Death at a Funeral (2007) – Frank Oz

Frank Oz directs this uproariously funny film that puts the ‘fun’ in funeral, and amps up the hilarity by setting it in England. There’s just something horrendously funny about things going wrong around Brits, as they try to maintain some manner of decorum, dignity and civility. Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) is mourning the loss of his…

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) – Frank Oz

I haven’t seen this movie in three decades. I only ever saw it the one time. It was during our senior trip which saw members of our class go to Boston for a week, it was pretty cool, and I remember that somehow the choice of movies came down to me, because even then I…

Muppets From Space (1999) – Tim Hill

I’m not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised by Muppets From Space. I remember seeing some of the trailers when it was first coming out, and to me it looked like a big silly misstep. The muppets had really figured something out by interpreting literary classics with a Henson twist, but this seemed like…

Muppet Treasure Island (1996) – Brian Henson, and David Lane

Tim Curry, Billy Connelly, Jennifer Saunders and Kevin Bishop joined the standard Muppet cast of characters in the film series follow-up to A Muppet Christmas Carol. This time they took on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale of Treasure Island which saw Tim Curry delightfully chewing scenery as Long John Silver. Kermit (Steven Whitmire) is…

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – Brian Henson

Sure, it’s way too early for a Christmas movie, but the next theatrical film that the Muppets released was their take on the classic Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. The human roles are few and far between, but Michael Caine is perfectly cast as Ebenezer Scrooge. When it comes to takes on A Christmas…

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) – Frank Oz

Growing up, and even now, my love for the Muppets has never faltered, and while I treasure my memories of The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, and The Great Muppet Caper, I have no real recall of The Muppets Take Manhattan. I saw it only once, when it came to home video, and I don’t…

The Dark Crystal (1982) – Jim Henson and Frank Oz

1982 was a great year for genre film, and I remember seeing Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal in the theatre, and being totally in awe of it. The story for me was ok, but it was the realm I found myself in, Thra as portrayed on the big screen (though I didn’t know the name…

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – Frank Oz

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken bring their bring science fiction b-movie musical to the big screen, ably directed by Frank Oz, in this 1986 adaptation that is the next stop in the Monstrous Aliens section of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. Rick Moranis plays Seymour, a bit of a schlub with an affectation for…

The Blues Brothers (1980) – John Landis

Director John Landis teams up with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in a road movie with tunes, laughs, and style. This was the movie, that I discovered in the late 80s, that introduced me to soul music, and I loved it. Featuring a who’s who of musical legends like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Cab…