I've never been too crazy about The Muppets. I really, really, really liked Muppet Treasure Island and that had been the only Muppet anything I have ever seen, barring some forgettable snipets of the Muppet Babies cartoon. Despite this, I was very excited to see this one, being glad of any major Hollywood production that involves puppets over CGI in any live action film.
And it doesn't disappoint. I went to go see it with seven other individuals of varying ages, mostly kids and teens, and we came out liking it. And what's not to like? There's hilarious jokes and an engaging story with some emotional depth. You don't really need anything else for a pretty good kid movie. Granted it doesn't rise to a Pixar level of goodness, but frankly nobody, other than Disney itself or the fantastically ignored Secret of Kells, has ever gotten close to that good. So its good to see a film being made with puppets that should become a well-beloved classic alongside the other great Muppet films.
Score: A-
J. Edgar, on the other hand, is a mess. Oh the acting and story are pretty neat. DiCaprio doing predictably well as usual in the titular with the other actors and actresses being good enough to not ruin the immersion. And the story is also interesting to anyone wanting to see a dramatized version of the birth of the FBI (like me).
The rest, like I said before, is a complete mess. The narrative is all over the place and can be confusing for the layman to follow with random references to shady government stuff that is going to confuse anyone without a History degree. While the "not quite" black & white visuals are neat, all they do is blanket the movie in overly-dramatic shadows. Also when you really have to go pee and you know the movie is close to ending, a person can really pick up on just how many goddamn stopping points a movie could have had. The film also delves into Hoover's supposed homosexual & chaste relationship with his protege.
I can say that director Clint Eastwood portrays this aspect of Hoover's life in a respectable and not at all hypocritical or stereotypical way, so some props to him for that. But I was expecting more coming from Eastwood who has proved himself to be a much more competent director than what he dishes out with J. Edgar. Not terrible, just disappointing. And he is Clint Fucking Eastwood after all, so he's kinda allowed to make just however many mediocre films as he sees fit.
Score: C-
