Dave
Made A Maze
(2017/Gravitas Ventures Blu-ray)/Family
Guy: Season Fifteen (2016
- 2017/Fox DVD Set)/The
Red Skelton Show In Color: Deluxe Edition Collection
(1951 - 1984)/Thanks For
The Memories: The Bob Hope Specials Deluxe Collection
(1950 - 1996/Time Life DVD Box Sets)/Waiting
For Guffman (1996/Warner
Archive Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+/C+/C+/C+/B+ Sound: B/C+/C+/C+/B+ Extras: B/C+/C-/C/C+
Main Programs: B/B/B/B/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Waiting
For Guffman
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
More
comedy releases include two gift boxes, many hits and a few cult
items...
Dave
Made A Maze
Dave
Made a Maze
(2017), directed by Bill Watterson, is a funny and creative new film
that is definitely for those who like quirky off-beat cinema.
Reminding me a bit of the work of Michel Gondry in its fantastical
element in a realistic setting, the film centers around Dave - a man
who is lost in his elaborate cardboard labyrinth that he is lost
inside of. While far fetched and silly, the film has some funny
moments and decent filmmaking behind it. Never taking itself
seriously, the film goes as far as having confetti for blood and
characters made out of paper. Some things work and some things
don't, but it's sure to get some laughs out of anyone who watches it.
When
Dave's girlfriend Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani of The
Mindy Project)
comes home from work, she finds her boyfriend stuck inside a
cardboard maze of his own creation. At first what seems like a hoax,
is soon discovered to be a huge actual maze built of cardboard with
some supernatural help. In an attempt to find him, Annie leads a
group of explorers into the maze (James Urbaniak, Kristen Vangsness
and Timothy Nordwind) to help find Dave. Once they find him, they
realize together that there is no way out of this elaborate
creation... or is there?
Special
Features...
Behind
the Scenes Featurette
Commentary
with the Director and Producer
Slamdance
Teaser Trailer/Theatrical Trailer
Deleted
Scenes
While
sometimes it tries a bit too hard and is a bit too silly for its own
good, there's no doubt that the filmmaking behind Dave
Made A Maze
is interesting and unique. Recommended.
Family
Guy: Season Fifteen
It's
hard to believe, but one animated show has outlasted The
Simpsons
for quality, yet also remained as cutting edge as South
Park
in a rivalry of sorts that never developed into anything massive or
distracting. Family
Guy: Season Fifteen
(2016 - 2017)
retains the energy that made the show such a huge hit to begin with
and somehow stays as daring and funny as it ever did. Sadly, this
will pretty much be the end of Mayor West as Adam West recently left
us (maybe he recorded something for next season?) and so will end
another era for a show that is a classic despite it not being given
that credit enough.
We
get 20 half-hours that still somehow manage to surprise, sometimes go
overboard, leave no stone unturned or personality insulted and just
keeps the laughs coming in a way few shows know how to. Cheers to
all the voice actors who have only become better over the years
pulling off the characters as they've developed so well over the
years. This is the first time in a while I have covered the show for
the site and you would never know it was cancelled twice because it
has such a seamless flow. All the characters are great, with Stewie
an icon who may have yet to peak. How many shows are this good after
over a decade and a half? Very few.
Extras
include Deleted Scenes for episodes on all 3 discs, Family
Guy Remembers Carrie Fisher and
an Adam
West Tribute.
The
Red Skelton Show In Color: Deluxe Edition Collection
Next
up are two very expanded offerings from Time Life with some material
we have covered before. First up is The
Red Skelton Show In Color: Deluxe Edition Collection
(1951 - 1984) which offers more material for us than the few discs we
covered of the amusing, charming, classy show before. Though we have
other Skelton material on the site, we only covered three of the DVDs
in this set. Using the press explanation in part to explain the
content, the
22 -DVD set is comprised of four distinct DVD collections, with the
link to what we covered before:
THE
RED SKELTON SHOW: THE EARLY YEARS (8 Discs) - The beginning of Red's
legendary two-decade television journey is celebrated in this 72
episode set. Many of Red's best characters and classic bits can be
found in these episodes, providing a side-splitting look at a true
pioneer of television's Golden Age. The black and white is not bad
here either.
THE
RED SKELTON HOUR: IN COLOR (10 Discs) - This deluxe set features 31
rarely seen episodes in their original, brilliant color; highlights
include Red's famous recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, musical
performances by Simon & Garfunkel, Frankie Valli, The 5th
Dimension and more, plus a bonus Skelton biography, America's
Clown,
the only true extra in this entire set.
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14639/The+Goodbye+Girl+(1977/MGM/Warner+Archive+
THE
COMPLETE 20TH SEASON: IN COLOR (3 Discs) - Twenty years after The
Red Skelton Show first aired on NBC in 1951, the extraordinary Red
appeared in his last season, bringing all his wonderful characters
to life for the last time on network television. An incredible
group of guest stars includes Jerry Lewis, Vincent Price, Robert
Wagner, Jill St. John and many more!
BONUS
DVD: RED SKELTON: THE FAREWELL SPECIALS (1 Disc) - Red's zany,
unexpected and classically hilarious crowning performances are
celebrated in this compilation of farewell specials, featuring, "Red
Skelton's Christmas Dinner," "More Funny Faces,"
"Funny Faces III," and "A Royal Command Performance"
- America's wackiest court jester gets silly with Britain's Royal
Family at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Again,
the clown sequences and skits are simply not my thing, but I can see
why skelton was such a hit for so long and had such an extraordinary
career and this does not even include his hit films and hit radio
show. Some material here was licensed by Time Life from other video
labels, but that is a plus and though you can get smaller amounts of
disc releases of his work, he deserves this deluxe treatment and it
makes for a reference-quality release and gift set that has more than
its share of laughs and fine moments.
