{"id":3698,"date":"2011-12-15T10:15:01","date_gmt":"2011-12-15T18:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=3698"},"modified":"2021-04-22T23:04:31","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T06:04:31","slug":"review-simpsons-s14-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2011\/12\/review-simpsons-s14-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simpsons: Season 14 Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Simpsons\u201d The Fourteenth Season<\/strong> might not be the best the show has had to offer but there are more than a few laughs to be had. The stories do get a bit repetitive but if you\u2019re a die-hard fan, you\u2019ll probably get more out of it than I had.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
\nThe Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season (2002-03)<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nREVIEW NAVIGATION<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Movie<\/a> | Special Features<\/a> | Video Quality<\/a> | Audio Quality<\/a> | Overall<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Animation, Comedy
\nFox | NR \u2013 483 min. \u2013 $59.99 | December 6, 2011<\/p>\n

MOVIE INFO:<\/span>
\nDirected by: <\/strong>Various
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Matt Groening (created by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kramer, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria<\/p>\n

DISC INFO:<\/span>
\nFeatures: <\/strong>Episode Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, 2 Bonus Treehouse of Horror Episodes, Original Sketches
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>3<\/p>\n

Audio: <\/strong>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Full Frame 1.33
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, Spanish
\nCodec: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

THE MOVIE<\/strong> \u2013 3.25\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Simpsons\u201d<\/strong> has never been primary viewing for me, though over the years, I have enjoyed the occasional episode. I only mention this because I\u2019m not a big fan of the series so there\u2019s no baseline for quality or the lack there of.<\/p>\n

In this fourteenth season, the formula basically is Homer (DAN CASTELLANETA) does something stupid; Lisa (YEARDLEY SMITH) has more than one neurotic moment; Bart (NANCY CARTWRIGHT) gets into trouble; and Marge (JULIE KAVNER) has to deal with all of them as well as her own issues… all with a comedic twist.<\/p>\n

The season begins with the popular \u201cTreehouse of Horror XIII\u201d where three mini-stories are told: \u2018Send in the Clones\u2019 has Homer discovering a cloning device within his hammock and begins cloning himself to do work so he can relax, but things quickly go out of control. In \u2018The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms\u2019 where Springfield bans guns, and then is ripe for attack from zombie villains. And in \u2018The Island of Dr. Hibbert,\u2019 a pleasure trip is not what it seems when the people of Springfield become half-human\/half-animal.<\/p>\n

After the Halloween special, the season really kicks off with \u2018How I Spent My Summer Vacation\u2019 in which Homer, who admits on a Cabbie Confessions show, that he resents his family but rather than be appalled by the comments, his family sends him off to a rock n\u2019 roll camp run by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with appearances by many others in rock. There are some moments in this episode and I guess but it wasn\u2019t the strongest start.<\/p>\n

The next episode, \u2018Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade\u2019 isn\u2019t much better when Bart is demoted to the third grade while Lisa advances so now the two are in the same class together, one breezing by as the other struggles. On a field trip to the state capital, they are made buddies but become lost.<\/p>\n

You get the idea of the storylines as each episode is basically nonsensical like in the episode \u2018The Great Louse Detective\u2019 when someone attempts to kill Homer and the family turns to Sideshow Bob (KELSEY GRAMMER) to find the culprit. Doesn\u2019t make a whole lot of sense, but it does interject the popular character into the season at least. In another episode, \u2018The Dad Who Knew Too Little\u2019, finds Homer, once again acting like an idiot, going to a private investigator to find out more about Lisa after he gives her a bad birthday gift.<\/p>\n

The fourteenth season, the 22 episodes offer up a few laughs amongst the inanity of the storylines. I\u2019m not really sure if any one episode really stands out from the other because if I were to rate each one, I can\u2019t think of a single episode that would rate above a 7\/10. Again, there are laughs here and there but even for somebody who hasn\u2019t kept up with the show, I found it mostly to be repetitive. Mind you, this season isn\u2019t bad, it just doesn\u2019t have any episodes that stand out from the other.<\/p>\n

Episode Listing:<\/strong>
\n01. Treehouse of Horror XIII
\n02. How I Spent My Summer Vacation
\n03. Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade
\n04. Large Marge
\n05. Helter Shelter
\n06. The Great Louse Detective
\n07. Special Edna
\n08. The Dad Who Knew Too Little
\n09. The Strong Arms of the Ma
\n10. Pray Anything
\n11. Barting Over
\n12. I\u2019m Spelling as Fast as I Can
\n13. A Star Is Born-Again
\n14. Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
\n15. C.E.D\u2019oh
\n16. \u2018Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky
\n17. Three Gays of the Condo
\n18. Dude, Where\u2019s My Ranch
\n19. Old Yeller-Belly
\n20. Brake My Wife, Please
\n21. The Bart of War
\n22. Moe Baby Blues<\/p>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 3-disc set comes inside a standard Blu-ray case with a glossy and reflective slip cover. Inside is a booklet with the episode list and what features are available for that episode, special voice guest stars and the running time.<\/p>\n

