'The Simpsons' unleashes a new movie trailer, old politics

The new trailer for next summer's Simpsons movie didn't tell fans anything new about the big screen effort, nor did this week's episode tell viewers anything new about the politics of the show's writers.

Just in case you forgot the heavy-handed ending to last week's "Treehouse of Horrors" episode in which invasion-happy aliens Kang and Kodos lamented the difficulties of being an occupying force in a hostile foreign last, this week's new episode "GI (Annoyed Grunt)" (You know, like "D'oh") repeated the exact same point, spread out over 22 fitfully funny minutes. It's not that I don't agree with the political sentiments, but two weeks in a row? And shouldn't there be more laughs?

The episode focused on the difficulties recruiting for the new wartime Army (a bit like the Season 12 episode "New Kids on the Blech"), forcing them to pre-enlist elementary school students. The leads indirectly to Homer enlisting in the Army (a bit like he joined the Naval reserves in Season 9's "Simpson Tide") and getting caught up in standard war games that become all too real (again like "Simpson Tide"). Ultimately, the US Army -- led by a mad colonel well-voiced by Kiefer Sutherland -- has to occupy Springfield while searching for a renegade force led by Homer. That leads to a Stripes reference, an Abu Ghraib joke and the forced detention of anybody with ties to Homer, followed by the start of a long-winded speech by Lisa spelling everything out.

But anyway, the heavily-teased trailer for The Simpsons Movie, which hits theaters on July 27, 2007, premiered during the third commercial break. It begins in a computer animated glen, complete with an adorable bunny and dancing daisies before Mr. Trailer Man announces "One film dares to be ugly." The Simpsons Movie will be proudly in 2-D, but its plot remains mysterious. The only clip features Homer attempting to control a wrecking ball, declaring he's going to save his family. Instead, he ends up caught between a rock and A Hard Place.

The trailer should be up soon on the show's eponymous official movie website and it'll probably be on YouTube even sooner.

[UPDATE: You can check the trailer out HERE.]

A couple highlights from Sunday's episode:

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