James' Movie Blog

  This right here, is a rather silly movie. With 2004's “Team America: World Police”, we not only get a very different side to both Matt Stone and Trey Parker, but also a different side to how movies are made. And what we get is a rather hilarious and funny satire on politics and the world at the time, in one of the most ingenious ways possible. That does, however, deviate the film's legacy a bit, as well as some of the story elements being easy to predict. But that doesn't mean the entire film is entertaining. From beginning to end, the movie is thrill ride of excitement and humor. “Team America: World Police” might not be for everyone, but it is a hilarious comedy poking fun at a time when things were not so harmful. And it all involves puppets. The story revolves around a team of elite forces: Gary, Joe, Chris, Lisa and Sarah. Their mission is to stop terrorists from destroying the world by launching weapons of mass destruction. Now, using their intelligence, the team m...

Jim Henson was a man who revolutionized how puppets were portrayed in the media. He helped create programs for television and movies that were aimed at more kid-friendly and family-friendly audiences. Things like 'Sesame Street', 'The Muppet Show', and others had a specific audience in mind. Only on the rare occasions like “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth” did Henson go into more older crowd with its content. That is until now. With “The Happytime Murders”, we get an R-rated feature from Jim's son Brian that gives us a more mature look at puppets. And the end result is... bad. While it's definitely not the worst, the film is just bland, uninteresting, and more importantly, boring. “The Happytime Murders” is not what Jim Henson wanted, but also not what he needed. The story is set in a world where puppets and humans co-exist, however, puppets are mistreated and considered as objects rather than people. One puppet, Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta), is a for...