The Muppets (2011) - M7.8/E7

I know it's bad to go into a movie with any expectations.  Doing so can ruin the overall experience and limit the ability to fairly assess it.  I had seen most of the older Muppet movies and remember enjoying them.  From what I heard this was the Muppet of all Muppet movies, and I probably agree.  I enjoyed the movie, but was anticipating something a little more amazing than it actually was.  For one, it wasn't meant to be amazing, it was meant to be entertaining, and it was.

Thinking on back on some of the random songs sung through out (Muppet of a Man/Manly Muppet was great) and the interactive humor with the audience (pretty well done, considering that it wasn't performed live!) make me smile.  Though, my younger preschool age kids didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did, I think there was enough slapstick humor and music for them to at least not dislike the film.

The overall plot of the movie (trying to bring the Muppets out of obscurity and back into the 21st century) seemed a little contrived, but from what I remember from other Muppet movies, not too far off from previous stories.

One interesting element in the story was the relationship difficulties between Gary and Mary and Kermit and Piggy - definitely over the head of preschoolers, and possibly a little too sentimental/emotional for my liking.  The film does try to do a decent job showing that when you know you love someone, it's foolish to let them leave your life.  Staying together means sacrificing some of your interests and desires and putting the interests and desires of your loved one above yours.  Interestingly, you don't lose your identity by doing this, you put faith in someone else to do it for you, which can do nothing but increase their love and concern for you.

Beyond romantic relationships, friendship is also brought up as we see Kermit and Walter try to round up the old Muppet gang and find out that they all wanted to be back together again, they just needed someone to initiate the process. 

I'm not sure how much longer this will be in the theater, but I definitely recommend looking for it to come out on DVD, and then make an effort to at least rent it, it's 98 minutes of well spent time.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) - M5.4/E8

I have to say my initial desire to see this on opening night at an IMAX theater 45 min. away was for the prologue of the Dark Knight Rises, and it was well worth it.  I'm even more excited to see it this summer, and I was pretty stinking excited to see it in the first place.

Mission Impossible 4 on an IMAX theater was pretty amazing, and a lot more intense than it would be in a regular theater (which I loved, but my wife did not).  The opening sequence with breaking Ethan Hunt out of a Serbian prison was mind blowing and had enough neck cracking and bone breaking to set anyone on edge.  The follow-up credit sequence and theme song by Giacchino was excellent.

I liked the fewer corny lines in this one compared to MI3 (Dunn provided a good balance of comedy); and there were a lot fewer cliche Mission Impossible scenarios going on here too.  The missions up to this point seemed to be pretty much the same.  It's introduced as an unthinkable mission (breaking into the CIA, or some other top secret place), and everyone is flabbergasted at the thought, and then Ethan says something like, "It gets much worse..." and then he goes on and explains the unbelievable security that they'll have to breach, and then they do it.  This one had similar elements, but the unexpected circumstances under which they were required to operate made the film more engaging and interesting.

[***Spoiler Alert - Read on if you've already seen the movie, or don't plan on seeing it***]

I was a little bothered at first when it was insinuated that things didn't work out between Ethan and his wife.  The entire third movie was based on their love for each other and willingness to die for each other's safety.  I was very relieved when we find out what really happened with his wife (the second revelation, not the fact that she died, though even that would be better than just leaving her).

The team work that resulted from a haphazardly assembled team was very well portrayed.  Everything didn't just work, they had to work out differences, learn how to work together and trust one another in order to accomplish their mission.  Ethan did a good job as the team lead by not forcing people to cooperate or penalizing them for not working well; he just did the best he could and expected them to follow suit.

Definitely worth seeing in the theater, try IMAX if you have the option.  No sex/nudity, language was better than a lot of PG-13 shows, violence was the main contributor to the rating.