Just a quick plug for The Simpsons Movie. It's very good.
It did an impressive $400M, even before DVD release, so perhaps you've already seen it.
I was never a huge Simpsons fan, oddly, considering I love comedy and animation, and considering the show is both very popular and very respected. But it always seemed "good, but not great" to me.
But with the film, it is very clear that they put a huge amount of sweat into making it the best movie they could, and they succeeded. It is very funny, the story works, and above all, unlike the TV show, it looks great. The landscapes and architecture and machinery is beatifully drawn, often with CGI 3D technology. It's a pleasure.
Oh, and the nude-Bart scene was one of the funniest moments I've seen in a movie.
Partly because of the much better drawings, I always liked Futurama better than Simpsons. I see they're making a Futurama movie. The trailer did not seem impressive, but let's see how it turns out.
But it always seemed "good, but not great" to me.
ReplyDeleteWell, you never did have taste. Your mom said so last night in bed.
Burn!* ha ha ha
ReplyDelete*more effective when said with the voice of Kelso from That 70s Show
Strangely enough, I for one can't stand the Simpsons. I don't know... there's something in the drawing and voices that is just too gross for my taste. It's an epidermic reaction!
ReplyDeleteOh, that and the silly giggles when you tell 16-year-olds about Homer's Odyssey ;-)
I think a lot of that was done on purpose. For instance I heard the creators talk about how the strange yellow/green skin color in the early shows was sort of made to make people think their TV needed adjusting.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember any green. Maybe your TV did need adjusting. The yellow is different in the later seasons when all the animation was done by computer.
ReplyDeleteThat's another funny thing: they say in the commentaries that it's only in the last couple of years that they could have done the movie at all, because it's only recently that they started drawing it directly on the computer instead of plastic cells! I'm quite started by that.
ReplyDelete"Startled", of course. I would have thought they would have been drawing on the computer for ten years by now.
ReplyDelete(They use Wacom Cintiq tablets/screens, like the one I have.)
I liked it alright, but it was one of those movies that got advertised so much that I felt like I'd already seen it by the time I did.
ReplyDeleteAs for the show, I used to have every episode practically memorized when I was a teenager, but I haven't actually watched in years now. It seemed to be going very downhill last time I watched it.
The wonders of advertising. I saw the local 7-11 get remodelled as a KwikEMart last summer, but I lost track of when the movie was coming out. Then we didn't even notice anything about a DVD release for Christmas, not with the stacks of Order of the Phoenix at Borders (like a WHSmiths on steroids).
ReplyDelete"Dear Lord, we ask you now to bless this PENIS!!!" (Gasp!)
ReplyDeleteConsidering that Futurama was computer animated from day one it's likely that The Simpsons was being done by computers from at least that time. But, maybe not. I'd have to look into it.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only adult person that cant stand the Simpsons.. I took the Kids to watch it I thought it was the biggest load of rubbish since Colin Farrell plyed Alexander the Great....... by the way I ll be sending you some photos soon for ur site some lovely Irish girls not a once of plastic in sight
ReplyDeleteI often get the feelings that the humour in the Simpsons is more meant for adults. There are many things in which a child wouldn't see the refined irony. (Admittedly, there's a very clever balance of subtle and farce jokes.)
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me I should re-read the Asterix series. I'm afraid I was too young to fully enjoy it the first time.
I still don't understand the aural insertion of parsley. Can a Francophile as yourself please advise me.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Well, you never did have taste. Your mom said so last night in bed."
This little scrawny man didn't have much taste either. My mom said so last night at dinner while we were eating him.
Some people would be wiser to remain anonymous and not raise their voices when they travel unescorted in the Burundi jungles, ha-ha-ha!
(Burp!) Excuse me.
I'm Francophile, but not raised in France, so maybe some of the subtler nuances elude me.
ReplyDeleteI know the parsley in the ears is meant as ear plugs, in order not to hear the bard's voice. But there might be a joke on another level, with the Romans looking like a tasty animal ready to be roasted. Because if they meet the Gauls, "their goose is cooked".
(In French: "Ils vont passer à la casserole.")
I'll have to ask my mother. If she's not too busy studying traditional Burundian (Burundese?) recipes...
I might be of some help on the parsley issue. Being anything but a fan of the Simpsons, I definitely missed that, but here's an anecdote that my father told us when he came back from Africa. This was a long time ago, so I will have to take some liberties with the details, pls forgive me...
