Binary System Podcast – Watch Party #27 -The Muppet Christmas Carol

It’s time yet again to Social Distance the heck out of this epidemic and watch a movie together while still staying in three different states: North Carolina, Florida, and California. Next up this week, a Christmas movie that somehow none of us have ever seen: The Muppet Christmas Carol.

The Netflix Watch Party app ended up being a little complicated, so we just set a time to hit “play” and then chatted through instant messenger. Click the jump to read some highlights from the conversation.

The Players: Elizabeth, Hannah, Kathryn, Nathan, and the parents (Parents represented here by Marian, because Dad would chisel a message in a stone tablet before typing anything on a phone.)

Kathryn
One minute warning!

Elizabeth
Ready when yall are!

Hannah
Waiting on Mom

Kathryn
1992, wow, I don’t know this was made that far back.

Hannah
… still waiting
She’s looking for her phone
Ok ready

Elizabeth
I feel like this movie just missed being a family classic with us by a couple years.
Ready to hit play!

Kathryn
Playing!

Hannah
Playing

Elizabeth
Playing!

Nathan
This would have been right after Jim Henson passed away, right?

Elizabeth
I think so?

Kathryn
French horn intro, strangely appropriate.

Elizabeth
So Natasha’s son and his friend say the costumes are apparently seriously well researched.

Nathan
Was wondering which Muppet would be Scrooge, but I see they bypassed that entirely.

Hannah
Already charmed by the music

Kathryn
…Marleys? Plural?

Elizabeth
Seriously Hannah, that woman you read about who researches costumes in movies, I need to look and see what she says about this one
Love the street choir ladies

Hannah
The Bill And Ted Test
She’s been doing the BBC Pride and Prejudice recently

Elizabeth
Noice

Kathryn
..”thank you for making me a part of this.”

Elizabeth
“…thank you for not shouting at me”

Kathryn
The whole eviction element is quite timely, innit?

Nathan
I believe Rizzo the Rat is based on Dustin Hoffman’s character in Midnight Cowboy.
His name was Ratso Rizzo.

Elizabeth
heh

Kathryn
HEAT WAVE

Elizabeth
HEAT WAVE

Kathryn
Jinx

Nathan
We’ll see if he yells, “I’m walking here!” At some point.

Hannah
I’m going to be disappointed every time I don’t recognize a human actor in this

Elizabeth
Do we know who Fred is?

Hannah
I don’t know him

Kathryn
Mee mee mee meee!

Nathan
MEEP!

Nathan

 

Hannah
Barry on WFF talking about how most Muppets are left-handed because the puppeteers are right- handed

Elizabeth
That makes a LOT of sense
Making a puppet swallow is a heck of a talent
THAT WAS NOT A EUPHEMISM

Hannah
HAHAHA
“… no that was the frog’s idea”

Kathryn
They did a great job casting Kermit’s voice.

Hannah
I .think. I saw that he does multiple characters, too

Elizabeth
Hee, penguins

Hannah
Still not as absurd as the ice- skating scene in THE BISHOP’S WIFE…

Elizabeth
heh

Kathryn
“Why are you whispering?” “It’s for dramatic emphasis. “

Hannah
Gonzo’s stuff is like 100 percent Dickens, apparently

Kathryn
I believe it.

Elizabeth
I was just thinking it sounded familiar, but not from any of the movies

Kathryn
Ah, Marleys, NOW I understand.

Elizabeth
Holty toity mister god like smartypants
I love these two

Hannah
Which one is Statler and which is Waldorf?

Elizabeth
I never knew

Nathan
Does it matter?😄

Hannah
I’m just glad I finally memorized their names😛

Marian
Isn’t it Statler and Hilton?

Nathan
Waldorf

Elizabeth
Yep, waldorf

Marian
Poo. I remembered it wrong

Hannah
Mom’s naming hotels again…

Elizabeth
Hee

Hannah
Omg that kiss had to be improvised

Elizabeth
So cute!

Kathryn
I don’t recognize this muppet

Hannah
She’s a bit Uncanny Valley ain’t she

Nathan
Creepy is the word you’re looking for.

Hannah
I mean, that’s what happens in the Valley

Nathan
True.

