Notes for "The Simpsons Movie"
Matt Garvey
3:20 am... I begin transforming my typed up half-notes, which I started
typing up around 2 am from my notebook of raw notes, after getting home
from the movie that I saw at 10 pm on (of course) 7/27/07. I have lots
of caffeine in me so I'll do my best.
First: Was it worthwhile? I think so. I went in with high hopes and
medium expectations - certainly hoping for more than what I'd get every
week on the show itself, and those of you who've read my strange reviews
to those episodes know what I mean. Unlike the Itchy and Scratchy Movie,
I don't think I need to pay to see it 17 times, and while I might not
see it again theatrically, I'll of course be glad to get it on DVD (this
is regardless of the fact that I'm still getting seasons 10 and 11 on
DVD automatically).
The animation - especially in the age of computer ink & paint and
animation assistance, one of the various reasons to see something like
this on the big screen - was indeed superb. Overall, it was consistent
with what we've seen on the show in the last 4 years or so (thankfully
Homer's season 13 giant muzzle is still gone), just with more extra
oomph and detail. Much more so than on the small screen, the brilliant
colors are particularly a treat, with everything being smooth and crisp.
Some additional flourishes were found here and there - the "paper Mario"
look of the opening swoop and the mob scene, the Silverman(-esque?)
stuff at Homer's epiphany-seeking scene... the timing of the naked
skateboarding scene... all nice touches.
The plot - well, it certainly did seem to be a good choice to sustain an
88-minute movie without feeling like it could be easily broken into
several small segments (compare the Family Guy movie, Stewie Griffin:
The Untold Story). On top of that, it did seem adequate support for the
large scale of the action; from the various promotional clips, trailers,
and teasers, I was wondering about certain moments (e.g. Lisa barging
into her parents' bedroom after seeing the news report, the action-filmy
power-grid-going-out scene) and if they'd fit or seem overblown,
especially as I had originally gotten the idea that it was largely about
Bart and Ned. The environment theme has been explored many times on the
show, too, so that seems fitting.
Emotionally, I had a harder time getting into the movie...not that the
last few seasons have had a lot to give as an example there. Somewhere
around halfway through, that aspect started coming in - primarily things
having to do with Homer and Marge, the parting of ways, the reunion (and
also the two recalls of the "once in a marriage offer" and "superlative
noun of my life, so far")... not enough to get teary-eyed about, but at
least it's something, I guess. Probably the strongest moment for me was
Marge's tape to Homer, particularly when she admitted that she'd taped
over their wedding video (I really get a certain way about records and
data, you see).
Despite the fact that a full soundtrack album is available (I'm waiting
till the 31st, when as I understand it a deluxe version will be in
stores), there are no musical numbers. Probably they'd be out of place
compared to a Disney movie, but I do like several of the musical
episodes, as well as many of the musical moments throughout the show.
The fact that there aren't any is probably of great relief to many fans,
though.
See below for a short list of things that were a little
groan/cringe-inducing, as well as meta-references.
Another short list is that of episodes that had been tossed around as
movie ideas over the years (that is, before being made into episodes):
8F24, 3F23, GABF18 (that last one, I believe, I read from Don Del
Grande, and I don't know where he heard it). For the moment, I just
wanted to comment that one thing about 3F23 (besides a certain guest
star) in relation to this movie is the departure from Springfield
(actually, I guess the other two have it as well!). With such a large
supporting cast, it would be pretty hard to stay away from them for very
long and still have the vibrant Simpsons feel - this could have been
quite a downfall with those episodes, and the middle section of this
feature (in Alaska) does suffer a little from that sort of withdrawal
(at the "expense" of character building and whatnot, so it's not all
bad)... but it's good that overall it was tied to the city of
Springfield.
We'll see how replay value is - for me I might have to wait till the DVD
comes out, but I might see it again before it's out of theaters. Now,
some additional notes:
Itchy and Scrachy clip: a good way to get this thing started (except for
Ralph in the Fox logo, pretty much a cold open). It got the theater just
buzzing with laughter, almost like a warm-up act before a comedian or
sitcom taping or something.
I wasn't nuts about the constant characterization of Homer as a bad
father. I'm hard-pressed to come up with some really good specific
examples at the moment, but it seems like even in recent years he's
always at least tried - even here, it was more a case of ignorance than
of wishing Bart some specific harm. On the other hand, this theme has
been explored to a degree in episodes like 9F12 and 2F07, so it's not
totally out of the blue; plus, his offer to let Bart hold the bomb does
show he is somewhat in tune with The Boy.
A(lbert) Brooks: This was quite a surprise! I tried not to learn too
much about the movie going in, and boy, about a minute into his first
speech when I realized who was voicing Cargill, I lit up with delight.
(Compare also my mention of 3F23 above.) I think the highlight was the
"mad without power" line - almost a throwaway, but if you think about
it, it makes a lot of sense.
Why doesn't anyone think to tunnel out of Springfield? I know it's not
in the list of America's smartest towns, but obviously it could be
done... if only to provide transport of people and items in and out
while they argue with the government...
Music by Hans Zimmer. Alf Clausen is nowhere to be found. (Note also the
general lack of songs, and mysterious absence even of the regular
Simpsons theme.) I must wonder why this is - I know Alf is a very very
very busy man just getting the regular show done, but this does seem
like an important project. Or perhaps was it felt that the long format
and bigger story might lend itself to something grander in the music? (I
do find it hard to imagine some of the most familiar musical cues from
the show fitting into the movie.)
