Chappelle's Show - Season 2
by Andre Allen (II)
from Comedy Central
The collection of episodes of Dave Chappelle's sketch-comedy program.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: CHAPPELLE'S SHOW
Title: SEASON 2
Street Release Date: 05/24/2005
Genre: TELEVISION
Dave Chappelle's shrewd parodies, stinging satires, and boldly imaginative fantasias simply pour from the second season of his Comedy Central show, in every respect as funny as his well-received debut year. The structure is the same: a relaxed Chappelle introduces each sketch to an enthusiastic, studio audience (some of these introductions amount to stand-up routines), and then the madness begins. Among the many highlights from the 13 episodes on this boxed set's three discs is a mock ad for Samuel L. Jackson beer, featuring Chappelle's hilarious impression of Jackson's stern, overbearing persona from Pulp Fiction, and a dozen other features. Chappelle, considering a career in politics, floats a couple of trial campaign commercials, including one that promises to solve America's health care crisis by giving every citizen a fake Canadian I.D. Chappelle also suggests an effective program for teaching sexual abstinence to high school students: Forcing them to watch their principals have sex with the oldest female teachers on staff.
There's a good bit, too, about black soothsayer Negrodamus, whose ability to foresee events is limited to the fortunes of celebrities. Coming under fire (amusingly) are those McDonald's commercials suggesting that burger-flipping employment for African Americans can overhaul inner city communities. But, as with season 1, there are several masterpieces in this collection as well, such as Chappelle's vision of what the Internet would look like if it was a place you could actually, physically visit (with the equivalents of pop-up ads, porn sites, etc.). Equally inspired is a sketch in which a freeloading Chappelle, having impregnated the ultra-rich Oprah Winfrey, indulges his every whim. Best of all is Chappelle's take on what President Bush's administration would look like if the Chief Executive were, in fact, a black man. --Tom Keogh
Chappelle's Show - Season 1
by Andre Allen (II)
from Comedy Central
The 2003 debut of Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central marked a high point for the cable channel, and now the entire, wildly creative first season can be seen, with hundreds of bleeps removed. That's not to say Chappelle's Show is perfect entertainment: there are too many moments among the 12 episodes here that descend into pointless scatology and booty fever. But for the most part, Chappelle, a talented comic slowly growing into greatness, is trying to push the sketch-humor envelope and succeeds at surprising us with original concepts and merciless execution.
The merely clever material includes "National Geography's Third World Girls Gone Wild," basically an update on those topless-native-women gags of yore, and Chappelle's "Educated Guess Line," in which the sage comic eschews psychic powers to logically deduce racial insights from his callers' questions. Far more wicked is an in-your-face satire on such autobiographical film fare as Antwone Fisher and 8 Mile, in which Chappelle plays himself ascending from street hustler to rapper-comedian to bona fide savior of America. The best thing here, however, is a parallel-universe version of The Real World, in which the usual racial proportions on MTV's workhorse series are reversed, thrusting a token white guy into a Hoboken houseful of crazy African Americans. There are also laughs in "Ask a Gay Guy with Mario Cantoned," as well as a sketch about an "inner-thoughts cam" and a nasty piece about Chappelle's Make-a-Wish visit to a dying child, which decays into a cruel video game competition. Overlooking the series' weaker material, this is outstanding television comedy. --Tom Keogh
Fear of a Black Hat
by Rusty Cundieff
from Henstooth Video
In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap comes this hilarious comedy about the greatest rap group that never was. This slyly subversive satire smashes racial stereotypes while it skewers the entire world of Gangsta Rap. Chronicling the controversial career of bad boys N.W.H. (Niggaz With Hats), this uproarious 'mockumentary' lampoons all of hardcore rap's hot-button issues: violence, censorship, white rappers and ruthless record industry types. Through the guerilla lens of writer/director Rusty Cundieff, this underground laugh riot recounts the rise, fall and resurrection of a clueless bunch of would-be rappers Ice Cold, Tone-Def & Tasty Taste performing as N.W.H. Fear Of A Black Hat is a cult classic that critic Roger Ebert calls "funny and fresh." Features include: Audio Commentary by Director Rusty Cundieff; Original Theatrical Trailers; Music Videos; Deleted Scenes; Cast Interviews; Widescreen Format (Aspect ratio 1.85:1)
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