Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow (2015)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

That was an excellent one.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

There's an obvious touch of Henson in this. And while it is based on a Henson story/idea, that's sadly not the part that works in the film. The creature designs are nice, and the creatures are great. I won't go too much into detail her (spoiler territory), but they're the clear highlight of the film. I also actually quite like the Ludicrous-segments, that break the fourth wall. They feel very much in line with the Muppets.But other than that, the movie disappoints. The premise is good enough, but it feels like there should be more time spent on the kids exploring the secrets of the forests, and less time on the search for them. There's a sequence where they come to some interesting pumpkins that seem ready to burst into life... but nothing happens. It's like they planned a sequence, and instead of dropping it, made the audience feel what we missed. The creatures are great, but are hardly put to use.I'm sure many kids will enjoy it, and I can also see it becoming a staple of thanksgiving TV - but for something fronted as "Jim Henson's", it sure lacks a lot.

First things first, this is definitely a kids movie, but it's a kids movie that Moms and Dads will find themselves snickering at. I ended up seeing this movie twice over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and appreciated it even more the second time. There are some slapstick moments for the kids, but there are also some very sophisticated one- liners sure to go over the younger heads. Mary Steenburgen is great as usual, and I especially enjoyed her flirtation with the Sheriff. Of course the Monsters are the star of the show. They're ugly and adorable at the same time, and they have fantastic interplay with the child stars. Some of the special effects toward the end are a little cheesy, but overall the movie looks great, with a beautiful forest setting. I found it worthy of the Jim Henson name and a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving!

I liked this as a casual afternoon movie while taking care of some minor chores that I could do while watching. I was okay with the story having an intermittent narrator. This is not to the level of Gone with the Wind or The Deerhunter nor Indiana Jones or Lara Croft but I found it enjoyable. I have yet to see a Henson production I wouldn't watch, including this one. I can see Jim Henson's influence in the design of some of the characters but it took quite a while before they were introduced. I think it is the first time I heard the word "fugly" used on television. The title is the name of the town where the action takes place and the town's main economic product seems to be turkey which make various appearances through the movie. I will admit some of the themes are a bit predictable, notably a recent divorcée with kids. Mostly, I was relieved that it wasn't another Christmas story! There are way too many of those now, can I hear an "amen" from somebody?

I tried, I really tried to sit through this movie. I could not do it. the plot is lame, the dialogue is inane, the characters vapid. Not even decent special effects could save this movie. Two points, the sheriff: agrees with "bad guy" about the missing turkeys without even doing the most basic of investigating, making Barney Fife look like Walker, Texas Ranger. And of course, the debt must be paid in 2 days, and guess what, Thanksgiving is just 2 days away, how contrived of a plot line can you get? The "bad guy": no character development at all, just "here is what I am going to do, HA HA HA!!! Save your time and stuff this turkey in the dumpster!!