ReplyDeleteBeing in charge of a fairly important UN construction project somewhere along the west African coast, my father sometimes had to entertain high-ranked officials visiting the site. On such occasions he would hire a "#1 cook" (or was it #5, can't recall how they were ranked).
On one specific occasion, he ended up making up the menu with the cook. When it came to the main course, it was decided to serve a roast piglet (dunno if there's a more appropriate name in English). Of course, if you wanted to be sure about everything, then you had to specify everything. The old man thus told the cook to make sure that the pig would not be served "dry on a plate", but that it should be dressed up with salad, and of course the traditional apple in the mouth. Oh, and don't forget to serve this with parsley stuffed in the ears.
Sure enough, at the dinner table the cook proudly showed up with an elegantly dressed up piglet, complete with apple, but no parsley.
The chef had taken the directives very literally, and had stuffed his own ears with parsley, along with his brightest smile.
Perhaps you should listen carefully to that episode of the Simpsons...
Dang, did it again. If the parsley reference was from Asterix, then it's even more obviously tied to the anecdote. Roast pig (and thus boar) is always served with parsley in the ears (don't ask me why, probably hides an otherwise unappetizing orifice).
ReplyDeleteThe British dish of (spit) roasted piglet would probably be "suckling pig".
ReplyDeleteWe have euphemisms for things like that. Old tough sheep is called "mutton", but "mutton Geoff" means hard of hearing. Milk fed calf is veal. Testes are "sweat breads", not to be confused with "sweetmeat" meaning candy.
I didn't know about piglet or boar being served with parsley in the ears. But in the context of Gaul, it would work very well.
I think we still only have half the Asterix books. I wish we had some Eagle books, I could do with some Dan Dare and Captain Pugwash.
Never really got into Futurama, we started losing our TV time to bedtime reads with the kids. I refuse to share my Itchy and Scratchy comics with the kids just yet, I think I'd rather let them see Caligula or Sweeney Todd rather than read I&S - blood everywhere...
I often get the feelings that the humour in the Simpsons is more meant for adults. There are many things in which a child wouldn't see the refined irony.
ReplyDeleteIt was intended from Day One to be for adults. People assume that cartoons must always be for kids. I thought The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and others had broken down that barrier but apparently it still exists.
This reminds me I should re-read the Asterix series. I'm afraid I was too young to fully enjoy it the first time.
And you'll have the advantage of being able to read them in French.
Bert confirms what Mom just told me today: there IS a probable silly culinary visual joke.
ReplyDeleteMom also said that, according to Cannibalism for Dummies, anonymous stranded jungle explorers taste much better if cooked with some thyme and tarragon.
Someone at her cooking club said that Far-East folks taste better, because of their fish and rice regimen (Basmati is especially appreciated), while common American tourists stuffed with additives, preservatives and other chemicals are quite yucky, even vile. Might even get you sick or give you cancer.
Then again, a Havana-smoking Roman legionnaire, still living at home and well fed by his loving mamma, would taste a bit like smoked ham al dente.
"(don't ask me why, probably hides an otherwise unappetizing orifice)"
I can think of another place where roasted porcines could use some parsley...
Oh, and the nostrils, that's also a good spot!
Don't forget to check your roasted explorer for body piercings, you'll impress your less fashion-savvy dinner guests with originally placed parsley bits.
Alex, your mention of "sweat breads" reminded me of an anecdote.
A guy in Mom's club once traveled to Spain and stopped at a fine local restaurant. He noticed a client in front of a very tasty-smelling dish, and asked to be served the same thing. The waiter apologized:
"I am very sorry, señor, but this is a unique dish. This is cojones del toro, bull testicles. Every corrida day, there is only one dish, and you have to make a reservation very early in the morning.
- Can I reserve right now for tomorrow's one? I really want to try it.
- Absolutely, señor. There is a bullfight scheduled for tomorrow."
The next afternoon, the man returns to the restaurant, and sure enough, his plate is ready. But something's amiss.
"Um... waiter? It does smell delicious, but why is the serving so small today?
- Ah, señor, you must realize that sometimes, it is the toro that wins!"
Experienced Joe Dick noted...
"People assume that cartoons must always be for kids."
What, you mean Fritz the Cat isn't a harmless spinoff starring a friend of Felix? Oopsie...