Other general highlights:
-Homer's method of getting home to his cabin in Alaska
-Lisa's faint sax helping Homer locate the family
-Martin beating up the bullies (can't quite figure how this fits in
though - he thinks they'll all die soon?)
-Maggie finishing Cargill off
DYN:
...Bart (and Maggie) plays an old-style Game Boy, from the looks of it?
...Rod and Todd have a TV in their room (between the beds)? (Odd for the
Flanders home, esp. with no particular use for it)
...Bart's strangle response is involuntary?
...all TV broadcasts have visible lines in them? (One wonders how well
this will turn up on a standard-def DVD)
...Homer's license plate is 1PHL07? (Significance?)
...of the 4 states that border Springfield (OH, NV, ME, KY), Ohio and
Kentucky at least do touch?
...President (ahem) Schwarzenegger misses Danny Devito, who has
guest-starred on the show?
...the Simpson house (among other standard locations) is right on the
edge of the dome, and thus of town?
...SLH appears only twice, and (to my recollection) Snowball II not at
all?
...Moe has Duff briefs?
...Marge stitches "Dome sweet dome" and "Nome sweet Nome"?
...when Marge curtseys in her nightie, she looks a lot like a season 1
model (I'd go as far as the weirdo 7G01 outtakes reel)?
...Drederick Tatum attacks the dome below the belt when no one's
looking?
..."Boob lady" sounds and acts a lot like Eleanor "Cat Lady" Abernathy
when first approaching Homer?
...despite Edna's sign at the Green Day concert, she and Skinner are
seen hugging as Homer rides up near the end?
Previous episode references (some stronger than others - many also
include only a few highlights)
9F01 (2F33): Itchy and Scratchy's "Flay Me to the Moon" uses a lunar
theme
9F03: if I&S is the Simpsons universe's version of the Simpsons, then...
(DABF05, HABF12: other theatrical/stage appearances of I&S)
FABF08: Homer's speech about paying to see what you can watch on TV for
free
9F01: Homer doesn't want to go to church for various stated reasons
BABF11: Jebus
3F02, 1F05: The church organist seen prominently
DABF08: That spotlight/God thing
1F12, 3F03: Grampa left in the car
BABF17: Homer's chore list that gets done in a somewhat unorthodox way
4F06: Bart hangs from a roof by his fingers
9F08: Krusty spits out a burger he's advertising (almost identical)
CABF14: "Happy Together"
DABF13: Bart and Homer did go fishing here
3F01: Joining the Flanders clan
DABF01, 7F01: Polluted Springfield waters
3F06: Lenny and Carl clean up by the water under supervision of Burns
and Smithers
3F04, 5F15, DABF03: Giant Lard Lad statue seen
A handful of Rainier Wolfcastle's (oh, I mean Pres. Schwarzenegger)
other goofy/non-action movies:
-BABF14 as a fat man
-DABF06 as a nerd
-JABF06 as Mrs. Mom
8F01, CABF01: Lisa concerned about the environment and such
2F16, 2F11: The encapsulation with the dome has shades of these two
episodes (in 2F11, I mean the way no one can get out of town)
5F02: Angry mob (or group) trying to get into the house
AABF20: Simpsons cross over a little bridge
JABF06: Marge has a keepsake cabinet in the movie - the episode began
with a memories safe
CABF16: "The word apology is tossed around a lot these days" / "The term
soccer mom is thrown around all too often these days"
5F01: Simpsons in a seedy motel
2F08: I don't know why they'd want to go to one of the freak states
(BABF16: weren't they banned, anyhow?)
9F15: Burns and the power grid reminiscent of this episode
4F10: The avalanche scene (and its timing) very much like one in this
episode
3F23: Screw Springfield
3F22: Marge's "play me in VCR" note very much like Ned's helpful notes
in his beach house
DABF04: The way Marge makes the tape, and the general content of it, a
lot like Homer in this episode
3F24: The epiphany scene is much like Homer's chili trip, in particular
the "wispy" animation that kicks this off, which screams David Silverman
3F18: Aurora borealis
5F18: Homer climbing the dome is a bit like the crystal cathedral scene
(thanks to my friend John for this one)
GABF14: Abe's eerily accurate doomsday prediction much like Homer's in
this episode
5F02: Here, CBG decides that his life of collecting comic books was a
life well-spent; in that ep, he felt he'd wasted his life
Todd wishes Homer were his real father - shades of 1F14, CABF16, and
(with Marge) HABF07
7F06 (9F17): the famous Springfield Gorge jump updated here (note that
it is labeled as such too), including the ambulance that crashed into
the tree (someone near me also noticed the ambulance, and called
attention to it as well)
7F09: Maggie bonks someone on the head
Non-reference, though I thought it might be going there: "Colin's dead"
did not precede the words "dead tired" (as in 2F01, CABF11)
7F09: much ado made of seeing Bart's doodle, but we did see a bit of
David's here
CABF14: Lisa's crush on Colin reminds me very much of the one on
Thelonious in that episode
7F19: Lisa talks to Marge (who is trying to clean) about Colin in one
scene with an energy matching her discussion of Mr. Bergstrom
7F12+: the "birds suddenly appear" song - esp. as pertaining to Marge
and Homer's romance
2F10: "what a great little accident you turned out to be"; of course,
all three were accidents, as (2F07) Homer was also fond of pointing out
to Bart
Various non-speaking characters I noticed in crowds... very often
one-shot characters, and just as often those originally voiced by
celebrities:
Francine (CABF11) in front row of church
Don Brodka (3F07) in church
Astrid Weller (AABF15) in various scenes
Dr. Zweig (2F08) in various scenes
Scott Christian (not seen recently) when dome approaches
Mr. Lombardo (7F18) when dome approaches
Alison Taylor (1F17) somewhere
"Yeeeeeees" guy (not seen very much recently)
Charlie from the nuclear plant
Chester J. Lampwick (3F16) in the mob
Mrs. Quimby in the mob (I suppose she was in GABF22)
Princess Kashmir (7G10, 8F06, and so on) in a leather bikini near the
end
Someone who I originally thought was Hollis Hurlbut (3F13), but upon
further inspection doesn't seem to be... he has paler skin... maybe the
historian in 4F15?
