I was one of the millions of people in attendance Friday night for the opening night of the new Simpson's Movie. I first started watching the Simpsons in college, and have been hooked ever since. They have become the longest running sitcom in television history. By 2009, when they hit 20 years, they will be the longest-running scripted show in prime-time history (passing Gunsmoke).
As for the movie - if you like the show, you will like the movie. It was hard to see the movie as anything more than a really long episode of the Simpsons. Which of course makes me wonder if Homer is correct when in the opening scene of the movie he calls everyone in the theater a sucker for paying to see what they can get for free at home.
Maybe it was just the big screen, or maybe it was the extra millions spent on the movie vs. a TV show, but the animation did seem more vivid. The use of shadow was more noticeable, there was more detail in wide shots (I say shots like there is a camera involved), and they did some "special angle" animation - like the shot from inside Homer's mouth of him chewing a hamburger.
As for the plot - even the producers admit it is hard to come up with new ideas after over 400 episodes. In fact, the movie has a plot somewhat similar to an episode from season 9 of the show (1997-1998). In the TV episode, Homer becomes sanitation commissioner and gets the town of Springfield so polluted with other people's trash that they have to move the entire town 5 miles down the road. In the movie, Homer through his normal stupidity and in a quest to quickly get some free donuts, pollutes Lake Springfield to the point where Springfield is declared the most polluted town in America and the government must decide how to remedy the situation (President Schwarzenegger chooses between 5 unthinkable options).
The movie took a few liberties that the television show can not. A little more graphic violence, (an on-screen suicide), a little more adult language (put the word God in front of the word damn), and a nude scene. But those extra liberties didn't enhance the ability of the writers to tell a story and in fact seemed like they were put in just because they could be.
At the movie I attended, the audience was asked to complete a pull-tab form for a movie-rating service. The form asked for my age group and gender. I said I was seeing the movie for the plot/story, rather than because of any actors, or because of the genre of the movie. I said I would rent the VHS/DVD (although I know Blockbuster no longer carries VHS) and I also said I would by the VHS/DVD (although I do not own a VCR).
However, when asked the all-important question of rating the movie, I gave it a "B". Not because I didn't think it was great and not because I wouldn't see it again (remember, I will buy the DVD) but because it was really nothing more than a long episode of the TV show. Maybe that is a testament to the greatness of the TV show rather than a knock against the movie. But, for my expectations, the movie needed to be a lot more original in order to garner an "A" rating.
Maybe Homer's right - I'm just a sucker.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Good Feelings
I sometimes wonder if anyone else gets feelings of pride / joy / gratefulness / tranquility from the most basic moments in life. For example, I was driving from a relatives house in Des Moines to my home in KC a few weeks ago. And, for no particular reason, I just had this tremendous feeling of joy to be living in the US in this day and age.
There I was, driving a couple hundred miles in a few hours, on my way back from going to see a minor league baseball game the night before where my favorite player growing up was managing. It just struck me how lucky I am to have that ability. To travel long distances in a short amount of time just for entertainment, or to visit family, or just to get away from home for a while. I saw hundreds of other people doing the same thing. And it just gave me this feeling of total satisfaction with my life.
I know it probably sounds funny to a lot of people. But, I actually get joy out of the simplest things in life like being able to travel when and where you want. It makes me pause for a moment and consider how lucky I am to be in a country where those freedoms are available, to have a job that allows me to afford those things, and to have a family to share those times with. It always makes me utter the words, even if it's only in my head, "Thank you God!"
As a parent, I am almost always proud of the things my daughter does. A lot of times I am proud because the things she does makes me look like a good parent (even though most of the credit should go to my wife). Every parent wants their kid to be the smartest, fastest, best looking kid in the group, because we get just a little bit of enjoyment in knowing there are other parents that envy our child.
But, one of the happiest moments of my parenthood came this week when my daughter dunked her whole head under the water by herself after a swimming lesson. I know this is an almost meaningless accomplishment, but we had been trying to convince her that she could do it for quite a while. As a parent, trying to eliminate the fear a child feels is one of the hardest things because we usually can not relate to the fear. I haven't been afraid of going underwater in so long, I didn't know what there was to be afraid of. So, it was hard for me to convince her there was nothing to fear. It was a fear she had to overcome herself and the moment she did, she dunked her head another 15 times in a row just because she wasn't afraid and it made me happy. Those are the moments I treasure.
Now, if we could just convince her not to cry anytime scary sounds / music come on during a movie. I mean really, who gets freaked out from Sleeping Beauty?
There I was, driving a couple hundred miles in a few hours, on my way back from going to see a minor league baseball game the night before where my favorite player growing up was managing. It just struck me how lucky I am to have that ability. To travel long distances in a short amount of time just for entertainment, or to visit family, or just to get away from home for a while. I saw hundreds of other people doing the same thing. And it just gave me this feeling of total satisfaction with my life.
