Blue Like Jazz (2012/Lionsgate Blu-ray)/Community – Season Three (2011 – 2012/Sony DVD Set)/Jay & Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging In The U.K. (2012/Industrial Entertainment DVD Set)/Tonight You’re Mine (2011/Sony DVD)

 

Picture: B-/C+/C/C     Sound: B-/C+/C+/C     Extras: C-/C/C/C-     Main Programs: C-/C/B-/C

 

 

Now for some comedy…  we guess….

 

 

Steve Taylor’s Blue Like Jazz (2012) is not much about Jazz and adapts a book by Donal Miller about being a young Christian in society today.  However, it has a strange case of the cutes and just goes on and on and never amounts to much or even really says much.  Not that it is an insular work, but it is silly, the no-name cast is adequate at best and when it was over (focusing on a male lead character who does not know what to do with his life in so many ways), 107 minutes added up to nothing happening.  A few moments might be lightly charming, but this is a very weak work.

 

Extras are many and include Deleted Shots, seven Making Of featurettes, Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer and feature length audio commentary that does not help out either.

 

 

Next we have our first look a new hit comedy series.  Community – Season Three (2011 – 2012) is a keyed-up show where everyone is slightly hyper in their comedy and that is the mood and atmosphere of the show.  However, this grows thin very quickly despite Chevy Chase’s best work in years and a decent cast that includes up and coming Joel McHale.  However, I was not laughing much and felt like I had seen much of this before, but done better.  Add the over-the-top moments fore which there are too many and they make this seem desperate and I guess I should look at earlier seasons more closely.  Even John Goodman cannot save the show.

 

Extras include Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, two behind the scenes featurettes and audio commentary on every one of the 22 episodes across the three DVD includes in the slendercases in the paperboard box.

 

 

Fortunately we have Jay & Silent Bob Get Old: Tea Bagging In The U.K. (2012) coming to the rescue and it is the first time we have had Jay (Jason Mewes) joining Kevin Smith in the stand-up amusements.  For your reference, here is our coverage of two of the many solo Smith comedy concerts on video right now:

 

Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7783/Sold+Out:+A+Threevening+With+Kevi

 

An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4575/An+Evening+With+Kevin+Smith+2

 

This double DVD set has three shows with little overlap, lots of gross humor, gross sex talk, raw discussion and goofiness, but the shows work best when they talk about the world at large, the entertainment industry and especially when the duo get real personal.  I liked the Edinburgh show the best, but the London and Manchester shows are also decent and if you like (and can handle the graphicness of) their humor, you will enjoy this set.  Extras include bonus clips from each show.

 

 

Finally we have David Mackenzie’s British Rock music comedy Tonight You’re Mine (2011) which has little music, but lots of clichés about relationships.  Simply put, an argument breaks out between a male rock singer and a woman who cannot stand him, but some guard comes out of nowhere and handcuffs them together.  Somehow, they cannot figure out how to get out of these shackles for the whole film and fall for each other, though a locksmith, bobby pin, safety pin, saw or other means of at least breaking that little chin never occurs to either of them.

 

The result is a weak mumblecore (they talk, but they don’t say much and we can barely hear them) exercise, plus the music and the supposed “scene” they are in never works either.  I forgot the music seconds after each piece ended and there is little character development for anyone here.  We’ll see if any of these actors move on to anything bigger.

 

Extras include four making of featurette and an interview with leads Luke Treadaway and Natalia Tena.

 

 

 

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Blue should be and is the best-looking and performing release here, especially being the only Blu-ray release, but it still has color, detail and depth limits, plus some motion blur throughout.  All three DVDs are anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 presentations with their own detail, depth and motion blur issues, but Bob and Mine are especially soft and problematic. 

 

The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Blue is the best mix here, but is a little towards the front speakers, has some location audio issues and does not deliver the most consistent soundfield.  The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes on Community and Mine might as well be simple stereo as they do not have good soundfields and just spread the sound around.  That leaves Bob with a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix that is the weakest sound here, but is still fine for the most part.  You still might want to be careful of volume switching on this one.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo