Yadda Yadda Yadda... "Jerry Before Seinfeld"

Jerry Before Seinfeld (2017)

TV-14

Starring Jerry Seinfeld

Directed by Michael Bonfiglio

The Story:

In 1975, Jerry Seinfeld began performing at The Comic Strip in New York City. In 1981, he got his big break and made it to The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Jerry Seinfeld comes back to the place where it all began and takes us on a trip down memory lane.

Jerry doing stand-up is where many of his older fans will remember him from, long before he became..."Seinfeld".

This hour-long stand up special has Jerry reliving some of his first comic routines along with new material.

In addition, there's some archival footage of Jerry's stand up routines along with home movies of Jerry growing up in New York.

Clearly the special is edited from a much longer night on stage, and that's a shame.

Some of the editing choices seem a bit odd and throw a bit of the timing of the special off, but overall, Jerry is as observant and funny as he's always been.

A Netflix Original, it's now available for streaming.

Final Grade: A-

There's Nothing Wrong With "Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest"

Craig Ferguson: Just Being Honest (2015)

Unrated (R)

Starring Craig Ferguson

Directed by Jay Chapman

The Story:

Craig Ferguson, the former host of the Late Late Show brings his stand up comedy to Epix for a special.

Remember those times when he would be censored on the talk show?

No worries here, there's not a censor to be found.

Craig's routine doesn't consist of jokes as much as they do funny anecdotes and stories.

But, as I've always found Ferguson to be a joy to listen to, both for his humor and his accent, this is a good thing.

The storytellers can often weave an hour concert into basically a long running story that builds into each segment and at the end of the night, you've laughed a lot yet only heard 5-10 "jokes". It's the buildup and the telling of the story that provides each payoff.

So while you won't be repeating Craig's stuff at work the next day, you'll think of the stories, and his telling of them, and you will smile and laugh again.

Don't believe me?

Watch this one, and then get back to me about his stories on Kenny G and Mick Jagger.

:)

Streaming on Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade:  B

Pretty Funny Guy..."Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy"

Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy (2007)

TV 14

Starring Gabriel Iglesias

Directed by Manny Rodriguez

The Story:

Gabriel Iglesias' first stand-up comedy act as shown on Comedy Central.

A little bit of language, uncensored, but not too adult that older kids can't hear this one and have a good time.

Iglesias' best ability is the voices that will rapid-fire out of his mouth as he is talking.

You see this big guy, and some of the voices he is able to pull off are nothing short of incredible.

He touches briefly on the disqualification from the Last Comic Standing reality show, but as he points out, he's having the last laugh as he is the only comic from that season to go on and have a comedy special.

Pretty funny stuff, and a good hour of stand-up.

Available to stream on Netflix or Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Wouldn't need to own it, and with all stand-up, you need to space out the viewings to keep the jokes fresh.

A Different Type of Stand Up Comedy..."Thou Shalt Laugh"

On the 8th Day, God Created the Sense of Humor...

The Story:

Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) hosts a night of stand-up comedy by seven of the funniest comics in all of Christendom.

Proof that at least some Christians are humourous!

First, Patricia Heaton is a nice enough actress, but she's not a stand-up.  Or if she is, she's not very funny.  Sorry, I shouldn't judge, but I'm reviewing here!! : )

As for the line-up, the show hits the ground running:

Thor Ramsey comes out with his musings about life.  And how great is it that there is a Christian named Thor?!  :)

Michael Jr. follows with easily the set of the night.  I was laughing my head off with his wry observations and wordplay.  Cerebral like Steven Wright and George Carlin.  Great stuff.

Jeff Allen finishes off with the first three comics of the night, and really, he's the only one who even remotely works God into his act.

And then, it went off the rails for me.

Teresa Roberts Logan came out next, and I found her completely unfunny.  I think she had the shortest set, but it seemed to drag forever...

Until Joby Saad came out.  Dreadful.  I think I started playing Candy Crush or something during his set.

Gilbert Esquivel came out and started to dig out of the unfunny hole, but it wasn't until Taylor Mason came out with his ventriloquist dummies that the show ended on a high note.  His audience participation was a nice touch on the night.

Uneven, but mostly funny night, and it's good for the whole family.

Not a fan of crowd reaction shots in comedy concerts, I don't care who the comedian is.  I don't need to see people laughing hysterically.

: )

Now available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C  I'll give a B+ for the first 3 comics... then I lost interest with the next three and finally came back when they brought in the ventriloquist.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Won't buy it, but I'd watch the beginning and the end again for a quick laugh.

Wholesome Entertainment? Not With "George Carlin Again!"

It's not TV... it's HBO!

The Story:

George Carlin was arguably one of the finest comedic minds to ever take the stage.  Funny and philosophical, often at the same time, his was a wit that can transcend generations.

His routines rarely seem dated, and they are often just as funny the 802nd time you hear them, as the first time.

The downside?

The guy's got a real potty mouth...

: )

Want to see a time capsule of a performance?  Start with this one.  From 1978, it opens with an old HBO opening... see how far that network has come in 35 years.

Carlin comes out, still brown haired from youth with just patches of the grey that would fill the head and face of one of the best comic minds in the ensuing decades.

To dissect the performance is pointless, you either know what you're getting from Carlin, or you're about to be pleasantly surprised.

He does riff on "Time", follows with his hilarious take on the  news, and he closes out the special with the infamous update on the "7 Words You Can't Say on Television"

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: His routines are always entertaining.  I won't be purchasing it, but I will be periodically checking out his other performances also currently streaming.