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Russell Simmons Def Poetry Season 3
Warner Bros. // Unrated // July 19, 2005
List Price: $19.96 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
It's hard to imagine any other network allowing a show solely composed of poetry readings to last three (admittedly shortened) seasons, much less supporting such a show with DVD releases.
Yet once again HBO shows why it has the reputation for being the most daring network in television with Def Poetry Season 3, the third season of the Russell Simmons-backed poetry series that has not only spawned a Broadway show, but has done more to spotlight this form of expression than any other event in recent history (including Jewel's book).
The breakdown of Season 3's episodes:
Episode 1: One of the best episodes ever on the show. Black Ice and Suheir Hammad (the latter may be my favorite Def Poet) both bring strong poems, but it is apoet named Rives that steals the show with a poem about teach self-expression through poetry at a school for the hearing-impaired ("We call them Deaf Poetry Jams").
Episode 2: Gemini drops the names of a lot of poets past, without seeming like he's putting himself on there level (a tough tightrope to walk). Ishle Park describes her love for her … um … female bits. The big name is Common, who despite his reputation as a great emcee, does not make the smoothest of transitions into the world of Def Poetry.
Episode 3: A poet named … wait for it … "Poetry" has a great poem about Krispy Kreme donuts ("…because I'm in there everyday"), while Danny Hoch (he of "Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop" fame) lectures on what hip-hop is not.
Episode 4: Hey, it's Salt! Of Salt and Pepa! And she's…got a poem! Cool. Amanda Ortiz takes on the cliché topic of leering men with "Cat Call," but at least she does it all. Shappy comes with a poem sure to tug on the heart strings of DVDTalkers everywhere – "I Am That Nerd" ("I am the mother[expletive] that gave Darth Vader asthma").
Episode 5: Dufflyn has a nice poem on being single, Def Jux emcee mums does the crossover thing with his own unique voice, but Beau Sia, as always, steals the show with a strange rant that involves motivation ("I recite poetry to get women to fall in love with me") and ends with a rant about stereotypes involving Asian men's … umm … "area."
Episode 6: The musicians steal the show here, with reggae artist Buju Banton performing and emcee Kayne West taking the stage with what would later become "All Falls Down."
Episode 7: If I knew Maggie Estep, I'd probably propose to her. Sorry, it had to be said. Anyway, she's fantastic on "Happy," while Flowmentalz is funny speaking on broken pay phones. Smokey Robinson brings the season to an end on a classy note.
Season three of Def Poetry is right about on par for the series. The usual suspects are as strong as ever, while some of the newcomers acquit themselves well. But there are some very skippable poems on the disc.
The DVD
Video/Audio:
The DVD transfer of Def Poetry Season 3 looks fine, with few digital flaws. There's nothing spectacular about the color palette on display here, but the visual aspect of poetry is certainly less important than the perfectly clear 2.0 audio track.
Extras:
Nothing. I'd really like, in the future, for HBO to provide biographical information for some of the poets. It would be a nice gesture to at least provide Web links for individual poets, such as Suheir Hammad's or Beau Sia's (NOTE: Language at these sites may be spicy).
Final Thoughts:
What will you put up with to be inspired? Def Poetry Season 3 is not the most consistent of discs. There will certainly be poets that any individual viewer will not understand or like, but there really is something (or, more likely, somethings) here for everyone.
Yet once again HBO shows why it has the reputation for being the most daring network in television with Def Poetry Season 3, the third season of the Russell Simmons-backed poetry series that has not only spawned a Broadway show, but has done more to spotlight this form of expression than any other event in recent history (including Jewel's book).
The breakdown of Season 3's episodes:
Episode 1: One of the best episodes ever on the show. Black Ice and Suheir Hammad (the latter may be my favorite Def Poet) both bring strong poems, but it is apoet named Rives that steals the show with a poem about teach self-expression through poetry at a school for the hearing-impaired ("We call them Deaf Poetry Jams").
Episode 2: Gemini drops the names of a lot of poets past, without seeming like he's putting himself on there level (a tough tightrope to walk). Ishle Park describes her love for her … um … female bits. The big name is Common, who despite his reputation as a great emcee, does not make the smoothest of transitions into the world of Def Poetry.
Episode 3: A poet named … wait for it … "Poetry" has a great poem about Krispy Kreme donuts ("…because I'm in there everyday"), while Danny Hoch (he of "Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop" fame) lectures on what hip-hop is not.
Episode 4: Hey, it's Salt! Of Salt and Pepa! And she's…got a poem! Cool. Amanda Ortiz takes on the cliché topic of leering men with "Cat Call," but at least she does it all. Shappy comes with a poem sure to tug on the heart strings of DVDTalkers everywhere – "I Am That Nerd" ("I am the mother[expletive] that gave Darth Vader asthma").
Episode 5: Dufflyn has a nice poem on being single, Def Jux emcee mums does the crossover thing with his own unique voice, but Beau Sia, as always, steals the show with a strange rant that involves motivation ("I recite poetry to get women to fall in love with me") and ends with a rant about stereotypes involving Asian men's … umm … "area."
Episode 6: The musicians steal the show here, with reggae artist Buju Banton performing and emcee Kayne West taking the stage with what would later become "All Falls Down."
Episode 7: If I knew Maggie Estep, I'd probably propose to her. Sorry, it had to be said. Anyway, she's fantastic on "Happy," while Flowmentalz is funny speaking on broken pay phones. Smokey Robinson brings the season to an end on a classy note.
Season three of Def Poetry is right about on par for the series. The usual suspects are as strong as ever, while some of the newcomers acquit themselves well. But there are some very skippable poems on the disc.
The DVD
Video/Audio:
The DVD transfer of Def Poetry Season 3 looks fine, with few digital flaws. There's nothing spectacular about the color palette on display here, but the visual aspect of poetry is certainly less important than the perfectly clear 2.0 audio track.
Extras:
Nothing. I'd really like, in the future, for HBO to provide biographical information for some of the poets. It would be a nice gesture to at least provide Web links for individual poets, such as Suheir Hammad's or Beau Sia's (NOTE: Language at these sites may be spicy).
Final Thoughts:
What will you put up with to be inspired? Def Poetry Season 3 is not the most consistent of discs. There will certainly be poets that any individual viewer will not understand or like, but there really is something (or, more likely, somethings) here for everyone.
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