Doh!

Lord, it's been two months since I last posted?  Life sure moves fast when it's busy kicking my arse, but hopefully I'll be a good Crabs and get back to posting.

While other movies have made bigger splashes this summer, The Simpsons Movie did something that few of this summer's releases can claim: its grosses on opening weekend exceeded its budget.  Raking in a cool $74 million, it was far and away the number one at the box office.

The Simpsons are at the center of an ecological crisis surrounding Lake Springfield, which prompts the government to take extreme action to "remedy" the problem.  Homer's relationship with his wife and son are shaken, while Lisa's activism leads her to a new interest.  For a cartoon that has grown increasingly stale, it was brilliantly resuscitated for the big screen.  With most of the peripheral characters making a cameo (I didn't see Troy McClure or Kang & Kodos though), and the signature mix of cultural humor and Doh! moments, it brings the best the show has offered throughout its 18 year run to the cineplex.  No Simpsons venture would be complete without celeb cameos, and true to form, a certain A. Brooks voices one of the new characters, and a couple of stars voice themselves.

And for the art house crowd, I managed to squeeze a viewing of Sunshine into the weekend.  In the year 2057, the sun is dying a premature death that threatens to end life on Earth.  A team of astronauts are sent to deliver a nuclear device to jump start our failing star, only they run into several bumps on the road to the Sun, both technical and crew-related.

First, I've got to say that I loved the cast.  With Cliff Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), Michelle Yeoh (Memoirs of a Geisha), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), Rose Byrne (Wicker Park, Troy), and the eccentric Cillian Murphy (Breakfast on Pluto, Red Eye, 28 Days Later), a great group of players were brought to the project.  While the premise makes for a somewhat predictable story, there are some good twists, and the visuals and effects are well-done.  Reminded me a bit of Event Horizon, so that should be the cue for all sci-fi nerds to get on board.

Upcoming limited-releases that look promising are this weekend's Becoming Jane, and next week's Rocket Science, while the last major summer releases are Rush Hour 3 and Bourne Ultimatum.

Comments

[Ned]

Two truck drivers are building a rocket ship in their backyard. They are going to fly to the sun. When the rocket ship is almost completed the dumber one looks at the smarter one and says "oh shit, we can't go to the sun we'll burn up." The smarter on appears confused for a second and then says "ya stupid fu%ker we'll go at night."

[Noah]

Troy McClure was voiced by Phil Hartman, who sadly was murdered by his wife some years back (in case you were wondering about that character's absence).

[Bridget]

YAY!! Crabtree's back!! :)