Matt writes: This Thursday, July 25th, and next Tuesday, July 30th, the 1979 classic, "The Muppet Movie," produced by Jim Henson and directed by James Frawley, will be returning to the big screen for its 40th anniversary, courtesy of Fathom Events. Roger Ebert was among the film's many admirers, as evidenced by his enthusiastic review. I had the tremendous honor of getting to interview one of my lifelong heroes, Dave Goelz (a.k.a. The Great Gonzo), about his experience working with Henson & Co. as well as the spiritual and philosophical power of The Muppets. We also discussed the upcoming Netflix series, "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," which premieres on August 30th, and serves as a prequel to Henson's audacious 1982 fantasy, "The Dark Crystal" (Goelz performs in both). Click here for the full conversation, an excerpt of which you can read below...

“All artists speak for us, and that applies to any kind of art, whether it’s dance or painting, anything. These people are out there saying things that they are compelled to say, working out their own issues through their own material. We all have issues that are universal, so when we recognize—even unconsciously—our own issues being expressed by an artist, we find ourselves a little purged, a little relieved that our issue has gotten out there, and a lot of times, we’re not even aware of it. I think that’s what’s going on. It’s certainly what was going on for me when I was doing the work. It was allowing me the chance to express my issues, and I think that resonates with the audience in our case because there is an underpinning of philosophy in our work. People respond to it often without knowing why.”

Trailers

Top Gun: Maverick (2020). Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Written by Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, Justin Marks and Eric Warren Singer. Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly. Synopsis: Sequel to the 1986 hit, "Top Gun." Opens in US theaters on June 26th, 2020.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019). Written and directed by Kevin Smith. Starring Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson. Synopsis: Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop a reboot of 'Bluntman and Chronic' movie from getting made. US release date is TBA.

Hustlers (2019). Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria (based on the article by Jessica Pressler). Starring Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles. Synopsis: A crew of savvy former strip club employees band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. Opens in US theaters on September 13th, 2019.

The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019). Written and directed by Gideon Raff. Starring Chris Evans, Haley Bennett, Alona Tal. Synopsis: Israel's Mossad agents attempt to rescue Ethiopian Jewish refugees in Sudan in 1977. Debuts on Netflix on July 31st, 2019.

The Kitchen (2019). Written and directed by Andrea Berloff (based on the comic book by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle). Starring Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, Domhnall Gleeson. Synopsis: The wives of New York gangsters in Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands' rackets after they're locked up in prison. Opens in US theaters on August 9th, 2019.

Don't Let Go (2019). Written and directed by Jacob Estes. Starring David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson. Synopsis: After a man's family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He's not sure if she's a ghost or if he's going mad, but as it turns out, he's not. Opens in US theaters on August 30th, 2019.

Monos (2019). Directed by Alejandro Landes. Written by Alejandro Landes and Alexis Dos Santos. Starring Sofia Buenaventura, Julian Giraldo, Karen Quintero. Synopsis: On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. Opens in US theaters on September 13th, 2019.

The Last Tree (2019). Written and directed by Shola Amoo. Starring Nicholas Pinnock, Denise Black, Sam Adewunmi. Synopsis: Femi is a British boy of Nigerian heritage who, after a happy childhood in rural Lincolnshire, moves to inner London to live with his mum. Struggling with the unfamiliar culture and values of his new environment, teenage Femi has to figure out which path to adulthood he wants to take. US release date is TBA.

Angel of Mine (2019). Directed by Kim Farrant. Written by Luke Davies and David Regal. Starring Noomi Rapace, Yvonne Strahovski, Luke Evans. Synopsis: A woman grieving over the death of her daughter loses grip of reality when she begins to think her girl may still be alive. Opens in US theaters on August 30th, 2019.

Where's My Roy Cohn? (2019). Directed by Matt Tyrnauer. Synopsis: Roy Cohn personified the dark arts of American politics, turning empty vessels into dangerous demagogues - from Joseph McCarthy to his final project, Donald J. Trump. This thriller-like exposé connects the dots, revealing how a deeply troubled master manipulator shaped our current American nightmare. Opens in US theaters on September 20th, 2019.

