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George Carlin - It's Bad For Ya [DVD] [2008]

George Carlin    Suitable for 18 years and over   DVD
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
Price: £5.75 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

George Carlin - It's Bad For Ya [DVD] [2008] + George Carlin - Life Is Worth Losing [DVD] [2005] + George Carlin Collection Vol.3 [DVD]
Price For All Three: £21.50

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Product details

  • Actors: George Carlin
  • Format: PAL
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Anchor Bay Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 26 Oct 2009
  • Run Time: 69 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B002CM6VDO
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 30,805 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Product Description

It s Bad For Ya, Carlins Emmy-nominated 14th and final HBO special of March 2008 features Carlin s noted irreverent and unapologetic observations on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected children and big business to the pungent examinations of modern language and the decrepit state of the American culture . Carlin once again comes up with an hour of brand new material that not only makes you laugh, but makes you think. George Carlin will always remain part of the popular lexicon for his Seven Dirty Words routine, and as a comedian who was never afraid to challenge his audience.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars It's not good... 19 Nov 2009
By Trevor Willsmer HALL OF FAME TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Ah, the perils of being a once trailblazing standup comedian in your 70s... Where once George Carlin was a refreshingly bitter and anarchic comedian, in this his last HBO special before his death, he comes across as a mildly grumpy old man trying far too hard to be shocking to really hit the mark. Unfortunately, with so few comedy taboos left (if any), this tends to come down to little more than saying the same four-letter word as often as possible in the belief that it makes his material more edgy and instantly funny. Unfortunately, much of his material is pretty old-school showbiz shtick - take away the obscenities and you could be listening to a more talkative George Burns on the joys of growing old (taking advantage of others, leaving social events early, faking Alzheimer's to confuse your family and outliving your friends), the absurdities of political correctness and even the illogical practicalities of Heaven and Hell.

Some of it is mildly amusing, but mild is the operative word - for all the empty professionalism of his delivery, it's only in the last couple of minutes that he works up any real passion only to... stop. He only really hits the target head-on once with his demolition of the self-esteem movement ("Imagine that, sociopaths have high self-esteem!"), and that's more accurate than funny, while potentially amusing ideas like trying to coax a telephone bore to end a call like a traffic controller talking down an airplane never fulfil their initial promise. Laughs are few and far between, with Carlin sounding increasingly like the trivial, boring people who run off at the mouth about things of no interest to anyone but themselves that he rails against, but is unaware of the irony. It's a poor send-off for a comedian who, in his prime, was capable of much, much better.

The extras free DVD boast decent picture quality but boasts what might just be the most useless scene selection menu ever - four textless pictures of Carlin with a microphone and no indication of what part of the 68-minute set they represent.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars It's OK 3 Nov 2009
By maximus TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I'd heard a bit about this guy, but having watched this DVD I wonder what the fuss is all about. The comedy is not exactly new, and though the "grumpy old man" routine is funny to start with, it did get a bit samey and predictable after about 20 minutes in. It is funny in places, but for me it wasn't good enough to keep the interest going all the way through.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By ravenheart VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
A year behind the US with this release, this is George Carlin's final HBO comedy special before his death at the age of 71 in 2008; his 14th HBO special in total, which is currently the record for a comedian. And, remarkably, it's only the second of his stand-up DVDs to get a commercial release in the UK, the other one being 'Complaints And Grievances' from 2001 (not released until 2003). 2005's 'Life Is Worth Losing' will finally be released in February 2010.

On his final tour Carlin delivered a typically vitriolic tirade tackling topics like death, children, old age and parents, and the original show was nominated for an Emmy. After release the CD equivalent won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. How much his death contributed to this would probably be a valid question, but compared to most comedians' output, this is amongst the best. Against the formidable measuring stick of Carlin's own output however, it isn't his best.

Easily the funniest section is his closing rant about rights, where every one of his observations is on the nail when some of his previous ones in this show, like some of the ones about children, aren't. In some instances he is intentionally making silly arguments (like saying babies are ugly because their heads are too big), but some are just a little off the mark.

Other particularly funny segments are his observations on boring conversations, professional parents, swearing on the bible, and "the self-esteem movement", mostly concluded by the phrase which gave the show its name "It's all bulls**t folks and it's bad for ya."

If you're a Carlin fan, get this. We have precious little of his material available in this country and this is a good example of his work. The filming, sound and picture quality is of course first class as you'd expect for a show recorded as recently as March 2008, and George was still as sharp as ever, even at 70.

Hopefully this, February's release, and the two forthcoming books, will at some point be followed up by the 'All My Stuff' box set, which contains all 12 HBO specials from 1977's 'George Carlin At USC' through to 'Life Is Worth Losing' (the 1997 special was a kind of "best of" and isn't included).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars One Last Blast from a Great Comic
They just don't make comedians like George Carlin anymore. You can count his equals on the fingers of one hand: Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison. Read more
Published 11 months ago by P. A. Broome
5.0 out of 5 stars George is the man
This had me laughing real hard,george is the best stand up,that ever lived,he is so well informed about life & hits the nail on the head
Published 16 months ago by marmarc40
5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing so cathartic as a good rant.
George Carlin isn't widely known across the UK (he's probably more famous for playing Rufus in the Bill and Ted films) and had more of a cult following in the US. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Stucumber
4.0 out of 5 stars On the money
I suppose George Carlin is a marmite figure (one either loves or loathes him). He hates idiocy and will lambast those who are either pompous or idiots. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. K. P. Rogers
1.0 out of 5 stars I hate to stereotype but...
I really can't describe this any other way than to say it's terrible cheesy American rubbish. The guy's jokes are NOT funny and yet every few seconds the crowd erupts into cheers,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by JustMe
4.0 out of 5 stars Strong meat from the old maestro
George Carlin is no longer with us, but in his lengthy career he showed no fear in tackling a variety of subjects in his stand-up work that pushed at barriers, much like Bill Hicks... Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2010 by Og Oggilby
1.0 out of 5 stars It was bad for me...really bad
I only know of George Carlin from Kevin Smith's film Dogma and I *think* he's also the guy who plays Rufus in the Bill and Ted films - all of which I adore. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2010 by C. Cousins
5.0 out of 5 stars Top stuff!
This is a fine performance by Carlin, a comedian who is largely unknown in this country. He may not have the cult status of Bill Hicks, although there are many similarities in the... Read more
Published on 22 April 2010 by Wayne Redhart
3.0 out of 5 stars Hit and miss set from the OAP Bill Hicks
I have never heard of George Carlin previous to watching this DVD so I can't compare this to his earlier work. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2010 by D. Macphee
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing... but ok.
This is poigniant as it's the last filmed performance before his death and so has a place in a collection of George Carlin's work but buyer beware, this isn't George at his best. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2010 by Ben Whitehouse
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