Rating: Summary: Awesome , they did it again! Review: The Simpsons are DVD are a must own for anyone that likes the series. It has everything you would wish for, from another of their wonderful halloween series to some of the most memorable guest apperances - like Aerosmith! So if you enjoy any of their shows you must get this one to add to your collection.
Rating: Summary: Nice improvements since Season Two. Review: Yes, all the episodes are classics... but best of all is that, unlike Season Two, the episodes for Season Three are watchable back-to-back! No longer do we have to lift that weighty DVD remote five times to watch five episodes!!! Woo-Hoo! The menus are a great improvement as well, giving the whole set a livelier feel. Well done, Fox. I wait anxiously for Season Four!
Rating: Summary: All I know is: "Fire made it good." Review: The third season of "The Simpson's" defines the beginning of the show's peak, and is arguably the best season ever. The animation is finally at the level we are now familiar with, the voices have pretty much settled into their permanent tones, and the effective use of celebrity voices becomes a highlight of the show. Perhaps most importantly though, season three sees Homer become the centerpiece of the show, as Bart's shtick had become rather tired by this time. As a result, the show's humor takes on a more adult edge, and the possible selection of story lines expands to include the nuclear power plant, Moe's, and other "grown-up" locales. Moreover, after being freed from being the show's centerpiece, Bart takes on a more interesting, varied personality.All that said, what is really important is whether or not the episodes make you laugh, and without fail season three delivers. As much as I love "The Simpsons" there are always one or two stinkers in every season, but fortunately, this collection is the exception that proves the rule. From top to bottom there isn't a single episode in season three that I would skip over. At the same time, these episodes are for some reason rarely seen in syndication, so seeing them here uncut makes them all the more enjoyable; sort of like reuniting with a long lost friend. In fact, I can't recall having ever seen the "Bart the Murderer" episode in syndication, and I had actually forgotten that it even existed. Likewise, "Flaming Moe's" my all-time favorite episode, and perhaps the most bitingly satirical episode ever, shows up once in a blue moon. The same can be said for "Black Widower" which reintroduces a much more polished Sideshow Bob, "I Married Marge", the first of many fantastic "flashback" episodes and "Bart the Lover" which features some great lines from Homer and the best end credits graphic ever. I could go on, but any fan of "The Simpsons" will know and love these episodes as well, if not better, than I do. I will say, though, that these DVD's are a step above the first two seasons. Instead of the ugly, clunky menus, there is a streamlined interface, which includes the much requested option to play all of the episodes on the disc back to back. At the same time the color is rejuvenated, as one would expect from the prior releases, but perhaps somewhat surprising is how good these discs sound. The first two seasons always sounded a little off to me in 5.1 surround, but season three sounds fantastic; the producers deserve a lot of credit for taking full advantage of the available technology. Likewise, the addition of commentary for every episode speaks to the dedication to these releases, even if it is unlikely I'll ever listen to all twenty-four of them. In the end, if you are a fan of "The Simpsons", nothing I say here is going to make it more likely that you'll buy this set. Like me, you're compelled to for the sake of owning the episodes, even after the lackluster production values of the first two seasons. However, I can reassure you that this set defines a new standard for Simpson's collections, and the additional features are worth every penny. Conversely, if you're a casual fan, but thinking about buying one of the seasons, start with this one. If it isn't the best season ever, it is certainly in the top three, and the layout and extras on these discs are light years ahead of the previous two collections. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: When a great show got great! Review: Season 3 of The Simpsons is when it all really started to shine. With episodes like 'Homer at Bat' and 'Black Widower', the show proved to all that it was a really comic and pop cultural force that was around to stay. Highest possible recommendation for anyone at all!
Rating: Summary: Reason for the DVD release delays Review: IGN.com (www.ign.com) conducted an interview with Al Jean from the Simpsons. In the interview he explained the cause for the delay and expected release date for season 4: IGN DVD: On to the DVDs. Why such a delay getting them out? Al Jean: You know, I'll tell you what it was. The writers who would have to do the commentary are trying to make the show stay good. To me, the current show is the priority. The DVDs can always come out. We finally had the time to do these commentaries. Some of the cast appear on these, too, and there's a lot of different aspects to the Simpson world and to me, the prime time show is the most important. It's also the reason why the movie has taken so long, and it will be a while yet before a film comes out. We just don't want to give the show a short shrift. And that's another reason the show has lasted so long. We're not trying to do everything and burn it out. IGN DVD: Now that you are finishing up on season 14, do you expect to be able to put a little more time into DVDs and get season four and five out this year? Al Jean: Well four won't be out this year. I imagine it will be the same as last year where we record them over the winter months. I would imagine season four will be out next year. I ran the show for seasons three and four, so once those are done, maybe the season five and six people will be a little quicker. But as I say, the reason it's late is because we're trying to keep the quality up on the current episodes. So there you have it. It looks like another looooong wait.
Rating: Summary: Beware of moral Review: Too many of the episodes from this season are hampered by trite and obvious messages, mostly of the PC variety. After two fun seasons this is the one where the writers seemed to feel they had to exercise great responsibility over their great power, and the results are not pretty. Do you enjoy watching very obvious moral lessons slowly explained to you as if you are stupid? Then you are in luck. Some flashes of wit here and there but far from the hallmark of the series. (Oh, the fanboys don't find this helpful. How sad for them.)
Rating: Summary: Best Season Review: This season features a new main title screen that is actually user friendly. No more having to click the select button ten zillion times (okay, maybe it was three times) to get to the main title screen after inserting the disk. The main screen show up like normal. Also, I don't think you could do this on the 1st and 2nd season, but now you can play all episodes on the disk automatically without going back to the title screen. I hope the publishers keep this system for the fourth seasons and beyond. You can read the other comments on the episodes, but this is must own for all Simpson's followers.
Rating: Summary: The best season yet! Review: I was so excited to learn that Season 3 of The Simpsons was coming out on DVD! I already had the first two, and I especially loved the second season, but the third season is by far the best so far. Some of my favorite episodes ever are in this season. Some I really like are Radio Bart, Homer at the Bat, and Bart the Lover. Also, the season comes packed with special features like commentary and even the Butterfinger commercials! There is not one thing not to like in this DVD. No Simpsons fan should be without it. A must-buy!
Rating: Summary: Someone has to say it Review: The three stars isn't for the show itself. The episodes are great and the third season really has the Simpsons taking off. My favorite is where Lisa becomes the bad school student when she thinks she can only be a homemaker, and Bart becomes the good student patrolling the hallways. The writers did some of their best work in Season 3. I just wish that the menus looked better. I like the first two season menus more. Also, are we going to wait for The Simpsons to be released piecemeal? If so, don't expect many sales in five years when we have all died of boredom.
Rating: Summary: Great Episodes...Lame DVD Review: Season Three is a gem. Every episode is a winner. I was extremely excited to see that one of the options on the DVD was pop-up trivia. What a joke! And not a funny joke. This feature was on only one episode and it didn't have any Simpsons trivia on it at all. It was very misleading. However, that being said, this DVD set is still worth the money and the time it takes to watch it.
|