I Just D'ohn't Know...

I'm not sure if I'm going to see The Simpsons Movie.

I'm sure you all have reasons why I should go and see it (and a quick peek on IMDB already has it rated at #75 of their top 250 user rated movies.)

I just have one BIG problem with The Simpsons, that I will admit here for the first time ever.

I don't get it.

For those of you who don't know, The Simpsons were banned in my household as a kid. My mom watched an episode where Bart tries to sneak into a movie theatre, and decided that The Simpsons were a negative influence on positive morals and values, and told my sister and I (and this held true for my father too) that we could not watch this show. Eventually the violence in The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Power Rangers made it so that they were added to the banned list as well, but The Simpsons was the one that stood out the most.

As the years went by, I didn't feel myself missing The Simpsons...I mean, if fair is fair, I didn't know what I was missing. Having never watched a single episode, I didn't have a clue what was going on. Eventually, FOX came out with a cutting edge show called Family Guy, and my sister and I took to that and were hooked quickly. Mom saw what we were watching, and I guess realized that there were worse things on television than The Simpsons, and the ban was silently lifted.

But did I rush out to watch The Simpsons after that? No. I think the first time I sat down and watched a full episode was when I was sick, at 18 years old, during a weekend in residence. Someone had the DVD's and lent them to me in my time of need and boredom (I later watched the episode that had prompted the ban, and realized that my mom must have stopped watching before realizing that Bart does learn his lesson in the end.)

So I guess I just don't understand the hype behind this movie. As someone who didn't grow up with Lisa, Bart and Maggie (although they didn't age like I did), I don't see myself rushing out to see the film. Maybe I'll see it one day...maybe I won't. Part of me does want to see it in the big screen...I guess the intrigue is driving me towards it, but I have other movies on my list to see first.

In any case, I do respect to a movie that is based on a television show that has been running as long as this one has. In our changing world, it's really neat to see something that has held on so strongly. And I have no doubt that this movie will be number one at the box office this weekend. I was at the theatre last night, and the line-ups to get in were unbelievable. I hold no hard feelings towards my mom for not letting me watch the show, and hope the movie does do well...it does look like a fun, movie-going experience. To prove this, I present you with a clip, featuring what I think is the best celebrity Simpsons appearance that there can possible be.

So enjoy your movie...let me know how it is. But no spoilers...you never know...

Brilliant Songs Used Brilliantly In Brilliant Movie Scenes, Pt. 2

When I started this little feature on my blog, I was jobless, and quite bored. Now, over a month later, I have a job and a) way too much to do in the evenings or b) I'm way to tired to DO anything in the evenings. However, I've wanted to do a feature on this song for awhile

Song: Stuck In The Middle With You
Artist: Stealers Wheel
Film: Reservoir Dogs

Explanation: When I first started film school, you wouldn't catch me watching Reservoir Dogs. Looking back, when I started film school, I don't think I really appreciated film the way I do now. To me a movie was something you saw on the weekend. You went, bought your tub of popcorn, escaped for an hour or two, and continued on with your life for the rest of the week.

As my years at college went on, I started to see film as something more, and began to find myself appreciating different genres, different languages, and different themes through the beauty of film. Now you would be hard pressed to find a movie I won't watch. I'll even watch a bad movie, just to add it to my movie vocabulary.

I think Reservoir Dogs was the beginning of a major change for me with regards to the movies I watch. After falling in love with Steve Buscemi, I simply had to get my hands on everything he had ever been in. Living in residence, with no way to go out and rent movies (in an easy capacity) I started asking around to see if any of my floormates had movies featuring the love of my life. One of them happened to have Reservoir Dogs.

Not only is Steve Buscemi brilliant as the slimy Mr. Pink, the entire script is flawless. Although the idea of the film is clearly one of Tarantino's imagination, the movie has a certain reality to it. The conversations seem real; I mean, there are scenes where the characters talk too fast...you can't understand them. They flub a word or two. Instead of spending take after take to make sure the everything is "perfect", the scenes come across as legitimate. It feels as though, even though we know we are watching a film, maybe, just maybe, someone out there could be having the same conversation with their friends about why they don't tip, or the meaning behind Madonna's Like A Virgin.

I think the reason that I never watched this film before was because it scared me. It scared me that I didn't know if there was going to be a happy ending. Now I'm not afraid of stuff like that. Tarantino's writing shows that yes, there sometimes isn't a happy ending, but that doesn't make the ride any less exciting or interesting.

With a unique soundtrack, Stuck In The Middle With You, is placed in a dynamic scene, that will change the way you hear that song for years to come. A combination of great writing, mounting tension, and pure horror (all to a boppy soundtrack), this scene stands out as brilliant, solely due to the juxtaposition of good vs. evil, innocent vs. guilty.

The Scene: (potential spoiler alert) After Nice Guy Eddie, Mr. White, and Mr. Pink go to retrieve the stashed loot that Mr. Pink made off with during the heist gone wrong, Mr. Blonde is left alone with a dying Mr. Orange, and Marv the cop (who he kidnapped and brought to the meeting point.) Once all the others are gone, he turns on the radio just as Stuck In The Middle With You starts to play, and proceeds to torture the cop in the worst ways imaginable.

Why It's Brilliant: Although having some really great scenes paired with really great songs, I chose what I believe is the defining song of this film. There is something about the pairing of a 70's, upbeat tune, with a brutal and heartless act that really stands out and makes this film better than a lot of films I have seen. As disgusting and frightening the things that Mr. Blonde is doing to an innocent man, you find yourself riveted. Tarantino's directing (pushing the camera away from the gore) gives the scene that much more punch, because the audience is left to imagine what is going on.

The Scene: (For those of you with delicate ears who frequent my blog, be aware that the following scene contains some coarse language or violent imagery that may not be suitable for all viewers.)