bellebook

That question pretty much sums up my reaction to "The Muppet Christmas Carol", a hilarious, yet touching film.

What did I like about the movie? Just about everything! Michael Caine made a great Scrooge, and this film showed us, possibly better than just about any other version I've seen, just how Scrooge came to be such a miser (although that could partly be because the versions I saw which really go into Scrooge's childhood were clearly adult versions, which meant they could be more subtle in their explanations). To Caine's eternal credit, he made Scrooge very believable, which is no small feat considering most of his fellow cast members were puppets.

And what about the Muppets? They were also brilliant! Kermit made an excellent Bob Cratchit, loyal and humble, and he had a wonderful tribute to Tiny Tim which also served as a brilliant tribute to Jim Henson. Miss Piggy was a great Mrs. Cratchit, feisty yet very loving toward Bob (the worst of her temper was thankfully muted by the story). Fozzie the Bear was a hilarious Fozziwig, and The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat made a great team, having some of the best lines out there (my favorite is Rizzo's "Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!"). The ghosts were definitely believable (and in the case of the two Marley Brothers, hilarious as well). Incidentally, the original text had only one Marley -- Jacob, but to get the two comedians from the balcony in the story, Robert Marley was added.

Finally, the songs were rather good, with the best one (in my humble opinion) being "When Love is Gone".

So, I firmly recommend "The Muppet Christmas Carol" to one and all.

Belle Book

I watched the Daria TV-movie "Is It Fall Yet?" primarily because I have a friend from the Internet (won't name names) who loves the show, and urged me to see it -- and to see the episode before it called, "Dye! Dye! My Darling!" (I think that's the title).

So, I taped it and last Tuesday, I watched it. And was it ever fun! The movie features the adventures of Daria, Jane, and the rest of the crew from Lawndale High off on summer vacation. However, it's more about how Jane and Daria try to deal with their relationship, which has been tested thanks to the fact that Jane's romance with Tom Sloane didn't work out and he is now dating Daria (something which begins in the earlier episode). Daria feels torn between Jane and Tom and her cynical attitude and her guilt nearly wreck any possible romance between her and Tom! Fortunately, things work out: Jane gets over her understandable feelings of hurt, Daria doesn't lose her friend, and she and Tom try again in their developing relationship.

As I said, I really enjoyed it. The movie was very smart and funny, and it was rather deep too, as it dealt with a friendship being strained, and a romance strained by the attitude of Daria and by her own guilt. I was glad that the whole thing was resolved -- Daria and Jane emerge from this crisis with a stronger friendship than before, enabling Daria to try again with Tom. A neat subplot deals with Quinn, Daria's sister, and how she learns she has more depth and more intelligence than she may have once realized. Her seeming lack of depth is a mask -- one of the many masks or defensive shields used by characters in this movie, such as Jane and Daria.

In short, I almost wish I had seen the series earlier. I hope to see how things turn out in the fifth season.

Belle Book