I know it probably sounds funny to a lot of people. But, I actually get joy out of the simplest things in life like being able to travel when and where you want. It makes me pause for a moment and consider how lucky I am to be in a country where those freedoms are available, to have a job that allows me to afford those things, and to have a family to share those times with. It always makes me utter the words, even if it's only in my head, "Thank you God!"
* * *
As a parent, I am almost always proud of the things my daughter does. A lot of times I am proud because the things she does makes me look like a good parent (even though most of the credit should go to my wife). Every parent wants their kid to be the smartest, fastest, best looking kid in the group, because we get just a little bit of enjoyment in knowing there are other parents that envy our child.
But, one of the happiest moments of my parenthood came this week when my daughter dunked her whole head under the water by herself after a swimming lesson. I know this is an almost meaningless accomplishment, but we had been trying to convince her that she could do it for quite a while. As a parent, trying to eliminate the fear a child feels is one of the hardest things because we usually can not relate to the fear. I haven't been afraid of going underwater in so long, I didn't know what there was to be afraid of. So, it was hard for me to convince her there was nothing to fear. It was a fear she had to overcome herself and the moment she did, she dunked her head another 15 times in a row just because she wasn't afraid and it made me happy. Those are the moments I treasure.
Now, if we could just convince her not to cry anytime scary sounds / music come on during a movie. I mean really, who gets freaked out from Sleeping Beauty?
Friday, July 13, 2007
Smoking a Cuban
The rumors became official today as Mark Cuban announced he has sent in an application to buy the Cubs. This was the news many Cubs fans had been waiting for. Dreams of Cuban shelling out a continual steam of money in order to make the Cubs perennial contenders. I would say people are dreaming of him making them World Champions, but that may happen before any new owner takes over.
I would also like to see Cuban get the Cubs. Cuban already owns HDNet, one of the more successful HD-only broadcasters. And I would love to be able to see the Cubs in HD every game. Plus, as a fellow Indiana University alum, maybe he could get me a front-office job. I have read the book Moneyball and I think Cuban takes a similar philosophy when he makes moves with his NBA team the Dallas Mavericks. The basic premise is that players are investments and their stats are like financial statements that tell whether they are an improving player or if they have peaked. But, that's a different topic.
The point is, no matter how much dreaming we want to do (and to be a Cubs fan you must be a good dreamer) there is no way Bud Selig and the owners - White Sox / Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf especially - are going to let Cuban buy an MLB team. Cuban gets on the nerves of the NBA owners (Reinsdorf included) and certainly does not fit into the mold of the "good old boys" club that is MLB.
The only negative I can see with Cuban is that if he were to buy the Cubs, he may become more of a story than the Cubs themselves. The one good thing about most MLB owners is that they are silent. Cuban would be a lot more like Steinbrenner. I can't argue with Stenbrenner's results - the Yankees are perennial contenders - but nobody likes them and nobody likes him.
Again, Cuban would still be my choice for the next owner. But, that choice is easy because I know who he is and what he does. I know very little about most of the other people who have been rumored to be interested. And that is exactly why Selig will pick one of them, because he wants somebody who knows how to keep their mouth shut. Transparency has never been a strong suit of the commissioner or the owners.
I would also like to see Cuban get the Cubs. Cuban already owns HDNet, one of the more successful HD-only broadcasters. And I would love to be able to see the Cubs in HD every game. Plus, as a fellow Indiana University alum, maybe he could get me a front-office job. I have read the book Moneyball and I think Cuban takes a similar philosophy when he makes moves with his NBA team the Dallas Mavericks. The basic premise is that players are investments and their stats are like financial statements that tell whether they are an improving player or if they have peaked. But, that's a different topic.
The point is, no matter how much dreaming we want to do (and to be a Cubs fan you must be a good dreamer) there is no way Bud Selig and the owners - White Sox / Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf especially - are going to let Cuban buy an MLB team. Cuban gets on the nerves of the NBA owners (Reinsdorf included) and certainly does not fit into the mold of the "good old boys" club that is MLB.
The only negative I can see with Cuban is that if he were to buy the Cubs, he may become more of a story than the Cubs themselves. The one good thing about most MLB owners is that they are silent. Cuban would be a lot more like Steinbrenner. I can't argue with Stenbrenner's results - the Yankees are perennial contenders - but nobody likes them and nobody likes him.
Again, Cuban would still be my choice for the next owner. But, that choice is easy because I know who he is and what he does. I know very little about most of the other people who have been rumored to be interested. And that is exactly why Selig will pick one of them, because he wants somebody who knows how to keep their mouth shut. Transparency has never been a strong suit of the commissioner or the owners.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Cat crisis
Our family cat Ernie (named after Mr. Cub - Ernie Banks) apparently followed someone out the door unnoticed yesterday and ran away from home. He is an indoor cat, but likes to go outside whenever he is fast enough to get by us so he can sniff around and eat some grass. But, with no front claws he is obviously not equipped to handle life on the outside.
