South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut [Blu-Ray]

It's hard to believe it's been ten years since South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was released theatrically (it's even harder to believe this disc wasn't branded with some sort of tenth anniversary logo). Even more unprecedented is the fact that the TV show has continued to run throughout those ten years, arguably hitting its stride several years after the film. In many ways, Bigger, Longer and Uncut felt like the end of South Park, a swan song for the show, which had been around for three seasons already. On their commentary track, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker admit that the movie was conceived as a finale to the series, which seemed to be winding down (and also as a big "fuck you" to many people in the industry). But the movie turned out to be a commercial and, more surprisingly, critical success, even being nominated for an Academy Award for best song, leading South Park to even greater creative successes. Watching the film now, in hi-def, it's amazing how well it holds up; there are moments that are truly shocking and hilarious. The film's visuals, however, have been drastically eclipsed by the TV show's subsequent technical improvements. Of course, at its core the film is a musical, and the songs are still wonderful, crude and catchy; I'm humming "Uncle Fucker" right now. The only substantial special feature is a commentary track with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, which was recorded specifically for this Blu-Ray release. Their commentary tracks are usually quite funny (on their commentary for Cannibal! The Musical, they get drunk and leave to go to a strip club before the movie's finished). Here, they're still funny but can't remember much about the movie, it being ten years ago and all. They do still manage to tell some good anecdotes about the MPAA, the Oscars and their battles with Paramount. Trey Parker even admits that although South Park made fun of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for changing their films for re-release, he now understands that impulse, though he'll never actually do it.