Sausage Party

Starring: Seth Rogan, Kristen Wiig, & Michael Cera

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

It was one of those days where I just wanted out of the heat, so I went to the movies. I was looking for something simple, stupid, and low-brow to just give me a laugh or two, just enough to keep me awake. I like Seth Rogan, so I choose Sausage Party, a film I'd never normally see, and while it had what I was looking for, surprisingly, it also had a lot more. I was expecting nothing but the typical drug and sex jokes, but in addition to that, there was a cleverness there that I wasn't expecting, the kind of thing you'd normally get from Family Guy. It's hard to say more without spoiling it, but one such element seen in the trailer and used through out the film, is the use of ethnic foods to represent the real life conflicts and stereotypes of the people associated with them. There are also plenty of food related jokes through out the film that seem so obvious for a movie like this, but you didn't think of them, and that's why Seth Rogan never has to pay for his weed.... The bottom line, I'm not saying this film is going to win any awards or that's it's going to become some huge cult classic or anything like that, just that it's far more clever, intelligent, and entertaining than I ever assumed it could be. You might be forced to see it because of yours kids, but you won't be as disappointed as you think.

The Simpsons Movie

Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, & Nancy Cartwright

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Many fans of The Simpsons Movie were very critical of it. While I understand why, the fact is that many of them just don't realize that this film wasn't made for them. Criticism range from the film not being edgy enough, to the fact that the film didn't take place in Springfield and didn't utilize the side characters much, but again, the film wasn't meant for the die hard Simpsons fan. While the show has been on for more than a quarter century, prior to the films release, ratings for the show were in the toilet, and it was only being kept alive by syndication and merchandising money. The point of the film was to be childish and geared towards a younger audience. While fans of the show were expecting the film to be extreme like the South Park movie, what they got amounted to little more than a children's movie. The fans were upset, but the studios gamble paid off, as the ratings went up and have continued to be much better. For those who didn't see it, the film focuses on Homer, who made the mistake of polluting the town, to a point where the EPA put a big dome over Springfield to separate it from the rest of the country. As angry town folks form a mob, intent on getting Homer, the family escapes and goes on the run. The film is far from being the best the Simpsons has to offer, but it served it's purpose in attracting younger viewers and raising the ratings. Fans may have been upset with Matt Groening, but what he did saved the show for who knows how many future seasons. The film isn't spectacular, but it was good for introducing new fans to the characters we all know and love.

The Simpsons/Family Guy Crossover

Starring: Seth MacFarlane & Matt Groening

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Some people call it ingenious, while others saw it as an act of desperation. Either way, the Family Guy/Simpsons cross over episode gave fans everything they wanted and more. While it's true that the ratings of both shows are not great, the franchises mean millions of dollars for FOX, not to mention that every new episode means syndication money, and that's why these shows have stuck around for as long as they have. In this very special episode, Peter and his family are forced to leave Quahog, after once again offending a large group of people. While on the road, they stop for gas and wind up having their car stolen. The Griffin's end up in a local town called Springfield, where as Brian puts it, "everyone looks like they have hepatitis." In many ways the shows are similar, many even call Family Guy nothing more than an edgier version of The Simpsons, and if you didn't think that before, it comes across crystal clearly in this episode. Over the years and due to shows like South Park and Family Guy, the Simpsons don't seem as edgy as they once did, but I thought the crossover brought out the best in them. In many ways, for the Simpson's it was a return to it's roots, as we got the famous catch phrases, hardly uttered at all anymore, and saw some of the things that drew us to the show in the first place. As for Family Guy is was just another episode for them, incorporating their own unique brand into Springfield. Two things that particularly stood out (You'll want to stop reading if you haven't seen the episode yet) were the cameos from other animated shows on FOX and the court room scene where all the similar characters from Springfield and Quahog were sitting next to each other and interacting. This was the kind of idea that could lead to a huge movie, maybe the Simpsons 2: Road To Quahog? Either way the crossover was terrific and should be a huge ratings grabber for FOX, and for all you Matt Groening fans, this isn't the only crossover you'll see this season, as a Futurama crossover is scheduled for sweeps week.

Batman: Gotham Knight

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Jason Marsden, & Hynden Walch
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I don't really care for animated movies...I like superheroes even less, but Batman is the exception, and when I read that this film bridges the gap between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, while being written and directed by some of the same people, I got excited. Gotham Knight is a collection of six stories that supposedly tell us what Batman was up too, prior to battling the Joker in the Dark Knight. What I really love about Nolan's Batman movies is how realistic they are, and while Gotham Knight uses the same names and story line, it is anything but realistic. These stories are downright childish and boring. It's like reading Batman's diary and seeing his conversations and what he did at work today, some stories were better than others, but I was pretty much reading Batman's Twitter and it was as dull and simplistic as could be.

South Park: The Imaginationland Trilogy

Starring: Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

The ground breaking, award winning, animated show, South Park has gone where few before it ever have. Imagination Land is the second film produced in this series, and this one was direct-to-video. The story was very clever, drawing on passed episodes and parodying just about everything you can imagine, but the supporting story really brought down the film. For the entire movie, Cartman is obsessed with a side bet he and Kyle have. The joke wasn't that funny to begin with and they just won't let it go! They carry on and on and on about it, getting to the point where you're really just sick of it. It really took away from an otherwise great sequel to Bigger, Longer, & Uncut.

South Park: Insult To Injuries

Staring: Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back in the time when TV boxed sets were too expensive for the average person to buy, Trey Parker & Matt Stone produced a series of their favorite episodes on DVD and Insult To Injuries is by far the best. This DVD features "It Hits The Fan" which in response to them using the word "Shit" too often, they say it 162 times and count it out on the screen. "Cripple Fight" where South Parks resident disabled kids go at it. "Proper Condom Use" a hysterical episode where Mr. Mackey & Mrs. Chokesondick do it! ...and "Scott Tenerman Must Die" which is probably the single best South Park episode ever! This disc shows 4 of the best episodes, that really pushed the envelope and showed how cable TV gives show like this much more leeway than traditional TV.

Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment

Staring: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, & Seth Green
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is by far one of the best family guy episodes ever! I can see why they couldn't air it on TV, but it was really one of the best things they've done in a long time! This DVD also includes Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show which was also pretty good, I'd highly suggest checking this out!