Tim Minchin-So Live (2007)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Main Menu Introduction Menu Audio Credits Music Video-Canvas Bags- BBC Music Video (2:57) Music Video-Inflatable You- Tickled Pink Royal Albert Hall (5:20) Music Video-Happy Little Africuns- Melbourne Comedy Festival 2007 (5:22) Music Video-The Guilt Song- Melbourne Comedy Festival 2007 (2:15) Music Video-The Adam Hillsong- Spicks And Specks (2:03) Music Video-The Alan Brough Song (Six Foot Four Kiwi)- Spicks And Specks Music Video-Not Perfect- The Sideshow (6:53) Music Video-Cabvas Bags- Melbourne Comedy Festival 2006 (4:27)
Rating
Year Of Production	2007
Running Time	112:04
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (78:05)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Rhian Skirving
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Tim Minchin
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	?	Music	Tim Minchin

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Tim Minchin is without a doubt one of the funniest, most accomplished Australian comedians to emerge in recent years. In his productive career he has gathered awards from comedy festivals as varied as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Melbourne International and the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in the US. No subject is taboo in Tim's performance, and that bright red MA rating you see on the DVD is well earned indeed. From his popular blow-up doll love song Inflatable You, to his Peace Anthem For Palestine (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) ("Why not, not eat pigs together?"), there's something in here to offend just about anyone of a political or religious disposition.

    The live concert captured for this DVD was performed at the Sydney Opera House, in one of the smaller Studio Theatre rooms. This is an intimate show and the vibe within the venue is a little proper, but they do seem to enjoy themselves. Tim's act is a compilation of pieces from his successful stage shows Dark Side and So Rock, combining spoken stand-up routines with hilariously witty musical numbers on the piano - an instrument on which Tim is clearly more than adept. To my mind, Tim's comedic forte combines the 'rock' aspirations of Tenacious D with the supreme wit and cabaret-style musical flair of Neil Innes' Bonzo Dog Band. He's a fantastic musician, an intelligent, thought-provoking lyricist and a side-splittingly hilarious showman.

    If you appreciate irreverent, clever musical comedy with a touch of social satire, Tim could be exactly your cup of tea. I recommend this DVD highly.

Video

    The live concert performance has been captured digitally, and the image is presented in 1.78:1 as it should be. 16x9 enhancement is included.

    This is a nice, stable, standard definition PAL transfer without any major dramas to report. The image is sharp and smooth, as you would expect of a recent production. Colour reproduction is realistic and the bright stage lighting is never let down by equipment flaws or faults in the transfer. Dark areas of the stage are visible when necessary and shadow detail seems relatively true.

    The production hasn't used a large number of cameras to capture the stage action, and realistically there is only one guy and a piano on the stage so a few cameras is all that's necessary. A couple of the cameras seem to be handheld, which can appear a bit wobbly at times.

    Some MPEG compression artefacts are visible from time to time, most often when the image grows dark or shades of lighting come into play. This never usually extends beyond mild compression grain, but it is visible on a big screen.

    There are no subtitle streams provided.

    This disc is DVD9 formatted, with a layer break placed during the feature at 78:05.There was no noticeable interruption on my equipment.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The feature is accompanied by a solitary Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, encoded at a healthy 448Kb/s. Like the video, there aren't any dire issues to speak of.

    The stage sound has been well captured and there are no issues with microphone placement at all. Tim's voice is always prominent and easy to understand, while the piano and other sounds are crisp and realistic. There are no moments of distortion or feedback in the slightest.

    The surround channels are used for a slight wash of crowd noise and applause when appropriate. Some slight echoes, resembling the acoustics of the venue, can be heard from time to time.

    The subwoofer isn't really given any opportunity to flex it's muscles here, which isn't surprising.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    All of the extras are 16x9 enhanced, 1.78:1 widescreen with stereo audio. The volume level on these clips does vary a bit, so be wary of that volume knob. These are all music clips taken from an assortment of television appearances, but unfortunately there is no play all function.

Menu

Music Clip- Canvas Bags- BBC Music Video (2:57)

    From the program Comedy Shuffle, this is a great little video.

Music Clip- Inflatable You- Tickled Pink Royal Albert Hall (5:20)

    Tim is strangely introduced here as "a cross between Edward Scissorhands and Victor Borge". It's a huge venue and the crowd is very responsive.

Music Clip- Happy Little Africuns- Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala 2007 (5:22)

    Tim was the opening act for the festival's Gala evening, and has a complete band backing him on this hilarious tune. Peter Hellier also makes an appearance.

Music Clip- The Guilt Song- Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala 2007 (2:15)

    He closed the night as well, with this great bid for the audience's donations to the charity Oxfam.

Music Clip- The Adam Hillsong- Spicks And Specks (2:03)

    An hilarious impromptu ballad packed with homosexual innuendo, dedicated to the show's host.

Music Clip- The Alan Brough Song (Six Foot Four Kiwi)- Spicks And Specks (1:49)

    A similar ditty dedicated to Spicks regular Alan Brough.

Music Clip- Not Perfect- The Sideshow (6:53)

    Performing live on Paul McDermott's Sideshow on the ABC, it is very unusual for this amount of air time to be dedicated to a musical performance, particularly when you consider that it isn't one of Tim's funniest songs. A great inclusion all the same.

Music Clip- Canvas Bags- Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala 2006 (4:27)

    A great performance, complete with backing choir and an even bigger wind machine.

Credits

    Four pages of credits and thankyou's.

    The DVD transfer is great.

    The extras are worthwhile.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall