9. The Natural (1984)
Episode: Homer At The Bat (Season 3)
The original moment: Baseball prodigy Roy Hobbs carves a bat from the ruin of a blasted tree under which his father died, and calls it Wonder Boy. He goes on to resist the pressure of corruption in the pro game.
The Simpsons moment: During the softball season in Springfield, the workers of the nuclear power plant start their own team led by Homer, with his homemade slugger called Wonder Bat, also made from a blasted tree.
8. Ben-Hur (1959)
Episode: Saturdays Of Thunder (Season 3)
The original moment: A climactic chariot race where Heston’s slave-turned-charioteer Ben-Hur settles a score with old enemy Messala, whose cart has barbed wheels to attack his rivals.
The Simpsons moment: Bart takes up Soap Box racing and builds his own street racer to compete against Martin and Nelson, whose cart has barbed wheels. The grinding shots during the final face-off are nabbed straight from the biblical epic.
7. The Godfather (1972)
Episode: Lisa’s Pony (Season 3)
The original moment: Hollywood studio boss Jack Woltz is persuaded to give Corleone family friend Johnny Fontane another crack at stardom after finding the severed head of his prize horse Khartoum under his silk sheets.
The Simpsons moment: Lisa screams when she wakes to find a horse’s head in her bed – but the rest of the animal is attached, and it turns out to be her ruinously expensive birthday present, called Princess.
Comments
mattburgess
Jun 15th 2009, 22:11
#16 - Treehouse of Horror III (Season 4), while the photo is from The Simpsons Movie.
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mattburgess
Jun 15th 2009, 22:15
Are all the movie references you've highlighted from the first 11 seasons and the movie because that's all that has been released on dvd so far? And *someone* in Total Film has been watching them too much? Maybe *everyone* in Total Film? :-P
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theirishgrover
Jun 16th 2009, 16:02
Well the first one's from Season 14 but I assume they are mostly from the first few seasons since they were cr*p after season 8
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leecrocker
Jun 19th 2009, 8:13
Missed my favorite...though probably because it's not at all visual: In the episode where they vacation in Japan, Marge says "We saw that movie 'Rashomon', you liked that.", to which Homer replies "That's not the way I remember it."
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aaweeble2
Jun 19th 2009, 12:07
OMG dude the Simpsons like totally ROCK! RT www.anonymity.tk
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durden
Jun 19th 2009, 12:26
absolutely awesome article!!!although i don't agree upon number one...still,the simpsons rock!!!
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seanjohntx
Jun 19th 2009, 14:12
Are you kidding me? You expect me to click through 18 pages? No thanks. Next time, cut down on the click throughs. Buried on digg.
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somewhatfrail
Jun 19th 2009, 15:05
Great number one choice. Although I must say that the Terminator one should be omitted in favour of the far greater T-2 homage in the one episode when Homer befriends Flanders. Walking through the hedge like the T-1000 through the prison bars and then chasing the car with the golf clubs? Priceless.
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adman
Jun 19th 2009, 15:06
Cookie jar? Um, isn't that Homer's penny jar? No doubt about it though; this is hands-down the number one. Top stuff guys.
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somewhatfrail
Jun 19th 2009, 15:07
Also, here's a whole compendium of Simpsons Terminator references: http://www.duffzone.org/content.php?title=reft2
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avoidz
Jun 21st 2009, 15:19
#20 - Mrs Krabappel puts her leg up in the classroom, not "waggling her leg from the bed".
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avoidz
Jun 21st 2009, 15:24
Notice how most of the clever, inventive references are all from the early seasons? What does that tell you about the quality of the show later on...
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halezrandom
Jul 1st 2011, 14:10
@mattburgess, they've probably only highlighted the first 11 seasons because up until a revival of quality in this last season, 1-10 are the only good ones.
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