George Carlin - It’s Bad For Ya (MPI Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B- Extras: C+ Concert: B-
Though
George Carlin is gone, his legacy is not only far from forgotten, his work
remains ahead of its time. It is a new
thing that several key artists like himself did some solid work before their
passing and in the beginning of the High Definition era. George
Carlin - It’s Bad For Ya has arrived on Blu-ray from MPI and it is a
concert very much worth catching.
Originally
aired on cable TV, this was his 14th and final special (for HBO in
all cases, it turns out) and he is as sharp, funny, clever and as brutally
honest as ever, dealing with his mortality and old age while still being in
touch with the raw reality few comic performers or writers seem to have a grasp
on. Though I have always liked and
respected Carlin, this was even better than I expected and the only problem is,
I wished it had gone on longer… and he was still around.
The 1080i
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little soft, but looks pretty good
otherwise for its age with good color and some good detail. The sound (whether PCM 2.0 or Dolby Digital
2.0) is adequate stereo for the main program, monophonic for a vintage clip and
a simple stereo for the interview.
Extras include a 2007 interview with Carlin, one of his last, and a
great stand-up routine from a 1/25/67 appearance on The Jackie Gleason Show.
- Nicholas Sheffo