The Muppet Show (2026) Special Review

Kermit and friends return in a modern take on their classic variety show format, mixing nostalgic charm with new comedy bits while staying true to the Muppets’ timeless spirit

The Muppet Show is directed by Alex Timbers. The Muppet Show is presented as a revival of the original series (1976-1981).

Whenever there is a new Muppet project you already know you are in for a treat, that’s especially the case here with this special. It brings back everything that you know and love from the original show and keeps it front and center throughout the experience, there is clearly so much charm and passion that went into this special that you can’t help but leave with a giant smile on your face.

Sabrina Carpenter is the main guest and this only showcases her fantastic acting talent, Sabrina Carpenter fits so well with the classic Muppet Show atmosphere it feels like this is something she was born to do. She has this charm that even if you aren’t familiar with her music you still get connected to her easily, her chemistry with Miss Piggy is humorous and some of the special’s biggest highlights. I really can’t stress enough how good Sabrina Carpenter really is here, when the credits roll you want to see more of her performance that right there is one of the key qualities of a star.

The singing performances are phenomenal, Sabrina Carpenter sings Manchild which some have argued that this is the best version of it, which there is a solid argument to be made that is the case! It’s well performed, the dancing chickens doing the Manchild dance is hilarious, Sam Eagle gets a decently funny bit here as well. It also helps that Manchild is just a phenomenal song that really has become one of Sabrina’s biggest hits.

Rizzo the Rat sings Blinding Lights by The Weeknd and it’s truly one of the special’s greatest moments, not only is it completely unexpected but the rats moving in these jerky movements brings this whole comedic element into the mix. It’s not a very long moment of the special but it does leave a lasting impression on the viewer and is quite memorable.

The best singing performance comes from Kermit, Miss Piggy and Sabrina Carpenter who all sing Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It’s beautifully sung and all of their voices mesh incredibly well together. We get to hear more of Carpenter’s beautiful vocals and see that Matt Vogel is a very worthy Kermit the Frog, it’s a beautifully done performance all around that feels like the heart of the special. It’s moments like these that really make The Muppet Show all the more fun.

The rest of the special is just classic, from the atmosphere to the many skits it all comes together and this beautiful little bow that really brings back memories. The writing combined with the humor is sharp and gives the viewer so much to chew on, it’s a beautiful piece that compliments the original show masterfully.

Overall The Muppet Show is phenomenal, it’s well done and really combines all of the elements that make the show so fascinating. I truly hope we get to see more of The Muppets soon!

The Muppet Show is available on Disney+

8/10 B+

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (2025) Film Review

Young Alexander Garcia thinks he has the worst luck in the world. When his multigenerational Mexican-American family sets off on a road trip to California, he’s pretty sure disaster lurks around every corner.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is directed by Marvin Lemus which is his directorial debut. The film is a standalone sequel to the 2014 film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

This movie is a prime example of the classic streaming movie strategy, take a movie that was decently popular when it first came out but over the years has been mostly forgotten about and give it a sequel. I’m not going to sit here and say that Very Bad Day was a great film, it was a very typical family comedy movie but at the very least it had it’s charm mainly from Steve Carrell and the rest of the cast.

Very Bad Road Trip however does not have a whole lot going on here, it’s a movie that tries to recapture some of the fun beats from the previous movie. I will say that this movie at times has some cultural exploration that I do have to give the movie some credit for at least trying (even if it’s very bare bones.) But that’s not quite enough to really justify the end result of the movie and ultimately will leave audiences flipping through the Disney+ catalog on what to watch next making this one forgettable.

The acting here is fine, it gets the job done Cheech Martin I guess is the standout here. But the acting and delivery is more of the fault of the script than anything else, the humor outside of a few chuckle worthy scenes really falls flat. There’s just not a whole lot of material here that’s very interesting or even that funny to really move the story along, it’s not that anything here is necessarily terrible it’s that the movie has the feel of a family comedy streaming movie that has little going for it.