And was that Duffman, out of costume as in EABF14, in the AA meeting, or
just some generic guy (among the particularly non-generic other
characeters in there)?
Goofs
The mailbox reads "THE FLANDERS" - this doesn't seem correct.
SES has mixed-case lettering identifying it near the end of the movie,
but is seen all in upper case at the start.
Of course, this has been seen in several versions, but even if Homer and
Marge had a wedding video, none of their family members should be in it.
Near the end, as Homer and Marge ride off, the leaves seem to be falling
very slowly, as if the footage itself was slowed, before transitioning
to the wood shavings.
Credits, openings, etc.
-Opening: 20th century Fox logo with Ralph in the 0 singing along
-No other opening credits aside from the name of the movie and part of
an adapted opening sequence
-I&S is seen in approximately 1.85 aspect ratio; the movie widens when
the opening sequence runs (see below)
-Blackboard: "I will not illegally download this movie"
-Virtually all end credits are in yellow Groening font (except a few
special logos, and even then, not all of the usual ones)
-In cast lists at end, characters whose names we know (CBG, cat lady,
etc.) are not referred to by name
-Before credits scroll: text credits for 20th Century Fox, Gracie Films,
Matt Groening, David Silverman, visual cast + guest stars
(Note: I stay for all movie credits and thus tend to be extra amused
when extra things are found in them that make people sit down again.
Thus...)
-Credits interruption #1: Between character list for Hank Azaria and
Harry Shearer, a short scene with Burns and Smithers plays.
-Karl Wiedergott as EPA Driver and "Man" (I mention this as, despite
help from the Complete Guides, I still can't really pin down what he
sounds like or when he's doing a voice. "Man" is about as nondescript as
it gets, and I can't help thinking this was intentional)
-Credits interruption #2: As credits scroll, the family is seen to be
watching them, and Lisa wants to be sure no animals are harmed
-Cast is listed by part, with the same 6 or 7 names showing up on almost
every single line!
-The pig is done by Tress MacNeille, SLH by Dan Castellaneta; where is
Frank Welker?
(Amusing note: someone behind me, earlier in the credits, pondered out
loud who the voice of Homer is. Well done.)
-Kang is listed in the credits (second to last, above Squeaky-Voiced
Teen, see below), though I didn't notice Kodos listed, and I didn't
notice either of them IN the movie. I heard (again, from Don Del Grande)
that the two of them were going to be in the credits, excoriating the
movie - perhaps this is why Kang's listed?
-MPAA number: 43622 (there you go, Don!)
-Credits interruption #3: As the credits come to a close, Squeaky-Voiced
Teen is seen cleaning up a row of seats. (Sadly, for fans of The Critic,
there is no "excuse me, sir, the show is over" moment - I consider this
a missed opportunity, especially with what's next - )
-Finally, a laaaaaaarge Gracie Films logo, with standard "shh" and
music, though it seems to have been redone a bit visually.
PG-13 moments: These are the only reasons I can think of.
-Bart's wing-dang-doodle
-Homer giving two middle fingers
-Marge: "throw the God damn bomb!"
Meta-reference (and meta-theatrical) corner
-First marquee at church (hey, we love our lists) is equally applicable
to the movie: something on the order of "thou shalt turn off thy cell
phone"
-An ad crawl appears near the beginning of the movie, then even
acknowledges itself (compare a similar scene in EABF09)
-Bart gives a very "Do the Bartman (7F75)"-ish "whoa, mama!" when he
catches a fish
-Albert Brooks STILL credited as "A. Brooks"
-Homer makes fun of (apparently) an Itchy and Scratchy audience for
paying to see what they could watch for free on TV; arguments aside, I
feel compelled to point out that my friend and I used a free-ticket
certificate he got from work to get our tickets, and so technically we
didn't pay to see this movie!
-Moe's silhouette when he's about to approach Homer as the King of
Springfield (or whatever) looks a lot like someone standing in front of
the projector... either that, or someone was actually doing that right
at that moment
-Another church marquee (not particularly meta but it doesn't fit in
elsewhere): "We told you so"
-Dr. Nick, on being crushed: "Bye, everybody"
-Bart plays a name prank (the treasure of Imaweiner), though not on Moe,
and not on the phone
Groaning moments (say what you will, and so will I)
-Green Day sinking like the Titanic
-Rainier Wolfcastle actually is Schwarzenegger
-Everything falling into the sinkhole
-the physics of Homer riding up the dome (really, boo)
-somewhat predictable second part to the prank of stealing everything
from Moe
-Simpsons lookalikes being caught (though compare 1F16, 3F19, and I seem
to recall another sort of moment like this)
-weird Disney animals and love-making scene...that was just strange
-Homer's head inflating when boob lady blows in it
-driving the dogs across a chasm
-the actual focusing of nonexistent binoculars (unless Homer was
distorting his own eyeballs to manually focus them!)
