To be fair, a lot - a LOT - of “Simpsons” jokes are references to things.

Also, “The Simpsons” broke at a time where a lot - a LOT - of humor was increasingly based in references to things.

Shit - I read the book when I was a teenager (after seeing the movie, natch) and I’m not sure I even picked up on that.

I was a pretty dense kid sometimes. :/

There are a lot of things the Muppets do to give the characters life that, once you notice that not all puppetry uses them, point to the reasons these characters are so engaging.

One is “shooting” - slightly moving the head of the puppet forward while it speaks, especially to emphasize certain words or emotional beats.

…

This is honestly probably the first I’ve thought about “Heroes” in like 10 years and I’m sorry it was for this reason.

“Larter ‘starred’ as a fictitious actress named Allegra Coleman, who was, in the magazine’s words, ‘Hollywood’s next dream girl.’”

I don’t even know how to parse this.

She “starred” not in a TV show or a movie, but in real life... or at least “real life”?

I dunno - I’m definitely in the “Bring Back ‘Hannibal’” camp, but this might be OK.

“eco-friendly high-quality PVC material”

Uh... how is PVC “eco-friendly”, exactly?

“eco-friendly high-quality PVC material”

Uh... how is PVC “eco-friendly”, exactly?

This was quality overall, but an extra point for the “Bat Out of Hell” reference. 

Really? It occurs to me I haven’t seen their stuff in a while, and... shit.

Boy, did I.

Can’t upload a photo of Yrcanos, though, strangely.

(Nods approvingly.)

“Unless they’re painting Maslany green, that might involve some expensive CG.”

Actually, they’ll be forgoing both makeup and visual effects - Maslany will accomplish the transformation purely through acting ability.

I was stumping for Aisha Tyler. But Maslany is amazing.

(weary sigh)

He had a “deal” that required him to fly a small plane from Miami to Costa Rica, over a vast stretch of water... and people feel the need to spin some wild spousal murder story? C’mon.

YES. Both are wonderful in their own ways.

I thought “Forrest Gump” was a perfectly enjoyable, well-crafted movie that absolutely did not deserve the level of attention and devotion it got and still gets.

Incidentally, I also worked at Blockbuster in spring of ‘95, and don’t remember being subjected to a “GUMP” nametag. Not sure how I avoided that grim fate.

Also…

Oh, also: I know a lot of people think the San Diego sequence feels tacked on, but it was EXACTLY the kind of thing the first one left me wanting. :) 

I actually like “Lost World” better in some ways.

I think Moore works better than Dern as the female lead, Vanessa Lee Chester is much better as The Kid, and I dug Postlethwaite’s vibe as the jaded hunter.