Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (Season Cinco)
WARNER
SHOW B
SPECIAL FEATURES C
DVD GEEK FACTOR 5.85
(OUT OF 10)
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim crack me up, even if their humor sometimes goes a billion miles past disgusting—and it often does in Season 5 of their insanely odd TV show. The series has been one of the more enjoyable chunks of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming.
The first episode of the season features the bizarre duo realizing that people want a different kind of TV show, so, of course, they make their show look like a combo of every talk show and game show on the planet. (Heidecker even frosts his hair.) Things get yucky right out of the gate, with a commercial sketch about a poor groom getting severe diarrhea during his wedding. He uses the diarrhea dam (a cork in his ass), and it saves the ceremony.
It doesn't end there. Heidecker starts secreting diarrhea through his skin later on (he is using the dam product), and it is discovered that there are, indeed, bad side effects to clogging up your butt. One victim winds up spouting foul brown stuff out of his mouth and screaming.
Yes, it's weird; it's gross; and it's too much for most. Still, Tim and Eric are savvy enough to make this work, to a certain degree. I don't mind gross-out humor, but even I have to switch them off sometimes.
This is the final season of the show, with Tim and Eric off making a movie that will most assuredly feature its share of diarrhea jokes. It's called Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, and will feature guest stars like Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. They all make appearances in Season Cinco, too.
Speaking of Reilly, we need a DVD for Check It Out!, the Tim and Eric spinoff featuring him as Dr. Steve Brule. You can buy the show on iTunes, but there's no DVD yet. Get on it, Warner Home Video!
SPECIAL FEATURES: Just some deleted scenes, blooper reels and extended scenes. It feels a little skimpy.
Hall Pass (Blu-ray)
WARNER
MOVIE B-
SPECIAL FEATURES C+
BLU-RAY GEEK FACTOR 5.25
(OUT OF 10)
Here's another project that features a prominent diarrhea gag. I've spoken enough about this particular malady this week, but just know that if you are a fan of diarrhea-related entertainment, the first two discs in this week's column have got you covered. Literally.
The Farrelly brothers got off a few good sight gags in this silly sex comedy that sees them returning to their old, disgusting ways. Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis star as two married men given passes by their wives to have sex for one week with anybody willing to sleep with them. Madness and gross-out jokes ensue.
I admit I laughed out loud quite a few times, and while this doesn't rank among the Farrellys' best, it's funny enough to make a reliable rental. Sudeikis proves to be as good in a movie as he is on Saturday Night Live.
I suggested that the Farrelly brothers' Three Stooges film might hit further delays when I first wrote about this film. Turns out the movie has been fast-tracked and features Will and Grace's Sean Hayes as Larry. The original man cast for the role was Sean Penn, so this is quite the downgrade.
SPECIAL FEATURES: There's an even dirtier "unrated" cut for those who like their dirty really dirty. You also get a gag reel.
True Grit (Blu-ray)
PARAMOUNT
MOVIE A
SPECIAL FEATURES B
BLU-RAY GEEK FACTOR 8.25
(OUT OF 10)
This is one of cinema history's greatest remakes. Jeff Bridges does John Wayne proud as Rooster Cogburn in this Western classic. In my opinion, he kicks the Duke's ass in the role.
And what of young Hailee Steinfeld, stealing scenes as Mattie Ross? The young actress not only holds her own against Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin; she actually steals scenes from them. Perhaps the biggest joke at the latest Oscars was her not winning the Best Supporting Actress award, for which she was nominated. She should've been nominated for Best Actress; this is very much her movie.
That Roger Deakins didn't get an Oscar for his camerawork is also a bit of a joke. The man is a cinematography god, and he has yet to take home a statue. Carter Burwell, who has been doing classic score work for years now, has never been Oscarized, either.
The Coen brothers winding up owning genres when they choose to work within them. They have made a Western that has their distinctive feel, and is nothing like any other Western. That's quite remarkable, considering that this remake closely resembles the original, as far as plotting goes. Beyond that, it's in its own category.
The Coens, who have been quite prolific in recent years, have yet to announce their next directorial project. Horror film, please.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Some nice featurettes about Steinfeld, costumes, guns, author Charles Portis and the incredible cinematography.