-the dumb dumb wrecking ball scene that went too far... excusing the
idea of Homer's destructibility (compare 2F02), what is it hanging from
(when he's between a rock and a hard place), and how does it make that
final extra swing? At least I knew it was coming...
Other references
-"An Irritating Truth" is clearly like Al Gore's "An Inconvenient
Truth," but for those who didn't see it, he did stand in a cherry-picker
device (that worked) to illustrate a high point on a graph
-Monopoly's "Get out of Jail Free" Chance card; will have to wait for
the DVD to see if it's accurately drawn
-"To Be Continued" ... "immediately" reminds me a bit of the short
intermission in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," although that was
meant to be a reference to theaters actually putting intermissions at
ridiculous points; it also is like the Simpsons' own "Chief Wiggum, PI,
will return... right now" (4F20).
Random DVD note
I mentioned that the picture widened to the full 2.35 ratio when the
movie "proper" started; I wonder how this will be handled on the DVD.
Hopefully, it will be faithful; but fans of the movie "Galaxy Quest" may
be aware that a similar occurrence at the start of that movie (it opened
with 1.33 TV footage, then was at 1.85 until they went into space, at
which point it gradually widened to 2.35) was altered on DVD (skipping
straight from 1.33 to 2.35), presumably so home video viewers would not
be confused. Don't let me down, Fox Home Entertainment!
Things in promos that I didn't see in the movie (thanks for making it
this far!)
-a particular dramatic shot of Springfield power going off in an orderly
sequence
-following Burns writing down that people will be killed, he notes about
another event (actually, I forget what now, but it's voiceover only)
that "that's really the same thing"
-in some promotional footage, a pink donut is seen in place of the 0 in
the 20th Century Fox logo
Well that's it. 5 am, and I haven't even said all I could. I will say,
though, that except for verifying a few references on snpp.com and IMDb,
I didn't look at anything else - IMDb notes or trivia, reviews, other
a.t.s posts... well, I'm going to bed. Hopefully this will remain
coherent in the morning.
Don Del Grande
>[Spoiler alert - don't be an idiot, I mean, look at the subject line.]
Who would have thought that Homer Simpson was Bart Simpson's father?
>The plot - well, it certainly did seem to be a good choice to sustain an
>88-minute movie without feeling like it could be easily broken into
>several small segments (compare the Family Guy movie, Stewie Griffin:
>The Untold Story).
I found it slightly coincidental that the "To Be Continued" bit came
pretty much right at the hour point in the film. (Also, you make it
sound like "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" wasn't originally
produced as three separate FG episodes - in fact, the first episode
had no references to the other two except for the one added
specifically for the "movie".)
>Why doesn't anyone think to tunnel out of Springfield? I know it's not
>in the list of America's smartest towns, but obviously it could be
>done... if only to provide transport of people and items in and out
>while they argue with the government...
This was explained in the scene where Cargill had his "mad without
power" line (the other EPA agent called him mad with power after
Cargill described how the agents who were to shoot anybody caught
outside of the dome were to be arranged). Besides, the dome extends
into the ground, and nobody other than the Simpsons realizes that the
sinkhole exits right outside of the dome; that's why Moe says,
"They're China's problem now." (But why didn't Marge drill a hole in
the dome with Frink's drill?)
>(Note also the general lack of songs, and mysterious absence even
> of the regular Simpsons theme.)
Huh? They even joke about the opening theme - Green Day sings the
"lyrics" from a teleprompter: "DA DA DA DA DA". As for songs, I was
surprised they didn't insert one for Academy Award purposes. If "The
Wild Thornberrys Movie" could do it... (Somehow, even if the
"Spider-Pig" song is considered "original", I don't think it would get
a nomination.)
>Other general highlights:
>-Martin beating up the bullies (can't quite figure how this fits in
>though - he thinks they'll all die soon?)
Exactly - no fear of retaliation.
>DYN:
>...SLH appears only twice, and (to my recollection) Snowball II not at
>all?
Snowball II might be one of the cats in the scene with the swallows
hitting the side of the dome.
>...despite Edna's sign at the Green Day concert, she and Skinner are
>seen hugging as Homer rides up near the end?
In the credits with the pictures, Marcia Wallace was credited as Mrs.
Krabappel, and Julie Kavner as Patty and Selma, but none of them had
any lines (or if they did, they were in crowd scenes).
>Goofs
>The mailbox reads "THE FLANDERS" - this doesn't seem correct.
It's not, unless their last name is Flander.
>-Before credits scroll: text credits for 20th Century Fox, Gracie Films,
>Matt Groening, David Silverman, visual cast + guest stars
>(Note: I stay for all movie credits and thus tend to be extra amused
>when extra things are found in them that make people sit down again.
>Thus...)
>-Credits interruption #1: Between character list for Hank Azaria and
>Harry Shearer, a short scene with Burns and Smithers plays.
>-Karl Wiedergott as EPA Driver and "Man" (I mention this as, despite
>help from the Complete Guides, I still can't really pin down what he
>sounds like or when he's doing a voice. "Man" is about as nondescript as
>it gets, and I can't help thinking this was intentional)
>-Credits interruption #2: As credits scroll, the family is seen to be
>watching them, and Lisa wants to be sure no animals are harmed
>-Cast is listed by part, with the same 6 or 7 names showing up on almost
>every single line!
