Carl Barron-Classic Comedy from the Master of Observational Humour (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Menu Animation & Audio Additional Footage-12 Sketches
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	68:50 (Case: 70)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Carl Barron Artie Laing
Studio Distributor	ACMEC	Starring	Carl Barron Matt Elsbury
Case	?
RPI	$34.95	Music	James Hare Alex Begetis

    Insightful Aussie comedian Carl Barron is most familiar to those who watch The Footy Show. I personally don't fall into that category, however I have become familiar with Carl's work through his many other television appearances and simple word of mouth.

    Raised in the outback Queensland town of Longreach, Carl grew up on Queensland's Gold Coast and later moved to Sydney to work as a roof tiler for thirteen years. It was at the Harold Park Hotel in Glebe, Sydney where Carl first climbed the stage and realised he could earn money by making people laugh. Television appearances soon followed on Hey Hey It's Saturday, Rove Live, The Midday Show and eventually more than thirty appearances alone on The Footy Show. Carl has also toured extensively throughout Australia and the world, performing at The Comic Strip in New York and The Boston Comedy Club, which has showcased the likes of Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler. Carl has also earned rave reviews at comedy festivals in London, Edinburgh, Montreal and Auckland.

    This concert was filmed in 2003 at the Bathurst Entertainment Centre in front of a responsive but subdued audience. During the show Carl makes several jabs at their demeanour, but carries on regardless. Carl's true talent is in telling observational jokes, pointing out the quirky things we humans do every day. Like most comedians, he often starts a story then launches on a tangent, only to return to the story later on. He also spends quite a bit of time discussing his family and upbringing, but don't despair - there are plenty of fart jokes as well.

    If you're familiar with Carl's material or simply enjoy a good laugh, this DVD is well worth checking out. Not only did this title win an Australian DVD Award for 'Best Menu Design', since its release it has also achieved quadruple platinum status, making it the highest selling comedy DVD in Australia.

Video

    This video transfer is simply adequate, without any dire issues to report. Besides, you'll more than likely be too busy laughing to worry about the video quality.

    The feature is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.29:1, full frame. The show appears to have been shot and edited in analogue video. Three cameras were used to capture the concert, and the quality of the camerawork is great. The focus shifts a little at times, but this is an otherwise good production.

    The level of sharpness is acceptable. There was no low level noise evident in the transfer, however there are some moments of visible noise in the image, particularly in shaded areas of the stage. I also noted a couple of minor videotape hiccoughs, but nothing too nasty. There are no major MPEG compression issues to report.

    Colouring is bold and generally free of any bleeding or oversaturation.

    There are no English subtitles provided.

    The disc is single-layered (DVD5 Formatted).

Video Ratings Summary

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Shadow Detail
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Audio

    There's only the one soundtrack; English Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded at 192 Kb/s. This is a simple no-frills two-channel soundtrack with no problems to speak of.

    Carl uses a handheld microphone on stage and the dialogue is always easy to understand. Audio sync is perfect.

    Music in the feature and menu system is provided by producer James Hare and is largely piano based. The score has a light, percussive, playful quality that suits the subject well.

    The subwoofer and surround channels had nothing to do.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
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Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Additional Sketches (8:43)

    A dozen short sketches can be played individually or via a play all function. Many of these duplicate gags from his stage routine, but are hilarious regardless.

    The video and audio transfers are acceptable for a non-digital source.

    The extras include some humorous sketches.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall