Search - Dane Cook :: Retaliation (W/Dvd)

Consummate Cook

Brian C. Schroeder | 07/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To claim that Retaliation, the double CD plus DVD has been much anticipated would be a gruesome understatement. Dane Cook has been blazing to astronomical heights in the stand up comedy world as of late, selling out 5,000+ seaters around the nation, and is soon to break into the mainstream with a performance at Madison Square Garden, a substantial role in the upcoming comedy Waiting... and a television pilot being shopped around Hollywood. A loyal and growing fan base has been writhing in anticipation for Cook's comedic nexus, their eagerness ballyhooed by surprise website announcements and message board hype.



Finally Dane's knockout punch has landed and this monumental double comedy CD delivers the hysterical megaton blast as promised. His comic arsenal has evolved significantly since Harmful if Swallowed and Cook has pumped up his cool yet frantic, observational style on steroids compromising some of his polish and timing for a more bulldozer barrage of stream-of-consciousness tangents and absurdity which dares the audience to keep up. This is an even bolder, more confident Dane Cook unleashing the fury of his creative id onstage, exploring his limits with complexity of language, ("...in my periph." "BAMF"), concepts ("...a mythical creature poking holes in my exhaust") and structure (including an anecdote told backwards, "Tarantino style"). It is a marvel to experience a less inhibited Cook flourish within his own boundless mental agility and successfully infuse an audience with his highly acute uniqueness. Dane's brilliant vulgarity also persists and garnishes his bits along with hip references to Tekken, Transformers and He-Man. This is a virtuosic Dane Cook and he's hitting on all cylinders.



The DVD includes the remainder of his Comedy Central endeavors including the Bar Mitzvah performance, animated versions of older bits from Shorties Watchin Shorties, a more disparaging Dane chiding fellow comics from the roast of Dennis Leary and perhaps the highlight of the DVD, his improvised prank phone calls from Crank Yankers brought to life with puppets (watch Dane morph from a befuddled foreigner into a sardonic homophobe and dupe a sleazy car salesman to blow him a kiss over the phone).



Retaliation indeed establishes itself to be Dane Cook's chef-d'oeuvre and will satiate his legion of hungry fans. Aside from being an ultimate assertion of Cook's undeniable talent it marks a step in the development of his comedy and may possibly become a landmark in the turning point of his career as he transcends from popular comic to star of film and television.

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Comedy Central dose it again!

as-seen-on-tv | 07/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like many, I counted down the days until Dane Cook's second CD release "Retaliation" would be released in stores. A half hour after my local record store opened, I finally got my hands on it, the day of its release.



The packaging is fantastic. The case is in the style of previous Comedy Central albums where the package folds out to reveal two CDs and a DVD.



The CDs contain over 100 minuets of "new" material. I emphasize new because if you've followed Dane's career step by step, (as evident in the DVD) some of his material was used before, but not in his previous CD. The bits are very good, although there are some week spots, just like in almost every comedy CD.



As a loyal fan of Dane's first CD "Harmful if Swallowed", I found that one to be a little more complete than this one. Any fan knows how to quote "Harmful if Swallowed" cover to cover, and may find it difficult to do that here. You may not be able to quote some bits from "Retaliation", but that doesn't mean its not good.



The DVD is also very good. This contains MANY bits from the show Crank Yankers as well as Shorties Watching Shorties. In addition to those are two others which can be seen edited or unedited.



It helps to hear (and watch) his first release before this one, as he makes references to past bits (one word....shoes). Overall this was very well done, but not entirely up to par with "Harmful".

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New wave of comedy.

A dude | The bottom of the spiral | 08/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of people are rough on Dane because he isn't a typical comedian. People like George Carlin or John Stewart are literal comics. They tell jokes and make observations where the emphasis is on the straight material and the delivery is more of an afterthought. Those comics do well in book form as well as to hear, and generally are better on paper than aloud.



Dane Cook is of the opposite mold. He realizes he's telling the jokes and that he's on stage, so he really plays with the potential of his medium. It's true that nothing on this CD is going to make you re-evaluate the world around you or have any kind of epiphany, but you will laugh your ass off guaranteed.



Dane's humor is partly in his bizarre outlook at the world around him, such as his plans for making himself a legend or how happy he is to see someone get hit by a car. But the real meat of the CD is in his delivery. His choice of words and the way he delivers them. It's impossible to describe just why Dane is funny, you have to hear him for yourself. He doesn't have revolutionary ideas, but he will say things in oblique ways that will make you laugh almost out of surprise.



Get this set. For $13 for two CDs and a DVD it's a steal. I'd say if you're a fan of Brian Regan or Mitch Hedberg, you'll like Dane."