Big Eyes is the story of famed (I guess) painter Margaret Keane and her husband, Walter Keane and the couple’s rise to fame in the 50′s and 60′s. If you’re uncertain why Burton would take on such a project that isn’t cartoon-y or CGI…

Hold your goddamn horses and take a gander at Keane’s work. Right here.

Makes sense now, doesn’t it?

Crazy Harry

Crazy Harry is known for his love of explosions. This may not qualify exactly as pyromania, but it was close enough for the original Muppet producers to shift his character to the background after The Muppet Show’s first few years. He did have a great cameo in the original Muppet Movie, however, and will be on hand (hopefully with dynamite) in the new film.

Lew Zealand

Although most casual Muppet fans don’t know his name, Lew Zealand is pretty recognizable as the Muppet with the amazing boomerang fish. He’s also very creepy in his appearance. Still though, at least he doesn’t have an explosives fetish, like Harry.

Pepe the King Prawn

This bizarre character is relatively new to the Muppet world, first appearing on Muppet’s Tonight. Pepe has a heavy Spanish accent, and takes great pride in being a Prawn, as opposed to a shrimp. In fact, he looks down upon shrimp, which pretty much makes him the only bigoted Muppet, except of course for Big Bird, who hates Mexicans.

Fart jokes? What is this, Phantom Menace?

But thankful, I was completely and unequivocally wrong. The Muppets was an enjoyable film on every level. Somehow, over 30 years after its premiere, Jason Segel and director James Bobin managed to capture the spirit of the original film and still appeal to a modern audience. It’s funny without being crude, earnest without being sappy, and self-referential without being smug. But most of all, unlike other attempts to recreate nostalgia, The Muppets is fun to watch because it feels like the old gang is really back together. I suppose the fact that Muppets don’t age probably helped, but it’s more than that. I could tell that the filmmakers were as excited to make this film as I was to watch it.

The movie begins in Small Town, U.S.A., where a very Muppet-esque character named Walter is living with his brother Gary (Segel). All his life, Walter has been obsessed with The Muppets, so he’s overjoyed to learn that Gary and his longtime-girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) have arranged for a trip to Los Angeles and a tour of The Muppet Studios. However, his joy is short-lived.

Upon reaching Los Angeles, the three quickly realize that The Muppets are no longer the draw they once were. The Muppet Theater is in complete disrepair, and The Muppet Studios are a shell of their former glory. The highlight of the tour is the door of Kermit’s old office, followed by a trip to the room where industrial cables are stored.

Bored with the official tour, Walter sneaks away from the group, and while hiding under Kermit’s old desk, he overhears the fiendish plot of Tex Richman (played perfectly by Chris Cooper), a billionaire who wants to tear down the studio and drill for more oil. But of course, there’s a catch. If the Muppets can raise $10 million, the studio will remain under their control.

And we’re off. Harry, Gary and Mary set out to warn Kermit of the impending danger, and from there Kermit must track down his old friends. It’s not a groundbreaking plot, but it works, and it gives us the perfect opportunity to see what’s become of our old friends. Fozzie is working a sad lounge act in Reno with a knock-off group known as “The Moopets,” Gonzo is running a pluming corporation, and Ms. Piggy is a designer in Paris. There is never any doubt that they’ll all agree to reunite, but the filmmakers manage to spin the predictability to their advantage, making light of the contrived plot twists rather than trying to mask them.

Despite the fact that I knew what was coming at every turn, I was still constantly surprised. Rather than simply rehashing what made the previous Muppet movies work, the film managed to tweak things just enough to keep it fresh without straying too far from what the audience expected. This includes the ending, which takes us exactly where we know we’re going, but by a slightly different route. Even the celebrity cameos set the right tone. The big names were there, but they weren’t the focus. Somehow, Jack Black managed to tone it down and let the Muppets be the center of attention. And the notable absence of Lady Gaga, who was previously rumored to be in the film, was a welcome treat.

Even the musical numbers, which usually lend themselves to cringe-worth moments, somehow kept me laughing. Yesterday, if you had told me the film included a rap number by Chris Cooper, it would have made me nauseous. But as much as I wanted to hate the scene, I just couldn’t. The movie was impervious to my cynicism. And considering I’m a cynical prick who works on the goddamn Internet, I think that says a lot. Hack writers like myself love to accuse movies of “raping” their childhood. Well, the only thing this movie raped was my bad attitude.

Go and see the Muppets, and if you don’t like it, go straight to hell.

'The Muppets' Trailer, For Real This Time

Apparently, the presentation on The Muppets at D23 was a success, with the clips and live portions getting positive reactions from those in attendance. Nobody from Screen Junkies is at D23 though, so you’ll have to make do with these photos.You read it here first. (The Playlist)

7 photosAmy Adams

Fishburne joins Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond Harry Lennix and Christopher Meloni, with shooting beginning in the fall. (Deadline)

7 photosAmy Adams

The good news here is that when Close and Dourif call up their parents to tell them the good news, they can just say they’re in The Master, not “the Scientology movie” or whatever. Just The Master. (Variety)

New Teaser For ‘The Muppets’ Tries To Put One Over On You Again

Anyway, the trailer looks pretty funny, if you’re into Muppets and everything. What I happen to like the most is that they kept most if not all of the movie’s copious celebrity cameos out of the trailer, leaving them as a fun surprise for people who go to see the movie. Whoa, that takes me back.

