The trailer. Don't know why this is being produced when the TV show is still on, and when the show is reputed to no longer be in its prime, but whatever.
Why was the South Park movie produced while the series was still on? There's been talks of a Simpsons movies for almost a decade anyway. (Wonder how long this board can be kept up given The Simpsons are topic non-grata.
"Annoyed grunt!"
Maybe they're making it now because the show's going to run forever.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut had to be a feature film because of the profanity that was central to the plot.
Yes but the profanity was written because it was a feature film that could be Rated R. Also it could have as easly been a direct-to-video movie with that much profanity.
I could be wrong, but I think it was written because that particular plot required it.
But what I'm saying is that it's not the the guys just same up with this plot idea and than since basic cable would never allowe that much profanity decided to make a major motion picture. The deal for the motion picture came about because South Park was huge and the studio saw potential to make huge bank by releasing a theatrical movie.
I'm wondering what they could possibly do that would warrant a big-budget feature, either in the animation or the story.
Yeah, I agree with LUIGI, on this one. You make a movie out of a active series if the profit potential exists for one, then the secondary reason becomes some gimmicky plot device. I think the Rugrats films work best for this. They had films for the purpose of making a lot of money, but they also introduced a new characther, or made the dog talk, or whatever. You must do something big, to make it more than just another episode. Think of the X-files (or not, because it wasn't that great in execution, but it was a great idea of giving us a summer episode during the X-Files near half year hiatus) But plot follows profit motive here.
The Simpsons has two problems here. First, while the Show's quality is indeed at a low point, and interest level is low, considering the glut of "quality" animation on television today. However, the show is still popular, and still good. So a movie could work. However, the only plot change I could think of being big enough is aging.
Which they've done before. Several times, though not necessarily for whole episodes (see "Lisa's Wedding").
I remember reading that the "Kamp Krusty" (1992) episode was originaly planned to be a movie released in theatres.
We can talk about the Simpsons now? Cool!
I would suppose the Simpsons television show is as forbidden a topic as it ever was here, but the Simpsons movie is a different entity that has never specifically been banned, so here we are talking about it. At least that's my supposition.
what's there to nitpick
they'll still be wearing the same clothing they've worn for the last 10+ years!
Quote:I would suppose the Simpsons television show is as forbidden a topic as it ever was here, but the Simpsons movie is a different entity that has never specifically been banned, so here we are talking about it. At least that's my supposition.
I never claimed my justification wasn't bullcrap. But if it works, hey!
The simposons tv show is unnitable within the confines of the show itself. Nits come about because something is done that contradicts something that is already established.
No one says that the established characteristic of the simpsons show has to be carried over into said Simpsons movie.
So with that pathetic logic, one might possibly find nits from the movie if it contradicts itself.
I disagree that the Simpsons lacks any semblance of continuity, despite the strange world they live in where no one ages or advances to the next grade. For example, lots of episodes have established backstory about Homer and Marge's early years, Grandpa's past, and Homer's various adventures (going into space, winning a Grammy, feuding with George Bush, travelling with a freak show) have been referenced subsequently.
So... it's not unnitable. Not by any stretch!
Plus it has regular old boring continuity nits like, say, one episode in which Homer is wearing a red hat which changes to a blue hat in the next shot, and not for the sake of a joke, but out of negligence.
There are plenty of contradictions from episode to episode, but many are true nits in that they were unintentional, and not there just for the sake of a joke.
Grandpa Simpson's past isn't a nit... its just all in his head... like many star trek eps.
I loved this movie! It was hilarious! The audience I saw it with loved it, too. There were some excellent jokes in it. Especially when Bart took on Homer's dare and skateboarded through Springfield - in the nude. They did an Austin Powers bit that had a couple of wonderful payoffs. 
A couple of nits, though. Bart tells Flanders of a time when he went fishing with Homer. Homer uses a bug-zapper to kill the fish. All around the boat, dead fish are floating in the lake. Homer grabs a fish and starts to eat it. The camera switches over to Bart where the fish can no longer be seen floating in the water.
Thanks to Homer causing an ecological disaster in Springfield, the entire town is encased under a glass dome. Thanks to a sinkhole in the backyard of the Simpsons clan, the family is able to escape - before the town of Springfield hangs them. (I would love to own the cel of Homer flipping off Springfield.* That was priceless.) As Homer leaves, Nelson shoots an arrow into Homer's head. The position of the arrow when it strikes Homer is different when Homer emerges on the other side of the dome.
