DVD REVIEW

The Passion of Greg the Bunny: Best of the Film Parodies, Vol. 2

Shout Factory || Not Rated || May 6, 2008

Synopsis

Greg the Bunny and his (tor)mentor, Warren “The Ape” Demontague, are back!  Back for a second season of humiliation as they parody some of their favorite films.  This time around Greg and Warren swap fur in “Wacky Wednesday”, are anything but soft in “Blue Velveteen” and rock out with their socks out in “Plush: Behind the Scenes”.


Critique

Greg and the gang are back.  This time we get spot-on parodies of films like Dogville – which they boil down from three hours to about fifteen minutes – Monster, Blue Velvet, Freak Friday, and more.  Overall, these aren’t as sharp or as biting as the episodes we got in Volume 1, but there are some gems.

Last time we got a send-up of Eraserhead.  “Blue Velveteen” is not so much a parody of Blue Velvet as a send-up of all things David Lynch: Velvet, Dune, Twin Peaks, and The Elephant Man.  This episode is hilarious.  When this show hits, it hits big, and “Blue Velveteen” is the sharpest of the bunch.  Greg confuses Elephant Man with Rocky Dennis (from Mask) and Warren gets him laid (“Oh yeah, feel that calcified freakish boner”).  The episode ends, of course, in the red room.

“Plush” makes a mockery of Behind the Music and every other show like it.  Warren is the debauched leader of the band who acts like everything is just part of a normal day – “I was driving and he just sorta chose to go flying out the passenger side window.”  Warren eventually confronts his demons and the band records “Driving Your Crazy”, a stalking song that makes for one of the funniest moments on the whole disc.

There are some great moments in The Passion of Greg the Bunny.  The Dinner for Five parody is funny, as is “Wacky Wednesday”.  If you know the show, you know what to expect.


Video

Greg the Bunny is presented in the original full frame format.  The transfer is sharp, and the color levels are well balanced.  The overall picture is crisp.


Audio

This DVD is presented in Dolby surround.  The presentation is sharp and well balanced.  The soundtrack is fairly straightforward, but the levels and the production value come through well.


Special Features

Deleted Scenes: six scenes from three different episodes.

Supper With Friends – Warren’s Uncut Pilot: a send-up of IFC’s Dinner For Five.  This is some funny stuff.  Presented with optional commentary.

Loose Stitching: On the Set of Greg the Bunny: exactly that.  On-set footage of the cast and crew.

Episode Commentary: every episode has one.

The Webisodes: six of them.

Greg the Bunny’s Early Days on Public Access: from 3/30/98 … on VHS!  The show is much more raw, but the familiar sensibility is all there.

Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery: just that.

Dirty Socks 2: Electric Boogaloo: gag reel.  This is funny.

“Dignity On Ice” Music Video: this is okay, nothing special.

Fur On the Asphalt: produced for IFC after the Fox version of the show was cancelled.  This is presented with optional commentary.


Final Thoughts

Greg the Bunny is as funny as ever.  If you know the show, you know what to expect.  The bonus material is fun, and the DVD presentation is good

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

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Review posted on Jul 1, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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