| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Chappelle's Show: Season One (Uncensored)
Paramount // Unrated // February 24, 2004
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Certainly one of the best shows Comedy Central has ever brought to the table, "Chappelle's Show" stars none other than comedian Dave Chappelle, famed for his roles in such films as "Half Baked" and "Con Air". Instead of simply doing a talk show, Chappelle has mixed in some stand-up material with sketches that resemble a no-holds-barred version of "Mad TV", with the comedian playing many of the roles.
Not all of the skits work, but many of them are remarkably funny. One "commercial" has a family sitting down to discuss their financial planning, then deciding to seek help from rappers the Wu-Tang Clan, who've become financial consultants (on their competition: "Smith Barney? Bunch of bitches.") There's plenty of other highlights, including a bit where Chappelle parodies the video game "Grand Theft Auto", one parody of Miss Cleo ("Dave Chappelle's Educated Guess Line" where you "Have your future read based on stereotypes."), and another where he spoofs the popular anti-smoking campaign "Truth" ("Truf"). Most of the comedy revolves around issues of race, with one even focusing on possible racism within the community of Hollywood's most famous animals.
Overall, the show's controversial material may not be for everyone's tastes, but I thought many of the skits were hilarious and even some of the weaker ones got a few good chuckles. The new season of the series is now on - Wednesdays at 9:30.
The DVD
VIDEO: All 12 episodes of "Chappelle's Show" are presented in 1.33:1 full-frame. The picture quality is generally very good, as sharpness and detail remained consistent and crisp throughout the episodes. The only issue seemed to be a little bit of shimmering in a few scenes here-and-there throughout the season. No compression artifacts or edge enhancement were seen and colors appeared vivid and well-saturated, with no smearing or other concerns.
SOUND: All episodes of "Chappelle" are presented in 2.0 audio. When played back in Pro Logic II, some crowd noise from the studio audience was pulled to the surrounds, but other than that, this remained a dialogue-heavy soundtrack that seemed crisp and clean-sounding.
EXTRAS: Co-creators Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan provide audio commentary for five episodes of the first season, as well as the reel of bloopers and deleted scenes. The two leave some blank space during the tracks, but most of the commentaries provide a fun running discussion of both the current episode and an overall view of the development of the series. Some stretches offer some good information and insights on creating some of the skits and working with the network, other stretches have the two sitting back and commenting on their thoughts on how the skits turned out.
Also included on the 2nd DVD of the 2-DVD set are 30 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes. There are a couple of bloopers to be found in here, but most of the reel features some very funny improvs from Chappelle that had to be cut for either time or content reasons. Also included are more outtakes (12 minutes worth) from "Ask a Black Dude With Paul Mooney" and promos for other Comedy Central releases.
Final Thoughts: "Chappelle's Show" is a little inconsistent at times, but most of the skits are absolutely hilarious. Paramount's DVD presentation of the first season is quite good, with uncensored episodes, good audio/video quality and a few entertaining supplements. Recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||