Rating:  - Seinfeld Season 5
This dvd set has some of the most brilliant Seinfeld episodes ever created. They will have you rolling on the ground laughing for hours! I highly recommend purchasing this set!
Rating: - Seinfeld Rules!
What more can I say, I'm a Seinfeld fan and the show has been my favorite for 12 years now. Just can't seem to get tired of this great show.
Rating: - "I Don't Want To Be A Pirate!"
Although season four is probably my overall favorite season, season five contains my all-time favorite episode of "Seinfeld," "The Puffy Shirt." The whole season is well crafted, interrelated (plotlines from previous episodes recur frequently), and tightly written.
By this point in the series all the characters are fairly well developed (except perhaps for Kramer) and the cast obviously fits together perfectly as the most complimentary foursome in television history. Several of the episodes are all-time classics. "The Puffy Shirt" and the concept of the "low talker" is my personal favorite, and contains all the hallmarks of a great episode: I am especially amazed at how the writers tied the hand model and low talking plots together in the end. My other favorite in the set, "The Marine Biologist," is another pure delight. Again, part of the magic of that episode is the re-convergence of the plots at the end of the show when George reveals the golf ball to the others.
There isn't a weak episode in the season, and the DVD set contains numerous extras of note. I am particularly fond of the bloopers ("Not That There's Anything Wrong With That") and the "Inside Looks" sections where principals recall interesting information about the particular episodes.
This is what a box set should be: it is entertaining, complete, and has loads of quality extras for the true fan. This is comedy genius, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Rating: - It keeps getting better
Essentially this is a repeat of my Season 4 review but with different favorite episodes. I will add though that this is the best seasons so far, the writers, producers, actors and directors are all in a groove. They know the characters, the story arcs, and the desired comedy experience all combining to a synergistic Seinfeld experience.
Seinfeld is network television comedy at its best. 10 years later as I watch these episodes, despite seeing them countless times on syndication, I laugh out loud. Each show is original, tightly written, well acted and of course freaking hysterical. Even better they have memory...or in more technical terms a long story arc which intermittently continues themes across episodes and seasons. This adds to the richness of the humor and the fullness of characters, it allows the characters to develop and even though they are frequently reprehensible, we also see ourselves in there behaviors and they become very likable. Most television comedy consists of static episodes with contrived jokes and pratfalls where the only laughing you hear is the laugh track. Not Seinfeld!
Some of my favorite episodes from Season 5 include:
The Hampton's
The Puffy Shirt
The Sniffing Accountant
The Marine Biologist
The Stand In
The bonus material is generally excellent:
- The deleted scenes are interesting, you get to see more of the show, but they generally are unfunny jokes or extraneous/redundant material, (its obvious to see why they were deleted). It helped me appreciate the creative process of comedy
- I have not watched all the commentaries but the few I did watch were not very stimulating. The commentators are too busy watching the show, such that there are long pauses between comments and when they do comment, it something like...that was funny, how did we get away with that...over and over again. Stuff you want to know they don't tell you, for example, what was it like working with Bette Midler.
- The Inside Look featurettes are very insightful as we see and hear about the creative process and the inspiration for the stories. An added bonus is the actors' anecdotes, especially Michael Richards. During the show I thought he was the weakest actor, present to just add some `low brow'. Now I how good an actor he really is; In the featurette we se a so soft spoken, relaxed, and well mannered Michael Richards (almost bordering on shy and reticent) vs. his hyperkinetic spastic Cosmo Kramer. The contrast is illuminating; he really created and made the most of that character. The other actors you can easily see inhabiting the characters but Richards was the biggest surprise.
- The menus are creative and unique per each disk, mimicking a well known local from the show. While they are interesting to watch, occasionally its hard to find the specific menu you want.
- The packaging is good as well but I disliked the packet photos which are cheesy artificial actor promo shots.
- The bloopers are hysterical, you'll be begging for more.
- Jerry Seinfeld's stand up is top notch as well.
In review this is the best network comedy out there; if you want to laugh, buy it.
Rating: - The Best Season
I have never really been a big fan of Seinfeld, but when the 5th season came around at 26.99, it was too hard to resist. This season is hilarious, and being a big fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the commentary by Larry David is great.
|
