gdraxa Reviews

Joe Piscopo Live! (1987 TV Special)

Was this supposed to be funny?

[2/10 · 12 July 2006]

Wow! This is one of those things that makes you really understand why so many shows (Married... with Children for example) made light of Joe Piscopo. It's a sad pathetic attempt by Joe to capitalize on what little fame he had. A made-for-cable special filmed at UCLA. Not only are his 'jokes' poorly executed and visually UN-funny, but the college even bleeped out his few foul words (in the Guns n'Roses parody) with loud sirens. Joe keeping it 'clean' with his commentary made even jokes that might have been funny, seem forced and like they were told by an elderly relative trying to keep it nice for young ears.

There are a very limited few redeeming moments in this one, but they do nothing to save it from the flotsam it is.

Best avoided unless you're a fan of Joe.

Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty (1980 TV Special)

Funny bits, and pathetic attempts

[10 June 2004]

Wow! The good old days of Steve Martin. While occasionally funny, this one really just seemed to be a loose collection of ideas for jokes that didn't make Saturday Night Live. Some are quite funny, ranging from the El Paso/Monkey sketch to the "Bizzare Oddities of the World". However, going deeper in, there are a lot of turkeys. The 'Holy DryCleaner' really just miss. Others seem to run on too long or deviate too far into the weird, like 'Anti-Terrorist Public Service Message' which just seems to vere off from funny to lame... and then grind to a halt.

All in all though, I would recommend this one for 'classic' Steve Martin fans. The bizarre level of the jokes may be a bit much for the casual fan, but the die hards (like myself) should really get a kick out of it.