Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Ratings712
3s2m's rating
Reviews12
3s2m's rating
While it's wonderful that Walt Disney Productions was able to invite as many of the original Mouseketeers as they could, this otherwise charming, nostalgic special was inarguably marred by the absence of one of the studio's biggest stars of the late Walt-era: Tommy Kirk.
According to the book "Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out," by Sean Griffin, Kirk had already kicked drugs and retired from show business, now working in a cleaning and upholstery firm. Though the book implies he was in the special, it isn't true. But the reason for that, along with an inaccurate statement that all this happened in 1984, was that a member of the studio's publicity department said to him, "If I had my way, all you people would be buried in the same grave." The "you people" he was talking about: gay people.
It is therefore ironic that out gays and gay allies would play a major part in the studio's return to prominence just a few years later. But Kirk's absence still cast an unhappy shadow over the reunion.
7/10: Three points off for the sin of omission. However, the aforementioned book is also guilty of the sin of omission: it fails to mention the presence of Dennis Day, the other (known) gay male Mouseketeer from the original MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, in this reunion.
According to the book "Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out," by Sean Griffin, Kirk had already kicked drugs and retired from show business, now working in a cleaning and upholstery firm. Though the book implies he was in the special, it isn't true. But the reason for that, along with an inaccurate statement that all this happened in 1984, was that a member of the studio's publicity department said to him, "If I had my way, all you people would be buried in the same grave." The "you people" he was talking about: gay people.
It is therefore ironic that out gays and gay allies would play a major part in the studio's return to prominence just a few years later. But Kirk's absence still cast an unhappy shadow over the reunion.
7/10: Three points off for the sin of omission. However, the aforementioned book is also guilty of the sin of omission: it fails to mention the presence of Dennis Day, the other (known) gay male Mouseketeer from the original MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, in this reunion.
Judging TV shows is nothing like judging movies. The longer they go on, the more they change.
When "The Simpsons" premiered in early 1990, there had been no animation in prime time since 1966. It was a huge pop culture phenomenon, but whether it would last or peter out in a few years remained to be seen. Nearly 20 years later, it is an institution. But it isn't the same show it was in 1990, 1995, or even in 2000. Because in those years it had a right to call itself the greatest show of all time. Now the show is like an old man trying to recapture the glory of his youth, and he just won't die.
"The Simpsons" of the 20th century was smart, witty, sophisticated, satirical, unconventional, and populated with memorable characters, laugh-out-loud situations and dialog, and a family dynamic that was neither idealized or vilified. Not even the best live-action sitcoms could beat it. Homer Simpson was a character like no other, a classic clown who tried hard to please his family but either screwed up or lost his temper. With the saint-like patience of his wife Marge, the moral center of the family, his arch, scheming, trouble-making son Bart, his sweet, gifted, and inquisitive daughter Lisa, and his baby daughter Maggie, and a cast of thousands (literally), the weekly trip to 742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield, USA was an event, as if one was watching Babe Ruth hit one home run after another. But then something happened. "The Simpsons" of the 21st century is an embarrassing travesty.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment "The Simpsons" began its downhill slide, but Lisa's increasingly strident preaching manifested as early as season 4 but kept in check for a little while certainly didn't help. While Mike Scully allowed the episodes to become broader and allowed the tightness of the plots to slack, he was able to keep it consistently funny for awhile. But by season 11, you could see the show at its best one week and at its worst the next. Season 12 was even worse. By season 13, Al Jean, who had been with the show since day one, took over from Scully, and things have gotten even worse. Many gags are no longer funny in and of themselves. The plots are forgettable affairs that tend to evoke memories of older, better episodes. The show has sacrificed nonpartisan satire for leftist advocacy. The characters are stereotypes of stereotypes. Some recent episodes even stray into "so-bad- they're-hilarious" territory. What is worse is that not only do the writers seem to care, but they have responded to the increasing complaints by fans with unsubtle attacks on them. Yet they keep on with this horrific betrayal because it's still a healthy paycheck.
Perhaps the show is a victim of its own success. They're far from the only game in town now. They have to compete with "King of the Hill," "South Park," "Family Guy" (the object of a silly and pointless feud), and now the return of "Futurama", not to mention dozens of other animated shows supposedly for adults, all of which exist because of this show's early success. The movie was the exception, though. It had real emotional pull, its jokes were mostly funny, and it made the characters seem interesting once again.
When other hit shows go bad, they get canceled. If you truly love "The Simpsons," you will write to Fox and ask them to put the show out of its misery so that it can die with dignity.
When "The Simpsons" premiered in early 1990, there had been no animation in prime time since 1966. It was a huge pop culture phenomenon, but whether it would last or peter out in a few years remained to be seen. Nearly 20 years later, it is an institution. But it isn't the same show it was in 1990, 1995, or even in 2000. Because in those years it had a right to call itself the greatest show of all time. Now the show is like an old man trying to recapture the glory of his youth, and he just won't die.
"The Simpsons" of the 20th century was smart, witty, sophisticated, satirical, unconventional, and populated with memorable characters, laugh-out-loud situations and dialog, and a family dynamic that was neither idealized or vilified. Not even the best live-action sitcoms could beat it. Homer Simpson was a character like no other, a classic clown who tried hard to please his family but either screwed up or lost his temper. With the saint-like patience of his wife Marge, the moral center of the family, his arch, scheming, trouble-making son Bart, his sweet, gifted, and inquisitive daughter Lisa, and his baby daughter Maggie, and a cast of thousands (literally), the weekly trip to 742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield, USA was an event, as if one was watching Babe Ruth hit one home run after another. But then something happened. "The Simpsons" of the 21st century is an embarrassing travesty.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment "The Simpsons" began its downhill slide, but Lisa's increasingly strident preaching manifested as early as season 4 but kept in check for a little while certainly didn't help. While Mike Scully allowed the episodes to become broader and allowed the tightness of the plots to slack, he was able to keep it consistently funny for awhile. But by season 11, you could see the show at its best one week and at its worst the next. Season 12 was even worse. By season 13, Al Jean, who had been with the show since day one, took over from Scully, and things have gotten even worse. Many gags are no longer funny in and of themselves. The plots are forgettable affairs that tend to evoke memories of older, better episodes. The show has sacrificed nonpartisan satire for leftist advocacy. The characters are stereotypes of stereotypes. Some recent episodes even stray into "so-bad- they're-hilarious" territory. What is worse is that not only do the writers seem to care, but they have responded to the increasing complaints by fans with unsubtle attacks on them. Yet they keep on with this horrific betrayal because it's still a healthy paycheck.
Perhaps the show is a victim of its own success. They're far from the only game in town now. They have to compete with "King of the Hill," "South Park," "Family Guy" (the object of a silly and pointless feud), and now the return of "Futurama", not to mention dozens of other animated shows supposedly for adults, all of which exist because of this show's early success. The movie was the exception, though. It had real emotional pull, its jokes were mostly funny, and it made the characters seem interesting once again.
When other hit shows go bad, they get canceled. If you truly love "The Simpsons," you will write to Fox and ask them to put the show out of its misery so that it can die with dignity.
