The Simpsons to end soon... maybe.

Naaa. Funny is still funny in 16x9. 4x3 doesn't make it funny; good writing makes it funny.

 

Agree. The notion that something is less funny due to a change of aspect ratio perplexes me!

 

I guess it just depends on what "aspect" of the show you find funny!

 

I have often said that I don't think comedies work in 2.40 scope, but there are some big exceptions. Blazing Saddles is one of the funniest movies ever made, and it's scope (and the only scope movie Mel Brooks ever made). The Pink Panther movies are pretty funny. A lot of people like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and that's even wider (2.75 Ultra Panavision). So it can be done.

I once saw Jerry Lewis do a lecture where he made a good case that the reason why comedies don't work in super-widescreen is because you can't get a good close-up, and comedies all depend on close-ups and reactions. With scope, you wind up having lots of "air" on either side of the actor's face, which is not great for comedy. I tend to agree with Lewis... though he also made a bunch of non-widescreen films that were not funny. In his case, the lack of widescreen didn't add any laughs.

 

I was surprised when I saw that Pineapple express was in scope, but half way it shifted into action so I guess that's why

 

...and in the season finale it's revealed that Homer and Marge are actually brother and sister, now that's a way to spice things up!

 

You forgot "Ghostbusters" - that's probably my favorite 2.40:1 comedy...

 

Yup. Makes good use of the frame, too. I love the part where Venkman says, "this ever happen to you before? Oh, first time?" - in the 4x3 VHS, you only saw Murray, (presumably) because he was speaking. You miss that Aykroyd is replying with a slow head swivel "no" then a slow head nod "yes".

 

That's a hybrid -- horror / sci-fi / comedy -- but that's a really terrific film. I often cite Ghostbusters as a rare film where the comedic scenes are very funny, but the scary scenes are genuinely scary. And it's beautifully shot in 2.40 by Laszlo Kovacs, who was a fine cinematographer.

 

The Library Ghost still freaks me out!

 

GREAT bit. "Symmetrical book stacking. Just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947!"

 

Some Ghostbusters trivia...

Three weeks after filming wrapped they had a test screening and most of the effects weren't done yet. When Dana Barrett opens her refrigerator revealing the terror dog, only a title card saying “SCENE MISSING” was shown. The audience freaked out. Reitman jokes they should have left the crappy effects shot out and kept the “SCENE MISSING” card.

Read more at Film School Rejects: http://filmschoolrejects.com/featur...ostbusters-commentary-track.php#ixzz3nUP0wdJy

 

Fantastic line, and a great way to cap a very scary moment.

 

Gotta disagree that anything about "Ghostbusters" was scary. I never thought it was frightening in the least - any potential scares were so quickly undercut with comedy that they failed to have any impact.

I view "Ghostbusters" as a comedy in the horror vein, but still a comedy far above all else. "Beverly Hills Cop" was a comedy with action but still mainly a comedy...

 

"They'll never stop the Simpsons!
Have no fears, we've got stories for years..."

 

The scene where Sigourney Weaver hears a noise in the kitchen, then falls into a chair, the chair grabs her, and drags her into the kitchen... that's scary. And some of the moments in the library were momentarily scary. My point is that for a comedy, this film has some actually scary moments.

Another film that balances scary elements and comedy was Fright Night, which I think was almost 50-50. But the scary moments in that were extremely violent and frightening. At best, Ghostbusters would be 90/10 in favor of comedy.

 

You know what scared me? How disappointed I was in Ghostbusters II.

 

And I admire Larry David's decision even more. He got after Season 7. Personally I think that Seasons 8 and 9 of Seinfeld (i.e. without Larry David) slipped a little bit.

 

The last two seasons did slipped a little bit, that's true, but they are not bad at all, in fact, there are episodes which are truly great.

 

Cause you have seen the same characters and style over and over and the first few years you originally got "into it", and it has fond memories?
Things are better seeming at first.
Look at this forum and guys with music.
They attribute everything they like as being good, but do not ever see it was what they liked as teens or originally grew into.

 

It's not about melancholia, it's about the kind of humor I like. The Simpsons became really silly and lost its initial sophistication. Had they been what they are now when they first started, I wouldn't have watched them in the first place.

 

It makes me feel all warm inside, knowing that Bender is STILL in the basement!

 

"Bender In The Basement" would be a great band name!

 

You're gonna have to change the title of this thread.

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