The family escapes to the Red Rash Hotel. There Bart, realizing Homer's a very bad father, somehow finds a small bottle of whiskey and drinks it. He soon passes out. His left arm changes position in a couple of shots.
BTW, gotta wonder why Marge didn't just take the bottle away from Bart?
In some places, particularly when Lisa says goodbye to her new love interest, Colin, (will he make it to the series?), the thickness of the dome seems to change.
There's a scene where Stampy (yes, he makes a cameo appearance), puts a crack into the glass dome. Are the Springfield that stupid that they don't think to keep working on the crack to break through?
I'd hate to think how fast Homer was driving that motorbike if he's able to circumnavigate Springfield in under two mintutes.
While it does have a good punchline (Dr. Nick gets impaled by a giant chunk of glass), I'm still amazed that no one in Springfield was injured by the falling shards of glass.
It was pretty cool seeing Otto do what we've always suspected he does - smoking a bong.
It was also pretty cool to hear Marge say, "g*dd*mn". I dunno. I'm perverse that way.
Those of you who go see the film, you should most definitely stay through all the credits. There are some jokes in it. Not to mention that Maggie speaks.
Overall, this film more than lived up to my expectations. I can't wait to get on disc. Hell, I might even try to go see it again.
* Which of course, is impossible as this film was computer animated. 
"I like men now." - Ralph Wiggums
BTW, can someone tell me where Kang appeared in the film? I noticed that under the list of voices Harry Shearer did in the movie, Kang is listed. Yet, I don't remember seeing the green alien in it.
"I like men now." - Ralph Wiggums (No, that's not a personal confession. It's one of the funniest lines in the film, though.)
I don't know why, but I laughed so loud and so long at Colin's run of "It's not Bono."
I may have missed it, I was laughing so hard during that scene, Mike, but did they ever reveal who Colin's dad was supposed to be? (And yeah, that was a great scene.)
"I'm never going back to America." - Homer in Alaska (For some reason, the audience didn't really respond to that joke. I'm wondering if they thought Alaska was not a part of the U.S.?)
My audience exploded at that joke.
No, I don't think they revealed Colin's dad. I kept waiting for the other hand to fall regarding him too--I thought he was going to turn out to be one of Cargill's agents or something.
Other Comments
*The Green Day joke I thought could have been extended a tad more. Other bands on the show satirized their image a bit more completely.
*No couch gag?
*The fake Fox advertisement was hilarious, as was the the "TO BE CONTINUED" fake-out.
*The ad for the new Grand Canyon with its celebrity spokesperson was terrific.
*Albert Brooks had a lot of great runs as Cargill; I'm wondering how many were ad-libbed, which I hear Brooks likes to do for the show (as in ad-lib during the recording session and it's animated later). The bit where he tries to get the President to pick 4 is hilarious, as was his run about layers of big and small guys.
*I was impressed with the consistent plot--it squeezed a touch of emotion in there and actually avoided using Family Guy style cutaways (it had a very Futurama style to it, actually).
*The Disney parody with the animals in Alaska...woo boy, that was good. Brilliant animation on their reaction to close the shot.
*The townspeople were less than well represented--Mr. Burns only had two scenes (his ending bit is indeed hilarious), and doubtless someone's personal favorite will have gotten the shaft (Superintendent Chalmers? No.).
*Diehard fans of the show may be disappointed at the lack of nerd references (aside from a huge amount of visual jokes showing old townspeople and items)--but there's no callbacks or anything. I was hoping for a big screen tribute to Lionel Hutz or Troy McClure.
*Don't expect a South Park-like pushing the envelope--aside from one or two scenes, this rarely goes past what can be seen on television.
*Another random joke that I kept quoting. "I'm interested in the Meat Lovers pizza, but I don't know if I'm ready to love again."
*Anybody else think that the jokes were not staggered enough, especially at the beginning of the movie? I missed several punchlines and at least one plot point because the audience was still too busy laughing.
*HUGE HUGE laugh: The Spider-Pig theme song. "Can he swing, from a web? No, he can't. He's a pig."
No, I don't think they revealed Colin's dad. I kept waiting for the other hand to fall regarding him too--I thought he was going to turn out to be one of Cargill's agents or something. - MikeC
Yeah, I had the same expectations.
*The fake Fox advertisement was hilarious, as was the the "TO BE CONTINUED" fake-out. - MikeC II
Some in the audience I was with took the "TO BE CONTINUED" to be real and were about to get angry about it.
