Customer Reviews

Retaliation (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

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".

There are some bitter reviewers on here for some reason, I'm not entirely sure why.

Dane Cook's latest CD rocks my socks-- It has a slightly different flavor that "Harmful When Swallowed", but it is still very funny.

Much of the first CD was review for me because I unknowingly ruined it for myself by watching Dane's TV appearences on his website. I had no idea those jokes would appear on Retaliation, but it was still funny. My boyfriend and I were both supremely disillusioned by the DVD-- I didn't need to pay extra money for that. I thought it was going to be clips from his stand-up (though the Tourgasm promo was very good!), not blurbs from miscellaneous Comedy Central crap.

I absolutely loved the bits about wanting a legacy, the "nothing" fights, the car alarms, ect ect ect.

Like "Harmful When Swallowed", this CD is extremely quotable and is a excellent choice to play with a group of friends in your living room on a Friday night. SO FRIGGIN FUNNY.

I wouldn't recommend it if I thought it sucked, I assure you.

Buy it buy it buy it.

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.

After I saw that a comedian had such a high bow on the Billboard 200 Charts, I had to see what the big buzz was. I'd noticed prior to Dane Cook's rise on the BB200 that his pre-sale rate on Amazon.com was quite high. I'd never seen Dane Cook on Comedy Central despite watching comedy frequently so purchasing this album, I didn't know what to expect. That is what made RETALLIATION worth it.

Cook's comedy is just hilarious. He talks about the silliest stuff and elaborates on it to make it sillier and it just makes you bust your sides. As explicit as it gets a times, it still could make anybody crack a smile. On his WANT disc, "BAMF" is certainly a hoot! On his NEED disc, it just grows funnier and funnier and more explicit at the same time. It is great, especially if you had a rough day or something. I highly recommend this good package for the money. 2 Stand up comedy discs and 1 DVD! Great, great packaging! 4 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.

Dane Cook touches on such issues as the protocols of line cutting, witnessing someone being struck by a car, and the manly art of buying a chicken "sangwich." The sound quality is well done and the CD portion of this package was well-worth the cost, though the DVD bonus did leave a bit to be desired. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed Dane Cook's "Retaliation" album and I will probably buy his next album as well. Want it, buy it, have it.

In his first CD compilation "Harmful if Swallowed", Dane Cook arguably put together some of the best comedy in years. His material was pulled from the many stand-up appearances he preformed in becoming the successful comic he is today. "Harmful" targeted a comparatively broad spectrum of listeners with memorable bits ranging from Car Accident to Speak n' Spell. Simply put, "Harmful" is a classic and would be difficult to surpass.

After now listening to "Retaliation" several times, it seems that Dane has chosen a slightly different path. The comedy is edgier and slightly less refined. Don't get me wrong, it's still Dane but there seems to be a slight shift in his target audience. The material is generally geared to more of a younger audience with Retaliation, something that probably caters to his long term success. This coincides with his recent "Tourgasm" and with some of the material I have seen live in his traditional Boston and New York shows.

"Retaliation", while not as awesome as "Harmful" still is a great comedy CD and certainly a great value (CD & DVD). It will certainly appeal to those who thought "Harmful" was great but will also have greater appeal to the college-aged market.

I enjoyed listening to the large amount of comedy on this album, but I would have to say that the last cd was better. It does give some hilarious moments, but I also found some moments that seem to be kinda of dead. The last cd, although shorter, seemed to be more intense, even causing me to pull the car over while driving.

Dane Cook is a huge hit in the college crowd, and this age group seems to be his target audience. I would recomend this cd to any friends, but would think that they would be better off checking out the previous one first, espically since he makes some references to it.

Dane Cook is one of the most recognized new comedians of this year. His new release of 'Retaliation' is yet another genius performance to add to his reputation. His form of delivery and hyperactive performance is just an addition to his act that will leave you literally crying from laughter. Dane takes everyday situations and turns it into the most ridiculous and hysterical things in the world. This CD is the best comic performance that I have ever heard. Honestly, I would pay alot more than what is offered and it is worth every penny. If I could rate this higher, I would!

Dane Cook terribly fails at comedy. His jokes are dry and not funny. And yet I fail to realize all the hype behind him. He recycles and poorly elaborates on his jokes for a long time that he'll basically put you to sleep by his unfunniness. Very forgetable. Don't waste your money on this derivative "comedy", because comedians are noticed for coming up with memorable, original material, and Cook is neither of the two. How he got past his local comedy club is beyond questionable.