While I'm on record as being at least curious about how Jim Henson Productions' in-development puppet film noir The Happytime Murders will play out, I'll readily admit that it could definitely go either way. Now, here's an early glimpse at the feature directorial debut from Todd Berger, who wrote the Happytime screenplay, and while it's not necessarily a home run, it doesn't sink all hope for a fun hard-boiled puppet murder movie either.
Full disclosure: I need a self-reflexive horror-comedy about LA hipsters like I need the incessant noise from the jackhammer that's been chiseling away at God-knows-what in front of my apartment for the past two hours. Especially one with a cute pun title like Scenesters (Get it? Like a crime scene and also...nevermind). So yes, my expectations going in here were somewhere near the bottom of the barrel.
But it's really not that annoying! And in fact, it's tough to figure out exactly what angle this film is taking with the concept. It looks to be some sort of mockumentary/narrative hybrid, which isn't any new pinnacle for creativity, but certainly sounds more acceptable than a straight serial killer mockumentary, given the concept. The humor looks more akin to the low-key, awkward humor of The Office than the broad, worn-out jokes that the genre invites. And yeah, the last line made me laugh out loud.
Verdict: Not writing Berger off yet.
[Via Yahoo Movies]