Ah well, I never intended to stay friends with the Sameek family anyway. Let their children keep the DVD they got for the Aeed-El-Kebeer.
"And you'll have the advantage of being able to read them in French."
Don't I know it! :-)))
I really love the ability to read fine stories in their original language, and French is a very good language for literature and nuances.
Some american movies lose a lot in the dubbing, between typical expressions and puns, to such a point that at times I can guess the originally intended joke.
Classic example: Arnie's "You're fired!" line in True Lies... which was adapted from a French movie, La Totale! ("full game, no holds barred")
It is only recently that I managed to find a perfect translation in French for the literal joke "walk this way". (Seen in Police Squad, Naked Gun... and the cartoon The 12 Tasks of Asterix!)
Still, I seem to miss a few little things here and there in Harry Potter. And a lot more in Shakespeare! That's life.
I'm fluent in three languages, but only really have top level in one. If I can find the time, I'd rather learn one or two new ones.
"Excellence does not require perfection." - (Henry James)
Incidentally, I should try and dig out that old news article describing how the Simpsons were finally adapted in arabic. After removing/adapting all references to pork foods and alcohol. At least, the christian church and prayer references won't need changing for the muslim world, they are mocked quite enough and can't risk passing for proselytism. (Which, BTW, is a crime in Saudi Arabia and many other places. Really.)
I never perceived comic books as intended for children alone. My father could be quite expressive at times, but I don't recall ever seeing him laugh as much as while he was reading Asterix.
ReplyDeleteI grew up reading a lot of comics, most from the "Belgian school", and today I would say that much less than half of those were truly dedicated to children alone.
And nowadays, way more than half of those albums are strictly adult material. Heck, Eolake couldn't post half the contents of many "modern" series on his site without offending someone!
As far as English goes, the hardest things to learn are definitely all the connotations, coined expressions and idiotisms. The language itself is fairly simple, but the words often convey some meaning very different from their formal (dictionary) definition.
I agree, connotations and subtle references are hard for outsiders to see. I had Hot Shots explained to me by people from LA. I didn't know I'd missed so much.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK the Northern comics (stand up) do better in the North, and the Southern comics do better in the South. Mike Harding, Bernard Manning et al are not well received South of Watford.
Bert seems to have a real chip on his shoulder. A real prejudice against English, like it's someone else's fault his command of it is so poor!
ReplyDeleteDoug's right, Bert. Why carry a chip, instead of all the old block?
ReplyDeleteThat's just lazy, dude.
Especially that those micro-chips keep getting more micro every year. And less expensive.
Little cheap chips.
(Excuse me, I think I hear my canary calling.)
i liked both the series and the movie. well done.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Pascal.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy exploring and discussing the differences between cultures. May be bizarre to some, but when I travel, I spend less time visiting ruins than finding out about everyday life in foreign places.
Why is it that unilingual Anglos always take it as an attack whenever you point out peculiarities of their idiom? Like that idiot who wrote "Don't hate us because you speak some shit language". Anything but English is shit, huh? Have I got news for you... but then again you don't seem equipped to understand anyway.
Bah...
You tend to come across as hate-filled - like your post above. You've obviously got problems.
ReplyDelete"I’ve always held that travel narrows the mind." - Sherlock Holmes
ReplyDeleteOkay, so G.K. Chesterton said it first.
"You tend to come across as hate-filled - like your post above. You've obviously got problems."
ReplyDeleteCould appear that way, but it is far from true. I get along with pretty much anyone, and I try to have fun in all that I do.
I will however confess that my patience with some people, like always-negative posters for example, is on the weak side.
English is such an eclectic language. There are so many words from elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIf we didn't take pajamas from Indians, then we would either still be sleeping in night gowns, or would need to put on our "soft comfortable loose trousers and blouse like bed shirt".
Now, if the fruit had been found and we didn't take the name with it, we would call the juice after it's discoverer and describe its color as yellow/red.
Thanks to is it Greek or Latin we can describe images made by light as photographs. We would have to say narrow punt to describe Venitian boats if we didn't adopt gondola, and then how would we describe the basket under a balloon.
Still I'm glad we use our own words too. Railway flows easily, unlike railroad or chemin de fer, though the onomatopoeia of chemin is nice. (Try reading the Rev W Awdry sometime).
I used to prefer the ruins - they don't talk. Now I like talk.