Night Hunter (2019). Written and directed by David Raymond. Starring Alexandra Daddario, Henry Cavill, Minka Kelly. Synopsis: A weathered Lieutenant, his police force, and a local vigilante are all caught up in a dangerous scheme involving a recently arrested, troubled man who's linked to years of female abductions and murders. Opens in US theaters on September 6th, 2019.

Paradise Hills (2019). Directed by Alice Waddington. Written by Brian DeLeeuw and Nacho Vigalondo. Starring Eiza González, Milla Jovovich, Awkwafina. Synopsis: A mysterious boarding school perfectly reforms wayward girls to fit their surroundings' exact desires. Opens in US theaters on November 1st, 2019.

The Hunt (2019). Directed by Craig Zobel. Written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Starring Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank. Synopsis: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt. Opens in US theaters on September 27th, 2019.

Playing with Fire (2019). Directed by Andy Fickman. Written by Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman. Starring John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo. Synopsis: A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids. Opens in US theaters on November 8th, 2019.

3 From Hell (2019). Written and directed by Rob Zombie. Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley. Synopsis: Sequel to Zombie's 2005 film, "The Devil's Rejects." Opens in US theaters on September 16th, 2019.

It: Chapter Two (2019). Directed by Andy Muschietti. Written by Gary Dauberman (based on the novel by Stephen King). Starring Finn Wolfhard, Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Chastain. Synopsis: Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back. Opens in US theaters on September 6th, 2019.

Cats (2019). Directed by Tom Hooper. Written by Tom Hooper and Lee Hall (based on the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the poetry collection by T.S. Eliot and your own worst nightmares). Starring Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Judi Dench. Synopsis: A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life. Opens in US theaters on December 20th, 2019.

Freaks (2019). Written and directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Lexy Kolker. Synopsis: In this genre-bending psychological sci-fi thriller, a bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father's protective and paranoid control. Opens in US theaters on August 23rd, 2019.

Fly Me to the Moon 

Matt writes: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th, I joined various writers at RogerEbert.com in sharing our favorite moon-related songs, movies and events. You can find our full list of tuneful selections here (thanks to Jana Monji for kick-starting the conversation!).

Roger Ebert Day in Chicago

Matt writes: Fourteen years ago, the city of Chicago honored our site's founder by declaring July 12th as Roger Ebert Day. This month, Chaz unearthed news footage of the ceremony, which was uploaded to our official YouTube channel, and decided to share it with readers...

Free Movies

The Muppets Valentine Show (1974). Directed by Jim Henson. Written by Jerry Juhl and Jerry Ross. Starring Mia Farrow, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson. Synopsis: The first of the two pilots for "The Muppet Show."

Watch "The Muppets Valentine Show"

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986). Directed by Jim Henson and David G. Hillier. Written by Jocelyn Stevenson. Starring Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Camille Bonora. Synopsis: Bean Bunny is too small to be useful (says his brother) to help prepare for the Bunny Picnic, so he wanders off and sees a legendary persecutor of all rabbits: the farmer's dog. But nobody believes him when he tries to tell them he's seen the dog, until the dog breaks up the picnic. And it's up to Bean to come up with a plan to defeat the farmer's dog and discover the one thing the dog fears.

Watch "The Tale of the Bunny Picnic"

The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years (1986). Directed by Peter Harris. Written by Jerry Juhl. Starring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson. Synopsis: For the first time in their careers, all the Muppets (except the ones that couldn't make it, like the Doozers, Gorgs and most of the Fraggles) have gathered together in one place to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary and honor the one who brought them together: Kermit the Frog (and by doing so, Jim Henson).

Watch "The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years"

Original: https://www.rogerebert.com/ebert-club/359-july-23-2019
By: Matt Fagerholm
Posted: July 23, 2019, 5:01 am