The Simpsons

[Cop]

The Simpsons broadcasted it's 400th episode on Sky One earlier today. An amazing acheivement. Some might say it might have lost its way, and some might love it, and some might hate it. But The Simpsons without doubt is one of the best sit-coms in television history.

So I think to celebrate another milestone for Hit American Sit-Com we should have a thread dedicated to it.

(Just off the top of my head)

Who is your Favourite Character - SideShow Bob

Favourite Simpsons Line - (Auto) Wooo, windows! I dont think I can afford this place!

Favourite Simpsons moment - SideShow Bob with the rakes

 

[Joanna]

Ah, I love The Simpsons too....even though I haven't actually watched an episode of it for ages now!! DOH!!

I really loved the bit where Homer slid down one of the Nuclear Power Plant's cooling towers, his words of goodbye to the female employee he had taken a shine to echoing around him....Seeeeee youuuuuu tomorrowwwwwww!!

xx Joanna xx

 

[Birty]

Without a doubt the greatest television programme ever made. The writing in that show is the best you will find. It started off shit but seasons 3-9 were absolute genius and for me have yet to be topped by anyone.

Favourite Character: Charles Montgomery Burns.

Favourite Line: I was talking about that today with Pauly G and there are just too many. I love "It's Arnie Pye with...Arnie in the sky". And when Homer confronts Mr Burns at Burns Manor, Burnsy presses the button to release the hounds but they don't come. Burnsy: "Funny...a pack of wild hounds should be tearing you to pieces. Oh well you may as well come in, I'll see if I can find something to scold you with".

Favourite Moment: When ten pin bowling Monty Burns tries to cool his hand down with the little cool air vent. His fingers wispily float up and down like paper in the light breeze.

It has to be said that these are all liable to change at any moment.

Pure class.

 

[Joanna]

What season is it on now?

Another great Simpsons moment out of so many......

....You know, boy, I don't think I've ever felt as close to you as I do right....Homer says as the skateboard of Bart's that he is standing on starts speeding down the ramp next to Springfield Gorge!

Love how he's crossing the gorge and thinking he might make it across after all....but then he doesn't quite manage it, ending up tumbling down the gorge...the skateboard hitting him when he's at the bottom of it! Oh, and then there's the small matter of him then being put into an ambulance...which promptly crashes into a tree....and there he goes down the gorge again!

xx Joanna xx

 

[Joanna]

What the......?!?!

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xx Joanna xx

 

[Cop]

Ten years too late for me

 

[Birty]

And me. The only saving grace is that the geezers that wrote the show when it was the top show in the world are back working on it I believe. People like John Schwartzwelder and those guys, or so I've heard so I'm not going to pan it before I've seen it, unlike the transformers movie, which I don't mind saying is going to be a dissapointment I reckon.

 

[Cop]

Ive not seen a good episode of The Simpson's in years, yes it still has it's quirky lines, but I cant seem to be to enjoy the newer ones... I hope the movie good though.

 

[Cop]

And me. The only saving grace is that the geezers that wrote the show when it was the top show in the world are back working on it I believe. People like John Schwartzwelder and those guys...

Yes John Swartzwelder is one of the writers for movie, he was involved from 1990 - 2003. The mid nineties was when it was at its peak I reckon - it was brilliant.

The episodes then had two plots, the main plot and a sub-plot. Now its just 24 minute journey and Homer is dumber than ever... I hope the movie captures the comic-genius from its peak.

 

[Gorf]

Who is your Favourite Character - Dr Nick

Favourite Simpsons Line - Krusty talking about an indie film he'd been bribed to vote for: Yeah it moved me - TO A BIGGER HOUSE! Oops - I said the loud bit quiet and the quiet bit loud

Favourite Simpsons moment - Homer answers the door to Mel Gibson (who's calling for Marge) and says "You see this ring? This means I own her!"

 

[Cop]

Just wached The Simpsons movie... I have put it off for so long because I knew I wouldn't like it, and I was right. It's poor.

I looks nice... but it's not not very funny with no decent plot...

its crap

 

[Joanna]

Yeah, Cop, sadly have to agree.

Should of really learnt my lesson from when I watched the League of Gentlemen film. In that, they messed about with both the LOG world and the core personalities from within it that I loved so much from the tv episodes. I loved the show because it was just that: a show. You had both differing things happening per episode and differing reactions to them, etc, but the characters and the 'world' they inhabited were always reassuringly the same (well, as 'reassuring' as Royston Vasey can be! ). So the essence of what made the show so good was never changed. It was in the film, though. Was actually a big fan of TLOG, but now just can't see the show in quite the same light anymore because of how the film has undermined it for me.

