There had been talks of a Simpsons movie dating all the way back to 1994, but it is only now, thirteen years later, that it has become a reality. I was definitely interested in seeing it, but there were some definite concerns to be had going in. I've enjoyed the show on and off since its inception, however I always thought that it should have ended many years ago, as there has been a creative drought for a number of seasons now. I was worried about the quality of writing for the movie, as anyone who has been watching the past few years will have to have seen the drop in number of laughs per episode (the last season was a step up, though). After the writing there is a concern that with 18 seasons (so far) of episodes, with many in perpetual reruns, would people be interested in paying for it? The answer is, and should be, a resounding yes. While the movie did not really open up any new ground, it delivered a steady succession of laugh out loud jokes, and was a suitably bigger story that did not feel like a couple of episodes run end to end.
The movie, itself, answered the question of viewership in its opening sequence, an inspired violent bit featuring Itchy and Scratchy, the lovably violent mouse and cat combo. It appears to be a short to open the show, but it is quickly revealed to be an Itchy and Scratchy movie, with Homer complaining they could have stayed home and watched it on television for free. It is a funny bit defusing what was likely an actual concern for the studio.The Simpsons Movie begins by introducing us to the town on the big screen, and it is a hilarious jaunt through the familiar territory. No, it is not a town tour, but it is all the setup material to get the actual plot moving, but it is also the most fertile joke territory of the entire movie. I was given to laughing out loud at numerous points during this opening, with the frequency decreasing the further along the movie progressed. I can honestly say I was surprised by the sharp wit, and how fast the jokes came early on. Any worries that I had that this would fall in line with the past weak seasons was quickly erased. It was almost as if the writers (of which there are 11 credited) saved up all of their best bits to weave into a feature length tale.
The story centers on Homer's culpability in the overpollution of the lake, which results in the federal government coming down hard on the town. Of course, the town does not take too kindly to yet another of Homer's screw ups, and a mob is formed. While the mob marches on the Simpson home, the family is able to escape their clutches and head off to start new lives. Their lives are so inextricably linked with the town of anonymous origin (they border Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Kentucky) that the separation does not last long.You know, it would be easy to go ahead and describe the plot, but it does follow a Simpsons formula. It features some opening gags that lead to Homer doing something stupid, leadingt o Homer doing something even more stupid putting the family at risk, Marge nags, Bart is mischieveous, Lisa picks up a crusade, Homer realizes the error of his ways, and Homer saves the day. This is setup is no stranger to fans of the series, but the setup is not what I was watching for. Of course, I was not terribly sure what to expect, I just wanted to laugh and not feel like I was watching an episode.
The plot was thin enough that it could have been an episode, but it was open enough that there was plenty of room to fill in gags and bring the classic Simpsons humor to the more expansive big screen. Was it all I thought it could be? Not really. The problem with making a Simpsons movie is that you cannot take it too far from what made the show popular, while you have to make it bigger than the series. It is a delicate balance that must be struck.In addition to the stepped up writing, the animation was simply gorgeous. It was a good example of what traditional 2D animation can look like on the big screen. It has nearly been relegated to a lost art with the emphasis being put so strongly on 3D computer animation that I cannot remember the last time I saw this animation on the big screen (that did not originate in Japan anyway). The clan made the transition in beautiful fashion, the character designs, the smoothness, it is all a delight to watch. Sure, computers were not completely absent from the production, but this is clearly a primarily hand drawn affair.
Bottomline. I know this may not have included as much information as you would have liked, suffice to say the movie is very funny, it looks fantastic, and is just much more satisfying that I thought possible. Great? No, but still very satisfying. This is a movie that I would recommend seeing on the big screen and just laughing at the insanity with the rest of the crowd.
Recommended.
Honestly, I never watched many Tales from the Crypt episodes during their early run. My access to HBO was spotty at best, and my addiction to television (and movies, and music...) had yet to kick into gear. So, I don't have the attachment to these episodes that many of you probably have. My memories of the episodes I did see are faint and contain no specifics. Still, the memories are fond, and I eagerly looked forward to digging into this season when the set arrived on my doorstep. However, not everything is bright and rosey. Most of the episodes in this sixth season do not really live up to those fond memories of episodes gone by. Not all is bad, but I probably should have revisited the earlier seasons first. A tactical error on my point.
