|
|
 |
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! - The Complete Sixth Season
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Adam Palcher (3rd June 2009). |
|
The Show
 Penn & Teller have always been one of those comedy acts that seem to be holding on to a certain shtick. Their shtick being the incorporation of magic into their comedy routine, maybe for the sake of fooling people into the fact that they are not as funny as they presume to be. I’m here to tell you that these past accusations, mainly by me, are false. These guys are hilarious and crude and have truly stepped into their own with their late night Showtime television series "Bullshit!" I guess I’ve never really given Penn & Teller the benefit of the doubt. They have been around for a long time and have always kept a consistent fan base that enjoyed their Laurel and Hardy persona with a dash of magic thrown in to make them stick out more than other acts. Now they’ve brought their logical and crude attitudes to a formidable medium, calling out bullshit on people. Treating each 30 minute episode as a small documentary, each week they choose a subject and genuinely research and disprove certain theories of subjects that matter to them. In season 6 the subjects range from "The War on Porn", "Sleeping", and "Dolphins". Penn & Teller find the most extreme of whackos, in most cases, to state their opinions on the subject at hand. Generally these people are extreme hippies or deeply faith based people who believe in a certain way of life. Now it is definitely easy to point out and call bullshit on these people, I’ll give you that. Penn & Teller even acknowledge their lack of searching sometimes, but it doesn’t make these peoples beliefs less true or less strange. It may be easy to pick on them but they still exist and are willingly going on television to prove their theories and Penn & Teller are there to exploit it. They disprove bullshit in a humorous and intense way, but they also do it intelligently. Often finding the reasoning and scientific theory to do so while cutting in footage of proof or comedy that makes the show feels more like a documentary. Full of curse words and nudity Penn & Teller definitely bring their own brand of humor to the stage and have been successfully doing so for six bullshit filled seasons. Whether it’s your style of comedy or not these boys, at very least, deserve credit for not backing down and calling people out on their crazy beliefs, scams, and remedies no matter who they offend proving to any fan of logic that "Bullshit!" is awesome. This sixth season includes all 10 episodes split over 2-disc and include: - "The War On Porn" - Opposes the movement to regulate pornography on the Internet and argues that it is attempting to restrict freedom of speech. Also rejects the notions that pornography can lead to addiction and aggression. Features profiles of XXXChurch and Brandi Love. - "New Age Medicine" - A skeptical look at New Age medicine, presenting evidence which suggests it does not work. - "NASA" - Argues that private industry would better finance NASA instead of taxpayer money. Also argues against sending a man to Mars. - "Dolphins" - Criticizes the New Age belief that dolphins possess evolutionary superiority and a unique "energy." - "Sleep, Inc." - Takes a critical view of sleep-related products. - "Being Green" - Attacks the concept of carbon credits as a method of profiting off guilt, and compares them to indulgences. - "Sensitivity Training" - Examines sensitivity training and its roots in political correctness. - "Stranger Danger" - Argues that a culture of fear has produced an excessive concern for child safety. - "World Peace" - Argues that the idea of utopian world peace is naïve and incompatible with human nature. Also argues that free trade and economic interdependence are the best means to achieve peace. - "Good Ol’ Days" - Criticizes cultural nostalgia as unrealistic and inaccurate when thought of as "better times."
Video
Presented in 1:33:1 full screen. This is your run of the mill standard definition video; it may actually be a little less. Most episodes are washed out and fuzzy. Though this doesn’t really affect your watching experience unless you are a big video geek that must have perfection. You generally aren’t looking for master video transfer with a comedy documentary show like this.
Audio
Everything sounds average, along with the video. Mostly front end presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, as well as English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, a Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track is also available. Like mentioned above the aspects of this series are average since the focus of the show is on the comedy. Subtitles are available in English.
Extras
A 1 minute and 5 second "Showtime" promo bonus trailer of their latest and greatest shows is at the beginning of both discs. You also have a click through biography of the comedy duos 30 year career spanning 13 pages.
Overall
|
|||||
|