amount of puppet rabbits in existence that are all EXTREMELY horny, and therefore constantly occupying establishments like porn stores and strip clubs. Action sequences with the puppets are handled extremely well, especially the fight between Melissa McCarthy and the drug den puppets.

Much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, this film is essentially three films in one : a puppet film, a film noir, and a special effects film. References to Chinatown and Basic Instinct used within The Happytime Murders are pitch perfect, with the Basic Instinct reference turning out to be a key expositional point in the film and not just a moment played for laughs. The film is a true ‘whodunit’ from tip to tail, with Maya Rudolph even evoking a bit of the traditional secretary trope via vocal inflections and posture, and Phillips dealing with most of his problems as if the solution were at the bottom of a bottle.

Bill Barretta gives a wonderful voice performance as Phillips, with his jaded nature radiating off of him like light from the sun. Melissa McCarthy uses her physical comedy in a measured nature, managing to establish herself well in the vocal sparring and not relying on being a human cartoon in a film full of puppets. Maya Rudolph plays wonderfully offbeat, managing to continually hit her humor marks with no issues. Kevin Clash pulls double duty as Lyle and Bumblypants, but gives each a distinct and unique personality to wonderful effect. Elizabeth Banks holds her own during limited screen time, as does Joel McHale and Leslie David Baker. Dorien Davies is hilariously over the top as seductress puppet Sandra.

If The Happytime Murders is an indication of what Henson Alternative has in store for us, we may be in for a real treat as the studio continues to produce work. The quality holds up to the name behind it, and the results speak for themselves. Definitely worth catching if you’re looking for a nice and healthy dose of entertainment.

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 6 years

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[Trailer] Puppet Thriller THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS Tackles a Case of WTF

Last night I slide into my comfy seat in a dark theatre, getting ready for Deadpool 2. Suddenly everything changes. The screen gets all soft and sappy. It says “From the Studio that Brought you The Muppet Movie and Muppet’s Treasure Island” and things like that. Seems like a family film, but before you know it, things get straight bonkers. By the end of the trailer, no one could comprehend what just happened. I heard many people yell some variation of ‘what the hell did I just watch’ and one person called out ‘am I being punk’d right now?’

Why the reaction? Well, because it’s absolutely bananas. If you remember how audiences reacted to Team America, this blows it out of the water.

The Happytime Murders stars Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Spy, etc) and the voice of Joel McHale (Community, Talk Soup) as two private detectives on the case of a serial killer killing off the stars of an 80’s muppet sitcom one by one. The muppet private eye may be key to cracking the case, if only he can keep his life together long enough.

Guys, I don’t really know what to say except that this movie looks vulgar, shameless, base and totally fabulous. I cannot wait. It is directed by Brian Henson, son of Jim and Jane Henson and producer of such classics as A Muppet Christmas Carol and Labyrinth. Let me repeat that. The son of Jim Henson, a guy who brought the world Bear in the Big Blue House has directed an R-rated muppet murder movie. It’s written by Todd Berger, whose writing credits include things like The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow. I mean, I can’t make this stuff up. Every single one of you should check out the red band trailer right this instant. I highly recommend you see this movie and do so in California, Oregon, Colorado or any other state where recreational marijuana use is legal.

The Happytime Murders, also stars Maya Rudolph and Elizabeth Banks, and heads to theatres on August 17th.

The post [Trailer] Puppet Thriller THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS Tackles a Case of WTF appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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mediumtimes · 3 years

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Review: 'Thunder Force' teams Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer in superhero parody

Review: ‘Thunder Force’ teams Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer in superhero parody

McCarthy is obviously a formidable talent, but maybe especially after her acclaimed dramatic role in “Can you ever forgive me?” It’s easy to wish her a little more sensible choice of material, especially with dropouts like “The Happytime Murders” in the current rearview mirror. “Thunder Force” is certainly no small exercise that not only reflects the staging of a superhero film, but also co-star…

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