>-The pig is done by Tress MacNeille, SLH by Dan Castellaneta; where is
>Frank Welker?
I noticed Maurice LaMarche got some sort of "Special Thanks" credit;
maybe he did the pig's "impression of Homer" burp? (MLaM was also the
"voice" of Abner the pig, on occasion, on Nickelodeon's "Hey Arnold!")
>-Kang is listed in the credits (second to last, above Squeaky-Voiced
>Teen, see below), though I didn't notice Kodos listed, and I didn't
>notice either of them IN the movie. I heard (again, from Don Del Grande)
>that the two of them were going to be in the credits, excoriating the
>movie - perhaps this is why Kang's listed?
That's my guess as well - and the report came from Entertainment
Weekly, where it mentioned their appearance was cut after a preview in
Portland, OR.
You missed a credit:
FILMED ON LOCATION IN SPRINGFIELD, .
(note period at the end of the line)
>PG-13 moments: These are the only reasons I can think of.
>-Bart's wing-dang-doodle
>-Homer giving two middle fingers
>-Marge: "throw the God damn bomb!"
Also, Otto takes a hit from a bong - drug use is an "automatic" PG-13,
according to the MPAA guidelines. (You can get away with swearing in
a PG if (a) it's not in a sexual context, and (b) 2/3 of the rating
panel thinks it's inconspicuous enough.)
>-Moe's silhouette when he's about to approach Homer as the King of
>Springfield (or whatever) looks a lot like someone standing in front of
>the projector... either that, or someone was actually doing that right
>at that moment
I noticed that as well.
>Groaning moments (say what you will, and so will I)
>-weird Disney animals and love-making scene...that was just strange
That was a reference, although I can't place the movie with the birds
(my first thought was Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, although it might
be based on something from Cinderella).
>-the dumb dumb wrecking ball scene that went too far... excusing the
>idea of Homer's destructibility (compare 2F02), what is it hanging from
>(when he's between a rock and a hard place), and how does it make that
>final extra swing? At least I knew it was coming...
You forgot:
- Bart's magic stretching arm to catch Homer's hair when he lets go;
- Bart using his slingshot to launch himself, Homer, and the
motorcycle back up the gorge;
- Cargill decides to blow up Springfield by not only dropping a bomb
** with a timer ** into the dome, but keeping it attached to a
helicopter - and leaving the dome top open. (Why not just drop in a
bomb that explodes on contact? Using timers as an excuse for a
last-second rescue has (pardon the pun) been done to death.)
>Other references
>-Monopoly's "Get out of Jail Free" Chance card; will have to wait for
>the DVD to see if it's accurately drawn
It did say, "This card may be kept until needed or sold", but I think
there was something missing from it.
>-"To Be Continued" ... "immediately" reminds me a bit of the short
>intermission in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," although that was
>meant to be a reference to theaters actually putting intermissions at
>ridiculous points; it also is like the Simpsons' own "Chief Wiggum, PI,
>will return... right now" (4F20).
You mean nobody in the theater acted as if they thought it was
legitimate?
>Things in promos that I didn't see in the movie (thanks for making it
>this far!)
>-a particular dramatic shot of Springfield power going off in an orderly
>sequence
>-following Burns writing down that people will be killed, he notes about
>another event (actually, I forget what now, but it's voiceover only)
>that "that's really the same thing"
>-in some promotional footage, a pink donut is seen in place of the 0 in
>the 20th Century Fox logo
- Homer's line to the sled dogs, "That's enough whipping...with THIS
arm!"
-- Don
Brett A. Pasternack
Tremendous job, Matt. Just a few random comments.
> Emotionally, I had a harder time getting into the movie...not that the
> last few seasons have had a lot to give as an example there. Somewhere
> around halfway through, that aspect started coming in - primarily things
> having to do with Homer and Marge, the parting of ways, the reunion (and
> also the two recalls of the "once in a marriage offer" and "superlative
> noun of my life, so far")... not enough to get teary-eyed about, but at
> least it's something, I guess.
I did get a bit teary-eyed at Homer's speech about trying to get through
the day without pain until he comes home to Marge. It just resonated for
me.
> Despite the fact that a full soundtrack album is available (I'm waiting
> till the 31st, when as I understand it a deluxe version will be in
> stores), there are no musical numbers. Probably they'd be out of place
> compared to a Disney movie, but I do like several of the musical
> episodes, as well as many of the musical moments throughout the show.
> The fact that there aren't any is probably of great relief to many fans,
> though.
I do tend to like the musical numbers.
> 4F06: Bart hangs from a roof by his fingers
I would add:
GABF10: Homer needs to get to work fixing the roof, but makes things
worse instead.
> 8F01, CABF01: Lisa concerned about the environment and such
Also GABF05, and arguably 3F03. I was particularly reminded of the
former.
> CABF14: Lisa's crush on Colin reminds me very much of the one on
> Thelonious in that episode
Indeed.
> 7F12+: the "birds suddenly appear" song - esp. as pertaining to Marge
> and Homer's romance
For the record, the proper title is "(They Long To Be) Close To You".
Written by the very successful songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and
Hal David, the song was originally recorded by, of all people, Richard
Chamberlain, in 1963; it didn't become a hit, however, until recorded by
The Carpenters in 1970. The Carpenters' version is the one heard in the
movie.
> Credits, openings, etc.
> -Opening: 20th century Fox logo with Ralph in the 0 singing along
A good bit, although of course used in the ads so much that it had
little impact by the time I got into the theater. Would have been nice
to have an extra payoff to the bit.
