Chris Kyle is funny, serious
920962
Spectacular book. Chris Kyle is funny, serious, and lethal. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to hear how things happened in daily SEAL life from a first-person point of view.
4080328
In Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden, Dane Cook proudly displays his brand of stand up comedy for a crowd of fans that are absolutely fanatical. His performance was the next step in his comedy career, one that he debated and sought approval for from his family. And it was a wise decision indeed, because his routine was largely a success, and the ecstatic fans will keep him in the spotlight for years to come.

Dane Cook's routine is continually on the verge of real-life situations fused with comedy elements, exaggerated for flair, and just from panning around the audience and catching their reactions, some of his material can be interpreted as either wildly raunchy or disgustingly crass. But for the most part, his fans love and accept the direction he heads in, and with his Madison Square Garden performance he has sculpted a great deal of hilarity out of situations that are really quite no-nonsense. Finding the humor behind the most serious of events is perhaps his area of expertise.

His skit contains familiar allusions to previous and recognizable jokes, including his sketch on someone "defiling the coat rack", and references to his "chief/buddy/Gaylord" joke. New bits include swearing on his unborn child over ice cream, the needy children commercials with the old man who ought to demand your money instead of politely asking for a donation, and Oprah giving away bigger and better items on her show, such as schools and humpback whales. Jabs at herpes, the condom fairy, pedophiles, and mannequins are equally hilarious and controversial subject matter, and the audience is convulsive with laughter.

Dane Cook offers full-length commentary for the entire event, which gives some insights on why he chose to run with certain jokes, and why he chose to cut out others that he originally planned on. Many more laughs are to be found on the commentary track, and Cook spills the beans on specific real-life situations that prompted the gags.

"Lighting Up the Garden" is a short documentary that chronicles many of the activities leading up to his live performance, and Cook shares stories of his goals. He actually questioned which direction to take his career, and had to think carefully about continuing stand up and whether Madison Square Garden was a step in the right direction. He had recently accomplished all of his objectives, but with the coaxing of his family, he decided the new venue was a worthy enough opportunity. He tested his routine in Providence, Rhode Island the night before and had much success - he was ensuring he wouldn't pull a "Britney Spears" on the big night. Much to his pleasure, his longtime idol, director Ron Howard showed up to the big event and apparently loved the show. All in all a great experience and a successful affair, Rough Around the Edges: Live at Madison Square Garden is a great chance to see Dane Cook perform his raunchy yet hilarious brand of real-life inspired comedy.

- Mike Massie
2202563
Dave Hills shtick is naivet. He approaches life with a Hollywood hero attitude. He is heavily influenced by films, sitcoms, commercials, rock bands, and above all, chain restaurants. He dives straight into projects expecting to master lifelong skills in a session or two, just like in the movies. He is of course thwarted, and therein lies the humor.  There is way too much reference to his underpants, and something called face melting crops up four times, but otherwise it makes a warmly funny read.

The stories are personal, human, and amusing, in a Mark Twain sort of way, as opposed to an SJ Perelman sort of way. I like it better than say, Adam Resnicks stories, if only because it is so much smoother and cleaner. Theres nothing too outrageous to be true, and something pretty much any middle class American could relate to, from having too much stuff to training a puppy, to finessing parents. Its an All-American kind of collection, best appreciated in small doses as opposed to binge reading.

David Wineberg
1417871
There's a serious side behind the comedian who has made us laugh all these years. If you've ever wondered why you don't see Steve Martin doing stand-up comedy anymore (he was all the rage in the late 1970's) read this memoir.

If you are interested in his funny short stories:
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2080659
4.5 stars

Even George couldn't help but steal from Bill Hicks! His bits here about "children aren't that special", overpopulation and a few others are almost direct lifts from Hicks; check out his classic Rant In E Minor, the originals are all there. Then again, almost every comic now working has lifted from Hicks, so why not Carlin? Still, the fact that a peerless writer like GC would tread over another comedian's ground so closely, along with the many mentions of aging and death here, says to me (a lifelong Carlin fan) that George knew his end was nigh.

There are some great bits here, but nothing to rival his intensity on the previous HBO show, Life Is Worth Losing. There are more jokes here and less vitriol, which is good to some extent, but GC's timing is slipping at moments and the writing is on the wall. Nonetheless, by anyone else's standards this is killer, but as George was one of the best ever his standards are a different matter.

Despite some great bits a lot of it feels rehashed. And how did he ever do so well in Vegas, as he did the last decade, with material this dark and dour? More power to him for bringing this much truth into Lost Wages, in any case. Unfortunately, I didn't laugh as much as I usually did with GC, and having seen all 14 of his HBO specials and heard every one of his records, I have some perspective.

What IS perfect on this dvd is the interview with him. For over thirty minutes he describes the history of his comedy and writing, and makes dozens of solid points about how we live and what he's had to deal with as a comedian and truth-teller. That interview is a true gem, the best I've ever seen him do, and well worth watching if you're a fan. (It may be online; look around for it in the usual places). There's also a 1969 bit from the Jackie Gleason show, not bad but a long way from his later genius; funny to see him in a suit and tie, though.

So, four stars for the routine, plus half a star for the interview, and rounded up because this is after all George Carlin, and his okay routines are easily equal to most comedians' best. A good way to go out, and as usual Carlin's timing was crisp: he did a career retrospective interview, a show about dying and how we're all doomed due to the way we treat the planet, and boom, off he goes.