7 photosAmy Adams

The Muppets run wildly into theaters November 23, 2011.

7 photosAmy Adams

“Hoffman stars as a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls.”

Man, I should start a belief system. Lot of money in that. (The Film Stage)

7 photosAmy Adams

Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures is financing and The Weinstein Company will distribute. (Variety)

The role was originally offered to Reese Witherspoon last year, but when production ground to a halt when everyone in Hollywood realized that they were biting the hand that feeds them with the thinly-veiled treatment of Scientology. As such, the project went away, and so did Witherspoon.

It’ unknown exactly how much this project’s subject matter parallels the story of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology and how critical of the topic it is, especially after a possible rewrite late last year before mega-badass Megan Ellison saved the project, but it’s safe to say that any story about Scientology is sure to raise a few eyebrows in Hollywood. You know, due to all those freaky Scientologists.

Production on the film starts on June 13th.

It’s a pretty hilarious trailer, and they commit better than most to the “fake trailer” conceit. I would have loved to post this as a trailer for “Green With Envy,” but they do such a good job faking it that you probably would have turned it off after 10 seconds or so. And that would have been a shame, because you would have missed the really expensive explosion at the end.

“There was a big, giant search for Lois …  For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it. It goes back to what I’ve said about Superman and making him really understandable for today. What’s important to us is making him relevant and real and making him empathetic to today’s audience so that we understand the decisions he makes.  That applies to Lois as well. She has to be in the same universe as him.”

Props to Snyder for putting more thought into this casting decision than “hot chicks are cool” like he did in Watchmen. I think Adams is a great choice for the role, in that it’s difficult to characterize without using words like “plucky.” Hopefully Adams won’t let the par drive her insane like Margot Kidder did. (LA Times)

“She would play an uptight journalist who intends to eviscerate Stacee Jax with an expose. A seduction ensues instead, and after they duet to the Foreigner song I Want To Know What Love Is, nature takes its course.”

If this solidifies, Adams would be co-starring with Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, and Russell Brand. So if you like the idea of seeing those people singing 80s pop tunes, get excited. (via Deadline)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES – You may be quick to criticize these pictures (or the existence of the film entirely) as looking exactly like the other films in the series. Then you’d look like a damned fool. They’re clearly wearing more blue in this film and Johnny Depp‘s hair is on loan from “American Idol” runner-up Crystal Bowersox.

TH GREEN LANTERN – In this very exciting picture, Green Lantern and Hector Hammond are chilling together at some kind of premiere. You can see the Lantern is about to conjure a light ball or something else cosmic between his palms. It’s weird to see Peter Sarsgaard playing the ugly guy. I guess Jackie Earle Haley was booked.

THE MUPPETS – Jason Segal and Amy Adams cut a rug. They will later wrap the rug fragments around Segal’s forearm and hot glue eyeballs to it.

Hey Peter -

Spike here. I’m writing on behalf of my friend David Russell, regarding his new movie The Fighter. Did you get a chance to see it yet? How insanely great is Christian Bale?

Can you do me a favor and post this 2 minute trailer called “Pressure” on your site?

The trailer that they put out originally makes the film feel a little generic and I just want to help David get the word out. I got to see it a few weeks ago, and I loved it, and if all you saw is the trailer that’s out, you might not know that it’s as interesting and strong as it is.

Thanks for your help!
Spike

I was already looking forward to seeing The Fighter before watching the above trailer, and don’t see how it differs that much from the original one. But hey, I’ll do whatever I can to keep O. Russell from calling Spike a c*nt.

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee

Synopsis: A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Release Date: December 10th, 2010

The secret screening at AFI Film Festival was the long awaited boxing drama The Fighter. Mark Wahlberg waited four years to make this movie and it was a lot for me to take. I mean, I can handle death and despair. That’s a good time at the movies. You give me an abusive family and that’s just hopeless.

Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) is an up and coming local boxer. His brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale) trains him and his mom, Alice (Melissa Leo) is his manager. Dickie is a crackhead and Alice is turning down paying offers for Mickey out of family loyalty, so they’ve totally got his best interests at heart.

This is really a drug movie disguised as a boxing movie. Dickie is really strung out and he’s destroying his whole family. It’s a slice of life, but a heavy drinking, hard living slice. They could pass, maybe, if you don’t go in their house, but the Wards are really sick and dangerous people. Bale is all Machinist up in here. Dickie is acting up when he’s happy. Imagine how he gets when things aren’t going well.