Ernie is 6 years old this month (which based on my estimate of 6 cat years to 1 human year based on life expectancies of each would be like turning 36 for one of us). Now, 36 seems to be a little early for a mid-life crisis (I don't feel like I'm 4 years away from flipping out and buying a Corvette convertible - no matter how much my brother might want me to). And really, what can drive a cat to a mid-life crisis. Does he not feel like he is successful enough, or maybe he is upset that he didn't get enough "tail" when he was younger (again, an indoor cat that was the victim of a never ending Bob Barker quest to eliminate the world of unplanned breeding in the animal species).
Whatever drove him to this act of lunacy was apparently short-lived. My wife found him this morning in the window well of our basement window. He was scared, tired, and his paws were a little sore from gallivanting around the town all night, but he will recover. I am still amazed that a cat that has never been more than 50 feet away from the house in his life can still have the skills to find his way home after wandering into uncharted territory. Especially after rainstorms yesterday afternoon would have washed away any scent he left behind as he walked away.
All's well that ends well.
Ernie is 6 years old this month (which based on my estimate of 6 cat years to 1 human year based on life expectancies of each would be like turning 36 for one of us). Now, 36 seems to be a little early for a mid-life crisis (I don't feel like I'm 4 years away from flipping out and buying a Corvette convertible - no matter how much my brother might want me to). And really, what can drive a cat to a mid-life crisis. Does he not feel like he is successful enough, or maybe he is upset that he didn't get enough "tail" when he was younger (again, an indoor cat that was the victim of a never ending Bob Barker quest to eliminate the world of unplanned breeding in the animal species).
Whatever drove him to this act of lunacy was apparently short-lived. My wife found him this morning in the window well of our basement window. He was scared, tired, and his paws were a little sore from gallivanting around the town all night, but he will recover. I am still amazed that a cat that has never been more than 50 feet away from the house in his life can still have the skills to find his way home after wandering into uncharted territory. Especially after rainstorms yesterday afternoon would have washed away any scent he left behind as he walked away.
All's well that ends well.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Parade of mediocrity
Yesterday, I attended my town's 4th of July parade with my wife and daughter. I was excited to go as our town is one of the few in the KC area that still has a parade on the 4th. I was also excited because I hadn't been to a parade probably since my high school homecoming parade. And to be honest, I was excited about getting candy.
But, parades aren't what they used to be. The total lack of floats was probably the most disappointing thing. In this parade where over 100 vehicles drove past us, I believe there were only 2 that could be called floats. One float was for some sort of serenity retreat and consisted of 3 yellow flowers with Oriental women rising up out of them in meditation. The other float was for some dance studio and featured participants performing Oriental dances. Apparently Asians are the only ones who can make floats anymore.
The other big disappointment was that people no longer threw candy from their floats/vehicles. Instead, there were people walking along the sidelines handing out the candy to the youngsters. Apparently this is common now as too many kids nationwide were being killed by running under vehicles in search of thrown candy. I guess I can understand the safety factor, but that was half the excitement of a parade when I was a kid was the race against other kids to pick up the candy.
Oh well - it was still better than nothing and my daughter enjoyed seeing all the old cars, firetrucks, and of course the Shriners.
This weekend I am taking my daughter to Cedar Rapids, Iowa - near my old stomping grounds - to see a minor league game between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Peoria Chiefs. The reason we are going is because Ryne Sandberg - my favorite player growing up and I still believe the best 2nd baseman of all time - is the new manager of the Chiefs this year. We have front row seats right behind the Chiefs dugout. This hopefully will be my second time shaking Ryno's hand as I once met him on a dinner cruise along Lake Michigan that the Cubs used to put on annually. The seats for the Kernel's game are considerably less than the seats on the dinner cruise were. Hopefully the memory will be just as priceless when he says hello to my daughter.
But, parades aren't what they used to be. The total lack of floats was probably the most disappointing thing. In this parade where over 100 vehicles drove past us, I believe there were only 2 that could be called floats. One float was for some sort of serenity retreat and consisted of 3 yellow flowers with Oriental women rising up out of them in meditation. The other float was for some dance studio and featured participants performing Oriental dances. Apparently Asians are the only ones who can make floats anymore.
The other big disappointment was that people no longer threw candy from their floats/vehicles. Instead, there were people walking along the sidelines handing out the candy to the youngsters. Apparently this is common now as too many kids nationwide were being killed by running under vehicles in search of thrown candy. I guess I can understand the safety factor, but that was half the excitement of a parade when I was a kid was the race against other kids to pick up the candy.
Oh well - it was still better than nothing and my daughter enjoyed seeing all the old cars, firetrucks, and of course the Shriners.
* * *
This weekend I am taking my daughter to Cedar Rapids, Iowa - near my old stomping grounds - to see a minor league game between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Peoria Chiefs. The reason we are going is because Ryne Sandberg - my favorite player growing up and I still believe the best 2nd baseman of all time - is the new manager of the Chiefs this year. We have front row seats right behind the Chiefs dugout. This hopefully will be my second time shaking Ryno's hand as I once met him on a dinner cruise along Lake Michigan that the Cubs used to put on annually. The seats for the Kernel's game are considerably less than the seats on the dinner cruise were. Hopefully the memory will be just as priceless when he says hello to my daughter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)