Combining the look and the look and feel of movies like Sin City and Blade Runner, first time director Christian Volckman delivers a movie that is ultra stylish, although the story itself does not feel all that special. Despite the story feeling familiar, the film brings a bold, fresh look to the animated film genre. It is a science fiction tale of cops and criminals, kidnappers, and the misuse of science for personal gain. More than anything, the film is breathtaking for its use of motion capture and rotoscoping, bringing the concept of adapting a graphic novel to the bigscreen, sans graphic novel.
The story moves along in a straightforward manner, nothing is terribly deep, but Renaissance is nonetheless captivating. In some films, the lack of a deep story ultimately brings the film down a few notches, despite whatever else it may offer in interesting setting or style (see Perfect Creature). Renaissance does not have any big twists or turns, actually, it is refreshingly straightforward as Karas moves forward in his investigation, as Bislane does some searching of her own, both intent on reaching the end and finding Ilona.
In the end, Renaissance seems less concerned with the story (although it is good), and more concerned with the style, the look, the environment, and the details. Yes, the world of 2054 Paris is completely immersive. The detail is spectacular, a science fiction noir with carefully thought out camera placements, interesting use of light and shadow, and feels very real like you could reach out and touch it. It is much like the way Sin City and 300 were shot, but taken a step further. Instead of just shooting the actors in front of a green screen and adding in backgrounds, the actors movements were motion captured, manipulated in the computer and placed within the CG constructed Paris. It is a striking look, and the decision to use purely black and white is one that pays off in spades. The details just jump out, the facial expressions and movements look so natural.
Audio/Video. Both English and French language tracks are included, the film is from France and was only dubbed for the US and other non-French markets (obviously), but they did a good job of bringing in very good voice talent that fit the nature of the characters here. I listened to the English track, a Dolby 5.1 track that sounds quite good, well representing the dialogue and score. Video is a gorgeous 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. It just looks fantastic, no complaints from this viewer.
30 Rock: Season 1
HOUSE: SEASON THREE
Now this, this is fun. The Rezidudes are not a band to be taken seriously. If you make any attempt to approach this band with anything other than a party mindset you will be surely disappointed, and are likely to not get this. I find it humorous that this found its way to my mailbox so soon after seeing my friend's band play (C U Next Thursday). You see, I experienced my friend's band for the first time just last week, and they are an unoriginal band that plays cover songs. They are a cover band that takes an odd collection of tracks from artists like Lita Ford, Fear, Bon Jovi, Billy Idol, Metallica, and Rancid, puts their own brand of garage punk spin on them and puts it out on the stage. They aren't all that good, but they are a lot of fun. What does that have to do with The Rezidudes? Well, they are pretty much the same thing, although they do it with a bit more skill.
This is the kind of music that you put on at a party with free flowing beer and a group of friends willing to sing along and make jolly fools of themselves. Seriously, one listen to this album and how can you not want a party? Take some songs from decades pasts, put them through a punk metal blender, serves as many as needed.
This week's pick is none other than the criminally ignored in theaters David Fincher's Zodiac. It is a a fantastic recreation of the era, as well as an in depth procedural that focuses not on the sensational aspects of the killing, but on those who were working towards capturing the man responsible.
The Price is Right is a television institution, and a lot of care needs to be taken when choosing the next host, at least in my mind. When I was a young one, I used to love sitting in front of the televsion set at 11:00 AM, just waiting to hear those famous words: "Come on down! You're the next contestant on the Price is Right!" Watching the four contestants selected from the audience bid on prizes in the hopes of getting onstage to play Plinko, or Hole in One (or Two!), the Shell Game, or any other number of pricing related games. It was a highlight of my young day, and while my interest in game shows has waned in this reality show soaked age, my enjoyment of the Price is Right has never waned.
Anyway, with the star, and most likely biggest draw, of the show leaving, it was time to think of another host. Frankly, I kind of hoped that they went with a nobody, or a little known personality. When Rosie's name came up, I immediately said to myself that if she was the ultimate choice, I would never watch the show again. I do not like the woman, and she is way to much of a controversy lightning rod to work well as the host of the show. Then reports came out that she was offered the job, but was insisting on it being moved from LA to either Miami or New York, where she has homes. Then it went on to say how the producers didn't want her because she was only going to "gay it up," with talk of redoing the set, adding confetti, and Broadway hunks (whatever all that means). I tend to doubt most of these reports, and Rosie has even said that she wasn't offered the job. Then Joey Fatone's name was mentioned, and I do not have quite as much of an aversion to him, but he doesn't strike me as being anywhere near right for this gig.
