Product Details

• Actors: Eric Bogosian
• Directors: Michael Rauch
• Writers: Eric Bogosian
• Producers: Michael Rauch, Alexis Alexanian, David Alexanian, Gary Winick
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: New Video Group
• DVD Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Run Time: 76 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002NY88K
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,660 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Eric Bogosian: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Eric Bogosian shines in his freshly-brewed Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. A profoundly insightful and wickedly provocative performer, Obie Award winner Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) has never shied away from the disturbing truths in life. Frequently compared to comedic social commentators Lenny Bruce and Spalding Gray, Bogosian keeps his finger on the pulse of our collective fears while satirizing contemporary American values. Based upon his critically acclaimed stage show, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is Bogosian at his funniest, smartest, and angriest. Taking us for a ferocious ride through a cavalcade of colorful characters in his mind, Bogosian skewers pop culture, conformity, religious hypocrisy and human nature itself with a razor-sharp wit. Whether he’s playing Satan as a modern-day salesman, a Hollywood producer capitalizing on an airplane disaster, a spiritual guru with questionable motives, or mocking himself as an obsequious actor auditioning for a part, Bogosian tackles today’s relevant, post-9/11 themes with uncompromising honesty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bogosian's best show yet, October 4, 2004

By	stu - See all my reviews

I have always strongly identified with Eric Bogosian's work. No other writer has expressed my own thoughts and feelings so completely and with such commanding prose. I first discovered this kindred spirit upon viewing Oliver Stone's adaptation of Bogosian's play, Talk Radio, in which he played the protagonist, Barry Champlain. I was absolutley floored by the script and I soon owned a copy of the original stage play. The book that I purchased entitled, "The Essential Bogosian," also included three of his early one man shows: Drinking in America, Funhouse, and Men Inside. It is with these one man shows that Bogosian's singular talent is illuminated. I am simply amazed, enthralled, and moved by these performance pieces. I began to write some monologues of my own. I also rented productions of Funhouse and Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll (another one man show). The latter became my favorite. I felt like he was reading my mind.

Wake up and Smell the Coffee is the best show yet. For one thing, it's funnier. Even the really dark stuff is absolutely hilarious. While the tone is more seasoned, none of the excruciating candor is compromised. In fact, my favorite two monologues are autobiographic - Bogosian as Bogosian.

Nothing is easy. No assumptions are made. Nothing is taken for granted. Everything is open for analysis. Perhaps I am biased because I share his paradigm of ultimate absurdity but, I think Eric Bogosian is a frickin genius.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master of Solos, October 20, 2004

By	kevin d. (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have been fortunate enough to see Bogosian perform live on several occasions. Stage performances don't always translate well to the film/video medium, but this recording is pretty true to the experience, which is, of course, fantastic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what fantastic coffee!, October 10, 2007

By	Theatre & Teaching "Shark" (Cooma NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews

I originally purchased "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee" with two purposes in mind. I had seen H.S. Drama students performing excerpts from the DVD as monologues and I was curious to see more. As such, I was attempting to 1.) satify my own personal interest in theatre, and 2.) exploring the potential of the DVD as a teaching text for senior high school Drama students by studying how one actor performances (like Anthony Sher's Primo) can be entertaining, sustain an audience relationship and utilise a variety of performance techniques. Especially for those students that don't have regular access to live performance for whatever reason.

Personally, I found "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee" an excellent, entertaining and challenging show. It has been recorded maintaining a sense of the live performance atmosphere and the interview extra adds another interesting perspective to the whole performance making process. I particularly love how Bogosian manages to link each set piece into a collective thematic whole that not only entertains but also provokes us. He doesn't seem to hold back on any taboo subjects and attacks pertinent topics. The show seems so relevant to our contermporary world that there is a starting notice informing us that the performance was written and performed prior to September 11th 2001. I would happily recommend the DVD to anyone interested in performance, social commentary and/or comedy.

In regards to my second purpose as a teaching tool, I would feel less comfort offering this DVD to a room of senior students to watch as a whole but there are certainly plenty of sections within that would lend themselves to a student viewing and will help budding actors to appreciate how one actor can use elements of theatre to create a engaging performance.

Finally, as a theatre lover, I would like to thank Mr. Bogosian for making this performance available