Rating:  -
Let me start by saying that I do love South Park, and will probably watch it into season 43, but I can't deny this season may be the begining of the downward spiral. Its not that this season doesn't have some funny moments, but nothing hits the belly laughs or even social commentary of previous seasons. While before south park attacked little eli gonzales or the recount issue, this season we attack...Peruvian pan flutes groups. Really? Has South Park run out of topics? I mean sure they took a stab at high school muscial, but that's like making fun of vanilla ice, everyone does it at least once, so it looses its meaning. Now, I don't want to make this seem like the worst thing ever, there are some very funny moments, but overall, this season makes me wonder if the show shouldn't end sooner than later, and avoid becoming the simpsons, a show you don't watch out of want or desire...but out of habit.
Rating:  -
There were one or two episodes in this season I didn't like, but for the most part, I loved it. I love Matt and Trey. They certainly aren't afraid to take things to the max. My favorite character is Kyle just because I relate to him and have sympathy because Cartman makes fun of him all the time. When are they going to do one about the Playboy mansion and the Girls Next Door? I think that would be hilarious.
Rating: -
As good as any other season of southpark. Not the best season ever (Season 8 in my opinion) but keeps the high average that the creators of southpark have set for their product.
Rating: -
I'm relieved to say that South Park: The Complete Twelth Season ($49.99 on regular DVD and a too-high $69.99 on BluRay; Paramount) is NOT sheer delight from beginning to end. Why am I glad it's not great from start to finish? Because I've been enjoying this show so much for the past four or five seasons (when it really became a great, great sitcom) that I'd feared I'd lost the ability to critique it impartially. In fact, I hadn't just lost my mind -- the last four seasons have been superlative. This season is merely good Actually, make that very good. The Heavy Metal spoof is a bit drawn out and the two-part Pandemic (with giant guinea pigs trashing the town and pan flute bands the secret to destroying them) is tiresome in the extreme, but otherwise it's a solid season, from the day the internet goes down (creating a Mad Max-like future) to Canada On Strike, which has one of their patented musical numbers. When oh when will they make another feature-length musical? Visit me at michaelgiltz dot com.
Rating:  -
It's easy to write satire. It's difficult to write funny satire. Disc 1 with 5 episodes was not particularly funny. There was satire (Canada on strike spoofing the Writer's strike), social commentary (the role of the paparazzi in chasing stories of train wreck celebs, like Britney), but nothing that was laugh inducing. Perhaps the issues were just sad and sometimes stupidity just makes one angry.
It's not til disk two that I begin to find myself smiling and occasionally chuckling over scenes/dialogs in "Super Phun Thyme" and "The Breast Cancer Show Ever".
Then disc 3 with Pandemic I & II about Peruvian pan flute bands and their links to giant destructive Guinea Pigs, the aftermath of the Presidential election amd why Obama and McCain really wants to get into the White House manages to come together for some laugh out loud comedy. The last two episodes skewers the fads of "High School Musical 3", and "Twilight" while at the same time making some pointed observation about society, fitting in, finding an identity, and holding on to one's identity.
Cartman and Butters are an incredibly powerful comedy team with the eternally cynical, selfish, and self-centred Cartman matched with the insecure, anxious-to-please, perpetually innocent and naive Butters, and the "Super Phun Thyme" episode was particularly funny because of these two characters and the way Butters stood by his principles.
Of course anytime Cartman gets his just desserts is an episode worth watching ("The Breast Cancer Shpw Ever").
Pandemic I/II was funny for it's self-commentary as provided by Craig.
Season 10 is still my all-time favourite, but season 12 is an improvement over season 11 which may have suffered for following an excellent season in 10.
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