How better to begin a DVD review with some current news about the subject. The great country of China has banished Homer Simpson and his blue beehive haired wife Marge, delinquent son Bart, still un-housebroken baby Maggie and genius Lisa from prime time television, because the State knows what is best for its citizens. Everything old is new again.
Beginning Sept. 1st, regulators have barred foreign cartoons from TV from 5 to 8 p.m. in an effort to protect China's struggling animation studios, news reports said Sunday. The move allows the lame Monkey King and his Chinese pals to get the top TV viewing hours.
But ask the Chinese kids and they will tell you; Cantonese cartoons (and food) suck big-time. "The reason for the regulation is clear. It is to protect domestic cartoon production," the Chinese paper Southern Metropolis said, citing a recent study that found that 80 percent of Chinese children surveyed liked foreign cartoons and disliked domestic animation.
Communist leaders are said to be frustrated that so many cartoons are foreign-made, especially after efforts to build up Chinese animation studios.
You can hear Homer saying "boo hoo" and Nelson going "HA ha" because everyone knows the genie has been let out of the bottle, and with technology today, trying to control billions of digitally connected people is like sticking a finger in a burgeoning New Orleans levee-it isn't going to work.
If you have to read a review to buy a DVD of the Simpsons, you aren't a real fan and you won't get it. The memory of the season is blazed into my skull as a permanent record, a marker of time.
If you actually missed any or all, get cracking and watch these DVD's, guaranteed to make you laugh, appreciate animation and the not very subtle digs on this American life.
The DVD box art is stellar and worth mentioning. The box is blue-grey metallic and fetching, catching light from every angle. There is also a variant “Maggie Head Pack” collectible cover that features the youngest of the Simpson family and her trademark red pacifier (pictured above).
Treehouse of Horror VII
BEST VISUAL THROWBACKS: The Simpsons' attic – toms of props from many previous episodes.
You Only Move Twice
The Homer They Fall Dr Hibbert discovers that Homer has an abnormally thick skull, so Moe decides that Homer should become a boxer. Dreaderick Tatum gets out of jail and Homer becomes his World Heavyweight opponent - much to Marge's alarm, worried Homer won't survive the upcoming match.
Burns, Baby Burns
Bart After Dark
A Milhouse Divided
Lisa's Date with Density Lisa begins a doomed romance with Nelson Muntz, the school bully. Meanwhile, Homer's causing problems with his new automatic telephone-dialing system.
Hurricane Neddy Ned Flanders checks himself into a admits himself into the Calmwood Mental Hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown when his house is destroyed in a hurricane, and from some remodeling done by neighbors.
El Viaje Misterioso del Nuestro Homer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer) Homer eats a hot pepper at the Springfield Chili Cook-Out and begins a bizarre psychic journey under the guidance of his coyote spirit guide who advises Homer to discover his true soul mate and bond. Johnny Cash voices the coyote.
The Springfield Files Homer witnesses something out of this world in Springfield woods, but no one believes him, not even FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
Mountain of Madness
Simpsoncallafragiisticexpiala-D'oh!-cious The Simpson family hires a nanny after Marge starts loosing her hair to stress.
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Season Eight Standard Cover
Homer's Phobia When Homer realizes that Bart's new friend, antiques dealer John (voiced by John Waters), is gay, he begins to fear for Bart's sexual orientation and sets out to make sure his son is a 'real' man. The Brother From Another Series
My Sister, My Sitter
Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment After a St Patrick's Day parade in which Bart gets drunk, the town discovers that prohibition was never repealed in Springfield. Rex Banner is brought in to replace Chief Wiggum, creating a new wave of speakeasies, masterminded by Homer and Moe.
Grade School Confidential Stumbling across Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel kissing, Bart strikes a deal with them to keep their clandestine romance a secret.
The Canine Mutiny
The Old Man and the Lisa Mr Burns loses everything due to bad financial management, he goes to live in the Springfield Retirement Castle and enlists Lisa's help in turning him into an ecology-friendly businessman, but Lisa forgets that people never really change.
In Marge We Trust
Homer's Enemy Frank Grimes, the new employee at the power plant, isn't impressed with Homer's bad habits and lack of professional work ethic. Frank goes mad as he tries to convince everyone else that Homer is a menace to society. Bart, meanwhile, buys a run-down factory for a dollar and decides he and Milhouse will run it.
The Simpsons Spin-off Showcase
The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
The Simspons - The Complete Eighth Season is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an Oct. 2nd release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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