One of the great modern comic careers, no doubt.
2723631
If you are not laughing at this man, you are seriously disturbed or...you are conservative and/or hardcore Christian. He is vulgar, crass and still, a charming, hilarious man. Caught his first special on Showtime one night, nearly p**d my pants laughing...and I DO NOT laugh out loud. Next to Katt Williams, he is the funniest. Though they do tend to run a bit long, his stories are funny as all get out. His comedic timing is flawless. If you have a no holds barred attitude, u will not regret this purchase.
849270
I absolutely love this show. It's crude, foul-mouthed, and hilarious! Chris Lilley has done it again.
1709047
Chris Kyle and his two writers really put together one great book.  I felt like I was his spotter, right there were the action was taking place.  At times I felt like he was sharing thoughts that no one else knew.  I enjoyed his straight forward opinions of those few rotten apple superiors all the way back up the chain to Washington.  They were extremely detailed in what, when, where, and how an American sniper gets the bad guys.
2388678
I'm a recent fan of Jim Gaffigan. He's gleaned more good material from his larger than normal family life in a small NY apartment. I think he should move to the suburbs temporarily just to gather new perspectives for his comedic observations. Then he can move back to NYC to a larger apartment. I bought his Mr. Universe show to help them with that. : )  His wife (mother of five young children) and business partner must be a super hero in disguise. Jim seems to dislike his reputation as a fairly "clean" comedian, but his type of material is rare-- hilarious and relatable without having to resort to gutter humor. I don't write too many reviews, either, unless something really appeals to me, and Gaffigan's humor hits the mark.
2444548
Chappelle's accessibility (and his racially charged & sympathetic humor) sparkle in this live stand-up appearance.  This guy is about as likable as it gets, his characteristic wit pulling the audience in even as it knuckle-rubs their heads.  On this disc, Dave discusses everything from crackheads (no surprise there), Native Americans, smoking in public, the American justice system, and grape juice.  Even when his humor is topical (e.g. OJ and Michael Jackson), it retains a sense of warmth and giggle-worthy rib-nudging that makes this recording both hilarious and re-watchable.  The only drawback is that it is lamentably short (it barely clocks in at an hour) and the disc is notably lacking in any special features whatsoever.
3144030
First, a bit of disclosure: I used to be in a band with Mike Bobbitt many years ago, so I'm not completely detached, but I will make this as unbiased as possible.  He is a very funny comedian, and this CD is a good example of his work.  His material is very much geared for adults, and if you can't tell that from the track titles, perhaps you should pick up a copy of GTA4 for your preteen son instead.

I can't really compare him to other comedians, he approaches the mic with his own style.  He's an angry nerd with punk street cred and a soft spot in the general area of his heart.  "Robbery" took a strange turn and left me wondering whether he intended for that to end up on the CD...it felt a little awkward during the piece, but wrapped up nicely.  Other than that, the rest of the CD is very consistently hilarious.  I highly recommend to fans of adult-themed comedians.  Definitely looking forward to future releases!
837259
Absolutely hysterical.  If you enjoy his late night show and his quick wit, but don't feel like you're getting all of him, then this is for you!  He's foul-mouthed, funny and heartwarmingly self-deprecating.  Even having seen this, I can still fire it up and get good laughs out of his material.  Absolutely worth watching and showing off to friends!
2295819
This is one of the best standups out there...

Richard Pryor..

Eddie Murphy..

Chris Rock..

Dave Chappelle..

He is going to be the next best comedian to ever live....he might not be the NEXT Richard Pryor but he will be the FIRST Dave Chapelle and he's gonna leave his mark on tha world...

He still gotta lot more to go but anyway...this DVD is off tha hook...every joke is funny...EVERY JOKES is funny...you will laugh at EVERY JOKE...especially..when you can relate to it..which I did on all of them...

GET THIS DVD..TODAY!!
2862273
I had watched the Bananas special with Jeff Allen on it, but I wanted to see more, so I bought this DVD.  It had a little more funny stuff on it, but the serious talk he gave for a portion of the show was great too.  This is a seriously funny man that you should check out. One of the best comedians I have ever seen.
3618465
Apparently a previous reviewer has no sense of humor.  I found myself laughing out loud so often throughout "Breaking In" that my stomach hurt.  From the very first pages, it is obvious Kyle is an inexperienced investigator.  That's what makes this such a hoot!

From the moment the femme fatale enters the scene, Kyle's life is thrown completely upside down - literally.  Then when his ex-wife shows up, the cat-fight really begins.  From a tornado, to a shootout at a cheesy motel, to an ambulance ride in Nebraksa, with explosions thoughout, Kyle must have nine lives to survive the physical and moreso the mental torture.

I had so much fun reading this story and think ninety-nine cents is more than a bargain for the abdominal workout I received.  Hopefully this will be a series and Kyle will return to enhance my life with more laugh-out-loud moments!
1755370
Chappelle's show is funny if you are not an Overly sensitive person. there are way to many sensitive people. this show is for all races to watch and basicly laugh at ourselves in good humor. Alot of the skits are race stereotype based but that's what makes it so funny. that's the point its humor about ourselves magnified. Also the Amazon video quality is good.
551616
If you like this guys humor, you will love this DVD. It's hilarious.
Not for children, but funny. You will want to share it with your friends.