I can see what they were trying to do with the cultural exploration, heck when the movie focuses on that it’s a bit more of an interesting movie and a little more than just a family road trip comedy movie. But unfortunately those moments are not quite strong enough due to the movie’s humor and lack of real meat to the theme, I’m not asking for a full in depth exploration. But something with a little more substance would have been a bit more investing for the viewer.

Overall there really is not a whole lot to comment on with Very Bad Road Trip you could have done so much worse, but this honestly just feels like the bare minimum and nothing more than release date fodder. Kids may like this one, but everyone else will forget it in less than 10 minutes after watching.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip is available on Disney+

4/10 D+

Out Of My Mind (2024) Film Review!

Melody Brooks is navigating sixth grade as a nonverbal wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy. With the help of some assistive technology and her devoted allies, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.

Out Of My Mind is directed by Amber Sealey director of A Plus D (2008), How To Cheat (2011), No Light and No Land Anywhere (2016) and No Man Of God (2021).

Every once in a while you will get a Disney+ original film that really hits out of the park, Out Of My Mind is one of those films. It’s such a shame this is barely getting any advertising because out of Disney+’s original film catalog this is among one of the absolute best.

Out Of My Mind tells the story of Melody Brooks a sixth grader with cerebral palsy played by Phoebe-Rae Taylor who does have cerebral palsy making this film feel that much more authentic. Taylor’s performance is incredibly well done, she plays a character who is bright, intelligent, funny, sad and angry. Just seeing her display these emotions is absolutely fascinating and leads into the emotional moments of the film. Melody Brooks uses a tablet to be able to speak, the very first time she uses it her father Chuck (played by Luke Kirby) breaks down in happiness. It’s such a beautiful moment that really captures the spirit of this film very well.

The film does such a fantastic job of informing the viewer about cerebral palsy and that a person with it can still be a fully functional person as well as just not judging people with it. The film never comes off as preachy it’s incredibly authentic and is genuinely moving as well, filming might not be anything special but the direction from director Amber Sealey makes up for it and gives the film that raw nature it needs.

There’s also the message of just being a good person, help others out when needed and respect people for who they are. This has been said multiple times before, but here it feels it’s coming from a much more honest place, especially when you have authentic casting and don’t end up being incredibly preachy.

I really do hope we get to see Phoebe-Rae Taylor again in another performance because this was a fantastic first impression, Out Of My Mind is a sweet and powerful film that I think so many people especially kids with cerebral palsy will truly appreciate!

Out Of My Mind is available on Disney+

8/10 B+

Music By John Williams (2024) Film Review

An exploration of composer John Williams’ story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, along with rare behind-the-scenes glimpses into the making of cinematic history.

Music By John Williams is directed by Laurent Bouzereau who’s directed documentaries such as Faye (2024), Mama’s Boy (2022), Five Come Back (2017), Steven Spielberg & John Williams: The Adventure Continues (2017) and a few others.

John Williams is a name that really does not need an introduction, he’s one of the greatest and most recognizable film composers of all time. From Star Wars to Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, ET, Superman, Schindler’s List and many others ( I do love that Born On The Fourth Of July was mentioned.) His music is very recognizable and Music By John Williams serves as a tribute to this legendary composer.

There might not be anything new being said here, but the documentary isn’t simply just a run down of his career. In between all that the documentary explores Williams’s role in popularizing classical music, his influence, just how much he inspired people and the joy he brought. The documentary also discusses the friendship between John Williams and Steven Spielberg. Which leads to some great moments of Williams and Spielberg discussing the work they have done together and how proud of each other they really are.

We get tons of interviews including his family, Spielberg, George Lucas, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, JJ Abrams and a few others. Chris Martin from Coldplay is also here and Seth MacFarlane. Each of which share their experiences with Williams or how he inspired them, it’s truly neat to see so many people with great careers share their experiences some of which are truly powerful and investing to listen to.

Overall there really isn’t much else more to say, Music By John Williams is a beautiful tribute to a legendary composer and just an incredibly solid documentary. As I said before there might not exactly be anything new here but I do have to give it credit for not being just a run down of his career. Any fan of John Williams will appreciate this one!