Thanks
For The Memories: The Bob Hope Specials Deluxe Collection
Though
the box is bigger and wider, Thanks
For The Memories: The Bob Hope Specials Deluxe Collection
(1950 - 1996) offers less discs and more materials than the Skelton
release above. Still, these shows were always big ratings winners
and special event broadcasts, so they should all be out on DVD. This
19 DVD box set is comprised of four releases, more of which we
covered before than the skelton set, but it is a plus to have all the
material here on one place:
THANKS
FOR THE MEMORIES: THE BOB HOPE SPECIALS (6 Discs) - Featuring 13
specials from 1956 to 1996, this DVD set contains hilarious
compilation shows that spotlight the best moments from years of
remarkable footage: a full episode of all-time classic bloopers, Bob
Hope's first show in color, his 90th Birthday party special,
Laughing with the Presidents, and more. This collection also
includes the bonus show Shanks
for the Memory,
on the world of golf according to Bob Hope.
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14490/Mike+&+Molly:+The+Sixth+&+Final+Season+(201
BOB
HOPE: ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS (4 Discs) - Featuring 10 shows from
1950 to 1993, this DVD set features several USO Christmas specials
filmed before troops serving in locations all over the world - from
the Cold War through the Vietnam years to the Persian Gulf. The set
also contains the holiday-themed DVD Hope
for the Holidays,
featuring a compilation of Bob Hope's most hilarious Christmas
sketches through the years along with his very first Christmas
special, as well as the bonus feature Memories of World War II with
rare clips, highlights from Bob Hope's Armed Forces Network radio
show, and Bob and guests reminiscing about the era.
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14226/Bob+Hope:+Entertaining+The+Troops+(1970,+197
and
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14882/Bob+Hope+Salutes+The+Troops+(1963+-+1995/Ti
BOB
HOPE: TV LEGEND (8 Discs) - The American treasure is at his very
best in this singular collection of 16 classic variety specials from
1958-1973, including 10 USO holiday specials from the Cold War
through Vietnam featuring dance, music and comedy and dozens of
celebrity guests. Aside from touching interactions with troops the
world over, memorable moments include a star-studded comic ensemble
sending up network censorship, a rollicking Western showdown between
Bob's comic colleagues and Hollywood cowboys and a nostalgic Tribute
to Vaudeville.
BONUS
DVD: THE DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROASTS: BOB HOPE (1 Disc, also on the
Time Life box set of all the MARTIN ROASTS reviewed elsewhere on
this site) - This bonus disc features the star-studded roast of Bob
Hope hosted by the irrepressible Dean Martin. Among the roasters
featured are Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Don Rickles,
John Wayne, and many more!
In
this case, there again are hardly any extras on the actual discs, but
you get a magazine-sized book running 32 illustrated pages long that
is nicely done. Fans and the curious will not be bored and the big
names Hope attracted always raised eyebrows.
Waiting
For Guffman
From
acclaimed director Christopher Guest (This
is Spinal Tap,
Best
in Show)
comes his very popular Waiting
for Guffman
(1996), which is a mock-umentary featuring an excellent (and very
funny) cast. Before Sasha Baron Cohen adopted this sort of
filmmaking for his films, Guest is easily one the sub-genre's
innovators. Starring Guest himself in the role of Corky, this film
will not only make you laugh but likely move you too.
The
all star supporting cast includes Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara,
Parker Posey, Fred Willard and Bob Balaban.
Set
in a small town in Missouri, Corky St. Claire (Guest) creates a
musical celebration in celebration of his town's 100th
year anniversary. With Broadway dreams and aspirations and a great
deal of guts, Corky sets out to make his mark and honor the town as
best he can.
Special
Features...
Audio
Commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
Additional
Scenes with Optional Commentary
Theatrical
Trailer
Turning
to technical playback performance, presented in 1080p high definition
with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy English Dolby
Digital 5.1 track, Dave
looks and sounds fine for and on Blu-ray disc. So much of this film
is dependent on sound design, with the echoing voice of Dave within
the maze and many fantasy within the maze itself sounds too. The
score is appropriately goofy, giving the film a child-like wonder
sort of quality that goes along with the ludicrous nature of its
comedy.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the Family
Guy
episodes look good for the format, but we miss how much better the
show plays on Blu-ray. Still, it looks good enough and the lossy
English Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are not bad, but they too have their
flaws and limits.
The
1.33 X 1 image
on the Skelton
and Hope
box sets mostly originate on NTSC analog video, usually color, though
some Hope
shows are filmed on 16mm including some older transfers that need to
be redone. Analog videotape flaws including video noise, video
banding, telecine flicker, tape scratching, cross color, faded color
and tape damage, but is good for the format seeming remastered the
same way and the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (later some stereo
creeps into the Hope
discs) is fine for the most part.
That
leaves us with Guffman,
is presented in a new remastered form for this edition in 1080p on
Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (modified from
its original 1.85:1) and comes an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
2.0 Stereo track with Pro Logic surrounds (originally issued in
Dolby's older A-type analog noise reduction system with mono
surrounds), making this the best presentation of the film currently
on home video. Fans will immediately notice a difference from the
previous DVD release.
To
order the Warner Archive Waiting
For Guffman
Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
& James Lockhart (Dave,
Guffman)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
