Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

[frogboy4]

or they could be sick of everything always being computer animated these days..

I'm with you there. Effects should facilitate the story, not be the inspiration to write a story around. And there is too much CG in regular and animated films these days. Look for a resurgence of classic hand drawn animation a few years down the line. A good story will come along that will utilize classic animation techniques. There's nothing wrong with CG, but variety is more fun!

 

[Luke]

This sounds like a great christmas family film, i'm glad Kermit has associated himself with it!

 

[frogboy4]

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium received the number five spot with a projected $10M opening weekend. That does not bode well for the film. With all the talent and effects, you'd think they could drum-up a better opening. It's either the writer and/or director. This holiday season really is lacking in films compared to the wad of them this summer.

 

[Luke]

I think it will do steady business over time, what with families over the holiday season, but i can see why the plot looks thin. They usually do with these kinda movies - i was a bit dissapointed with how they handled Willy Wonka too. There needs to be a better variety of warm fuzzy family movies over the holidays for sure. Most have completely bombed over the last few years.

 

[frogboy4]

I think it will do steady business over time, what with families over the holiday season, but i can see why the plot looks thin. They usually do with these kinda movies - i was a bit dissapointed with how they handled Willy Wonka too. There needs to be a better variety of warm fuzzy family movies over the holidays for sure. Most have completely bombed over the last few years.

Willy Wonka was good due to Tim Burton's imagination, but was also lacking due to his ego. There was something missing with that film. I understood they wanted to go by-the-book, but the original film has enough fans that Burton needed to incorporate at least a few subtle nods to it.

I liked that Burton used the book's Oompa-Loompa lyrics, but needed to also include at least one of the past songs somewhere in the background or credit sequence. I don't know a pop band alive that wouldn't want to cover World of Imagination to carpet the credits of a Tim Burton film. Instead they just hacked up bits of orchestration. With Wonka and (the much better film) Corpse Bride, Danny Elfman seems to have been phoning it in. It's about time! His work seemed to be perpetually brilliant to that point.

Wonka was a film that almost got there, but fell a few feet short of the goal. But these days, films are made for the DVD market. Heck, some FX are withheld until DVD release! DVDs are what makes the studios most of their entertainment division dollar these days (and it's partly why the writers are striking).

The problem with the lack of family films is that most youth-aimed projects are straight-to-video and neglect to include parental appeal. There’s a lot of kiddie fare out there, but very few good film experiences that families can share together. You are so right!

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

What ever happened to talking about Kermit being in Mr. Magorium's?

 

[Luke]

Willy Wonka was good due to Tim Burton's imagination, but was also lacking due to his ego. There was something missing with that film. I understood they wanted to go by-the-book, but the original film has enough fans that Burton needed to incorporate at least a few subtle nods to it.

What did it for me with Wonka was the whole Dentist thing, with the dad and returning to him at the end. Not in the book, not in the original film, and kinda unnecassary idea. Everything else was ok for me Burton wise, but yes a few more nods to the film would have been nice.

I think it's great they are putting Kermit out there to even be in these things, it shows they are trying to get the Muppets back in the mainstream at least and it seems like a very relevant film to put him in. I hope they still retain a bit of edge at least, but (with the Disney XD mini movies as well) i don't see anything bad about them promoting the Muppets as traditional family fare. I just hope the kids actually want to see them!

 

[Mr.Penguin]

What's wrong with the special effects? They look fine to me from the trailers. In fact it appears to be the main selling point of the film. I think today's consumers have become jaded. I can understand content criticism, but could you elaborate just what about the effects is sub-par in your opinion?

I doubt your going to see it my way, but I never liked those obviously-fake over-the-top cartoony effects, like that one scene with the ouside of the store, the stretchy arm thing and the squid tentacles coming out of the book. When it's too rubbery smooth and it doesn't fit in with the live action all that well. I want to be an artist in film and TV when I grow up, so my standards are a bit high for CG effects and especially animation. I can spot mistakes that no one else may find and stuff that's "not as good as it could be." It's not that I'm "jaded" and just don't want to like it because it's not LOTR or King Kong. It's not HORRIBLE, it's just that I personally don't like it, and for a movie that's mostly special effects I kind of expect more. The wood dinousar scene was kind of cool looking. It looks like a cute family movie, it's just that it could've looked better and it looks too kiddie for me to see.

It's fine for the story....It's just my opinion. I don't know why it would offend you so badly, that you need to pick on me....anyway that wasn't the point of my post. I wanted to know if Kermit's scene was good/long enough reason to see it; because I might want to see it either way whenever I can.

Sheesh.