*The townspeople were less than well represented--Mr. Burns only had two scenes (his ending bit is indeed hilarious), and doubtless someone's personal favorite will have gotten the shaft (Superintendent Chalmers? No.). - MikeC III
Yeah, that bothered me also. Some characters barely even got a line - Barney, Mrs. Krabappel, Principal Skinner, etc. But what surprised me was how much screen-time Cletus got. I know that an episode or two this past season or two featured Cletus, but has he really become that popular a character? I suspect the townspeople were downplayed for fear that giving the supporting cast more lines would have slowed down the story and/or confused any non-Simpsons fans in the audience.
*Diehard fans of the show may be disappointed at the lack of nerd references (aside from a huge amount of visual jokes showing old townspeople and items)--but there's no callbacks or anything. I was hoping for a big screen tribute to Lionel Hutz or Troy McClure. - MikeC IV
One of the best was seeing that the ambulance from "Bart the Daredevil" was still smashed up at Springfield Gorge. That was definitely a shout out to us longtime fans.
*Anybody else think that the jokes were not staggered enough, especially at the beginning of the movie? I missed several punchlines and at least one plot point because the audience was still too busy laughing. - MikeC V
Yes. Definitely. That's why I either need to go see it again or wait for the DVD to be released so I can go back and catch all the jokes.
"I like men now." - Ralph Wiggums
I have been a Simpsons fan for nearly as long as the show has been around and IMO this movie is a must see. However, as Mike C. states, "this rarely goes past what can be seen on television." It was good, but not epic. Deeper character involvement would've been better, or perhaps tying up some of the many loose-ends created over the years. Allowing the people of Springfield to finally age would be nice, but South Park already did that so I guess that's out.
Benn: I would love to own the cell of Homer flipping off Springfield.
I concur(word of the day calander), but would it still count as flipping off since God is the only character with five fingers on the Simpsons?
Benn: Are the Springfield that stupid that they don't think to keep working on the crack to break through?
This is the same town that had a music hall built and left after four notes of Mozart. This is also the same town that was swindled into having a monorail built.
Benn: I noticed that under the list of voices Harry Shearer did in the movie, Kang is listed.
I don't think he was the only voice that listed regular characters who weren't in the movie, I don't think Kang was in there was he?
Mike: I was impressed with the consistent plot [...] and actually avoided using Family Guy style cutaways (it had a very Futurama style to it, actually).
I should hope it had a Futurama style and avoided Family Guy cutaways since TPTB made both shows and despise FG.
Benn: One of the best was seeing that the ambulance from "Bart the Daredevil" was still smashed up at Springfield Gorge.
I loved that scene! I think I was one of the only people in the theater who noticed. I was expecting Homer to say, "We're gonna make. We're gonna make it! This is the greatest thrill of my life..."
I was hoping we'd get to see the I&S ep where Scratchy finally gets Itchy, ("They'll never let us show that again; not in a million years!") but alas it was not to be. Although most of the movie was predictable, I was quite surprised when we saw Bart's 'doodle'.
A couple nits: I thought it distantly out of character for Bart to warm up to Flanders so easily after all these years. This kid claims to be "America's Bad Boy" and he's whining about Homer being a bad father, again. When Lisa punches Bart for making fun of her being seperated from Colin, as they're running away, I believe Bart is rubbing the wrong side of his face. Good catch on that red arrow Benn, but it's Wiggum not Wiggums.
I saw it today. It was pretty funny. There was one really laugh-out-loud moment for me, but I can't remember what it was.
I know they detest FG, but the cutaway gag was frequently used on the show as well--it was almost nonexistent in the movie (even the Grand Canyon commercial is important, but at first, I thought it was going to be a throwaway joke).
I concur(word of the day calander), but would it still count as flipping off since God is the only character with five fingers on the Simpsons? - inblackestnight
Well, it was literally his middle fingers Homer was shooting at his neighbors and friends. What else could those gestures have meant? And yeah, it would be a good one for a calendar.
This is the same town that had a music hall built and left after four notes of Mozart. This is also the same town that was swindled into having a monorail built. - inblackestnight again
Sadly, this is true.
I don't think he was the only voice that listed regular characters who weren't in the movie, I don't think Kang was in there was he? - inblackestnight yet again.
That was what I was wondering.
Didn't one ep of The Simpsons state that Springfield was in a state that was on the border of five states? In this movie, we learn Springfield is bordered by four states - Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky. I suppose it's possible that the state is bordered by five others while the city is bordered by four, but does it really seem likely?
