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George Carlin - Complaints and Grievances by Rocco Urbisci
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DVD detailsActor: George Carlin Director: Rocco Urbisci Brand: MPI DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 57 minutes DVD Release Date: 2004-09-28 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Mpi Home Video
DVD Reviews of George Carlin - Complaints and GrievancesDVD Review: Another Carlin Classic... Summary: 5 StarsI was in the audience for this show held fairly soon after 9/11 (Nov'01). Carlin was the perfect person to loosen everyone up and his show ranks up there with his best. It also helps if your name is on his "list" (see the show)... Thanks George!
DVD Review: Traditional Carlin Summary: 5 StarsThis is typical Carlin at his best. He delivers what you expect. Too bad he is gone.
DVD Review: Comedy critic Summary: 1 StarsDisappointed. Listening to a "few" of his skits is preferable to having to watch an entire performance.
DVD Review: The Terrorists Have Won, They Ruined George Carlin Summary: 3 StarsLet me start by saying that I think Carlin was one of the funniest, cleverest people around, and one of the smartest comedy writers around, with an uncanny ear for rhythm; and furthermore I have agreed with his political, religious, and social stances as portrayed in his comedy.
But this was apparently Carlin's first HBO special after 9/11. Every comedian in the world was treading on thin ground at the time--the death of so many people in such a horrifying way made comedy very difficult--even comedy that had nothing to do with any issue related to the catastrophe.
And Carlin has ALWAYS done social/political stuff.
What was he to do?
He confronts the issue right away, saying that he has to 'get something out of the way so we can have fun', and then goes into a comedic bit about how he would deal with bin Laden and his ilk. Unfortunately he literally can't be clever about it--the audience didn't want to hear what Carlin wanted to say, and he knew it.
So he made fart jokes instead.
Admittedly, when he gets going on his rhythmic lists of 'not just any guys, but...', he is very funny...but...fart jokes? It's not worthy of Carlin. That's a joke for 5th graders.
And I felt that the rest of the show suffered the same problems, and had the same strengths. When Carlin gets fired up on his variations on a theme (the "and here's another guy who should be strangled at birth with his own umbilical cord..." sort of thing), he's both outrageous and hilarious. But he lost the audience several times--and at one point he drops a bit before he's finished, saying "I sense I've lost you."
I did not care for his 'why you shouldn't stop after you've hit someone with your car' bit, although it had some good moments; and the end of the show was very weak. Now, this audience loved Carlin, they came knowing him and they were fairly positive even on some of his weakest material--you could tell they wanted to laugh. But there were a surprisingly large number of times when they just didn't.
Having said that, I must also give Carlin credit for having been one of the most polished comedians around--he knew his material backwards and forwards and upside down on fire, and there was never a stammer on the rhythmic delivery of some very lengthy and complex material. Any comedian would do well to study this performance to see how that is done by the master--ever since his "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" bit, this has been Carlin's great strength.
DVD Review: dvd purchase Summary: 5 StarsI am always pleased with all of my Amazon purchases and this is no exception. George Carlin has long been one of my favorite comedians and now that he has died (God Bless his soul), having a collection of his DVDs is important.
Amazon, keep up the good work as you have always been such a help to me (especially in locating hard to find products)
Theresa Burckley
Description of George Carlin - Complaints and GrievancesGeorge Carlin performs a hilarious set of never-before released material in "Complaints and Grievances." His 12th HBO special was recorded live at the Beacon Theater in New York City on November 17, 2001. In "Complaints and Grievances," Carlin shamelessly exposes the people and subjects that irritate him the most. His bold brand of humor forces us to laugh at our own behavior when it comes to disgusting hygiene habits, those annoying family newsletters and people who use credit cards to pay for inexpensive items. This riotous collection includes the routines "Traffic Accidents - Keep Movin'!," "You & Me (Things That Come Off Of Your Body)," "Parents of Honor Students," "Guys Named Todd," and "Why We Don't Need 10 Commandments."
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