> PG-13 moments: These are the only reasons I can think of.
> -Bart's wing-dang-doodle
> -Homer giving two middle fingers
> -Marge: "throw the God damn bomb!"
As Don said, the biggest reason was Otto's bong. Obviously it's been
clear that Otto does drugs since, well, pretty much the moment he
arrived on screen, but have we ever actually seen him take them before?
I think we did see Homer smoking pot in DABF11, but I'm not positive.
Matt Garvey
> I found it slightly coincidental that the "To Be Continued" bit came
> pretty much right at the hour point in the film. (Also, you make it
> sound like "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" wasn't originally
> produced as three separate FG episodes - in fact, the first episode
> had no references to the other two except for the one added
> specifically for the "movie".)
I think you've mentioned this before... it had always been my impression that
they were planning to do a movie out of three episodes and engineered these
three that way, perhaps after they'd begun writing them but not so close to
the end of the process. But I'll keep this in mind.
> >Why doesn't anyone think to tunnel out of Springfield? I know it's not
> >in the list of America's smartest towns, but obviously it could be
> >done... if only to provide transport of people and items in and out
> >while they argue with the government...
>
> This was explained in the scene where Cargill had his "mad without
> power" line (the other EPA agent called him mad with power after
> Cargill described how the agents who were to shoot anybody caught
> outside of the dome were to be arranged).
Ah, I seem to have forgotten that part of the scene.
> Besides, the dome extends into the ground
...on the other hand, it always appeared to me to extend only a few feet at
most into the ground (isn't the ground visible packed under it in the
backyard and other places?).
> >(Note also the general lack of songs, and mysterious absence even
> > of the regular Simpsons theme.)
>
> Huh? They even joke about the opening theme - Green Day sings the
> "lyrics" from a teleprompter: "DA DA DA DA DA".
I should have been more specific - by regular I meant "standard," as in what
we usually hear during an opening or credits sequence. There's a sort of
short orchestral one, though, isn't there? Hmm...
> >Goofs
> >The mailbox reads "THE FLANDERS" - this doesn't seem correct.
>
> It's not, unless their last name is Flander.
Or unless Ned has adopted a habit of calling himself "The Flanders" (like
"the Fonz"?) <g>
> >-"To Be Continued" ... "immediately" reminds me a bit of the short
> >intermission in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," although that was
> >meant to be a reference to theaters actually putting intermissions at
> >ridiculous points; it also is like the Simpsons' own "Chief Wiggum, PI,
> >will return... right now" (4F20).
>
> You mean nobody in the theater acted as if they thought it was
> legitimate?
Are you asking that seriously? I don't think anyone did. (On the other hand,
it took someone a little while to figure out how the sinkhole was going to
help... someone loud.)
(No responses to your other remarks - just nothing to add.)
A few other things for my post:
-It also occurs to me that even to try an upside-down dome ride would require
increasing the speed *tremendously* over what is needed to go around the
cage. It's not just the course Homer took or the fact that it's all the top
of the dome.
-In all my musings on the movie, I seem to have left out an important thing:
humor! I remarked how the unnamed Itchy and Scratchy film at the start helped
put everyone in the right mood; I think because of that I wasn't even
thinking very much about how funny the rest of the movie was or was not.
Aside from a some "skits" (Bart and the hot chocolate, the church and Moe's
switching inhabitants come to mind) I don't recall a lot of
set-'em-up-knock-'em-down joke attempts that tend to fall flat. Much of what
I noted as humorous was the meta-referential stuff... bits and pieces come
back to me as well, but probably specific lines and moments won't stick out
to me as much until I see it again. (I couldn't give you similar moments from
season 16+ yet, but if I think of an older episode I can name at least a few
parts I really like that don't proclaim "hey, I'm a joke!")
Don Del Grande
>> >(Note also the general lack of songs, and mysterious absence even
>> > of the regular Simpsons theme.)
>>
>> Huh? They even joke about the opening theme - Green Day sings the
>> "lyrics" from a teleprompter: "DA DA DA DA DA".
>
>I should have been more specific - by regular I meant "standard," as in what
>we usually hear during an opening or credits sequence. There's a sort of
>short orchestral one, though, isn't there? Hmm...
I think they start playing the normal one (although I don't know if
it's the same version as played on TV) with that revised tracking shot
of Springfield (the one where Smithers puts toothpaste on Burns's
toothbrush, and Burns falls over), up to the point where Green Day
appears, and then they switch to their version. (The last time I saw
a movie based on a TV series where they used the theme as it appeared
on TV was "Spider-Man", where they used the 1967 cartoon theme at the
end of the closing credits.)
>> >-"To Be Continued" ... "immediately" reminds me a bit of the short
>> >intermission in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," although that was
>> >meant to be a reference to theaters actually putting intermissions at
>> >ridiculous points; it also is like the Simpsons' own "Chief Wiggum, PI,
>> >will return... right now" (4F20).
>>
>> You mean nobody in the theater acted as if they thought it was
>> legitimate?
>
>Are you asking that seriously? I don't think anyone did.
A couple of people (and not just the real young kids - the ones that
not only laugh loudly at every joke, thus making it almost impossible
to hear the next one, but have to explain what the joke was) did at
the two showings I saw.
-- Don
Brett A. Pasternack
>
> Matt Garvey wrote:
>
> >> You mean nobody in the theater acted as if they thought it was
> >> legitimate?
> >
> >Are you asking that seriously? I don't think anyone did.
