The Return of the Iconic THE LABYRINTH and THE DARK CRYSTAL

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to digital from Shout! Studios is the return of director Jim Henson’s THE LABYRINTH and directors Jim Henson and Frank Oz with THE DARK CRYSTAL.

In THE LABYRINTH, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is a 16-year-old who is frustrated with her family. Late coming home from a trip to the park reading her book The Labyrinth, she has to babysit her constantly crying infant brother Toby (Toby Froud). Making matters worse is discovering that Toby has taken her beloved bear Lancelot! At her wits end, she calls out to the goblins from the book to take Toby away.

When the house goes silent, Sarah realizes something is wrong. Going to Toby’s room she discovers him missing and standing before her is the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) offering her a deal. When she doesn’t take it, he gives Sarah thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth or Toby will be gone forever.

In the King’s world, Sarah meets Hoggle (Brian Henson/Shari Weiser) and once escaping a trap, Hoggle runs into Jareth who uses him to get at the girl. Sarah meets Ludo (Ron Mueck/Rob Mills) by helping him get free but loses him quickly. When they meet up again, a trapdoor takes them to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Guarding the smell is Sir Didymus (Dave Goelz/David Shaughnessy) and his steed Ambrosius (Steve Whitmire/Kevin Clash/Percy Edwards). But a peach changes everything as once again Sarah is rescued by her friends.

Jareth learns that the group is close and sends in his army of goblins and as much as Ludo wants to help Sarah, she realizes that she must take on the Goblin King alone.

Connelly as Sarah portrays how most teens feel about babysitting any sibling let alone one that seems to spend his babyhood wrapped in a veil of tears. Once the chase is on to recover him, she begins to soften her feelings knowing that the only thing she wants from the whole experience is to have her little brother back. Connelly is so young, charming and endearing in this role and I hope she knows how many of us not only love this film but love her in it.

Bowie as Goblin King Jareth is absolutely wonderful. They found the right person to wear the costume and give us all in 1982 a reason to embrace this bad-guy character. Bowie lulls us with his unique and mystical voice all the while trying to find a way to trick a rather smart young lady. It truly is a thrill to see him in this film again and again.

Other cast/puppets include Karen Prell/Timothy Bateson as The Worm, Frank Oz/Michael Hordern as The Wiseman, Dave Goelz/David Shaughnessy as The Hat, and Karen Prell/Denise Bryer as The Junk Lady.

  

In THE DARK CRYSTAL directed by Jim Henson, is a darker story yet iconic and embraced by those who love the puppetry he uses in this tale.

On Thra, there was once a Crystal of Truth and when it was shattered, two new races came into being. The Skeksis who found ways to extend their life and the urRu/Mystics who live in the Valley of Stones. They are a gentler race and their leader is UrSu the Master. UrSu is raising a Gelfling who lost his family to the Skeksis and his name is Jen (Stephen Garlick).

Now, the Great Conjunction is happening and UrSu tells Jen he must find a way to heal the Crystal and to get the Shard from Aughra (Billie Whitelaw). If he doesn’t before the three suns meet, then the Skeksis will take over. In the meantime, SkekUng (Michael Kilgarriff) is the new emperor and wants to capture Jen.

Jen meets Aughra and he finally gets a lesson about the Conjunction as he chooses the correct Shard. Before they can talk any further, Garthim and the army arrive to take Aughra as Jen manages to escape. In the swamp, Jen sees another Gelfling in Kira (Lisa Maxwell) and discover they share memories.

Jen and Kira find a deserted Gelfling city and the prophecy that can help them. SkekSil (Barry Dennen) tells them about what happened to the Gelflings. Getting away once again, Kira, Jen and Fizzgig (Percy Edwards) are now in the catacombs trying to get inside the castle. SkekSil finds them and chaos breaks out.

Will Jen and Kira make it in time before the three suns Align to bring the Crystal of Truth together once again?

Other cast include Jerry Nelson as SkekZok, Steve Whitmire as SkekTek, Hugh Spight as Swee Lim, Toby Philpott as UrTih the Alchemist, Hus Levant as UrAc the Scribe, Simon Williamson as UrSol/ the Chanter, Jean Pierre Amiel as UrUtt the Weaver, Hugh Spight as UrAmaj the Cook,and Joseph O’Conor as UrSkeks and Narrator.

Launched in 2003, Shout! Studios is a multiplatform media company specializing in film and TV distribution, development, and production. Shout! Studios owns and manages a large portfolio of contemporary and classic feature films, series, animation, and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition includes Aardman Animations, ALF, The Carol Burnett Show, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, the Roger Corman New Horizons Pictures Library, GKIDS, Studio Ghibli, ITV Studios, The Johnny Carson Show, LAIKA Studios, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson), and Sesame Street, alongside many others. For more please visit www.shoutfactory.com.

The Jim Henson Company has remained a leader in family entertainment for over 65 years and is recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. Henson’s most recent credits include the Oscar®-winning Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, the Emmy®-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock for Apple TV+, and the feature film The Portable Door for MGM+.

The bonus offerings for APPLE iTunes Extras include:

THE LABYRINTH - Commentary with Brian Froud, Reordering Time: Looking Back on Labyrinth, The Henson Legacy, Remembering The Goblin King, Anniversary Q&A, Inside The Labyrinth, Original Theatrical Trailer, Original Teaser Trailer and Original TV Spot.

