Simpon's Movie!

[mpbrockman]

Two quick notes here:

1) The Guardian (UK) reviewer fairly gushed over the Simpson's movie and he's usually not that kind. I'll be anxious to see it myself...

2) Agree with Roy about the South Park movie being terrific. The thing most often overlooked about it is that it's the best movie musical to come out in the last 15 years (yes - I am including Chicago and Moulin f***kin' Rouge). Ugh... will someone please explain again why repitching "Your Song" so Nicole Kidman can make an octave leap midsong is anything but cheap musical melodrama tricks 101??

[mcnichol]

AND BOB!!! The new york episode?!?! Homer vs. New York?!?! FORCED?!?!?! You guys are crazy.

You are teh crazee!!

For serious dude, I will never argue taste, but for me the season 3-4-5-6-7-8 run is unmatched by what followed. NYvHomer (and the fake skinner, which it turns out was the episode immediately following the nyc one) just rang as "trying to be the simpsons" where earlier ones just were the simpsons, defining what funny was. U Kant Deni: kamp krusty, the hockey one, radioactive man, the film festival one, the lemon tree one, GAMBLOR, MONORAIL...

that said, I haven't watched the simpsons in years. this is a sad state of affairs that i need to rectify. i'll def watch the later seasons again -- sometimes it's hard to be objective from such a close distance (watching seasons 9-10-etc right after being blown away for a few years) so maybe time will show me i'm way off.

[kbadr]

I picked up season 4 on sale at Target for like $18, and I was really impressed with the writing. There isn't a single thing they introduce early on that doesn't come back as significant by the end.

Mono-d'oh!

Random comment: The Cape Fear episode of the simpsons still has one of my all-time favorite stupid physical gags. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

[vine311]

I don't remember what season it's from, but "Three Men and a Comic Book" is my favorite episode of all time.

[Lants]

You're not way off, Bob.

It's been widely agreed upon for a long time by most hardcore Simpsons fans that "The Principal and the Pauper" was the moment that the Simpsons broke. There were still good episodes that season and there were even great episodes, but it was the begining of the end.

While the NY episode felt forced and strange, "Pauper" was the episode where the towl was thrown in and it was clear that all power had been lost.

It could also be argued that the first indication of a downfall was "Homerpalooza" which was during what a lot of people consider the best season (Season 7, they're wrong though, the best season was the second half of 6 and the first half of 7). It was the first Simpsons that seemed over-polished and colder than normal.

Obviously, there have been good episodes since season 9, but my loyalty ended after 10. There are tons of simpsons episodes I haven't seen yet and it makes me sad that now there are just as many terrible episodes of the Simpsons as there are great.

That being said... who else is seeing it tomorrow night?

[mcnichol]

that was the tail end of season 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_and_a_Comic_Book

Random comment: The Cape Fear episode of the simpsons still has one of my all-time favorite stupid physical gags. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

Sideshow Bob and the rakes?

I just looked up my favorite exchange that i could never remember exactly, from the radioactive man ep:

Nelson, Ralph, and Martin watch a man paint black patches on a white
horse.

Martin: Uh, Sir, why don't you just use real cows?
Painter: Cows don't look like cows on film. You gotta use horses.
Ralph: What do you do if you want something that looks like a horse?
Painter: Ehh, usually we just tape a bunch of cats together.

...doesn't quite read as funny, but this exchange defined funny for me at age 22. That and "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!!"

MORE TRIVIA: the Kamp Krusty episode, the plot at least, was the original idea for a simpsons movie.

[Jastroch]

One of the greatest, weirdest, episodes ever was also one of the last. The Mr. X episode where homer is making up lies on his website and one turns out to be true and he gets taken to an island. Totally strange, but great. Anyway. That's what I think.

AND BOB!!! The new york episode?!?! Homer vs. New York?!?! FORCED?!?!?! You guys are crazy.

I'm not saying the SImpsons never had its moments again... certainly there were funny episodes. But I remember vividly: I was a sophmore in college living in a five person room and we religiously watched the Simpsons together. A rerun would come on just as we got back from class. There was a half hour break, we'd go eat, and another episode would come on and then we'd go study/makeout/drink/rock or whatever.

The writing got a lot more sloppy. The jokes a lot more hack. At the end of the school year, we were all getting pissed and throwing garbage at our TV.

That's what I did in college.

[kbadr]

Sideshow Bob and the rakes?

Yep. It just went on SO damn long. And then he jumps onto the house boat, takes a step and gets hit one more time. I used to get annoyed when this episode aired in syndication because they'd always shorten, or cut entirely, the rake gag.