Before John Woo became a legendary master of the bullet ballet, he honed his skills with the legendary weapons of China. He worked as an assistant director for Chang Cheh at the Shaw Brothers studio before moving to Golden Harvest where he would direct martial arts films. This is something I hadn't known about Woo, I was only familiar with his gunplay films such as A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled, and Bullet in the Head. Seeing a Woo swordplay film, you won't see a single bullet casing bounce to the floor in slow motion, what you will find are what would become standard themes for Woo, brotherhood, loyalty, and revenge, combined with copious amounts of sword swinging action. Essentially, take away the modern day settings and replace the guns with swords and you have is the prototypical John Woo film.
So, it has finally come to an end. Ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 and it is over. Was the final season any good? Definitely. Perhaps not quite as good as the years when it was at its peak, but it was definitely a cut above the last season or so, which saw the quality suffer as the cast went through some changes. This final season focused primarily on the battle with Ori, which I never found to be quite as compelling as the Goa'uld, but this season went a long way to making them more interesting. When it finally did end, they did not climb to faux-operatic heights, rather it brought it back down to a more sedate, personal level. It was a nice finish, but more on that later. The bottom line is that this is a fine season and a nice capper to a great run.
In the last few seasons series star, and producer, Richard Dean Anderson, scaled back his role, completely leavin after the eight season. In response to that, they brought in Ben Browder (from Farscape) to file that hole. Also joining the cast form Farscape, initially as a guest star and then a regular, Claudia Black, as the comical alien Vala. They brought their chemistry to the show in a new dynamic, bringing another aspect of the show to love, especially during this final season.
ChthoniC (pronounced THON-ick) is a black metal band in the vein of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, both of which are claimed as inspirations. However, they step away from the Satanic styled lyrical content, rather they focus on something considerably different, one could even say more important. Their lyrical content is tied directly to their homeland. They are not another Norwegian black metal act, they are, in fact, from Taiwan where there are at the forefront of the extreme metal movement in the country. Their lyrics tie in directly to the heritage and mythology of the small nation, and they are bringing that to the United States with Seediq Bale, their first release in the US, and fourth album overall, not to mention being the first Asian band to be featured on the annual Ozzfest tour. Now, the question is, how does it stack up? Quite well in my estimation.
As I mentioned earlier, their lyrical content is derived from their heritage and the history of their island nation, a nation struggling to be truly independent from China's proclaimed sovereignty. This album centers on the Seediq tribe. They are an aboriginal tribe of Taiwan whose tradition of facial tattoos was banned under Chinese occupation, the tribe rebelled leading to a bloody incident where most of the tribe was either killed or committed suicide.
The high concept of a fake gay marriage to save pension benefits sounds like it would be the perfect fit for a low brow Adam Sandler comedy. Why is it, then, that the jokes fall flat most of the time? I sat there in the darkened theater waiting for the story to take off, but it never left the realm of the sitcom, stretched to near the breaking point to reach feature length. I wanted to like it. Sandler is usually dependable for this type of comedy, but this felt like a different Sandler, a Sandler that wasn't completely comfortable in this new role as an adult character. On the otherside, Kevin James' character felt truly conflicted, and had a lot more heart in his portrayal. In the end, it is a movie that has its laughs, but it fails to make much of an impact.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry centers on a pair of New York City firefighters, and more specifically on one, Larry. Larry (Kevin James) is a widower who, following a close call, worries about what would happen to his two kids should something happen to him. You see, he never had his pension beneficiary changed from his deceased wife to his kids. Because he waited so long following the death he cannot change the beneficiary name without getting remarried. Larry is a man who loved his wife, still loves his wife, and has not been able to move on. His love for his wife reminds me of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub on Monk) and the way his love for his deceased wife persists, even death cannot part them. It is his perpetual state of mourning which leads to his request to fake a domestic partnership, it is out of love for his kids that he is willing to do anything to insure their futures.
The union is being challenged, as there is the possibility of (gasp) fraud. Chuck and Larry head to cold north, Canada, to get married in an effort to fend off any would be investigation. Things get more complicated when Chuck gets an eyeful of their gorgeous lawyer (Jessica Biel), and a weasely investigator (Steve Buscemi) shows up rummaging through their trash.
undercover as a legitimate couple, which just brings out more gay jokes. The final act is an act of apology to the gay community, "We know you are gay and that's OK" sort of sentiment. However, the fact that they were masquerading as a gay couple in an effort to cheat the system is forgotten as they somehow stop being criminals and become gay heroes.