Home Media Magazine - January 20-26, 2008 - (Page 22) REVIEWS I CUT’N IT UP: CHICAGO Street 1/29 Indican, Comedy, $21.99 DVD, NR. Stars Alex Thomas, Rodney Perry, Pierre Edwards, Marcus Combs, Reggie Reg, Lil Reg, Sonja D, Shang. www.homemediamagazine.com T hink BET’s “Comic View,” or maybe HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” or imagine a racier version of “Showtime at the Apollo,” where the amateur wannabes are replaced by a group of professional performers. It would have been a nice touch had the rules of the Apollo applied here, particularly when a performer with no appeal is immediately booed from the stage by an unruly audience. Cut’N It Up spotlights the stage antics of eight black comedians in front of a live audience in a small Chicago nightclub. Some of the performances hit high notes; oth- ers blow low ones. Hosted by comedian-actor Alex Thomas, this approximately 90-minute show and its comedians follow a similar pattern of dialogue. The topics: relationships between men and women, sex, more on relationships and more sex. “It’s going to be one of the hottest DVDs … straight out of Chicago,” Thomas proclaims midway through the show. Well, not quite, but Cut’N It Up isn’t a bust either. The best performances are from Chicago comedian Sonya D, the lone female performer, and Pierre Edwards. Sonya D generates a ton of laughs, and they sometimes come with a serious message, despite the jokes’ profane nature. Edwards is equally effective in a more reserved tone, but his good material connects well with the audience. Viewers with a tilt for urban humor might appreciate the appeal. But if you’re not a connoisseur of that genre and curiosity compels you to take a chance, make sure your virgin ears are prepared. – Benny Lopez I PHONICS 4 BABIES: COLORS & COUNTING I THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING Street 1/29 Strand, Drama, $27.99 DVD, NR. In Arabic with English subtitles. I t’s a shame that a film such as The Yacoubian Building is not greeted with more fanfare in the United States. It is not only one of the few representatives of Egyptian cinema to arrive stateside in ages, but also that country’s answer to the sweeping social tableaux of Robert Altman. Based on the novel by Alaa Al Aswani, the screenplay for The Yacoubian Building was adapted by Egypt’s most celebrated screenwriter, Waheed Hamed, and directed by his son, Marwan. With epic production values and a cast that is a veritable who’s who of native celebrities, it has the distinction of being the most costly Egyptian production of all time. It might also be the most watchable. Erected in downtown Cairo in 1937, the Yacoubian was once the exclusive domain of city’s elite, but has since fallen on hard times. The facade is moldering, and the tenants are middle class. Poorer families have even taken up residence in the erstwhile laundry facilities on the roof. It is not hard to think the Yacoubian — along with its diverse inhabitants — a metaphor for Egyptian society at large. Inside, there is no shortage of drama. Zaki Pasha (Adel Imam) is a pathetic roue evicted from his apartment by a vindictive sister (Essad Younis). Hatem Rasheed (Khaled El Sawy) is a homosexual newspaper editor who bribes a young soldier (Bassem Samra) to sleep with him. Haj Azzam (Nour El-Sherif) is a sanctimonious but sexually frustrated millionaire who takes a young widow (Somaya El Khashab) as a second wife, then forces her to have an abortion. And Taha (Mohamed Imam) is one of the roof-dwelling youths who turns to religious extremism. What amazes about The Yacoubian Building (and by extension, Hamed’s direction) is the way it effortlessly skips not only between contemporary Cairo’s social classes, but also between scenes of tender intimacy and stunning grandeur. Unlike many films that strive to dramatize certain (and in this case, seemingly all) social issues, the characters here seem not like walking thesis statements, but ineffably layered and real. It’s a cultural window through which we are privileged to look. – Eddie Mullins Prebook 1/24; Street 2/26 Starz, Childrens, $14.98 DVD, NR. Stars Mallory Lewis. G rowing up with a mom such as famous puppeteer Shari Lewis can teach a kid a thing or two, and daughter Mallory is putting those skills to good use in the “Phonics 4 Babies” series of DVDs. The second and latest outing focuses on colors and numbers. The Emmy-winning Lewis is accompanied by a cast of five Tummy Tots, little bug puppets that act as a chorus with the precocious Giggles in the lead. With an audience of babies and toddlers, the action is appropriately quick. While the DVD clocks in at about 40 minutes, each segment is just a minute or two. Songs about colors, families and imagination are interspersed among the color and number lessons. Repetition is key, along with giving young viewers audio and visual cues. For example, when repeating the colors, kids will hear the name of the color, see an object of that color and see the word spelled out in that same color. Lewis also takes time to point out objects on the screen, giving children lessons on the things that surround them. Manners and relationships are taught through the actions of Lewis and the puppets, rather than overemphasized through heavy-handed lessons. The animations, drawings and sets are adequate, the puppets are adorable and Lewis is very good in her scenes with Giggles, multitasking as a puppeteer, singer and host. Producers Joe and Cassandra Giangrasso developed the series after facing frustrations teaching their own daughter to speak. They brought in advisors, a clinical psychologist and a speech pathologist to assist with the product, an assurance for parents who may be unsure about plopping their tiny tots in front of the tube. Between “Phonics 4 Babies” and a plain old cartoon, parents who want to get their kids on the learning track will go for “Phonics” anytime. – Laura Tiffany 22 Home Media Magazine January 20–26, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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