THE DARK CRYSTAL - Commentary with Brian Froud, The World of “The Dark Crystal”, Storyboard Track, The Myth, Magic and the Henson Legacy, Light on the Path of Creation, Shard of Illusion, Deleted Funeral Scene, Original Skeksis Language and Photo Galleries.

These two films are the amazing creation of Jim Henson (along with Frank Oz) and they have become too iconic to the generations. I saw these films first, then my kids and now my grandchildren are seeing the wonders that were created and hold as timeless. The imagination and creativity it took to bring both of these films to the big screen is nothing short of genius.

Now, they are back to entertain families once again with their beauty because, and it must be said, that the craftsmanship of the characters and the puppets is breathtaking at the very least. The scenery that becomes another character in the story telling is a story in itself. That being said, it is time to cuddle up the family, bowls of popcorn to go around and watch LABYRINTH and THE DARK CRYSTAL back-to-back. It is generational must see!

In the end – return to the mystic and the magic!

Puppets take over THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

Jeri Jacquin

Well heck, this isn’t exactly your ordinary puppet/human film and that’s okay with me. In theatres this Friday from director Brian Henson and STX Entertainment comes a story of a partnership to beat them all with THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS.

Phil Philips (voiced by Bill Barretta) is a private detective who was once the first puppet to ever become a cop with the LAPD. After an incident that still haunts him, Phil is happy working for himself. Answering his calls is his very dependable and devoted secretary Bubbles (Maya Rudolph).

One day a very lushly stuffed red-head named Sandra (Dorien Davies) comes to Phil’s office and asks him to investigate who might be black mailing her. Phil agrees and begins checking out a clue when he quickly becomes sidetracked when a group of puppets are cut down with fluff flying everywhere!

Arriving to investigate is Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) and she is none to happy to see Phil. Edwards and Philips were once partners and because of her testimony he lost his badge. Exchanging unpleasantries, Lt. Banning (Leslie Baker) lets them both know they will be teaming up once again to solve the crime.

Phil drowns his grumpiness by visiting his brother Larry (Victor Yerrid) who found success on television in a show called The Happytime Gang. Lulled into changing himself a little to fit into society, Phil doesn’t know how lucky he is until Larry is attacked.

Now Edwards and Philips begin to see a pattern that the entire cast of The Happytime Gang are in danger. Included in that is Philips first love Jenny (Elizabeth Banks), a dancer who became the only human on his brother’s show.

Putting their differences aside, they work piecing together the clues one by one but always seem to be on step behind the person responsible for the puppet mayhem. When FBI Agent Campbell (Joel McHale) shows up, he tries to shut them down but these two cork screwy crime fighters aren’t about to let anything get in their way.

Where the clues lead them changes everything!

McCarthy as Detective Edwards gives her usual witty, snappy and very funny performance as a cop with a few secret problems. The adversarial relationship with Phil Philips wasn’t always the case and speaking of cases – they are going to have to put their animosity on hold to get the job done. McCarthy doesn’t mess a beat delivering her lines with the timing that makes me proud to be a smart ass.

Baretta voicing Phil Philips is very noir detective telling his story with a cigarette in one hand and a bag load of attitude in the other. There doesn’t seem to be anything this puppet can’t do, and I mean that in every sense and when my jaw isn’t hitting the floor I’m rolling in laughter. Bouncing off McCarthy, these two are perfect for one another.

Rudolph as Bubbles is devoted to her private detective boss and there isn’t anything she won’t do for him. When he is seen as a suspect, Bubbles makes darn sure that Edwards does what’s right to help make it all right. Rudolph is cutsie and also very noir with her pin curl hair and red nails.

Banks as Jenny is a burlesque dancer who seems happy when Philips walks through the door again. Remembering the moments they spent together, both puppet and long legged human are clear that something is wrong. Banks gives a carrot dance performance that had the audience cracking up.

McHale as Agent Campbell is just a man who clearly isn’t playing with a full deck and power hungry at the same time. I love when McHale tries to get tough in these roles and keep a straight face doing it. Baker as Lt. Banning just wants the case solved and putting the ex-partners together is the way to do it.

Other cast include Drew Massey as Goofer, Ted Michaels as Ezra, Colleen Smith as Cara, Alice Dinnea as Sheila and Donna Kimball as Diane.

Look, THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is just a disturbingly hilarious film that pushes every button to get a reaction and they succeeded. The audience was cheering, laughing, grossed out, groaning, smacking their foreheads, clapping and just having a great time.

This isn’t a film that needs to be analyzed or scrutinized but instead just go and have fun. Yes the humor pushed the comedy bar up, down, sideways and slant ways like a Wonka-vater but who doesn’t love that? I wanted to take a dirty puppet film ride down the slippery slopes of good taste and right into a mud hole – and that’s exactly what happened.

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is just a romp – it’s as simple as that – with touches of outrageousness and moments that can never be erased from your memory. The same could be said of many films but they didn’t make me laugh as much as this one does. Yep, I have a twisted sense of humor and am damn proud of it.

In the end – they are no sesame and all street!