BuzzSugar

The Simpsons Movie: Satisfying Enough

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:28:15 -0700

First and foremost, The Simpsons Movie is very funny. In many ways, it's a perfectly satisfying Simpsons adventure with plenty of gags to keep the laughs rolling on. Thus, as a major summer comedy, this movie is a success.

However, as a longtime fan of the TV show, I suppose I'd expected certain things that the movie did not ultimately deliver. Much of the enjoyment of this movie hinges upon surprise, so I won't reveal plot details or specific jokes here - though the great number of you who voted Lisa as your favorite Simpson will be very pleased: She has some of the greatest moments in the whole thing, in my opinion. The movie felt like a longer episode with a little more obscenity, but still basically an episode. To check out my thoughts on the good and the bad, as divided into "woo hoo!" and "d'oh!" read more

"Woo hoo!"
The cinematic aspect (bigger, grander, higher quality), for people who have been watching the show on their little TVs for 18 years, is genuinely thrilling. It seems obvious but it truly is the Simpsons, that beloved TV family, like you've never seen them before. Being in a packed theater is another thrill - though perhaps jarring at first. I'm used to chuckling alone or with a few people in the safety of my own living room. To be a part of a large crowd roaring with laughter is bizarre - and a lot of fun.

The filmmakers definitely took advantage of the fact that this is a PG-13 movie that people are paying to see. Or in other words, they can finally say and do things (profanity, nudity, stronger political satire) that you just know they've been chomping at the bit to do for many years. There's something exciting about seeing them break free a little, swearing and giving the middle finger (er, the middle of the characters' four fingers, anyway). You get the sense that this was a real relief for them, and so it is for the audience, too.

If nothing else, this is a super extended episode of "The Simpsons," so simply put, the more "Simpsons," the better.

"D'oh"
For a show that so often veers into several random storylines, it actually feels like Groening and Friends played it safe with this movie, concentrating mostly on one big adventure for the Simpsons family. They had this whole entire movie to play with... but somehow it doesn't feel very playful.

Most of all, however, I wanted much more of Springfield and the Springfield residents I've grown to know so well over the years. I wanted more of the people - and places! - I love so much. Groundskeeper Willie gets basically no screen time, for example, and even Mr. Burns only has one short scene. In addition, there are no scenes inside the power plant at all, and even the Kwiki-Mart is nowhere to be found!

After all those promotional stunts (the Springfields of America competing for the chance to hold the premiere, the 7-11s turned into Kwiki-Marts, etc.), I definitely expected more specific Springfield jokes overall. Fans get into those stunts because we love Springfield and we want to be a part of that world. So it's strange that the movie actually takes us out of that world. And rather than seeing more of the characters we know and love, I think we actually see less of them.

In conclusion...
After waiting for 18 years to see this movie, it's probably going to be built up way too much as a matter of course. The fact remains that this was a wildly ambitious undertaking, and the result is a super fun movie-going experience.

Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Vermont's Springfield Gets Simpsons Premiere

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:27:26 -0700

Now we know which Springfield truly rules them all: Springfield, Vt.! The small town got 15,000 votes in USA Today's Springfields poll and will get to host The Simpsons Movie's July 21 premiere.

The town of 9,300 apparently was too small to be invited into participate in the contest at first and only got involved after seeing a news report and asking to be included. But their video - which featured a Homer-like character chasing a giant, pink-frosted donut past town landmarks - edged out larger, relatively more famous Springfields to score the premiere. Illinois came in second, with Oregon not far behind in third. Poor Florida didn't do so well, languishing in 14th place.

Nearly 110,000 people voted in the contest overall, and of course, Vermont's win is likely to draw some ire from supporters of the other Springfields. To them, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas had just one thing to say: "Don't have a cow, man."

Source

Which Springfield will Rule Them All?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 06:30:00 -0700

This week, in the Springfields of America, a great battle is raging: Which town will prove it's worthy of hosting the premiere of The Simpsons Movie on July 27? Fourteen of the nation's Springfields have submitted videos about their towns for a USA Today contest; voting, which is open now and closes July 9, will determine which town wins the premiere.

I have to give these towns some props: While the videos are obviously amateur, they're made with a lot of heart. The Illinois and Oregon Springfields took the tactic of using clips from the show to justify why their town is the "real" home of the Simpsons, while several of the others created fake news reports (often featuring a Kent Brockman-like anchor). And apparently, some Springfields have more in common than just their name: Over the course of the 14 videos, I counted quite a few scenes with Disco Stu look-alikes, prank calls to the local tavern, and Bart-like characters writing sentences over and over on a chalkboard. Springfield, Kentucky, even had someone write a bluegrass-tinged theme song for their film. (Springfield, Minnesota, on the other hand, declined to participate, saying their town was nothing like Homer's stomping ground.)

You can watch the videos and vote on USA Today's site until July 9. To watch the submission from Springfield, New Jersey, just read more

Source

TV Tonight: The 400th Episode of "The Simpsons"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 May 2007 13:01:23 -0700

After a week of sad season and series finales - I'm still feeling weepy over "Gilmore Girls," "Ugly Betty," and "Grey's" - I'm glad that we have some more lighthearted fare to look forward to tonight as "The Simpsons" wraps up its 18th season. The one-hour finale (actually two separate episodes) starts with a parody of "24," then concludes with the series' whopping 400th episode.

Of the two, I'm most excited about the parody, "24 Minutes," with Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub voicing cartoon versions of Jack and Chloe. The skeptic in me wants to point out that it's a nice bit of cross-promotion for the season finale of "24" on Monday; the "Simpsons" fan in me thinks this episode is going to be awesome. The second half-hour - the one that's technically No. 400 - is called "You Kent Always Say What You Want," featuring news anchor Kent Brockman going on a profanity-laced tirade after Homer spills coffee on his lap while the two are on live TV.

To watch a preview clip and see a gallery of photos from the show's 400th episode party, read more

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Photos and video courtesy of Fox