Elizabeth
Hee, the cat chasing him in the background
Well I want all of those Muppet statues on my shelf.

Hannah
Yes!

Kathryn
Those are a nice touch.

Hannah
The voice of Christmas Past is the same child as the one in the GBBO intro

Elizabeth
WHAT

Hannah
(This is false. Just trolling Mom)

Elizabeth
hahaha

Kathryn
You got me there.

Elizabeth
Hee, Sam the Eagle

Kathryn
I wish I could remember who it was on Twitter who said Sam was one of her first childhood crushes.

Hannah
There was someone on the Do the Right Thing podcast who mentioned that he once had a crisis when he realized he was naked under his feathers

Elizabeth
hahah

Kathryn
Heh.
So we’re getting no mention of his sister Fan?

Hannah
FOZZIEWIGS OLD RUBBER CHICKEN FACTORY

Kathryn
FOZZIEWIG
They saw an opportunity with that and ran with it there.

Hannah
LIGHT THE LAMP NOT THE RAT

Elizabeth
Yay Animal!

Kathryn
ANIMAL

Nathan
I’m sorry, Statler & Waldorf were never young!😄

Elizabeth
Yay for the band!!

Kathryn
I’m surprised at some of the stuff they’ve cut from this version, but they’ve made it work.

Hannah
I always thought the nearby clock was Big Ben?
Now I realize I don’t know when Big Ben was built

Elizabeth
I don’t think I ever thought about it, I just thought it was clock in his house

Hannah
Heh I think LMM ripped this off for the first song in Moana

Elizabeth
Hee, the horses crack me up

Hannah
Omg Muppet partygoers

Kathryn
Apparently the guy who plays Fred was in the TV show Luther.

Elizabeth
Oh wow, I watched all of those and have zero memory of him

Hannah
Feckin 20 years older tho

Elizabeth
ayup

Hannah
“The secret to roast potatoes is goose fat. I usually use a whole jar.”
“Per tray?”
“Per tato”

Elizabeth
Heh, I forget where that’s from

Hannah
HvF

Elizabeth
YES

Kathryn
Okay this is all adorable, but I never liked Miss Piggy and you can’t make me.

Hannah
SAME

Nathan
Neither do I!

Kathryn
So what exactly DID kill Tiny Tim?

Hannah
What is this coughing-limping disease?

Elizabeth
Too Good For This World?

Nathan
Saintliness?

Elizabeth
Same thing that got Beth

Hannah
BLOODY BETH

Kathryn
Sacrificed For The Furtherance Of The Plot.

Hannah
Nothing but love for MY Baby Yoda


Elizabeth
Awww

Kathryn
This is nicely creepy

Hannah
The cinematography is surprisingly excellent

Elizabeth
Nice way of ditching the comedic element for a bit there

Kathryn
Funny but appropriate choice to have the peanut gallery bow out there.

Elizabeth
Jinx!

Hannah
Agreed!

Kathryn
Heh

Elizabeth
Excellent idea to cast those guys as pigs

Hannah
Mrs Dilber in the George C Scott is so good

Elizabeth
I love both her and old Joe in that one

Hannah
Optimistic clarinet gonna break my heart

That street has mad Beetlejuice vibes

Elizabeth
So does this graveyard
Well, Tim Burton vibes anyway

Kathryn
I do feel like the George C Scott version was a huge influence on this.

Hannah
I agree
There’s been a lot of “You boy, what tier is this?” from Brit Twitter this weekend

Elizabeth
Heh
You can see his footprints in the snow, I like that attention to detail

Kathryn
Aw, I was just thinking his outfit needed some color.

Hannah
I never realized how much Michael Caine looked like Tim Curry

Elizabeth
There’s totally a resemblance

Hannah
East London genes

Elizabeth
Those little mice puppets are next level adorable

Hannah
I feel like the day off thing is really confusing in the Scott version

Elizabeth
Agreed

Kathryn
Well that was super sweet

Elizabeth
So cute!

Hannah
So fun

Elizabeth
And hey! Just this past August the @BillAndTedTest retweeted a thread talking about the costumes in the movie! 

Hannah
Nice!
That is an excellent thread

 

 

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