Music By John Williams is available on Disney+

7/10 B

Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) Review

A look at interviews of fans of Jim Henson, interspersed with footage from his works, including Wilkins and Wontkins Commercials that were previously lost.

Jim Henson Idea Man is directed by Ron Howard who has directed A Beautiful Mind (2001), Rush (2013), Apollo 13 (1995), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Cinderella Man (2005) and many others.

Jim Henson Idea Man is a documentary that talks about the career of Jim Henson the man who created The Muppets, Sesame Street, Dark Crystal and many other incredible pieces of work that have gone on to be beloved to this day. The documentary mostly focuses on Henson’s early career and does go over some works that aren’t as popular which is always nice to see.

Ron Howard’s style works quite well here with even some very nice experimental nods to Henson’s creative energy, the use of footage that was previously lost such as some of the Wilkins Coffee ads was a nice touch. The documentary also manages to capture the spirit of Jim Henson, what really makes this special is the editing incorporates the style and art that Henson really liked to use in his work, which really does give this documentary the extra push to standout.

The documentary isn’t really saying anything groundbreaking but it really does not need to, it focuses more on celebrating Jim Henson’s life, his impact on art in general and the many people interviewed (family members and collaborators) such as Frank Oz.

There really isn’t much else to be said, if your a fan of Jim Henson and his work you will definitely appreciate this very straight to the point documentary that isn’t trying to be complex it’s a tribute to such a beloved artist.

Jim Henson Idea Man is available on Disney+

7/10 B

Echo (2024) Series Review

Maya Lopez’s ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown; she must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community.

Echo is a new installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s the tenth Disney+ MCU series and serves as a spinoff to Hawkeye (2021).

I’m one of those few people who enjoyed Hawkeye decently enough, my opinions on it have changed since then and I don’t think it’s quite the 9/10 series I was making it out to be, but I still think it was solid enough and worked mostly due to the performances. While I did enjoy Echo as a character in Hawkeye I always thought making a series about her was very out of nowhere, but that’s not to say there wasn’t any potential.

Because there are are some decent parts to the series, for one thing the acting is honestly pretty solid. Alaqua Cox gives a solid performance as Maya Lopez her interactions with the other characters are genuinely touching at times the moments with her and Vincent D’Onofrio are among some of the best moments. The two really do a great job of creating tension, speaking of which Vincent D’Onofrio once again does a fantastic job as The Kingpin, although he’s only in the series for a few episodes every time he appears on screen he knocks it out of the park. It really does get you excited to see the future of where he is going to take this character.

There are also some solid sequences that are genuinely touching as well (particularly in Episode 3), they is definitely an attempt to make these moments standout among the overall amount in any MCU Disney+ series and I think this series does an okay job with that.

That’s where it ends for me however because there are way too many missteps that can’t be ignored. For one thing the series is 5 episodes long, meaning character moments, the writing and the build up to the final episode all move at a very fast pace that ends up getting very sloppy which again is frustrating because there was some level of attempt to create something interesting narratively.

The other problem is the power switch, a choice that that does not make any sense at all narratively and doesn’t fit with the source material. This happened once before with Mrs. Marvel which while that decision was also quite bad at the very least the series was still entertaining, Echo is unfortunately not very entertaining and is quite dialogue heavy which would be fine if it were at least compelling. But that’s not the case here, as I said the fast paced really rushed moments that would otherwise be very important for the characters making for a very weak payoff.

Finally as a series I really don’t think it succeeds with making Echo an interesting character, sure we are given details about her native roots but we aren’t shown a whole lot of it. And I hate repeating myself here but the pacing completely destroys her character moments, it’s all rushed and sloppily put together to make a very disappointing final episode that isn’t quite on the same level as embarrassing as the one in Secret Invasion (2023) but it falls very flat unfortunately.

Overall Echo had a lot of potential, it had the right ingredients just the wrong way to fully execute them. Which is a common problem with a lot of these MCU shows and is probably only going to get worse.

