The Couch Potato

• DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007
• Price: $15.99
• Rated: PG-13 (irreverent humor throughout)
• Runtime: 87 Minutes
• Publisher: 20th Century Fox
• Genre: Comedy, Animation
• Starring: The Voices of Dan Castellaneta (The Pursuit of Happyness), Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright (Rugrats Go Wild), Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Albert Brooks
• Director: David Silverman (Co-Director on Monsters, Inc.)
• Writers: Matt Groenig (Futurama), James L. Brooks, and many more
• Special Features: Alternate/Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary
• Buy It On Amazon

After eighteen seasons of family-friendly comedy on FOX, The Simpsons finally made it to the big screen with the release of The Simpsons Movie. While the show has been fading a bit over the last few seasons, the movie marks a return to the fun of the first ten or so seasons.

Everybody that has enjoyed The Simpsons or any other animated comedy should have a great time. Most will laugh throughout the film making the film’s biggest problem the length (just 87 short minutes). The length is acceptable but you’ll probably wind up wishing it was twice as long. The story of Homer trying to win back Bart has been done numerous times on the show but this is one of the better ones. When the film shifts from the comedy to the more dramatic scenes in the middle and end, it drags a bit but doesn’t hurt the movie too much. The animation has been slightly upgraded for this movie and the voice acting is still top-notch as usual.

All of the bonus features from the “let’s all go to the lobby” scene to the altered and deleted scenes are hilarious. Even the commentary is informative and entertaining and one of the better ones I’ve seen in awhile. The problem is, these funny extras make me wish a few more were offered.

The Simpsons Movie is a must-watch for fans of the show or any other animated comedy. It’s great for families though parents should be warned that Bart’s “package” is shown for a millisecond early in the movie. Highly recommended for everyone.

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• Release Date: December 4, 2007
• Price: $37.99
• Rated: Unrated
• Run Time: 1050 Minutes
• Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Starring: Kiefer Sutherland (The movies Phone Booth, The Sentinel, Young Guns), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Kelsey Grammer Presents The Sketch Show, The Larry Sanders Show), James Morrison (General Hospital, Space: Above and Beyond), DB Woodside (Murder One, The Henry Lee Project, Recurring on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Eric Balfour (Conviction, Hawaii, Sex, Love, & Secrets), Jayne Atkinson (A Year in the Life, Parenthood), Carlo Rota (La Femme Nikita, Little Mosque on the Prairie), Peter MacNicol (Numb3rs, Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope), Marisol Nichols (In Justice, Blind Justice)
• Special Features: Many Commentaries, Alternate Ending, 25 Minutes of Deleted Scenes, Season 7 Preview, Many Featurettes, Mobisodes
• Comparable To: Alias
• Buy It On Amazon

Critics who previously championed 24 started to criticize the show during season six. Most called it the worst season to date while many gave up on the show completely. While I agree that season six was the worst, I think that critics were a bit harsh. The show wasn’t as fresh or nerve-wracking as previous seasons but there was still plenty to enjoy. 24 is still one of the best shows on television and nobody should be giving up on it after one season that was still pretty solid overall.

The plot of season six (I won’t give it away) is still good though a far cry from the originality of past seasons. However, if 24 would have retained some of its fan favorite characters, this season still probably would have been considered great by most people. Without key players like Tony, Michelle, David Palmer, and Edgar, the series suffered. Instead of many interesting characters, we were stuck with just Jack, Chloe, and the occasionally interesting Bill. There was one nice addition, Peter MacNicol as Tom Lennox, but he won’t be returning for season seven (he is returning to Numb3rs). The other additions were less than spectacular. The return of Atkinson and Rota didn’t hurt the show but didn’t really add anything either. I liked DB Woodside in past seasons but he isn’t a strong enough actor to play a president. It’s really hard to believe how his character could be David Palmer’s brother. Bringing back Eric Balfour, who had a recurring role in season one, was basically pointless as he really didn’t add anything at all.

Even though most thought the story and writing weren’t up to the standards set in previous seasons, nobody can argue that the action suffered. In fact, season six contains what is probably the most amazing action scene in series history when Jack Bauer attacks a terrorist base by himself. It’s a thrilling, emotional, and original fight that was easily the highlight of the season.

As usual the DVD set is absolutely packed to the brim with bonus features. Unfortunately, there isn’t a season seven prequel like the past two sets have had but that is completely understandable. The 24 team had to scrap idea after idea for season seven (leading to delays in production) and now, due to the strike, the season has been delayed indefinitely. Most of the featurettes are interesting and the commentaries and deleted scenes add to the show.

If you loved 24 seasons 1-5 but waited for the DVD release to watch the season, I’d recommend that you ignore the hatred for this season. Just make sure that you go in with slightly lowered expectations. Season six is still better than most shows out there but suffered a bit due to people’s high expectations after the brilliant season five. Despite the less than spectacular critical response, I still highly recommend 24: Season Six.

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