Hey I'm Charl. I also write on dooyoo as Charby, so please read my reviews there too if you're a mem...
Hey I'm Charl. I also write on dooyoo as Charby, so please read my reviews there too if you're a member. Thanks for all rates and comments, and I try to return rates when I have the time.
Member since:01.03.2006
Reviews:81
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My main problem at the moment is that I spend far too much time avoiding revision, as my first year exams are currently taking place. Despite the fact that I have a massive history exam on Tuesday and have so far revised very little, I am spending a lot of time sitting in my room watching DVDs, and very little time reading anything historical. Anyway, the point is, that over the last few days I managed to watch a whole series of the Simpsons, and now I’m going to spend some more of my time procrastinating by writing a review on it.
I bought the fourth series of the Simpsons after re-watching the sixth series, and remembering how fantastic a programme it really is. I chose the fourth series pretty much at random by bidding on several box sets on eBay, and this was the first one that I won. Despite, my random approach, I am delighted that this was the series that I ended up with, as it includes many classic episodes. I recognise many of these from when I was a child, such as Mr Plow, Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie and I Love Lisa. These episodes, as well as the others, are just as well made and funny as they were when I was a child, and in many cases, they seem even better!
I am assuming that most of you reading this will at least
have an idea of what the Simpsons is about, even if you haven’t seen it, but just in case I’ll give you a short overview of the show. The Simpsons is a cartoon which started in the late 1980s, and centres around the Simpson family, who live in a town called Springfield in the United States. The show has a very recognisable look, due to the fact that most of the characters are yellow, and all of the drawings are very bright and colourful and easy to look at. The Simpsons is a comedy, and obtains most of its humour from the lives of the five Simpsons: Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie, as well as the other residents in the town. Although, in essence, a programme for children, the Simpsons is one of the few cartoons which can truly be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
One of the main reasons, in my opinion, for the show’s success, is because of the genius of its main character: Homer Simpson. Homer is one of the best characters in television history, as he is a ridiculous man with many strange quirks and ideas, yet he is also very realistic as a real character. He has the same main cares and worries as many fathers in the Western World: earning enough money for his family, spending time with his wife and children, and drinking as much beer and eating as much food as he can manage. The character of Homer Simpson definitely is a basis for many other fictional characters, such as Peter Griffin from Family Guy, who wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Simpsons which came before it. Unlike Peter Griffin, however, Homer is a lot more believable as a character, and it is much more easy to care about him.
Another reason for The Simpsons’ success is due to its appeal to both adults and children. Children will enjoy the cartoon on a more basic level: its bright and colourful, its funny, and it has great child characters as well as a goofy father figure. Many mischievous children will identify with Bart Simpson, who is badly behaved and doesn’t care much for authority or school in general, whereas many other children will feel a connection with Lisa, who is more intelligent and more concerned with getting good grades and being a good person than her brother. Despite their differences, however, Bart and Lisa are very good siblings and actually get along well most of the time, which is a scenario that many siblings will recognise. For adults, there is a lot more sophisticated humour which goes over the heads of most children, but provides a lot of entertainment for parents watching the cartoon with their bairns. Homer especially comes out with a lot of classic lines, and at many points the show is hilarious, although adults will usually find themselves laughing at opposite times to their children.
Series Four was originally broadcast in 1992-3, but despite being over 15 years old, the comedy still feels fresh and has not dated in any way. In fact, this series and many other of the earlier series are far superior in my mind to the current series, which is the show’s 21st. After being on TV for twenty years, the cartoon doesn’t have anywhere as many great episodes now as in its early days, as its storylines are often ridiculous and involve repeating old jokes, although they do still have the occasional great line of dialogue. It is for this reason that I enjoy owning the older series on DVD, so that I can see how great The Simpsons used to be before it started going downhill.
I would recommend this DVD set to anyone, really, as The Simpsons is a programme which can be enjoyed by young and old alike. I used to love watching this as a child and I still love it now, and so hopefully the same would be true for you. The fourth series is a great set to buy, as it contains many fantastic and classic episodes, and is from the golden age of The Simpsons, and as such is essential viewing for any fan.
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
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