28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best TV ever made!, July 25, 2002
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show: Volume Two - Mark Hamill / Paul Simon / Raquel Welch (DVD)
This DVD contains 3 episodes of the Muppet Show TV series from the 70's. It is no exaggeration to say that this was the best TV ever produced, chock-full of humor and inspiration.
Each episode consists of a series of muppet skits, tied together with a weekly celebrity guest-host. In addition to Mark Hamill (mentioned in the title), this DVD contains episodes hosted by Paul Simon and Raquel Welch.
Before the release of this DVD series, the shows were available only from Time/Life, under a monthly-subscription-type arrangement or as boxed sets (at premium prices). The open release of the DVD is something muppet fans have anticipated for a long time. Wakka-wakka-wakka!
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22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like a time machine to your childhood., July 17, 2003
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show: Volume Two - Mark Hamill / Paul Simon / Raquel Welch (DVD)
It's amazing. When I put this DVD in my player, I become 6 years old again.
I can see my parents next to me on our old couch, telling me I can stay up to watch the Muppets, and then it'll be time for bed. (Mommy's grown-up Muppets, my mother used to say, as opposed to the ones on Sesame Street.) And I watched, with joy but also a slight sense of dread, as each skit would bring me that much closer to the end of the show, and to bedtime.
I settled into the couch, and then, suddenly -- CRASH! What was that? Luke Skywalker! C-3PO! R2-D2! The Star Wars guys were on the Muppet Show! I could barely handle the sheer coolness of it all.
Watching the same episode on DVD now, of course, different things stand out. How lousy Mark Hamill is as an actor. His 70's argyle-sweater-vest style. The pathetic sight of Chewbacca and R2-D2 being made to dance, once a cause for childish glee, now seems a spectre of the slow decline of the Star Wars franchise.
On another level, it occurred to me that the Muppet Show, taking place in the pre-MTV era, was really the forerunner of the music video. Each episode presents at least 3 or 4 songs with some sort of visual interpretation of the music. If there's a difference, it's that the Muppet Show lacks the hyperactive editing style of today's videos, so you can actually focus on what's going on -- you're not barraged by disjointed stimuli. It's almost quaint. The gentleness of the songs also struck me as a sign of an era that has passed us by. Would there be a place for the Muppets on television today? Who would the guest stars be? Eminem? 50 Cent? Lil' Kim?
But enough of such worries. I'm watching Luke Skywalker and the Muppets, and it's just too amazing for my six-year-old brain to process. I wriggle my toes inside my Cookie Monster pajamas with the feet on them, and as Zoot blows that last, sorrowful note into his saxaphone, the credits roll up the screen, and I know it's time for bed. But I'm not even tired! Goodbye, guys... until next week.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CHERISHED MEMORIES, September 28, 2005
This review is from: Best of the Muppet Show: Volume Two - Mark Hamill / Paul Simon / Raquel Welch (DVD)
The negative reviews by some people on this episode are PATHETIC. What do these people expect- it's the MUPPETS. It's innocent, old-fashioned fun children's television. You'd think some of these idiots are writing a review for the Oscars. Please people, spare us with your heavy criticism. I haven't found any movies or videos that enjoy sharing more with my son. Not only do my husband and I get to reminisce, but we adore watching our son get excited about something that isn't overly animated or digitally created. So far, ALL of these DVD's have been fantastic- worth every penny. They are a refreshing break from all they hyped up children's movies of today. I recommend all of them, and I've seen just about all. OF COURSE the acting is a little goofier than what we're used to today, and OF COURSE the sounds and special effects are not going to dazzle us. But the simplicity of the Muppets is what makes them special, and it makes me long for a simpler time. So STOP LISTENING TO THESE MOVIE-CRITIC WANNABES. They are ridiculous- Mark Hammill never claimed to have an award-winning performance on the Muppets. But it's adorable and a lot of fun if you take it for what it is. If you aren't a pretentious jerk who just wants to air your displaced anger on a website, THEN YOU WILL LOVE THIS AND ALL MUPPET EPISODES!
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