May be bizarre to some, but when I travel, I spend less time visiting ruins than finding out about everyday life in foreign places.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the ruins, mainly because people are pretty much the same everywhere. Different language, different customs, but deep down the same. No thanks!
"Different language, different customs, but deep down the same."
ReplyDeleteCome on, you can't seriously believe that. True, every living animal is driven by its fears and primordial needs, so if you want to stick to the most basic level it may be true.
But in any other aspect of the question, the diversity is staggering.
Belgians are the most polite people I've had the pleasure to meet. Too bad they are very susceptible.
The British have a way of "maintaining the appearances" even when they are being extremely rude, which amuses me a lot (when I've had it and I decide to get rude, nobody is mistaken :).
The French are loudmouthed, but if you get "in tune" with them, they can be loads of fun, and nice living too.
While in school, I had quite a few very nice Arab friends. But when I get to watch them in their community, man do I ever feel like a zillion spankings (or kicks in the pants) were lost somewhere in their education.
And so on... The differences between cultures are just endless! And those differences affect how people live, how they do things, even how they reason (when they do ;-).
And before I get shot in flames, I probably should add that the above comments are meant to be caricatural, and that no offense is intended!
ReplyDeleteCome on, you can't seriously believe that.
ReplyDeleteOf course I believe it. Because it's true. Those differences you've mentioned are incredibly superficial. I've seen a lot of the world and experienced those different cultures. People are the same - the same idiots everywhere. I know, I get it - you're trying to play the part of the cultured man of the world, the subtle, sophisticated world traveler who revels in the wondrous differences of all the wonderful different countries in this wonderfully diverse world. As Bill Cosby said, Riiiiight.
"the same idiots everywhere"
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm the one with a bad attitude! ROTFL!
"you're trying to play the part of the cultured man of the world"
Nah. I do have a genuine interest in cognitive processes, though. And that has thought me that people from different cultures are indeed very different from each other. When there's cognitive activity, that is.
Bert honestly said...
ReplyDelete"I will however confess that my patience with some people, like always-negative posters for example, is on the weak side."
Ah, well, nobody's perfect! :-)
Except me, of course. I'm even PERFECTLY modest, which explains how cum I'm not on the front news every day.
(I never tire of making that one. Because I'm also perfectly patient. Obviously.)
Alex zoomed out...
"English is such an eclectic language. There are so many words from elsewhere."
Maybe. But in Arabic, there are 60 words for the lion, and 200 for the sword. (Or is it the other way round?...)
Hey, it is a language that was born in the desert. You don't expect them to have 120 words for describing SNOW, do you? That's for the inuits.
Do I feel some "eclectic" high-voltage tension in this discussion at times? Easy there, eclectrissiky is expensive!
"If we didn't take pajamas from Indians"...
And anoraks from aforementioned inuits. Spares us the hassle to have 35 words for "buttocks freeze".
"We would have to say narrow punt to describe Venitian boats if we didn't adopt gondola"
Another inuit word: kayak.
And to think such a rich language hasn't got a single swear word! When they want to insult somebody, they call him a "white man". That's the worst they know.
(Admitted, it's bad enough, by several wampums!)
"Now I like talk."
Talk the talk, walk the walk... and get doooown, baybah! Yeah, do the boogie!
Countries in ruins A.M.M.G.A.B.R.O. Which helps explain why I stay in Lebanon. A very rubber-inducing place!
8-P~~~ (google-eyed drool)
"The French are loudmouthed, but if you get "in tune" with them, they can be loads of fun, and nice living too."
Somebody definitely knows their Asterix... :-)
..."a zillion spankings (or kicks in the pants) were lost somewhere in their education."
It's uncanny how widespread that opinion is in the rest of the world. By Allah, I wonder why!
:||;-)>
..."even how they reason (when they do ;-)."
*IF* they do... (experience of Lebanon speaking there)
..."and that no offense is intended!"
WHAT?!? You criticize our people, without truly meaning it?
Meester, in our country that eez a deadly eensult!
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You irked my father. Prepare to die."
"And I'm the one with a bad attitude! ROTFL!"
Pick yourself up from the floor, young man. Where are your manners?
Good heavens, it is as if you were raised in a pig sty! My, oh my. I do say, how utterly shocking.
"When there's cognitive activity, that is."
Hunh? You mean... you mean all the flatlines in the world are equivalent?
Gee. Whodda thunk?...