A Lot About Nothing

Meh!

That pretty much sums up my review of The Simpsons Movie. It wasn’t bad, per se, but for a big screen movie I felt it was missing something new to be discovered about the town of Springfield or one of it’s characters. If this was an 87 minute epsisode airing on Fox, then sure, I would think it was a pretty good episode.

In the movie, catastrophe-prone Homer, polluts Lake Springfield after a strong attempt by the town to clean up their act. This leads to some political action that has major consequences for everyone who lives there. And yes, a pig is involved.

The movie has a steady flow of laughs (especially Bart’s skateboarding sequence), a great three-dimensional feel from some of the scenes that used digital tracking shots, and a peppering of famous scenes from cinematic history peppered throughout the script.

If you’re a fan of the television show, then, you’ll enjoy it. But I would probably save it for one of those discount days at the movie theatre. Like Homer said in the beginning of the film, “What kind of idiot would pay for something we can get for free, on TV?”

I must admit though, the official site for the movie is amazing. Check out my Simpsons avatar!

You definitely won’t be bored (or broke) this weekend if you live in the GTA. Harbourfront Centre is playing host to yet another wonderful, free weekend event: Global Hip Hop: The 4 Elements.

Hip Hop is a style, a sound, a state of mind. Following its steady path, we’ll go deep into its roots in popular culture on to how these roots have extended world wide, encompassing everything from electronic music, tablas, djembes, rock, soul, funk and R&B.

Highlights include the Montreal based collective Nomadic Massive, a special 25th anniversary screening of Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Style (about Hip Hop music, style, art and culture stemming from South Bronx, New York), Cuban poetess and rapper Telmary, and Toronto’s first ever FreeStyle urban dance and DJ competition. Check out the schedule of great events at harbourfrontcentre.com.

Tonight marks day two of a 3-day comedy extravaganza in Toronto. The well-known, Montreal-based Just For Laughs Festival is making it’s mark for the first time ever in this city, while celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.

So prepare yourself for some comedic talent, artists, theatre and variety troupes from around the world, descending in and around Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. One of the highlights of the event for me is Canadian comedian Russell Peters performing a free show at the Square tonight at 7pm (let’s hope the rain holds off).

The festival ends this Saturday, so make sure you reach at least one performance! Check out the official website for a schedule of events.