MAY YOUR FUTURE BE BLACK… By Mel Neuhaus

Weather Forecast

	In yet another example of a show business phenomenon whose seemingly mercurial rise to super stardom took 25 years to “…become an overnight success”, Lewis Black has firmly grasped celebrity by the balls – and is holding fast…and furious. He is the voice of my people – not speaking as a Jew, but as a definite liberal/borderline progressive (which, admittedly, for many is the same thing). Lewis Black has put politics where it belongs – in the comedy club, and has done so brilliantly. Who else could be lionized by the left for sadly lamenting about how much he misses George W. Bush (I guess I don’t have to explain why)? The ass-dragging Dems don’t get off so easily either – brandishing their olive branches to the opposition, apparently hoping for what is essentially a S&M butt whipping response. Then there’s the comic’s spot-on discussion/dissection of the economy which would ordinarily have us viewers scream out, “F**king right!,” in anger – if we weren’t so busy laughing (albeit uncomfortably). Contemporary culture in general also gets the Lewis Black shellacking (his Vince Gill/Amy Grant observations have already assumed near-classic status).

STARK RAVING BLACK is a live concert document of the comedian’s 2009 sell-out tour. Black’s audience – jam-packed appropriately in Detroit’s famed Fillmore Theatre – jubilantly demonstrates why the comedic performer rates rock-star prominence. For those who first caught sight of him on The Daily Show – or even back to Sidesplitters – it’s easy to see how his hilarious rhetoric has made him the 2000s stand-up evocation of Howard Beale. Director Adam Dubin effortlessly presents a template for how to prepare a live performance, both cinematically and in pure comedy terms. The cameras are arranged for maximum dollar shot/punch line impact; furthermore, Black’s flawless delivery is accentuated by the editing - cutting at just the right moment. Dubin should be heartily hand clasped. The disc itself – obviously a must for the satirist’s throngs of admirers – is, in non-PC jargon, a honey. Shot in widescreen HD, STARK RAVING BLACK is presented in a crystal-clear transfer and realistic you-are-there 5.1 surround sound. It should be noted that STARK RAVING BLACK was briefly released theatrically last summer – garnering great press and enthusiastic moviegoer response. The main outlet for this piece, however, was on Comedy Central, where it was trimmed by nearly a half hour of footage. This is the complete unrated 80 minute version – thus another reason to rush out and acquire it for your library shelf. But, as they say in carny-speak, there’s lots more, folks. An excellent supplement comprises an original feature-length documentary, BASIC BLACK: THE LEWIS BLACK STORY, also un film de Dubin, which, in royal entertainment fashion, takes us viewers into uncharted territory (highlights include clips from Black’s ’09 international smash European invasion). There’s even a facsimile one-sheet poster, which, when unfolded, fits perfectly on any college dorm wall or office cubicle. In short, this DVD unquestionably reveals what millions of laugh seekers have already discovered: that Black is definitely today’s…black. Mel Neuhaus STARK RAVING BLACK. Color. Letterboxed [1.78:1; 16 x 9 anamorphic]; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround/DTS surround; dual layer. Comedy Central DVD/Paramount. $16.99 SRP.	LEWIS BLACK

STARK RAVING BLACK is a live concert document of the comedian’s 2009 sell-out tour. Black’s audience – jam-packed appropriately in Detroit’s famed Fillmore Theatre – jubilantly demonstrates why the comedic performer rates rock-star prominence. For those who first caught sight of him on The Daily Show – or even back to Sidesplitters – it’s easy to see how his hilarious rhetoric has made him the 2000s stand-up evocation of Howard Beale.

Director Adam Dubin effortlessly presents a template for how to prepare a live performance, both cinematically and in pure comedy terms. The cameras are arranged for maximum dollar shot/punch line impact; furthermore, Black’s flawless delivery is accentuated by the editing - cutting at just the right moment. Dubin should be heartily hand clasped.

The disc itself – obviously a must for the satirist’s throngs of admirers – is, in non-PC jargon, a honey. Shot in widescreen HD, STARK RAVING BLACK is presented in a crystal-clear transfer and realistic you-are-there 5.1 surround sound.

It should be noted that STARK RAVING BLACK was briefly released theatrically last summer – garnering great press and enthusiastic moviegoer response. The main outlet for this piece, however, was on Comedy Central, where it was trimmed by nearly a half hour of footage. This is the complete unrated 80 minute version – thus another reason to rush out and acquire it for your library shelf. But, as they say in carny-speak, there’s lots more, folks. An excellent supplement comprises an original feature-length documentary, BASIC BLACK: THE LEWIS BLACK STORY, also un film de Dubin, which, in royal entertainment fashion, takes us viewers into uncharted territory (highlights include clips from Black’s ’09 international smash European invasion). There’s even a facsimile one-sheet poster, which, when unfolded, fits perfectly on any college dorm wall or office cubicle.

In short, this DVD unquestionably reveals what millions of laugh seekers have already discovered: that Black is definitely today’s…black.

Mel Neuhaus

STARK RAVING BLACK. Color. Letterboxed [1.78:1; 16 x 9 anamorphic]; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround/DTS surround; dual layer. Comedy Central DVD/Paramount. $16.99 SRP.