Discs 1-3:
\nEpisode Commentaries<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 Each of the 22-episodes comes with a commentary from the crew and cast. I won\u2019t rundown each one, but there are a few reoccurring commentators like Matt Groening (creator), Al Jean (writer\/producer), Kevin Curran (writer), David Silverman (producer), Michael Price (writer\/producer), Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria, etc. There are also many other guest speakers like \u201cWeird Al\u201d Yankovic and Joe Mantegna.<\/p>\n

Deleted Scenes<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 14 episodes have scenes removed, unfortunately some are only available while watching an episode (re-inserted). It\u2019s kind of lame that they just don\u2019t put them in the features sub-menu.<\/p>\n

Disc 1:
\nA Haunting Invite from Matt Groening (2:12; HD)<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 This is an introduction to the fourteenth season DVD\/Blu-ray set and its highlights.<\/p>\n

In the Beginning (12:43; SD)<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 This feature shows the various openings for the 13 \u201cTreehouse of Horror\u201d specials.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Only Rock \u2018N\u2019 Roll (9:05; SD)<\/span><\/strong> is a featurette focusing on the \u2018How I Spent My Summer Vacation\u2019 episode and features interviews\/behind-the-scenes footage with the guest rock gods\u2019 voice talents. It\u2019s nothing fascinating but you get to hear from the guys and their excitement appearing in a \u201cSimpsons\u201d episode.<\/p>\n

Sketch Gallery: \u2018How I Spent My Summer Vacation\u2019 (2:14; HD)<\/span><\/strong> are just drawings of the various characters appearing in the particular episode.<\/p>\n

Disc 2:
\nThe 300th<\/sup> Episode: Barting Over (1:56; SD)<\/span><\/strong> is a short featurette on the special episode with an interview by guest voice talent, Tony Hawk.<\/p>\n

Sketch Gallery II: \u2018Barting Over\u2019 (2:14; HD)<\/span><\/strong> are more drawings.<\/p>\n

The Halloween Classics (8:18; SD)<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 This is a compilation of classic scenes from the various \u2018Treehouse of Horror\u2019 specials.<\/p>\n

Bonus \u2018Treehouse of Horror V\u2019 (22:54; SD)<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 In a nice bonus, we get a great \u2018THOH\u2019 episode featuring a parody from The Shining<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Disc 3:
\nAnimation Showcase: \u2018Moe Baby Blues\u2019<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 With this feature you can check out storyboards and Animatics for the episode.<\/p>\n

Special Language Feature<\/span><\/strong> gives you the ability to watch the \u2018Three Gays in the Condo\u2019 episode in Portuguese, German, Czech and Italian.<\/p>\n

Foolish Earthlings (3:44; SD)<\/span><\/strong> is a compilation of scenes featuring our favorite aliens.<\/p>\n

Bonus \u2018Treehouse of Horror VI\u2019 (22:48; SD)<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 Another great bonus episode and in lossless audio no less…<\/p>\n

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VIDEO \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Simpsons\u201d<\/strong> comes in its original 1.33 full frame presentation and a 1080p high-definition transfer. When it comes to older animation, whether done by hand or digitally, it\u2019s tough to gauge just how good it looks. Obviously by comparison to today\u2019s standards, it\u2019s not exactly up to par, yet for this set, its looks OK. Background characters\/objects don\u2019t look particularly good but it\u2019s at least smooth and void of artifacting. Colors are, as expected, vibrant making this at least an acceptable transfer.
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The episodes come with a nice sounding, albeit limited, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Obviously the show doesn\u2019t have a whole lot to judge since it is mostly dialogue but with music and ambient noises, the front and rear channels do get some use. I didn\u2019t notice much of a kick from the LFE channel, but on the whole it\u2019s probably a moderate step up.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/a><\/p>\n

OVERALL \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Overall, \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d The Complete Fourteenth Season<\/strong> might not be the best the show has had to offer but there are more than a few laughs to be had. The stories do get a bit repetitive but if you\u2019re a die-hard fan, you\u2019ll probably get more out of it than I had. With regards to the Blu-ray, the audio and video transfers aren\u2019t exactly noteworthy but most likely a step up from its DVD counterpart while the features once again are fantastic (after the disastrous release of season 20).<\/p>\n

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The Movieman<\/em>
\nPublished: <\/strong>12\/15\/2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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