Kids In The Hall - Same Guys, New Dresses (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, let me say that anyone looking for the Kids In the Hall's answer to "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl" will be sorely disappointed. This is more of a backstage documentary, though some live concert sketches are included (only a few full scenes, mostly segments). The audio was not taken from the theatre's sound boards, so it is a bit dodgy at times, though always audible. You want to pick up this DVD for a glance at the Kids' actual personalities and how they interact as a group. And it is fascinating as such, with as much insight as one could cram into 90 min. (obviously, you will not come away knowing the boys backwards and forwards). Also, don't expect a laugh riot - when offstage, they five are not always "on" and cutting up. Indeed, it's far more interesting to hear them discuss business and their methodology than simply trying to be funny constantly. Though, the commentary IS possibly funnier than anything in the film, as the Kids freely comment and rip on themselves and each other while viewing the film. Guest commentary by Mike Myers, Jason Priestly, and Andy Richter is amusing and interesting, though the comments from Trey Parker & Matt Stone are unfunny and obnoxious (they're trying WAY too hard to be funny). As far as the Kids go, McDonald and Thompson come off as the nicest (though Thompson seems rather, shall we say, eccentric), McKinney is amusing but the most businesslike, and Foley & McCulloch come off as the least likable. The extras are bizarre and irreverant, as one one expect from the troupe. Well worth picking up!

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Catch the insanity on and off the stage with The Kids In The Hall as they barnstorm across North America on their historic 2000 reunion tour. This histerical 105 minute documentary, directed by Dave Foley, goes almost too far behind the scenes as Canada's funny fab five get their act together and take it on the road.

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Slings & Arrows - Season 2 (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)If anyone had told me a year ago that my favorite program on television would be a Canadian import about a Shakespearean theater troupe, I would have had my doubts. But Season 1 of "Slings and Arrows" beguiled me. So droll and sophisticated, but with moments of sheer slapstick, I was absolutely enchanted. The writing was so smart, so funny, the performances spot on--including Paul Gross and Rachel McAdams (two of the more familiar actors for American audiences). It ended in six episodes and I wistfully said good-bye to a near brilliant show. I had no idea there was more to come.
So I was delighted when I heard Season 2 was on it's way. But I was also doubtful. Could they really mine the same material and come up with another winner? To my mind, they did that and even more. I enjoyed it every bit as much.
This season there was less back story, so it dealt more specifically about the inner workings of actually staging a couple of shows. The misadventures of producing the cursed "MacBeth" is definitely the highpoint. It might have been the funniest thing on TV last season, seriously. Add subplots about theater ingenues in "Romeo and Juliet" (McAdams says farewell in episode 1, so there's a new ingenue), a romance found/lost/found, and plenty of wit--and you have a delight. One subplot about an experimental advertising campaign to lure new traffic to the theater festival is perfection. As someone who has been a season subscriber in the LA theater scene for over ten years, this was particularly hysterical to me--how much truth there was.
But, trust me, you don't have to be a theater goer or a Shakespeare enthusiast to enjoy this program. But you do have to enjoy smart, sophisticated entertainment with top notch performances. I have shown this series to a couple of friends who would NEVER have sampled it on their own. They were surprised how identifiable it was and how funny!!!
Watch this--and if you haven't seen Season 1, what's stopping you? KGHarris, 9/06.

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"Absolutely addictive" -The New York Times "One of television’s best" -San Francisco Chronicle "Struts and frets . . . delightfully" -Time In its second season, the smash hit Canadian comedy about a struggling Shakespearean theatre troupe explores the conflicts of middle age and rebranding: Am I who I want to be-or not to be? Now ensconced as artistic director of the New Burbage theatre festival, Geoffrey (Paul Gross) must stage the cursed play Macbeth to fulfill the vision of his deceased predecessor Oliver (Stephen Ouimette). The actor cast in the lead (Geraint Wyn Davies) engages in a titanic clash of egos with Geoffrey, while Oliver weighs in confrontationally from the grave. The festival faces a financial crisis that forces its CEO (Mark McKinney) to engage in some risky business, while leading lady Ellen (Martha Burns) endures a life-altering tax audit. Adding to the mayhem is the return of the madcap guest director Darren Nichols (Don McKellar), who stages a post post-modern Romeo and Juliet after the original director breaks her neck. Could it be the curse of Macbeth? As seen on the Sundance Channel.

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