Echo is available on Disney+

4/10 D+

Secret Invasion is a poorly written mess that lacks interest.

Nick Fury learns of a secret invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls; Fury joins his allies, and together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Secret Invasion is the newest installment of the MCU and is the ninth television series in the MCU, it took me awhile to review this show despite watching the entire series in one day back in July because there truly is not anything interesting or compelling to talk about here.

Which is a massive shame because I do think some of the ideas presented here are interesting they are just very poorly executed, a political thriller Marvel series could have easily worked heck Marvel already showed that in movie form it can work with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (it depends on who you ask, some people consider it a political thriller some people don’t.) so it’s quite baffling to see just how massively Secret Invasion fails in comparison.

The only positive here are the performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Coleman (pretty much any scene she’s in is such a delight) and Ben Mendelsohn. They all try their absolute hardest with such a messy and unfocused script that really does not give them much to work with at all, Emilia Clarke’s character in particular is very blandly written and only gets worse during the finale (which that in itself is a whole other issue with the series that I’ll get to in a bit.)

One of the main problems here is the character development and a majority of the characters in general, the development for any of these characters outside of Nick Fury and maybe Talos is incredibly nonexistent. Emilia Clarke’s character G’iah had her moments but left so much to be desired, which is frustrating because I do think the father and daughter relationship that Talos and G’iah shined through at times but when it comes to just about everything else her character isn’t interesting at all.

Then we have the main villain of the series Gravik the leader of the rebel Skrulls (the Skrulls were in Captain Marvel I’ll get into why they do not work well at all in Secret Invasion in a bit) who is played by Kingsley Ben-Adir who doesn’t give a terrible performance just not a very memorable one, Gravik on the other hand is one of the most forgettable villains of the MCU and honestly one of the worst as well. Despite the series trying to make Gravik seem more than a villain who is evil for the sake of being evil there really isn’t anything compelling, unique or well written about the character. A majority of the time during the series he’s a hot head who just kills his own men.

Speaking of killing characters this show does a lot of it (I still don’t know how to feel about a certain character’s death in the first episode.) the problem is a majority of them are not interesting at the slightest, making the scenes they eventually get axed in lack any sort of interest. The Skrulls as I mentioned before were in Captain Marvel and while I didn’t like Captain Marvel at the very least in that movie the Skrulls had character to them granted the movie could have done a bit more but the ideas and character ideas were definitely there. In Secret Invasion with the exception of Talos they are restricted to either being henchmen who have no personality or just flat out being poorly written (G’iah and Gravik) as well as being used for a VERY stupid plot twist.

Finally there’s the finale episode 6 a disastrous way to end a series, I know a lot of people were divided on the finale of Wandavision but this is just awful, throughout the series it (for the most part) tried to stick with this political thriller atmosphere where the action scenes weren’t as flashy as a lot of other installments of the series. Even if the political thriller atmosphere was not good at all here, at the very least there was some consistency. However that gets thrown out the window with the final battle, suddenly becomes a flashy mess that even if you wanted to make the argument that it’s the final battle of course there’s going to be flashy action. That doesn’t take away that the CGI used is horrendous, the fight is between G’iah and Gravik two very uninteresting characters making the fight just dull.

Overall Secret Invasion is a gigantic mess, it’s a terrible series that has some decent performances and a few character moments but lacks in every other department.

Secret Invasion is available on Disney+

3/10 D-

World’s Best is a fun Disney+ Original filled with heart.

In the midst of navigating the hardships of adolescence, 12-year-old Prem Patel discovers his deceased father was a rapper. He sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar and is determined to find out if hip-hop is in his DNA.

Got to say I’m a bit surprised from World’s Best, while it does fall into the typical Disney+ movie hole where it does end up feeling like a Disney Channel Original Movie. There’s a genuine amount of fun to be had here with this one.

Utkarsh Ambudkar is a whole lot of fun here and really puts his all into a performance that may not always give him the best material, but during the music segments he takes advantage of it and really pulls some great moments. Manny Magnus is a solid lead and does a pretty solid job of making his character feel quite grounded in a lot of ways, it will be interesting to see where his career goes.