So many classic exchanges. One of my favorites, for the totally straight way it's delivered and everything that it reveals about an event we've never seen is

"Remember that time Santa's Little Helper ate my goldfish? And then you tried to convince me that I never had a goldfish? But why did I have the bowl, Bart? Why..did I have...the bowl?"

You can just see Milhouse wrapping his head around what happened and still trying to logically argue his case that he actually had a goldfish. Brilliant.

[Jastroch]

I wished they showed more classic episodes on reruns. They did over the 4th of July. I haven't seen Kamp Krusty in forever. That shit was HI-larious.

Also, I love the Bigger Brother Episode.

One of my favorite bits (ironically, I think, from right around or just before it got not funny) was when Homer ran into Flanders on a Cider tour (mind you, this is from memory):

Flanders: Takin in the ole cider tour?
Homer: Yeah it's been 20 of the suckiest minutes of my life
F: Suckin down the ole apple cider eh? HEre's a word to the wise, season pass, it pays for itself in 17 visits. You know, a lot of people don't know the difference between apple juice and apple cide. Here's a little rhyme to help you remember, if it's clear and yellow, you got juice there fella. If it's cloudy and brown, you're in cider town!

As flanders drones on, Homers brain says "you can stay but I'm out of here." then float out of his skull and he just goes completely limp.

hahahaha I'm cracking myself up just thinking about it.

[Jastroch]

GAMBLOR...

hahahahahahahah. Another classic line.

[Lants]

When the Gambling episode first aired, I think I quoted it for three years straight.

Also, Marge Vs. The Monorail:

MARGE: Homer, I've got someone here that can help you!
HOMER: Batman?
MARGE: No, it's a scientist
HOMER: Batman's a scientist

and "Do you want to change your name to Homer Junior? The kids can call you Ho-Ju!"

and Lisa on Ice:

Bart: OK, but on my way, I'm going to be doing this: (swings arms)
If you get hit, it's your own fault.
Lisa: OK, then I'm going to start kicking air like this. (kicks air) And
if any part of you should fill that air, (kicks) it's _your_ own
fault.
then downstairs:
Marge: Oh, I better go check that out. Now Homer, don't you eat this
pie!
Homer: OK...(Marge leaves]) All right, pie, I'm just going to do this.
(chomps air) And if you get eaten, it's your own fault!
(walks towards pie, chomping air, and hits his head on range head)
Ow! Oh, my -- aw, to hell with this. (grabs the pie and eats it)

[Jastroch]

My favorite thing about watching some of the older episodes now is that as my cultural literacy continually expands, I pick up on so much more than I did as a kid.

They have so many movie references in there.

My favorite that I didn't get when I first saw it was the episode where Lisa is trying to prove bart is dumber than a hamster and after Bart's been conditioned, he goes for the cupcakes with the little cherries on top. It's the exact same shot as Alex going for the naked woman in a clockwork orange... except instead of breasts we got cupcakes! HA

[kbadr]

My favorite that I didn't get when I first saw it was the episode where Lisa is trying to prove bart is dumber than a hamster and after Bart's been conditioned, he goes for the cupcakes with the little cherries on top. It's the exact same shot as Alex going for the naked woman in a clockwork orange... except instead of breasts we got cupcakes! HA

Oh god yes. One of my favorite Simpsons moments ever. They play the Moog music and everything. AND, it's yet another amazing moment that got cut for syndication.

[Jeff]

You know, a lot of people don't know the difference between apple juice and apple cide. Here's a little rhyme to help you remember, if it's clear and yellow, you got juice there fella. If it's cloudy and brown, you're in cider town!

That cracks me up, too.

[Dave]

I remember the exact year that the Simpsons jumped the shark, when it went from being the funniest thing ever created to the unfunniest. It was the 97-98 season.

Do you remember which episode?

I read an article recently that argued it was the "Real Skinner" episode (whatever that's called, where the real Seymour Skinner somes back from being a POW or something) that was where the decline began, but looking at an episode list, the first one from the season Jastroch mentions was indeed one of the first where I was like "Hmm, that felt a little forced": it was the City of New York vs Homer episode.

Although this episode has one of my favorite exchanges ever:

Homer's goes up to a vendor and asks for a hot dog:
Vendor: No Hot Dog. Only Kokalash.
Homer: Okay. One Kokalash
Homer pays for it and eats some sort of meat on a stick.
Homer: Do you have anything to wash that down.
Vendor: Uh, I have Mountain Dew and...Clam Juice
Homer: Ugh. Yuck. Jeez. I'l have the Clam Juice.