"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Streaming Service: Disney+ Movie Name/Year: Marvel Studios’ Special
Presentation: Werewolf by Night (2022) Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy,
Horror Length: 52min Rating: TV-14 Production/Distribution: Marvel Studios, Disney+ Director: Michael Giacchino Writers: Heather Quinn, Peter Cameron,
Gerry Conway, Michael G. Ploog, Roy Thomas, Jean Thomas Actors: Gael García Bernal, Laura
Donnelly, Harriet Sansom Harris, Leondardo Nam, Eugenie Bondurant, Kirk R.
Thatcher, Al Hamacher IMDb Blurb: Follows a lycanthrope superhero
who fights evil using the abilities given to him by a curse brought on by his
bloodline.
Cat’s Point of View: When Disney and Marvel announced that they were releasing a
Halloween Special this year, I was rather over the moon. (No pun intended…this
time.) As I was growing up, you could count on most shows to have a bonafide “Halloween
Special” air separately from their usual storylines. These days you don’t see
that as often. Sure, productions will give a nod to the season with set
dressing; but more often than not, it feels like an afterthought rather than
the drive of the narrative. Werewolf by Night
was exciting to me from the get-go because it felt like the equivalent of
Marvel Studios and Disney+ teaming up to give us a full-size candy bar in our
trick-or-treat bucket, just as the Halloween season is really beginning to ramp
up. While not a standard-length movie, the 52-minute runtime of
this lycanthropic lark was just the right length to give a satisfying story for
this stand-alone special. It was packed solid with mystery, action,
shenanigans, and enough horror elements to delight genre fans.
While Werewolf by
Night has a TV-14 rating, parents should be cautious about letting younger
kids partake in this particular monster flick. If the production had been made
entirely in color, rather than the throwback black and white, it would have
received a TV-MA rating for the bloody action. We’re talking dismembering and
worse, here. I loved the monochromatic choice, though. While it might have
made some of the violence more palatable for a wider range of audiences, it was
all about the ambiance for me. I could just envision this as one of those
classic monster movies of yesteryear. There are even quite a few Easter eggs
sprinkled throughout that pay homage to those very cinematic forbears. While I love comics, I have to admit that I wasn’t really
that familiar with the Marvel characters introduced in Werewolf by Night. Admittedly, I am now significantly more curious
about Ted, Elsa, and Jack… but I didn’t need to have knowledge of their
respective comic runs to really appreciate this special. That’s really the
beauty of these MCU productions – there are so many characters available for
them to pick from that you never know what corner of the comic verse they’re
going to mine for material.
That being said, it reinforces the point that the
monumental volume of stories out there, it affords the perfect opportunity for
Marvel to cherry-pick the moments to spotlight for specials like this. I would
absolutely watch the hell out of as many stand-alone specials as they want to
throw at us. Let me just say yes please, in advance, for regular seasonal-specific
one-offs, please. I digress… I’m hoping that we’ll see these characters again somewhere
else in the MCU moving forward. Just because they decided specifically not to
provide a post-credits scene to keep this story self-contained doesn’t mean
they couldn’t waltz into another franchise later as supporting characters. There really wasn’t anything I found negative about Werewolf by Night. The cast was amazing;
led by Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the
Jungle, Old, Maya and the Three), Laura Donnelly (Outlander, Tolkien, The Nevers), and Harriet Sansom Harris (Phantom Thread, Atlantic Crossing, Licorice
Pizza). The production quality was on par with any other MCU offering, as well.
It was an impressive directorial debut for Michael Giacchino
(Monster Challenge, Star Trek: Short
Treks). Though, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. He’s been in the
industry a while now, though as a musical composer. He got his start in the mid-90s
working with video games before transitioning to cinema. Everyone has heard his
work before in productions such as Doctor
Strange (2016), Jurassic World
(2015), and even TV shows such as Lost
(2004-2010). Composing movie scores is a bit like directing in and of itself.
Music is so intrinsically tied to the experience of film and people’s emotions.
Creating something to evoke the right feeling at the appropriate story moment
is a very similar process – at least in my opinion. I’m looking forward to
seeing what his creative vision will bring us in the future for MCU projects or
elsewhere. Werewolf by Night
was an awesome addition to our Ominous October and I would recommend it for
classic horror fans looking for a fun, if brief, experience.