The threat Alice feels when Mickey gets opportunities on his own is really disturbing. It’s like “I want what’s best for you until you disagree.” It’s the sad story you see so often where someone thinks control is the same as love and respect. You want to kill your sons, keep doing what you’ve been doing the past nine years. How many failures before you accept you’re not good for him?

It’s really depressing for me to see people stuck with the bad decisions of others. There’s no catharsis or triumph over adversity to me. Maybe you get to a point where they clean up and aren’t constantly damaging to you, is existing the best we can offer? No actual relationship, just hope for non-destruction?

It takes another woman, Charlene (Amy Adams) to support Mickey. It’s still scary how dangerous Mickey’s family is. I guess the story is ultimately how they all made peace, but that doesn’t comfort me. Even Mickey’s support gets controlling of him. I guess it all breeds itself over and over. That really messes with me because I needed Mickey to have some trust in his life.

There’s also some boxing. David O. Russell really builds those rousing moments. It’s subtle within that whole family drama, but you are cheering for Mickey. Fights are filmed with TV cameras, only you see them in widescreen. Russell has a few other interesting visual techniques for creating a scene.

The Fighter is good. It tells its story and everyone involved really sells it. It’s a story that’s so hard for me to take, I’ll never watch it again. If I’d known how emotionally abusive his family was, I might have braced myself. It just makes me appreciate that I get to live on my own and be my own person with my family. This behavior is tragic.

Zach Galifianakis, everyone’s favorite bearded comedian at the moment, is in talks to appear in the upcoming Muppet movie as a person, even though he looks a helluva lot like Fozzy Bear. Robert Downey Jr. dropped the casting news during a press interview for Due Date. That Downey. He’s incorrigable.

Galifianakis would join Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, and Chris Cooper, who have all already been cast. The new film, directed by James Bobin, will "take place within a showbiz setting and follow the Muppets as they try to save their studio from a greedy oil baron (Cooper) who wants to dig for oil. Segel is set to play the lead who reunites the Muppets for one last show to save the studio; Adams is his girlfriend, while Jones will play an ABC executive." No word yet on what Galifianakis would play. Maybe a film director. It’s time he put that beard to good use. (ThePlaylist)

Paramount aired a new trailer for David O. Russell’s The Fighter last night during the season finale of”Mad Men.” It’s for all dem high brow smarts peoples out there who love a good underdog Oscar bait film. Saying this movie is Oscar bait isn’t meant as a dig. I’m actually very excited to see it even though it’s not the most groundbreaking take on a boxer movie. Everyone in the cast looks like they’re on their game, especially Christian Bale who never fails to transform himself into a batsh*t crazy mess. I know nothing more about his performance than what I’ve seen in the trailer, but I’m calling his Supporting Actor nomination right now. The Academy loves it when actors lose weight and hair.

Check out the trailer below.

(Deadline)

The Muppets are pretty damn awesome all by themselves. Why someone would take a perfectly good Muppet movie and add humans to it is something I’ll never know, but it seems the film’s screenwriter, Jason Segal, is doing just that. Aside from casting himself in the film, Segal is bringing a whole host of skinjobs with him.

Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones are reported very close to signing on to the project. "Adams would play Segal’s girlfriend, Cooper would play the greedy villain, and Jones would play an ABC executive." The plot involves the Muppets getting their show back together in order to save a movie studio. Cooper wants to buy the studio so he can drill for oil underneath its property, but Kermit the Frog is all like, "F**k that noise, son!"

Unfortunately, they’ll probably cut that last line out. Ya know, for the kids. (THR via Vulture)

_{Win by Technical Derp-out.}

The trailer has dropped for David O. Russell‘s The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams. Holy crap does this movie look like Oscar bait, and not necessarily in a bad way. The trailer alone had me quickly transitioning through a range of emotions. My work desk is currently covered in tears, blood, and Jujubes. I secreted the first two.

The film follows boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid-1980s. It’s just your average gu fighting the good fight to fight in the fighting ring, and of course in life. Also, check out Amy Adams as a take-no-sh*t bartender. Give her sass and she’ll claw your eyes out.

The Fighter steps into theaters December 10, 2010.

Check out the trailer after the jump…

The Fighter Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

Wyck Godrey, producer of the Twilight Saga, spoke with Fearnet the other day and confirmed that Amy Adams will indeed be playing the subject of the Janis Joplin biopic, should it ever actually happen. Fernando Meirelles (City of God) is attached to direct, but no studio has signed on and it doesn’t seem there’s even a completed script. So basically they’ve secured an actress and a director for a movie with no money or story. Hey, it hasn’t stopped the porn industry from thriving.

Speaking of sex, is Amy Adams the best actress to portray a drug-addled nymphomaniac such as Joplin? I look at Adams and assume she’s never even seen a penis or hypodermic needle, let alone had both inside of her at the same time. She’s really going to have to step outside her comfort level to fully embrace the role, or take a boatload of drugs to get through the ordeal. Hey, it hasn’t stopped the porn industry from thriving. (Deadline)