"The worst day of your life SO FAR."
"I concur; word of the day calander," was a quote from Lenny from the ep where Homer became Burns' prank monkey. I guess I should've added a smiley when pointing out that Homer only has four fingers but have any characters done that on the show? Yes the gesture is obvious, I just wonder if, while making this scene, TPTB considered flipping the bird having the same meaning with an even number of digits. I'm just thinking out loud here, don't mind me. I do remember an ep where it shows what states border Springfield and I thought they were the same ones on the movie but I could be wrong, since I don't recall which ep.
After the Simpsons escape through the sink-hole, the "family pig" is never seen again.
GREAT DIALOGUE:
Marge: That pig filled up that silo in just two days?
Homer: Well...I helped out a little.
GREAT MOMENT:
The animals' reaction when Homer & Marge go to bed.
It's like: "Oh my GOD! What have we done?"
NIT: Wouldn't the people of Springfield suffocate within the glass dome after awhile?
Or at least die from too much carbon-dioxide?
It would probably be a long while after the plants die, due to lack of rain, but that would take some time, because Springfield still had natural bodies of water. The plants would still absorb the CO & CO2 and create O2 as usual. I would be more concerned with rising temperature inside the dome because the heat couldn't escape because there's no wind.
CONTINUITY AWARD:
When Homer plays the VHS tape, he sees what's left of his wedding video....the song that Homer & Marge dance to is "Close Tou You" by the Carpenters...which was "their song" when they met at Homecoming.
I mentioned earlier that when Lisa punched Bart for making fun of her situation with Colin he was rubbing the wrong side of his face, well he wasn't so please disregard that. I wonder why TPTB decided to make Arnold, not even trying to spell his last name, President when Wolfcastle was an already established character?
Jeff Albertson, aka Comic Book Guy, made a recording of Abe's ramblings in church and brought it over for Marge's review. The problem here is that it skipps a few seconds during the replay between "a thousand eyes trapped forever," and "EPA." The scene where people are climbing up the bomb rope Lenny says "I can smell fresh air," Lindsey Nagle(?) says something about a breeze or birds, and Sideshow Mel says something, that I don't recall, but it would've been funny if he said that he could see up Lindsey's skirt. As Bart's about to throw the bomb out the top he falls off the bike and grabs Homer's hair, which are then plucked out, but in the next scene all three hairs have returned.
Realistically, would a bunch of pig and human dookie really cause an ecological disater? It would certainly make the lake unpleasant but it's just poop.
Coming to DVD 12-18!
I loved it. My favorite scene is when the dome is blocking out the sun. Everyone in the church runs to Moe's Tavern, and everyone in Moe's runs to the Church!
I think it would have been hilarious to have Homer and Bart expose that Russ Cargill, was indeed Hank Scorpio.
Great lines:
Homer: "Those stupid pious morons can't hear me. They're too busy praying to their phoney-balogna God."
Russ Cargill: "Have you ever gone mad without power? It's very boring."
Martin: "I've been taking your •••• all my life!" Then he wacks Jimbo, Kerney, and Dolph with a board.
Bart: This is the worst day of my life.
Homer: The worst day of your life, so far.
Homer: It's not leaking. It's overflowing.
One nit I noticed. When Apu, Dr. Hibbert, and Cheif Wiggum approach Mr. Burns about power, the miserly tycoon is writing with his right hand. In the episode, When Flanders Failed, Mr. Burns is established being left-handed.
Another continuity award:
The wrecked ambulance is still at "Springfield Gorge" from the episode "Bart the Daredevil"
Another continuity award:
The wrecked ambulance is still at "Springfield Gorge" from the episode "Bart the Daredevil" - John A. Lang
That particular item has been noted a couple of times already, John. Notably this:
One of the best was seeing that the ambulance from "Bart the Daredevil" was still smashed up at Springfield Gorge. That was definitely a shout out to us longtime fans. - me
I loved that scene! I think I was one of the only people in the theater who noticed. I was expecting Homer to say, "We're gonna make. We're gonna make it! This is the greatest thrill of my life..." - inblackestnight
Just an FYI, ol' buddy.
"I like men now." - Ralph Wiggums
I REALLY need to either get my eyes checked or read all the previous postings before making any comments or nits. I'm really tired of making the same mistake over and over again.
Other great moments:
Homer pointing to the audience and saying, "Especially you!"
"To be continued.....in a few seconds"
Homer & "Spider Pig"