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jeremyactor
Reviews
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Great movie! Unlike anything Henson has ever done!
This is Henson at his best. Mind you, this is not the light and fuzzy Muppets you see on TV - this is puppetry done better and more lifelike than EVER before. Don't see "Jim Henson" and expect Kermit the Frog. He's a puppeteer, not a children's entertainer. This is an excellent story about the Skesis, who hope to hold on to their power despite a prophesy about a Gelfling who will shut them out forever. The Skeksis thought they had killed all of the Gelfling, but they missed 2. The movie took 5 years to make, and it the workmanship is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Only 1 human, a stunt double for one of the Gelfling characters, appears in the movie - the rest is all amazing hand, radio, or costume puppets. An absolute triumph for art.
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
A wonderful special
When I learned about Jim Henson's death in 1990, it was while I was watching the Muppet Movie. I was only 6 years old at the time, and I didn't understand it. I just enjoyed this special looking back at all the Muppet fun over the past years, not really knowing that what they were trying to remember was the man who gave birth to the Muppets - perhaps the greatest dreamer and visionary of my lifetime. Now as an 18 year old, I have fallen in love with the Muppets all over again - and I dusted off my copy of this special and played it. At the end, where they read the letters from the fans about Jim's death, I never fail to cry. Even as I write this, I'm tearing up a bit from just remembering Scooter (whose voice, Richard Hunt, would pass only 2 years later), Fozzie, and Piggy reading letters, and only then learning that Jim Henson had passed away. Ray Charles performs a beautiful version of "Bein' Green", with the help of the monsters from Sesame Street - and they show clips of Jim working on Muppet projects. They talk to his best friend, Frank Oz. They talk to Steven Spielberg, John Denver, Carol Burnett, Harry Belafonte, and they all remember something great and unique that Jim contributed to this world. This is the most touching tribute to anyone that I have ever seen, and I think it's good to sit down, watch it, and remember the great times that Jim gave us.