Random Thoughts — Page 153

Ziggy Stardust said:

It's weird, but I kinda miss it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL0dauWA9RA

TV's Frink said:

It got past Season 4?  ;-)

...

Maybe I should give it a second chance on Netflix.  I don't know if I can get past Cartman's voice change, however.  They took one of the funniest and most recognizable voices ever, and made it 327% less funny. :-(

Back when it was popular and everyone loved it, I thought it was really lame. In those days it was rarely very intelligent and it seemed the goal was mostly to just shock you into laughing.

Then a few years ago I was channel surfing on one of those rare occasions that I found myself bored and alone in a room with cable TV and nothing else to do, and stumbled across the Imagination Land episode and couldn't help but think it was one of the greatest things I had ever seen. I mentioned how much I enjoyed Imagination Land to a friend and was given the names of several other really good episodes to watch (Something Wal-Mart This Way Comes being one of them).

The more episodes I saw the more I started to love it. Last season had so many good episodes in it, it was really disappointing to see the quality drop in the second half of that season. This season has had a couple of decent episodes, but for the most part its been a let down. The crack babies episode was the only episode I really enjoyed this season.

Yeah, my wife commented that the most recent South Park's have been pretty bad. I think that Trey & Matt have lost their desire to do it. Perhaps tired of the political correctness, the censorship of Mohammed kind of kicked them in the balls and they don't seem  to have the same passion anymore.

I have the first three seasons on DVD...that's when I stopped watching.  However, I do have The Hits Vol. 1 (was there ever a vol. 2?), which has some of the funniest (Carman's J-Lo hand) and most disturbing (Scott Must Die) things I've ever seen.

I loved Human Centipad.

My fav episode is the one when Cartman gives Kyle AIDS. A lot of the Kyle vs. Cartman stuff is pretty intense sometimes actually.

I only own season 2 on DVD, which I got from a garage sale. I plan on getting seasons 1-6, and I'll see if I want anymore after that.

One of the very first episodes I saw was "Kenny Dies". At the time, I didn't know about the running gag of him dying every episode, so it was rather touching.

The most recent episode came pretty close to that ep, during the part when they play the song "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac.

The rest of season 15 has been pretty anticlimactic.

ferris209 said:

I think that Trey & Matt have lost their desire to do it. Perhaps tired of the political correctness, the censorship of Mohammed kind of kicked them in the balls and they don't seem  to have the same passion anymore.

It started plummeting in quality right after the Mohammad episode, which was definitely the peak in recent years. Up until that point they just kept getting better and better with an occasional dud.

Did you see the last episode Ferris? There is a scene where two of the characters are talking (about their relationship) and everything they say (the excitement is gone, same ol' thing every week, it just isn't fun anymore, etc.) gives you the distinct impression that it is Matt & Trey talking about the show.

I heard their contract with Comedy Central is up after this season. I kind of hope they keep the show going, but on their own time. Any time they get a good idea for an episode, they could make it and distribute it on their website. I think there are plenty of good ideas left in them, and in this way they are free from both obligation and censorship. Even if we only ended up with an episode or two a year, I think this would be a great way for them to continue the show without being obligated to spit out a mediocre episode when they don't have anything to say.

@ Fink, you mentioned owning seasons 1-3 on DVD, those are by far my absolute least favorite seasons. When you get to the higher seasons you get a lot of really great stuff like the Scott Tennermen Must Die and the J-Lo eps. I'd definitely give those a try. Out of all the early episodes, the only ones I really enjoyed were the Stavin Marvin ones.

Ziggy said:

I plan on getting seasons 1-6, and I'll see if I want anymore after that.

Remember, every episode is available on southparkstudios.com. You could save the money and the space and check them out that way, then buy them after you've found out if you like them, if you are bent on having them in your collection. Another nice thing about the show is there is very little actual continuity to it, so you can pick up watching it almost anywhere.

CP3S said:

Did you see the last episode Ferris? There is a scene where two of the characters are talking (about their relationship) and everything they say (the excitement is gone, same ol' thing every week, it just isn't fun anymore, etc.) gives you the distinct impression that it is Matt & Trey talking about the show.

I heard their contract with Comedy Central is up after this season. I kind of hope they keep the show going, but on their own time. Any time they get a good idea for an episode, they could make it and distribute it on their website. I think there are plenty of good ideas left in them, and in this way they are free from both obligation and censorship. Even if we only ended up with an episode or two a year, I think this would be a great way for them to continue the show without being obligated to spit out a mediocre episode when they don't have anything to say.

As a matter of fact I did see that one (DVR every new episode) and I know exactly what you're talking about. I got the very same impression as you.

Your idea is awesome, I'd love to get the occasional treat and the regular dud.

Plus, those guys are riding really high right now on Broadway with their Mormon play, I think they are looking forward to giving up on South Park for the time being. But, I absolutely don't think they can let it go completely, they've invested damn near two decades into the characters and plot-lines.