Similar feelings with the Simpsons film. The elements that made the show so genius were messed about with and extended too far beyond the natural reach they had in the episodes. In order to make a film out of a show, most things have to be that bit 'more'. It simply can't have exactly the same 'feel' as an episode from the show it's taken from. All good (or, in The Simpsons case, genius) things, perhaps? Suppose it also depends on exactly the sort of tv show you are adapting. Some shows are just going to work better than others in film. Then there's those behind the films and in what direction they want to take things...

The thing, to put it incredibly simplistically and very generally, with films that aren't created from this basis is that they are produced to be 'more', but you sort of don't know they are. There's a scale and heightened sense to them, but only by their very nature. So, in one way of thinking, these are sort of invisible. They are just films, after all... And they're also not extensions to something that didn't need extending in the first place (though there could obviously be room for debate on that one).

Still a Simpsons fan (it's just too good), but, again, find the film has slightly undermined the programme for me. Not even sure when I last watched anything from the Simpsons...except the film...

Then, of course, there's also the fact that, with both the Simpsons film and the LOG one, they just simply weren't very good in the first place...

 

[Cop]

I have to disagree with you on The League of Gentleman movie, I enjoyed it. OK It's not great. But if it was a DVD only release or a Christmas special I think it would be seen in a different light. As a viewer I think you expect more knowing it went to the cinemas. I liked the concept of it, and it’s a good way for the team to leave Royston Vasey for the last time.

I felt The Simpsons movie for me was too dumbed down, there was nothing witty or clever about it... it might as well be called the retarded Homer movie.

Birty and I were talking about the "Cape Feare" episode, when The Simpsons are on the Witness Protection Programme, it's probably the best episode, but the writers haven’t seemed to take anything from that as they didn't even include Side Show Bob in the movie... for me, he is the best character!?

They could easily recycle that plot line of SSB attempting to kill Bart, rather than have a ludicrous story line of Springfield being in a dome.

I was expecting there to be a bigger storyline between Lisa and the Irish Kid - that love story should have been the backbone to the plot, as it is a movie remember - but they only touched on it.

It’s such a shame because in the past, The Simpsons have dabbled with feature length style episodes, “The Cape Feare”, and the “Who Shot Mr Burns” special… both excellent, then they come out with this tripe!?

It was very weak for me. I knew I wouldn’t like it, but I thought I might be surprised, like I was with South Park.

 

[Strawbs]

I liked the concept of the LOG movie too. It wasn't pandering to the audience. It would've been dull to just do a 90 minute episode of the show. I bumped into Mark Gatiss in October 2003 when the script had just been finished and he said how it was an exciting time for them. And you can see in the film they're enjoying it and pleased with the ideas. The League Of Gentlemen have always messed with concepts and characters since their days at the Canal Cafe. The radio series, the first two tv series, the christmas special, the stage tour, the third tv series and the film all have they're own twist on the Royston Vasey concept.

 

[Joanna]

Well, with the LOG film, a lot of it was how they chose to go about things with the characters, their actions, their surroundings, etc. And so there's a lot of subjectiveness in that. We can't all like the same films, can we?

On the Simpsons film....yeah, hadn't thought before, but where was Sideshow Bob?! Actually, forgetting the dome story, it would have actually made more sense to have the film so that there was something major...but totally resolvable by the end of it...that Springfield/Simpsons had to deal with in terms of him. He is a psycho, after all!

I also thought the dome storyline was a bit too much. And it also meant that things were so changed for everyone by the end of the film, that there wasn't that, as I say, 'resolved' sense at the end of it so things are then able to start afresh (like the tv episodes).

 

[curtinparloe]

Yeah, I'm off The Simpsons at the moment. The movie didn't do much for me either, and the series is staler than old bread - I much prefer Futurama.

I really liked LoG though. In series three, and in the Christmas Special, they moved things out of Royston Vasey, which disenchanted some fans, but it was really the only way they could keep it fresh. Perhaps that's what they should have done with The Simpsons? After all, You Only Move Twice is perhaps my favourite episode....

 

[Strawbs]

I don't think I've properly watched The Simpsons for the last 10 years, to be honest. I prefered Family Guy when it started. It was funnier and more cutting than The Simpsons could ever manage.

And how The Simpsons Movie could beat Hot Fuzz for best film at the British Comedy Awards last year is a mystery.

 

[Birty]

Classic episode curtinparloe, Hank Scorpio is tremendous. Written by Swartzwelder as well, the best writer on the staff. Best episode for me is Marge versus the Monorail, outstanding stuff and written by Conan O Brien.

LOG film for me was pretty poor in that I actually only laughed properly once throughout the whole film. Simpson's movie was never going to be great coz the series has been shite for 10 years or so. The quality went downhill around the time Phil Hartman got murdered and all the good writers scarpered.

 

[Joanna]

Just heard that The Simpsons has been deemed unsuitable for children in Venezuela, and so has been dropped from its morning TV slot...to be replaced by Baywatch and its, er, um, how to say, bikini-clad babes and their bouncing bosoms!