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Tim Vine Live: Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim to You
R2 - United Kingdom - Spirit Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Matthew Crossman (9th November 2016). |
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The Film
 Whilst I had not seen a Tim Vine show before I was aware of his work. In 2014 Vine won the award for the best joke at the Edinburgh Fringe festival for his one liner 'I decided to sell my hoover...Well, it was just gathering dust'. Vine is also famous for being in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most jokes told in hour succeeding with 499 gags in 2004, a record that stood for ten years before being broken. In that vein this DVD is Vine at his most scatter gun. 1 hour and four minutes of quick fire one liners. All of Vine's jokes are based on wordplay and because they come so thick and fast if one does not land then there is another a few seconds later. The types of jokes Vine tells are all non offensive and there is no bad language or sexual innuendos used and because of that it's perfect fare for the old and the young alike. Personally Vine's brand of humour doesn't match my own but I did have to marvel at the amount of memory it must take to tell jokes, often using props, for such a length of time. By the halfway stage through this DVD I found myself rather weary of this fast, gag telling approach and half wished that Vine would tell some longer, more involving jokes, but at the same time I half wished he would speed up so it would be over sooner. Vine clearly has an audience for his brand of comedy and I did find his self deprecating manner more amusing most of the time than the gags themselves but that's just me. Most people will know what they are getting when they buy a Tim Vine DVD but it's not my cup of tea and that should be considered when you read my ratings at the end of this review. Vine's shows are fast paced, and occasionally I raised a smile but ultimately they are rather shallow and tepid. This DVD is being released in time for Christmas and I can see it being given to lots of Uncles and Aunties and in that respect it's pretty much perfect, inoffensive, after Christmas lunch entertainment. It will either keep you amused or, if you are like me, help you sleep off the turkey.
Video
This DVD is presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio. The picture quality is very good with colours being nice and bright. The props Vine uses on stage are all clear and when the camera pans to the audience sitting in the darkened theatre the contrast and detail is so good that if you were at this particular show you could easily pick yourself out.
Audio
The DVD soundtrack is presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. As the show relies on the dialogue, I'm happy to report that it's clear and precise throughout. Vine is never drowned out by laughter and the mix is a good medium of Vine and the audience. English hard of hearing subtitles are available but because of Vine's quick fire patter you have to be a pretty quick reader.
Extras
A selection of clips from other shows in varying quality. Back in Tim (3:53) - Shot from the side of the stage at an angle, the quality of this clip is not as good as the main presentation. The footage here is of a much softer quality and is not as distinct. Good Times Pop Video (1:38) - Tim Vine dances in an empty room whilst singing his song 'Good Times'. Timinee On Tour (8:22) - A series of photographs of Vine, Archer (listed as special guest) and tour manager Jobbins. These pictures show Vine and his team as they travel around the country performing his show and rehearsing it too all set to a Vine soundtrack of music. Auction Story (2:22) - A longer joke based on the sale of a violin at an auction. Recorded at the same time and venue as the feature presentation, as an encore I suspect, and whilst still not massively funny, it's someone I would have preferred to have seen more of. Darts for Darts Sake (8:01) - Filmed in Bournemouth this is a section where Vine introduces World Darts Champion Scott Mitchell, who is in the audience and invites him on-stage. This footage is filmed from the side of the stage using a handheld camera and is rather soft. Audio Commentary (64:49) - Vine commentates on his own show, the feature presentation of this DVD. A rather odd inclusion in my opinion but interesting in the way that Vine explains the reason behind the title of the show and the inspiration behind some of the gags and the way the show is performed. It can be quite distracting at times as I was trying to listen to Vine's commentary but the shows soundtrack, which is pretty much non stop talking, keeps interceding. Vine's fans will find the extras to be an excellent addition.
Overall
Bearing in mind that I'm not a fan of Tim Vine's work it was still until just past the halfway mark that I found myself checking how much longer to go before it finished. I prefer my comedy to be more on the cerebral side but fans of one liners, and some of them are very clever, and word play especially, will get a kick out of Vine's style and jokes. Completely inoffensive so I can be watch by children as well as Grandparents. Just not my cup of tea.
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