>
> A couple of people (and not just the real young kids - the ones that
> not only laugh loudly at every joke, thus making it almost impossible
> to hear the next one, but have to explain what the joke was) did at
> the two showings I saw.
When I saw it I heard someone start to say "What a rip-off!" or
something like that before he realized that it was going to continue.
Stephen
> medium expectations - certainly hoping for more than what I'd get every
> week on the show itself, and those of you who've read my strange reviews
> to those episodes know what I mean. Unlike the Itchy and Scratchy Movie,
> I don't think I need to pay to see it 17 times, and while I might not
> see it again theatrically, I'll of course be glad to get it on DVD (this
> is regardless of the fact that I'm still getting seasons 10 and 11 on
> DVD automatically).
Something that occurred to me in the movie was that there were some
excellent jokes and story lines, and that the film probably took a
noticeable chunk out of the quality of the last two seasons of the
show. I am almost embarrassed to watch the newer episodes due to the
embarrassment of guest stars or cultural references that are neither
clever nor reserved. Maybe all of the decent ones went into the
movie?
The movie was well beyond my hopes and expectations because it did
several things right. It was a timeless piece that with only a few
exceptions could have been made in 1997 (with the exception of the CG
effects) instead of 2007. The humor was snappy and appealed to people
on a variety of levels (people in the theater were not all laughing at
the same time but they were laughing througout the movie). The story
did have some strange moments that were orthogonal to past family
developments, but they were overlooked by the pace of action.
I won't see it in the theater again, but I will certainly watch it on
DVD when I get 10 copies of it from relatives at Christmas (an easy to
get and well appreciated present).
OT: Matt are you going to get season 12 on DVD?
Stephen
Matt Garvey
> Something that occurred to me in the movie was that there were some
> excellent jokes and story lines, and that the film probably took a
> noticeable chunk out of the quality of the last two seasons of the
> show. I am almost embarrassed to watch the newer episodes due to the
> embarrassment of guest stars or cultural references that are neither
> clever nor reserved. Maybe all of the decent ones went into the
> movie?
Hmm, the Futurama syndrome? (For those who don't have the dates at hand,
Futurama began airing during Simpsons season 10...many Simpsons writers,
producers, and directors were on that show as well, along with Matt, though
perhaps not all concurrently.) Still, seasons 16-18 were still miles ahead of
10-11, I think.
I was thinking about the storyline and such today. Don mentioned that it
seemed like an overdone thing to have Homer et al save Springfield, but having
slept on it, I think maybe that was still for the better - it wasn't really
done on the show, and it did add greatly to the spectacle. Physics
notwithstanding, the motorcycle race up the dome has been on my mind today in
a positive way, though oddly didn't do as great a job of impressing height and
gravity on me as a certain shot in GABF08 (when Homer falls into an open area
in the opera house/prison) - go figure.
> OT: Matt are you going to get season 12 on DVD?
Oh sure. Actually, believe it or not, season 12 is when I began watching the
show on Fox (having seen a few episodes in syndication, possibly the premiere
of 5F09, and then the 248 episodes of the first 11 seasons in a span of 3
months), so of course I'd probably want to anyway... unless season 25 or some
such REALLY sucks BIG TIME, I don't see myself not buying any season set. A
friend of mine who is a big fan is not so sure about himself, though.
Benjamin Robinson
Garvey wrote:
>Stephen wrote:
>> I am almost embarrassed to watch the newer episodes due to the
>> embarrassment of guest stars or cultural references that are neither
>> clever nor reserved. Maybe all of the decent ones went into the
>> movie?
>Hmm, the Futurama syndrome?
I call that the "South Park" syndrome, as that series reportedly went
through a creative dry spell as the producers concentrated on its movie.
--
Benjamin Robinson bj...@freenet.tlh.fl.us
This message may or may not contain sarcastic content; your burden to decide
"I'm naked, clueless, and f-e-e-e-ling good!" -- Ratbert
Benjamin Robinson
Del Grande wrote:
>Matt Garvey wrote:
>
>>Why doesn't anyone think to tunnel out of Springfield? I know it's not
>>in the list of America's smartest towns, but obviously it could be
>>done... if only to provide transport of people and items in and out
>>while they argue with the government...
>
>This was explained in the scene where Cargill had his "mad without
>power" line (the other EPA agent called him mad with power after
>Cargill described how the agents who were to shoot anybody caught
>outside of the dome were to be arranged).
I think that's a very good way to explain why no succeeded in tunneling out
of the dome, but not necessarily why they didn't *try* doing so. As I
recall, Cargill didn't have his death squads in place right away, so there
wasn't anything to discourage people from tunnelling, at least not right
away.
>>Other general highlights:
>>-Martin beating up the bullies (can't quite figure how this fits in
>>though - he thinks they'll all die soon?)
>
>Exactly - no fear of retaliation.
One of my favorite bits from the movie, by the way.
>In the credits with the pictures, Marcia Wallace was credited as Mrs.
>Krabappel, and Julie Kavner as Patty and Selma, but none of them had
>any lines (or if they did, they were in crowd scenes).
Oh, okay. I was wondering if I missed something.
>>-Moe's silhouette when he's about to approach Homer as the King of
>>Springfield (or whatever) looks a lot like someone standing in front of
>>the projector... either that, or someone was actually doing that right
>>at that moment
>
>I noticed that as well.
Likewise. At first, I thought someone *was* standing in front of the
projector, but it turned out to be part of the movie. (Either that, or
there's some really obscure conspiracy going on.)