Bingowings said:

I finally figured out what you did there.

CP3S said:

@ Fink, you mentioned owning seasons 1-3 on DVD, those are by far my absolute least favorite seasons. When you get to the higher seasons you get a lot of really great stuff like the Scott Tennermen Must Die and the J-Lo eps. I'd definitely give those a try. Out of all the early episodes, the only ones I really enjoyed were the Stavin Marvin ones.

Interesting.  I love the early ones.  But there isn't a single episode that is worse than Forrest Gump.

Yeah, I am pretty confident if they let it go, even for a few years, it won't be the last we see of those characters.

I remember during the writer's strike a few years back they said even if the show is cancelled completely they have their website as a vehicle for distribution, and will continue to make episodes for as long as they want, no studio contract needed.

Definitely get the vibe "as long as they want" has come to an end, but their confidence in their own independent ability to continue the show displayed during the writer's strike gives me confidence that there is plenty more to come from these guys and that they will continue to be on the cutting edge of self distribution. 

TV's Frink said:

CP3S said:

@ Fink, you mentioned owning seasons 1-3 on DVD, those are by far my absolute least favorite seasons. When you get to the higher seasons you get a lot of really great stuff like the Scott Tennermen Must Die and the J-Lo eps. I'd definitely give those a try. Out of all the early episodes, the only ones I really enjoyed were the Stavin Marvin ones.

Interesting.  I love the early ones.  But there isn't a single episode that is worse than Forrest Gump.

I don't know, that Special ed. camp episode at the end of last season was pretty horrible. And anything with Towlie in it was pretty atrocious. I'd still rather rewatch one of those South Park episodes than have to watch Florist Gump, but only because they are shorter.

I actually really dislike the South Park movie too, but haven't seen it since it was in theaters back when I really disliked the show as well. Maybe I need to give it another chance.

CP3S said:

Ziggy said:

I plan on getting seasons 1-6, and I'll see if I want anymore after that.

Remember, every episode is available on southparkstudios.com. You could save the money and the space and check them out that way, then buy them after you've found out if you like them, if you are bent on having them in your collection. Another nice thing about the show is there is very little actual continuity to it, so you can pick up watching it almost anywhere.

 

I've seen every episode thru the website and I would like to own them in better quality, without worrying about ads and buffering.

Oh, and so I wouldn't have to sit in this uncomfortable chair to watch them.

EyeShotFirst said:

I think he was funnier when he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Z3ZA7Pluw

And he's more annoying as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Owf9U19Nc

His voice used to be one of the things that attracted me to the show.

South Park isn't near as funny as it used to be, but it deserves to stay on more than one trick pony Family Guy.

 

I'm sorry, I keep hearing folks gripe about Cartman's voice changing, but I'm not detecting it. Sounds to me like they just got better recording equipment and the "newer" voice is the more truer voice. I dunno though, like I said, I don't hear much difference.

EyeShotFirst said:

Ziggy Stardust said:

TV's Frink said:

Ziggy Stardust said:

I really can't imagine South Park lasting any longer.

It got past Season 4?  ;-)

...

Maybe I should give it a second chance on Netflix.  I don't know if I can get past Cartman's voice change, however.  They took one of the funniest and most recognizable voices ever, and made it 327% less funny. :-(

You get used to the change after a while.

I think he was funnier when he was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Z3ZA7Pluw

And he's more annoying as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Owf9U19Nc

His voice used to be one of the things that attracted me to the show.

This...100 times this.

And I agree with OO5 about the movie, even if he is currently being IGNORED!!!  Movie very funny!

Cartman's Mom said:

"Well, then I know a certain kitty-kitty who is sleeping with mommy tonight!

Fine, 005 and Fink convinced me, I think I will watch South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut tonight for the first time since it was in theaters (1999, it has been over ten years since I have seen it; that is crazy to think about).

Re: Cartman's voice. I read that originally Trey did the Cartman voice on his own, but now he does a different voice and they change the pitch electronically to make it sound like the original Cartman voice. This was probably because it takes a lot of effort to do that sort of voice and probably gets painful after a while.

I really don't have a problem with that, I think the "new" Cartman voice resembles the old one enough and is still funny, or at least as funny as a voice can still be after fifteen years of hearing it. Although that scene with him yelling at the cat did have me in tears just now.

RedFive said:

I think old-school South Park and new-school South Park are two very different TV shows that are equally good for separate reasons.

^This.

I'm really surprised how many of you like South Park!

RESPECT MA AUTHORITA!

Ziggy Stardust said:

^This.

I'm really surprised how many of you like South Park!

RESPECT MA AUTHORITA!

I've always loved South Park and it's very quirky humor. I also LOVE that nobody is safe and I appreciate that Matt and Trey are equal opportunity offenders.

There never seems to any hidden agenda other than pure comedy, I respect that.