The rest of the cast while not anything necessarily amazing, they get the job done and are genuinely charming as well. As I said before World’s Best can feel like a Disney channel original movie at times with the script being the main culprit plus some of the humor isn’t quite great either. Granted it is less noticeable as a lot of other Disney+ original movies, the movie itself does follow a lot of story beats about a child (in this case son) who wants to follow the footsteps of their deceased parent (in this case father).

But what makes this one standout a bit more is the direction from Roshan Sethi (who previously directed 7 Days), he brings a handful of heartwarming moments that are just enough to push the movie over the finish line. It has a lot of heart and does manage to make some of the characters feel a bit more grounded.

Overall World’s Best is flawed but a quite charming movie that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

World’s Best is available on Disney+

6/10 C+

Flamin’ Hot a false story with a not so flaming result.

Richard Montanez, the son of a Mexican immigrant, was a janitor at Frito Lay when he came up with the idea for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. His creation, inspired by the flavours of his community, revitalises Frito-Lay and disrupts the food industry.

2023 has this interesting trend of films based off of brands which include Tetris, BlackBerry and Air all of which have been quite fantastic films and are some of the highlights so far this year. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Flamin’ Hot, not only is it below average but the story itself isn’t true at all.

Richard Montañez made 90% of the story up the only part that is true is that he eventually became an executive of Multi-Cultural Marketing at Frito-Lay, everything else in between Montañez’s upbringing and when he gets promoted is false, which is a shame because to some viewers this is definitely inspiring heck there are moments where I found it to be quite inspiring myself.

But what about the rest of the movie? The acting at the very least is solid enough Jesse Garcia does a solid job as Richard Montañez and connects to the rest of the cast quite well, Dennis Haysbert also gives a solid performance even if he plays a very traditional mentor figure Haysbert has the charisma and acting power to make it work.

The writing unfortunately is where the movie falls a bit flat, there’s a lot of typical biopic cliches that are very noticeable. Seeing a janitor become an executive is inspiring but it’s a type of story that has been seen numerous times before, even if you took away the fact that 90% of the movie is based off of a lie it would still be a very generically told story.

It’s a bit of a shame because the movie itself isn’t necessarily terrible, there’s a lot of genuinely great moments with great acting and some character bits that are once again pretty inspiring. But when you really boil down to it Flamin’ Hot isn’t anything special and not something you will ever come back to.

Flamin’ Hot is available on Hulu and Disney+

5/10 C

Prom Pact is a surprisingly charming high school movie.

It is the height of prom season, but high school senior Mandy Yang has her sights set on a singular goal: attending Harvard. When she finds out she has been deferred, she is determined to do whatever she can to get herself off the waitlist, even if that means asking the one person who represents everything she abhors, all-star jock Graham Lansing, whose father is a powerful senator and Harvard alum.

Every once and awhile you get a Disney+ Original movie that doesn’t completely feel like Disney Channel original movie in disguise, Prom Pact definitely surprised me for this particular reason, it definitely seemed like it was going to be yet another high school movie with Disney paint over it.

While yes Prom Pact does have the usual elements that a lot of high school movies have, there is something here that a lot of these movies often miss…charm, there was clearly a lot of love put into the movie especially with the cast. Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim are both fantastic and give genuinely charming performances that the viewer can easily connect with, even some of the side characters are great Margaret Cho does a pretty good job with some decent comedic timing.

The story itself as I said before is very much in line with a lot of other high school movies, but luckily it is entertaining the whole way through. If you have seen one high school movie you probably know what to expect, but as I said before the charm is what makes this one standout. The message of the movie is great and the execution on sharing that message is pretty well done, the writing has it’s hiccups but for the most part they really kept some of the interactions as natural as possible.

Overall Prom Pact is by far one of the better Disney+ originals and is even something I would recommend checking out.

Prom Pact is available on Disney+

7/10 B