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Stella: Season One (TV)
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (9th October 2006). |
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The Film
 Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain are members of the comedy trio known as "Stella". The three comedians perform sketches as part of their stage show, between 1998 and 2002 the trio made a series of short films based on their absurdist comedy stylings which caught the attention of Comedy central and led to the development of their own TV series "Stella" which premiered in 2005 and was cancelled after only 10 episodes. It seems as though the absurdist comedy the trio are proficient at that constantly sells out stage shows didn't make for an immediate hit with television audiences. Which is a shame because the series is insanely humorous and often relaying on over-the-top and ridiculous scenarios that our intrepid friends find themselves in. "Stella" is certainly an acquired taste, in fact it's one of those comedy shows that have little to no middle ground. You'll either love it or hate it. What makes the show work so well in my opinion is the relationship the three stars share with each other and how well they play off that, combined with the most stupid random acts of humor are enough to catch the viewer off guard, often the expectation of a joke can ruin the punch line or impact but with "Stella" you never quite know. This series is far from routine which is not only refreshing but a cause for celebration. In fact the only thing that can be called out as routine is the basic premise for each episode, the guys fight with each other and at the end they make up. In the middle there are side-splitting adventures, random acts of violence, bickering and in-fighting, strange conversations and some girls that live downstairs. If one were given the task of describing this show then the best possible description would be that it's a fusion between sit-com (as it has elements that make it a sit-com such as the three guys living together in an apartment and they often get up to some strange things) mixed with some random sketch comedy. I can see why this show didn't last very long, it's certainly one that posses it's challenges for any marketing department, but Comedy Central didn't really give it a chance. Had the show been allowed the time to develop I'm almost certain they would have had an eventual hit on their hands, after all the stage shows these guys used to do were enormous successes so they already had a built-in audience from the get go, but I suppose greater-America just wasn't ready for "Stella", if you're already a fan then picking up this DVD release should be a no brainer, beginners be cautioned this show isn't suited for mainstream tastes so a rental is recommended before purchase. This Season One DVD set contains all 10 episodes, below is a description of each of those episodes: Episode 1: "Pilot" The guys are kicked out of their apartment when they push their landlord too far. The boys do a flashdance number to impress a co-op board and also perform open-heart surgery on their landlord. Episode 2: "Campaign" The boys launch a campaign and try to elect Michael as the president of their apartment building's residents board. Later David finds himself left out of things when he becomes an intern. Episode 3: "Office Party" The guys are invited to an office picnic by one of the neighbors and find themselves confronted by some office jerks. They begin to plot a revenge scheme at the next company pinic. Episode 4: "Coffee Shop" A fight involving the girls that live downstairs inspires the guys to tell them about the time the three open rival coffee shops that almost destroyed their friendship. Episode 5: "Paper Route" The guys accidentally run over Kevin, the local paper boy. They decide to take on the responsibility of his route and in doing so confront a nasty bullies. As a result they decide to teach them a lesson about the power of friendship. Episode 6: "Meeting Girls" When the guys show their dance movies in a bar, they suddenly gain popularity and Michael and Michael score dates with some ladies, David unfortunately did not get a date. When trouble ensues, the two Michael decide to leave and David replaces them with two new roommates. Episode 7: "Camping" To get away from the hectic city and their lives the guys decide to go on a camping trip but nothing works to their advantage and they end up lost. Episode 8: "Novel" The guys find themselves inspired by a popular author, Jane Burroughs (Janeane Garofalo), so the guys decide to write their own book. When Jane realizes the manuscript is great she steals it. Episode 9: "Vegetables" When the guys find themselves in financial troubles they hatch a plan to grow their own vegetables in their apartment in an effort to save money. Episode 10: "Amusement Park" The guys find themselves at odds ends and are irritated by each other, and decide to take a trip to an amusement park to help take their minds of things, but the bad weather ruins the trip. The girls downstairs decides to commit the guys after they have a massive fight.
