Pretty much everyone I've talked to felt exactly the same way after seeing The Simpsons Movie -- relieved that they didn't blow it, a lot of laughs, but it wasn't quite the earth-shattering event we'd been dreaming of since we were kids. The film was measurably better than the current episodes, but not up to the show's heyday of seasons 1 - 10. Still, I don't think anyone could argue that the film is a rock solid comedy, and that was more than enough to make it stand out in the dreary summer season we just sludged through. But do I really need to revisit the movie? After reading the details on the DVD, that answer might be "yes." Releasing here on December 18th, The Simpsons Movie DVD looks to be quite d'oh-lightful.

Most intriguing are the two commentary tracks. One track will feature James L. Brooks (a hero of mine), Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, David Silverman, Dan Castellaneta (voice of Homer and many other characters), and Yeardley Smith (voice of Lisa). The other will be a directors' commentary by Silverman, Mike B. Anderson, Steven Dean Moore and Rich Moore. There will also be deleted scenes, though not as many as I was expecting considering all the versions the movie went through on its way to release. These include: an alternate ending, something called "Sausage Truck," and additional work from Albert Brooks as Russ Cargill - whom I would argue stole the film. He certainly delivered its funniest line: "Rats can't be trapped this easily. You're trapped like...carrots." You also get Homer's amusing Tonight Show monologue, the Simpsons judging American Idol, and alternate character designs by the directors and Groening. Oh, and on DVD you can pause all the hardcore full-frontal Bart action!

William Hurt is in talks to play the president of the United States in Columbia Pictures’ Vantage Point, a thriller about an attempted presidential assassination. The picture has Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox on board, and is to be directed by Pete Travis, director of Omagh. (What? You haven’t heard of Omagh? It’s supposed to be quite good.)

Hurt won an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman, but I loved him best as Tom Grunick, the pretty-boy anchorman who represented the trend towards entertainment news in 1987’s Broadcast News. He was Style foiled against the Substance found in Albert Brooks’ character, Aaron Altman. I can’t help but think of Altman’s rant against Grunick as an apt description of, um, some presidents: “He’ll be nice and helpful ... he’ll get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation ... he’ll just bit by little bit lower our standards where they’re important.”

Hurt is currently working on the MGM thriller, Mr. Brooks, but whither the other Mr. Brooks? I was wincing at those trailers for last year’s Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, but am glad to see this very funny man will be in the highly anticipated The Simpsons Movie.