The Simpsons has been one of the most popular cartoon sitcoms since its very creation about 20 years ago. There has also been many spin-off’s of The Simpsons that have used the characteristics the Simpsons employ to entertain their audience. Though The Simpsons strays from its cartoon predecessors, it does so in a way that audiences have found hilarious and have loved for many years. Its popularity does not seem to be waning in the years to come.
One of the main components of The Simpsons is parody. The Simpsons takes everyday events and activities and turns them into hilarious adventures that work to entertain the people watching. A normal school day could turn into one of the characters almost destroying the school or whole city. I think what makes The Simpsons such a good sitcom is that it is in cartoon. Using the episode we watched in class as an example, something like having an underground subway system in the city is really something that is just much easier to have in a cartoon then in a regular sitcom. Things and events like that can happen only in cartoons really and it is much easier to just draw our something happening then all the production that would be necessary in a regular sitcom. The Simpsons also takes real life events, like President Obama’s election and turns them into funny new and inventive episodes all the time. The Simpsons is constantly adapting and creating new things and I believe this inventiveness also leads to its widespread popularity.
Another aspect of The Simpsons that makes it so popular is that the show doesn’t take itself to seriously. Its hyper-reflexivity almost makes it more relatable. People watching the show absolutely love the references it makes to itself and the cartoon that is featured on the Simpsons, ‘The Itchy and Scratchy Show’ is one of audience’s favorite parts. This aspect of the show makes it feel more real, even though it is only a cartoon. The things that go on in this show really do feel more real-life like than some regular sitcoms do.
If I were to compare The Simpsons to one of my favorite cartoons while I was growing up, The Rugrats, I would say The Simpsons would definitely cater to a different audience. While The Rugrats are more for little kids, and the adventures that the characters go on are much more juvenile in nature than The Simpsons I believe the underlying structure is still the same. Just as in real life there couldn’t just be a random subway system under the city that just pops up out of nowhere, there is also no way that a baby can store a screwdriver in his diaper and constantly escape. I think what makes cartoons so popular is that it’s enjoyable for people to sit back and watch all the crazy things that go on. It doesn’t really get boring if it’s on cartoon the way it would if it were on a regular sitcom.
Rugrats ID by ~Rugrats-Club on deviantART
The Simpsons has endured many critics and many events throughout the years and still has stayed extremely popular. Every week people get excited to see what new episode the writers have come up with and what new ideas are being broadcasted. It is amazing that this show has lasted so long and it is a tribute to just how great and inventive the writers are. Many other shows have used the Simpsons ideas as a springboard for their own new and popular shows. I think its safe to say The Simpsons will last for generations to come.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Most Memorable Encounter with a Horror/Slasher Film
Scary and slasher movies have a special place in the hearts of many Americans. People have greatly enjoyed being thrilled and horrified with the scenes and things they see on screen. Unfortunately I am just not one of those people. To me, enjoying a movie really has nothing to do with goriness, shock and awe, and being scared out of my mind. I totally understand the thrill some people do get from it, but personally I just do not see the point. However, I do not base this decision personally on speculation; there are a very select few scary movies that I have seen. The movie that stuck out the most to me was ‘Amityville Horror.’
‘Amityville Horror’ is a ‘true’ story about a family that moves into a house in Amityville that was once thought to be possessed by the devil. In this family the father was extremely possessed and ended up killing the remaining members of his family. The family that is now living there seems to have the same thing happening to them until they eventually escape. This movie was the scariest to me for many reasons. The first reason would definitely be that it took place here on Long Island not to far from where I am from. Since the whole movie is said to be based on a true story I was even more scared. Then I had heard many different stories surrounding the cast and crew of the movie and all of these people had scary encounters with ghosts and spirits and such, so I again was more scared. Finally it came time to actually see the movie in its entirety. I sat down with all my cousins and we put the DVD in. Immediately I could see thrasher and scary elements and everything seemed so real! I was freaked. I tried to be brave and sit through the whole movie but it was hard. People were being attacked, the devil and evil kept coming into play, and the whole ordeal had me covering my eyes every second. I really am not a fan of scary movies and this particular movie did nothing to dispel my qualms.
This is a trailer for the movie which came out in 2005.
Here is a link for a documentary of the original and real "Amityville Horror"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsIE9wrkYFU&feature=related
I believe that James Parker has hit the nail on the head with his theory that slasher films are more popular in certain periods of history than in others. People in times of war and conflict look towards these movies for a certain type of comfort in the knowledge that maybe things can be worse than the situation they are in now, or maybe just that this cheap thrill will take their mind off what is going on outside if only for a little. It is much easier, emotionally, for someone to sit in a movie theater and watch blood and guts pouring out all over the screen than to sit home and watch blood pour from loved ones fighting for our country. I really do think that Parker knew what he was talking about when he published his theory.
So even though these gory, horror filled movies and thrilled and scared audiences for decades, this genre is not for all. Some people, such as myself, are just not made for all this blood and all these guts. Throughout war and peaceful times in history the fascination with scary movies has fluctuated as well. During times of unrest there seems to be a large increase in the popularity of scary movies, while during times of peace the popularity does tend to decrease. Scary movies are a genre that will be around forever, despite critics who don’t believe in them, they have survived for decades and will continue to live on in the future.
‘Amityville Horror’ is a ‘true’ story about a family that moves into a house in Amityville that was once thought to be possessed by the devil. In this family the father was extremely possessed and ended up killing the remaining members of his family. The family that is now living there seems to have the same thing happening to them until they eventually escape. This movie was the scariest to me for many reasons. The first reason would definitely be that it took place here on Long Island not to far from where I am from. Since the whole movie is said to be based on a true story I was even more scared. Then I had heard many different stories surrounding the cast and crew of the movie and all of these people had scary encounters with ghosts and spirits and such, so I again was more scared. Finally it came time to actually see the movie in its entirety. I sat down with all my cousins and we put the DVD in. Immediately I could see thrasher and scary elements and everything seemed so real! I was freaked. I tried to be brave and sit through the whole movie but it was hard. People were being attacked, the devil and evil kept coming into play, and the whole ordeal had me covering my eyes every second. I really am not a fan of scary movies and this particular movie did nothing to dispel my qualms.
This is a trailer for the movie which came out in 2005.
Here is a link for a documentary of the original and real "Amityville Horror"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsIE9wrkYFU&feature=related
I believe that James Parker has hit the nail on the head with his theory that slasher films are more popular in certain periods of history than in others. People in times of war and conflict look towards these movies for a certain type of comfort in the knowledge that maybe things can be worse than the situation they are in now, or maybe just that this cheap thrill will take their mind off what is going on outside if only for a little. It is much easier, emotionally, for someone to sit in a movie theater and watch blood and guts pouring out all over the screen than to sit home and watch blood pour from loved ones fighting for our country. I really do think that Parker knew what he was talking about when he published his theory.
So even though these gory, horror filled movies and thrilled and scared audiences for decades, this genre is not for all. Some people, such as myself, are just not made for all this blood and all these guts. Throughout war and peaceful times in history the fascination with scary movies has fluctuated as well. During times of unrest there seems to be a large increase in the popularity of scary movies, while during times of peace the popularity does tend to decrease. Scary movies are a genre that will be around forever, despite critics who don’t believe in them, they have survived for decades and will continue to live on in the future.
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