Jan 14, 2013

30 Favorite Muppet Movie Moments, Part 2

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - Here is part two and the last 15 of my favorite Muppet Movie Moments.

From The Muppet Christmas Carol...
16. "Scrooge" - The opening song from The Muppet Christmas Carol, in which the cast sings about how mean and greedy Scrooge is, providing the viewers with information about the character (in addition to Gonzo's narraration). It's such a fun song.
17. "Light the lamp, not the rat!" - Gonzo accidently sets Rizzo's tail on fire as he proceeds to light the lamp... And it's fun to watch Rizzo suffer by getting his tail on fire and then thrown into a bucket of water, causing him to be covered in ice. One of the more memorable gags.
18. Fozziwig's Party - The whole Christmas party sequence is great, it's Fozzie's only big scene in the movie, as well as the only scene in the movie to feature quite a few classic characters: The Electric Mayhem, Rowlf, and The Swedish Chef. We get a great performance by The Electric Mayhem and some great heckling from Statler and Waldorf (which turns into praise when they realize how short Fozzie's speech is).
19. "It Feels Like Christmas" - A jolly Christmas song sung by The Ghost of Christmas Present, which is perhaps the best representation of the character in the movie. We get some silliness, some great lyrics, and we see Scrooge start to like Christmas.

From Muppet Treasure Island...
20. Torturing Gonzo and Rizzo - The bad guys capture Gonzo and Rizzo and torture them into telling them where the treasure map is. Gonzo likes his torture, which involves stretching his arms and legs (he might even get a future in the NBA), but since he likes it they try torturing Rizzo, which doesn't end well either.
21. "Cabin Fever" -  One of the highlights of the movie as the ship's crew starts going crazy after weeks at sea, giving them cabin fever and singing this fun tropical song.

From Muppets from Space...
22. Brick House - The opening sequence to Muppets from Space involves everybody getting ready to start their day as "Brick House" plays over the footage. We see characters waiting in line to use the bathroom, characters bathing in the sink and toilet, Sweetums brushing with an over-sized brush, and of course cameos by many characters who don't have a big part in the movie.
23. Jacuzzi party - Rizzo and Pepe trick Gonzo into thinking his family will come if he builds a jacuzzi, so Gonzo throws a jacuzzi party anticipating the arrival of his family, who don't show up. Rizzo starts feeling guilty, leading Pepe to threaten to spank him "like a bad, bad donkey, okay!" if he tells the truth. We also get the movie's only cameo by Johnny Fiama and Sal, who cut the cake too early.
24. Door in a Jar- A funny scene where the Muppets need to use Bunsen's "door in a jar," but the door ends up being as big as the jar. Only Pepe and Rizzo can fit. This include one of Pepe's best and most definitive lines, "I am not a shrimp! I am a king prawn!"

From The Muppets...
25. "Pictures in my Head" - A beautiful song sung by Kermit as he reflects on the old times, looking at pictures of his friends and imagining them coming to life. If I could have one complaint it's that there's too few pictures; Kermit could have at least had portraits of Rowlf, Scooter, Bunsen and Beaker.
26. Time-saving montage - A montage, suggested by 80s Robot, so that the other Muppets could be picked up faster. We see Bunsen and Beaker at the Hadron Collider, a stage hook taking back Sam Eagle, The Electric Mayhem, Scooter, and Crazy Harry, and a repeat of a gag from The Muppet Movie.
27. Clean-up montage - The Muppets return to the theater for the first time in years, and it needs to be cleaned up. After cleaning starts out dull, Walter suggests they do it to music, so they play "We Built This City" as they clean up. Favorite gags include the return of clueless Beauregard, Fozzie showing off his ridiculous 80s haircut, and The Swedish Chef setting food on fire. Plus the return of Thog, Wayne and Wanda, Link and Dr. Strangepork, and many others.
28. "Man or Muppet" - "Man or Muppet" deservedly won last year's Oscar for Best Original Song. Gary (Jason Segel) pictures himself as a Muppet while Walter pictures himself as a human (Jim Parsons), and it's both meaningful and funny. I especially like the parts with the human Walter talking and moving like a Muppet.
29. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - This is the kind of act that would have probably been done on The Muppet Show if it had never went off the air. Jack Black gets roped into doing a barbershop sequence, with Rowlf, Sam, Link, and Beaker singing a barbershop quartet rendition of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." And it's just as hard-to-understand as the original.
30. "Life's a Happy Song" finale - The finale best represents the movie as the Muppets sing to a crowd outside of the theater. We get almost every important character who appeared in the movie, dialogue by some who hadn't spoken earlier (such as Marvin Suggs), and the tune is quite catchy.






The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

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