Video
Presented in the show's original broadcast ratio of 1.33:1 this transfer is generally quite good. Although not entirely perfect, while occasionally sharp there are many scenes that appear soft. Colors are a bit dim and not as bright ans robust as I'd expect them to be, otherwise this is better than broadcast quality on the whole and I could not spot any major flaws such as compression artefacts, edge-enhancement, moire or other problems associated with digitally shot programs.
Audio
A single audio track is included for this series, an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo which is the original broadcast audio. Considering a show such as this doesn't entirely require a 5.1 mix this stereo number is more than adequate and presents the audio clearly and without distortion. Otherwise there's nothing all that impressive about it, it just does the job plain and simple. This series does not include any optional subtitles.
Extras
Paramount have included a collection of audio commentaries on every episode, a documentary, a TV special, some bloopers and deleted scenes plus a series of Comedy Central quickies and bonus trailers. Below is a closer look at these supplements broken down per disc. DISC ONE: First up is an audio commentary featured on all the episodes by creators/cast Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain. The guys provide some background on the show, how certain scenes were shot and they comment on the episodes and ultimately what they think about them and how much fun it was making it. They also comment on the guests stars, when certain scenes were shot, and share their experiences not only on the show but provide a history on some of the gags that are featured in their stage show. The tracks are generally quite funny as the guys not only talk about the show but also joke around about the show they have made. It's worth a listen even just once. Next up is "The History of Stella" documentary which runs for 41 minutes 58 seconds, this is an in-depth interview with the three guys as they talk about how they met at NYU, their signature 'bits' that they do, their work on the TV series "The State", their first gig as "Stella" at a club called 'Fez' and how they got their name. They also comment on the making of their series of short films, the emergence of them on the Internet, the 1999 pilot for a pop culture show they did for VH1 that failed miserably and the steps taken from that point on that led them to what eventually became the series for Comedy Central. This feature also includes clips from their short films and performances as well as segments from their VH1 pilot for their show "Every Night". A collection of 3 "Comedy Central" quickies are included, these are clips from some of the popular shows featured in the network and include: - "South Park: The Pack Leader" which runs for 2 minutes 9 seconds. - "Reno 911!: Sweet Booty" which runs for 2 minutes 22 seconds. - "The Colbert Report: Truthiness" which runs for 2 minutes 38 seconds. A series of bonus trailers are included on this disc for: - "South Park: Season Eight" which runs for 1 minute 20 seconds. - "Windy City Heat" which runs for 1 minute 20 seconds. - "Strangers With Candy: The Complete Series" which runs for 1 minute 34 seconds. - "Reno 911: Season Three" which runs for 1 minute 16 seconds. All these previews are start-up trailers and can be skipped. DISC TWO: The audio commentary by creators/cast members Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain continue on this disc for the last remaining 5 episodes and cover much of the same stuff as the other tracks featured on the first disc. A collection of deleted scenes are next in the form of a reel that runs for 13 minutes 53 seconds. These scenes include additional and extended bits that were dropped from various episodes such as Michael and Michael arguing about who is a bigger cry baby, additional bits with the landlord, the guys taking the fast acting LSD, more stuff with the bullies and Kevin the paper boy among other scenes. There are some funny gags here but a lot of the stuff was dropped for obvious reasons...they just weren't funny. A bloopers reel follows and runs for 13 minutes 27 seconds. This is a series of line flubs, missed cues, the guys acting silly and the occasional uncontrollable outburst of laughter. There's some really fun stuff here but for the most part it's just line flubs that repeat take after take and that just gets tiring. The original "Comedy Central Presents: Stella" 2004 TV special is also included on this disc and runs for 20 minutes 58 seconds. This Live special features the guys doing segments from their stage show, that includes some audience interaction, role play comedy and some improvisational comedy. It's most banter and in-fighting that is the basis for most of their jokes that is featured in the show itself. Some of the stand out moments of the special include the New England restaurant role-play and the descriptions of the perfect summer day, otherwise the rest of the material seems to fall a little flat.
Packaging
This 2-disc set is packaged in two thin pack amarays housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
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