david silverman Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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!

Four words: Best. Simpsons. Episode. Ever.

Heading into The Simpsons Movie I'll admit that it would've been pretty tough to find someone more skeptical than I was. For me (as well as a lot of people), the long-running television series had lost its touch in the past few years. South Park and Family Guy were continually pushing the animated boundaries as far as content goes, and The Simpsons had become the Roger Clemens of television. It was old, sure -- way passed its prime, maybe -- but it still managed to toss a gem every once in awhile. And that's why we continued to watch; some of us in awe that the show had survived a cluttered marketplace long enough to be prepping a 19th season, while others simply watched because Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of Springfield still brought smiles to their faces, regardless of how old, stale and regurgitated the gags had become.

I remember The Simpsons Movie myth stretching all the way back to my school days. Somehow someone caught wind that they were thinking about a movie; at the time, the big rumor was that Bart would lose his virginity to an older woman. Remember that? But it wasn't until a few years ago that The Simpsons Movie became a reality. In the meantime, both South Park and Family Guy (The Simpsons greatest competition) were already putting out movies, with the former breaking ground on the big screen and the latter on DVD. Yet when both of those films began to lose their thunder halfway through, I became convinced it would be impossible for The Simpsons -- let alone any half-hour television cartoon -- to deliver an hour and a half full of high-quality entertainment. Thus, a heated argument amongst hardcore fans ensued: Would The Simpsons surprise everyone? Or would they look like suckers for risking a stellar 19-year career on a film that was bound to go down in a massive ball of flames? Thankfully, The Simpsons Movie proved 19 years was well worth the wait.