Benjamin Robinson
I think I heard one or two people say "Oh..." or something equally
indiscriminate; I wasn't sure if they were fooled, or thinking along the
lines of "Oh, cool joke."
I guess I've been watching the series too long, because my first thought
was, "Hey! 'Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase (4F20)' reference!"
(Only without the episode number ...)
Matt Garvey
> I guess I've been watching the series too long, because my first thought
> was, "Hey! 'Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase (4F20)' reference!"
>
> (Only without the episode number ...)
That's funny - actually, among the many entries in my list, that was about the
only one I had to really look up with only a vague idea of what I was looking
for. All I had to go on was "Harry Shearer's voice saying something like X will
[synonym for continue]...right now!"
And you mean to say you *don't* think in episode numbers?
Willow Ufgood
>> PG-13 moments: These are the only reasons I can think of.
>> -Bart's wing-dang-doodle
>> -Homer giving two middle fingers
>> -Marge: "throw the God damn bomb!"
If you want to know what people find offensive, this is the site to
check out:
http://www.screenit.com/movies/2007/the_simpsons_movie.html
Stephen
That was one of the funnier reads I have had in a while. I need to
make sure that if I have kids they dont watch the simpsons movie and
build a sentient robot who is suicidal???
Under Imitative Behavor:
"A robotic bomb diffuser becomes so panicky about cutting the right
wire that it grabs a cop's gun and shoots itself in the head."
Paul Bartram
"Willow Ufgood" <wil...@ufgood.net> wrote
> If you want to know what people find offensive, this is the site to check
> out:
> http://www.screenit.com/movies/2007/the_simpsons_movie.html
Incredible!
Not people, just anally retentive nut-jobs. Do you suppose the author sat in
the cinema writing all this down? Amazing he / she even had time to SEE the
damn movie...
Paul
Tim Smith
"Paul Bartram" <p.bartram AT OR NEAR optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> Not people, just anally retentive nut-jobs. Do you suppose the author sat in
> the cinema writing all this down? Amazing he / she even had time to SEE the
> damn movie...
What's nut-job about this? The purpose of that site is to provide that
kind of detail to parents who want a finer scale than is provided by the
P/PG/PG13/R scale. They aren't saying that any of this is good or bad,
or making a moral judgement as to whether or not kids should see the
movie--they are just providing the data for parents to use.
--
--Tim Smith
Paul Bartram
> "Tim Smith" <reply_i...@mouse-potato.com> wrote
> > "Paul Bartram" <p.bartram AT OR NEAR optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>> Not people, just anally retentive nut-jobs. Do you suppose the author sat
>> in
>> the cinema writing all this down? Amazing he / she even had time to SEE
>> the
>> damn movie...
> What's nut-job about this? The purpose of that site is to provide that
> kind of detail to parents who want a finer scale than is provided by the
> P/PG/PG13/R scale. They aren't saying that any of this is good or bad,
> or making a moral judgement as to whether or not kids should see the
> movie--they are just providing the data for parents to use.
But if you go down to the microscopic level like this site does, there will
never be a movie that will come out 'squeaky clean' and I feel that would
detract from the purpose, which is informing parents of inappropriate
material. I can well remember when 'Bambi' came out some newspaper and
magazine writers beat their chests about the scene where Bambi's mother
dies, and the effect that would have on tender young minds.
The trouble is, if you shelter children from ALL bad things, sights and
ideas they are going to grow up vulnerable to even worse things later in
life. I often think people don't realise just how tough kids are - witness
those that grew up in war-torn neighbourhoods and saw most of their families
slaughtered - for real!
Coming back on topic with the Simpsons, 'Itchy & Scratchy' is a parody of
just this sort of thing - Bart and Lisa laugh themselves silly while Marge
looks daggers and eventually gets the show cancelled. Who's right? Depends
on your personal point of view I guess, but in the case of the quoted
article we are discussing, I'm glad it wasn't around when I was a nipper - I
just wanted to have fun!
Paul
Tim Smith
"Paul Bartram" <p.bartram AT OR NEAR optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> > What's nut-job about this? The purpose of that site is to provide that
> > kind of detail to parents who want a finer scale than is provided by the
> > P/PG/PG13/R scale. They aren't saying that any of this is good or bad,
> > or making a moral judgement as to whether or not kids should see the
> > movie--they are just providing the data for parents to use.
>
> But if you go down to the microscopic level like this site does, there will
> never be a movie that will come out 'squeaky clean' and I feel that would
> detract from the purpose, which is informing parents of inappropriate
> material. I can well remember when 'Bambi' came out some newspaper and
> magazine writers beat their chests about the scene where Bambi's mother
> dies, and the effect that would have on tender young minds.
But if they didn't go down to the microscopic level, then wouldn't they
have to make a moral judgement about what is appropriate or not? By
going into detail, they give the parents enough information to figure
out if the movie is appropriate, in the moral judgement of the parent,
for their child.
There are plenty of sites on the net that will try to tell parents what
movies are appropriate, based on the moral judgement of the reviewer. I
think Screen-It doesn't want to be yet another one of those, and giving
all that detail is what sets them apart.
--
--Tim Smith
MidnightDad
In the version I saw, as the credits are rolling, Maggie says her
first word - "sequel"
Matt Garvey
>
> In the version I saw, as the credits are rolling, Maggie says her
> first word - "sequel"
>
I didn't notice that (I was probably writing notes about the scene), but heard
of it. Incidentally, it isn't her first word... it's at least her third (9F08,
3F01).