 

[frogboy4]

Huh?

I doubt your going to see it my way, but I never liked those obviously-fake over-the-top cartoony effects, like that one scene with the ouside of the store, the stretchy arm thing and the squid tentacles coming out of the book. When it's too rubbery smooth and it doesn't fit in with the live action all that well. I want to be an artist in film and TV when I grow up, so my standards are a bit high for CG effects and especially animation. I can spot mistakes that no one else may find and stuff that's "not as good as it could be." It's not that I'm "jaded" and just don't want to like it because it's not LOTR or King Kong. It's not HORRIBLE, it's just that I personally don't like it, and for a movie that's mostly special effects I kind of expect more. The wood dinousar scene was kind of cool looking. It looks like a cute family movie, it's just that it could've looked better and it looks too kiddie for me to see.

It's fine for the story....It's just my opinion. I don't know why it would offend you so badly, that you need to pick on me....anyway that wasn't the point of my post. I wanted to know if Kermit's scene was good/long enough reason to see it; because I might want to see it either way whenever I can.

Sheesh.(

When you said the effects "sucked", I pretty much took that statement to mean you thought they were "horrible" as well. There could be a fine line between those two descriptions that I can't see. No picking - just inquiring, discussing, which is what people do on forums. I see that you're a little sensitive, so I'll try to craft my words thoughtfully.

It was a dramatic statement you put out there, but of course you are entitled to your opinion. I merely wanted clarification on what exactly was poorly done. Even the best effects can be better - and it appears that these problably aren't the best. Audiences certainly didn’t seem to favor them enough this opening weekend. Only 5 on the charts at 10M. Sheesh!

CG is often over-used just for the sake that the technology is available. That can water down the best results and cause audience apathy toward them. We have mighty high expectation these days. I do too. That’s what I meant by jaded. It’s this, “Okay, we’ve seen that before. What else have you got?” sort of feeling that’s growing lately when in my youth the original ET didn't need computer work done to him to make for a believable/enjoyable experience.

I agree with you on much of today's CG rubbery quality. I see it too. Sometimes it's a creative choice, other times it has to do with just who is manning the tools. Movies need more artists with keen eyes. Glad to hear you plan on being such an artist. And with all the computer mapping, I guess my teachers were right - math is more important that I thought it would be!

 

[frogboy4]

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: An Actual Review​

Most films of this sort are books attempting to become movies. In this case, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a movie desperately trying to be like a book. Chapters are illustrated on screen with the standard flipping pages and announced titles. I thought it had been a book, but the only literature on the subject is a novelization adapted from the film. As for a movie, it falls short.

If not for the A list casting of Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium) and Natalie Portman (Molly Mahoney), along with Jason Bateman’s fun performance as the Emporium’s accountant, this is a television special with a slightly larger budget.

Portman is sweet and brings the level of excellence she always does no matter the part (yes, that’s a dig at George Lucas’ stale dialog in some of her other work). Dustin Hoffman is a little over-the-top. His performance is touching, but could have done without the dramatically goofy voice.

The character of Eric (Zachary Mills) especially connected with me. He reminded me of a few years I spent feeling out of touch and misunderstood by kids my own age who had the ‘standard’ interests. Eric sees things differently and I appreciate that. I think most kids can relate to something similar.

Most of the effects hit and are there to serve the story. There weren’t as many obvious special effects shots as I had expected. It was actually rather refreshing. There are also a few less than stellar shots, but they don’t take away from the story.

I enjoyed the slower-moving plot. This is a film that doesn’t talk down to kids or connect directly to adults. Magorium speaks a language of its own. I applaud the effort, but that approach will not sell tickets. But, hey, I’m not their Jason Bateman accountant, so on to other things.

There was a time when kids would have sat through this film and been engaged. Unfortunately, that time has passed. Most kids in the theater were crawling the walls in boredom. This movie appreciates the impact of a silent moment here and there, but that only creates the opportunity for kids in the theater to squeal for more gummy snacks!

A filmmaker just can’t blame today’s youth for not getting it if they are marketing to them. Not if they intend to make money. There should have been more of a sugary polish, more popular music and relatable stars to their generation. To my surprise, every kid in the audience was delighted to see Kermit’s very brief cameo. By the way, he was not a toy, just a shopper. “Just shopping, just shopping!”

Some reviewers have exaggerated the somber note the story takes. It is clearly set up at the beginning of the picture and follows through to the end. I see no problem with it. In fact, I think kid gloves shouldn’t have been used at all. The film is about life and possibilities. I just wish they’d made this for television. It would have fared better and reached more people.

C