Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Stand-up
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hates: Race-based comedy

The Show
I've never seen Earthquake perform before, or at least, I don't remember ever seeing his act. According to the back of the box, he's been on "Premium Blend" and "Mad TV," and IMDB has him in Clerks II, but other than that, his resume's a bit light. Thus, I came into this show without any preconceptions, and no expectations. I can absolutely say that those expectations were met.

A large fellow, Earthquake stalks the stage like he's looking to pick a fight with the audience, and delivers his jokes with an intensity that helps sell jokes that might otherwise fall short. In a way, it's the Kinison effect, in that if you tell a joke louder and with more swearing, it's supposedly funnier. Earthquake's forceful form of comedy almost threatens you into laughing. That's a necessity, because without the increased volume, the act is the same brand of comedy that was seen on "Def Comedy Jam" years ago.

Unfortunately for Earthquake, his jokes may as well be from the same era, as his act is very dated. He spends a good amount of time talking about news from a few years ago, including the 2004 election, the Lakers, Sigfried and Roy, Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson. If he had used them as bridges to more evergreen jokes, it would have been fine, but the references are key to the jokes, and thus require a memory of what he's talking about. As we get further from the taping, these jokes will be less and less entertaining.

It may be a staple of the urban comedy scene, but Earthquake's reliance on race-based jokes is tiring. Ocassionally they work, like his bit about why there are no black bombers among the terrorists, which is simple and silly. Most of the time it's just moving along, flowing to the next bit of loud observation. I can hardly remember a joke that stands out , other than his funny gag about dating women with children in the hopes of hitting the jackpot. In this case, the short length of the show is somewhat appreciated.

The DVD
"One Night Stand: Earthquake" arrives on one DVD, packaged in a standard keepcase with a promotional HBO insert. The disc has a static, full-frame main menu, with options to watch the main feature or check out the extras. There are no subtitles, no audio options and no scene selections, though there is closed captioning on the show.

The Quality
The full-frame transfer comes across better than I remember it looking on HBO, though it still suffers from a bit of softness and some light video noise. The color is excellent though, and there's a nice level of detail to go with tight black levels and a complete lack of dirt and damage.

The audio is delivered in a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, which is nice and clear, but entirely center-channel focused. Earthquake's booming delivery can be hard to understand at times, but there are no problems with the dialogue, and the audience is mixed well, never overwhelming the comic.

The Extras
There's just one extra, a collection of five deleted scenes that run for nine minutes. The material doesn't get a better reaction than the actual show, though the jokes about childbirth made me, a recent father, laugh. Your mileage may vary.

The Bottom Line
Earthquake is not my cup of tea, but if you read my review of The Bad Boys of Comedy, that shouldn't be a surprise. With funnier and more universal jokes, his delivery could make him a hilarious comedian, but as it is, I couldn't get into him. The DVD's presentation is fine, but there's a paucity of extras, which accentuates just how little content there is here. If only they had released Patrice Oneal's episode or Flight of the Conchords instead. Guess we'll just have to wait for the next wave of discs.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.