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Dana Gould: Let Me Put My Thoughts In You
R1 - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Adam Palcher (25th May 2009). |
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The Show
 It’s so nice to see a fresh face on the comedy circuit that really has an original presentation of his routine and material that is edgy and smart enough to stick with you and funny enough to leave you quoting for days. Though Dana Gould is a veteran comedian this is my first experience with his stand up, which is surprising since he has a history of writing for "The Simpsons" (1989-Present) and appearing on television shows such as "Seinfeld" (1990-1998), "The Ben Stiller Show" (1992-1993) and "Working" (1997-1999) and it is so great to see the transition of entertainment convert so naturally. Gould’s neurotic sense of humor and views on humanity are original and hilarious. He breaches topics ranging from calling his daughter the “C” word to a fear of being trapped in an elevator and having to poop. Gould takes his life experiences and proves that an offbeat sense of humor can hold an audience to riotous laughter. The one and only Bob Odenkirk of HBO’s "Mr. Show" (1995-1998) fame, as well as many other acting and directing projects, directs “Let Me Put My Thoughts In You”. If you know anything about Odenkirk you can see why Gould’s sense of humor is so appealing to him. Recorded in Chicago’s The Second City Theatre, Gould’s set design for the show has a “Rat Pack” sense and surprisingly adds to the aesthetic and feel to his brand of humor. It’s rare that something as trivial as a set design caught my attention so much during this performance. Some of my favorite bits from “Let Me Put My Thoughts In You” are the ones that seem like topical situations that turn into Gould making fun of humanity and showing the audience that there aren’t only stupid people in the world but brilliant ones as well. I, for one, love Dana Gould’s sense of humor and hope I see more of him in the future. Branching out his own brand of comedy and proving that a well-written script and dissecting reason can be a hilarious combination.
Video
Though this DVD is presented in standard definition with an NTSC 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio I was genuinely surprised by how terrific everything looked from the above stated set design to the lighting and the shadows. Adding a subtle tone of contrast with mute colors. The editing and cuts are pretty standard for a one hour comedy special and never distract.
Audio
The audio track is presented in either English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound or English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. The 5.1 mix is prominent and even with a purely dialogue driven audio on the front end and the audience laughter mostly on the back. Subtitles are not presented on this DVD.
Extras
Shout! Factory has released this TV special with extras that include a featurette, a short film, two deleted scenes and bonus trailers. Below is a closer look at these supplements. "The Dana Gould Interview by Bob Odenkirk" featurette. Odenkirk interviews Gould backstage before the special. Gould gives some history of his past stand up experience and how much he’s changed since the 90’s. Odenkirk touches on what an original voice and natural presence Dana Gould has. The interview is done a little “off the cuff” with lots of background noise and bad zooming. Run time is 7 minutes and 39 seconds. "Soul Mates" is a 14 minute and 25 second short film written and directed by Dana Gould. The story is based on a man losing his wife in a car accident, after the funeral she comes back because they were soul mates and she can’t go to heaven until he dies. She plots his death in multiple ways as he tries to avoid meeting his demise. Pretty funny short that is shot very nicely, which stars David Kocehner. There are two deleted scenes: - The first of two scenes is described as “Indefensibly Tasteless Bonus Bit” which is a cut bit from the performance about abortion and the Special Olympics running 1 minute and 38 seconds. - The second scene is named “Woe Is Me” talking about his English heritage and having horrible teeth, runtime is 2 minutes and 46 seconds. Bonus trailers on this disc are for: - "The Upright Citizen Brigade: Asssscat!" DVD running 45 seconds. - "Greg The Bunny: Passion of the Film Parodies Vol. 2" DVD runtime is 1 minute and 45 seconds.
Overall
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