Streaming Service: Disney+ Movie Name/Year: Muppet Haunted Mansion (2021) Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family Length: 52 minutes Rating: TV-PG Production/Distribution: Disney Branded Television, Disney+, Soapbox Films,
The Muppets Studio, Walt Disney Television Director: Kirk R. Thatcher Writers: Bill Barretta, Kirk R. Thatcher,
Kelly Younger, Jim Lewis, Jim Henson, Walt Disney Actors: Will Arnett, Taraji P. Henson,
Darren Criss, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson,
Matt Vogel, Peter Linz, David Rudman, Julianne Buescher, Alice Dinnean, Bruce
Lanoil, Brian Henson, Nicolette Santino, Alex Villa, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ed Asner,
Chrissy Metz, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, Danny Trejo, Sasheer Zamata, Skai Jackson,
Geoff Keighley, Pat Sajak, Justina Machado, Craig Robinson, John Stamos, Kim
Irvine, Quinn McPherson, Sarah Oh, Colleen Smith, Allan Trautman Blurb from IMDb: On Halloween night, Gonzo is challenged to
spend one night in The Haunted Mansion.
Cat’s Point of View: I have been a fan of The Muppets my entire life. Between Sesame Street (1969-) and the various
Muppet shows, I developed a love for these felted and fuzzy characters very
early on.
The glow of nostalgia is like a warm hug whenever I watch my old
favorites such as the Muppet Babies
(1984-1991) cartoon or The Muppet Show
(1976-1981). I have fond memories of seeing The
Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) in the theater. I remember sitting with my
friends from daycare and getting excited as the curtains drew back from the
screen. That is one thing I miss with the modern movie experience. I digress… Needless to say, whenever there is a new Muppet production
available, I am generally right on top of it. (Well, except
Muppets Now (2020) but we’re not here
to talk about that.)
When I saw that The Muppets were finally doing a Halloween
special, I was practically beside myself with giddy anticipation. I didn’t
really even care that it was halfway a shameless promotion for the Disney parks’
attraction. Muppets Haunted Mansion is
named after (and based on) the Disney park staple, after all. The lovable
puppets have put forth a slew of holiday specials in the past, but this is
their very first spooky spectacular. Horror comedy is my favorite flavor of the genre, so this
special promised to make me one very happy camper. Of course, calling anything
involving The Muppets a “horror” of any variety is really a stretch. I expected
spooky-lite.
Muppets Haunted
Mansion was also the first production I’ve seen since Kermit the Frog got a
voice actor change-up putting Matt Vogel (The
Muppets, Sesame Street, Alice Through the Looking Glass) at the helm of
our favorite felt frog. I could hear the difference only ever so slightly – but
it was close enough that I wasn’t put off. I was having too good of a time to mind
– and Gonzo with his pal Pepe the Prawn were the stars of this extravaganza anyway. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been to Disney’s Haunted Mansion
attraction, so I couldn’t tell you whether or not Muppets Haunted Mansion is faithful to the in-person experience.
IMDb has some cute trivia tidbits connecting the live park experience to the
cinematic treatment, however. My enjoyment was based on the film production itself as
a stand-alone.
Let’s get into the meat of
the matter. Muppets Haunted
Mansion was everything I hoped it would be. Everything you could wish for with a Muppets special was
included. There were celebrity cameos hidden as Easter Eggs, as well as a
random celebrity appearance. All of the beloved characters you would expect to
see included were present, for the most part. The jokes were on point, there
was razzle-dazzle, and musical numbers highlighted the story.
The Muppets
did their own numbers, but Darren Criss (Glee,
Wayward Guide, Yasuke) and Taraji P. Henson’s (Empire, Proud Mary, Ralph Breaks the Internet) performances were also a highlight. There wasn’t too much of any one element, so it felt
well balanced. Of course, there was also the customary moral of the story, but
it was worked in so that it didn’t feel like the lesson was being drilled into
you.
I liked the mixture of special effects between apparitions
and how they blended effects with the live Muppets – such as with the floating
ghosts. The setting was cool and creepy – but not too much. Very small children
might get a bit spooked here and there, but nothing was really all that scary.
Of course, some of the Muppets have always been on the monstrous side. They fit
right in here. There were so many nods to the old-school Muppets’ style and
flair that it made my heart happy, as well as provided for a lot of giggles. At
the same time, the story was grounded in current times – such as with use of
cell phones, etc. so that younger, or more current audiences would also feel
connected. There was something for everyone packed into this not-quite-hour-long special. Our whole family gathered ‘round for this viewing and everyone
enjoyed themselves. I dare say my teen even put her phone down for a bit to
watch. I honestly wouldn’t mind watching Muppets Haunted Mansion again and would recommend it in a
heartbeat.
