"What is reality?"

Television has been around for about 75 years now. In that time we've seen just about every kind of show you might like. Fads and trends come and go along with stars and characters. Crime dramas have been among the most popular throughout those 75 years, and there have been so many "cop/detective" shows that we've also seen just about every kind of crime and investigation possible. With few exceptions there isn't much that can surprise us in the cop procedural drama.

Ever notice when an actor is having a good year, suddenly a film that they made years before their success makes an appearance? I refer to this movie as “the bandwagon film.” It is film that is shelved and does not have a prayer of being released. It happens too often for it to be coincidence and usually features said actor center stage on the cover art with the mention of the popular film that the actor took part in. Take Christian Bale for example: not long after the release of Batman Begins, a low-level film by the name of Harsh Times came to theaters. In the case of Dead Mine, that actor would be Joe Taslim. Taslim is having a good year with a starring role in the action packed The Raid: Redemption and scoring a bad guy role in Fast & Furious 6; the movie had promise in the beginning, but as the film progressed it launched into complete insanity and will likely be an anchor holding Taslim down.

Legend tells of an abandoned Japanese World War II bunker hidden in the Indonesian jungle that stores a vast fortune of Yamashita gold. After an excavation turns up the bunker’s location, rich boy Warren Price (Les Loveday, Sweeney Todd), Rie (Miki Mizuno, The Flying Publicist), a wide-eyed researcher, and Stanley (Sam Hazeldine, The Raven), an engineer from his father’s company. Given the uneasy and dangerous circumstance of the area, the group is appointed a security team led by Captain Tino Prawa (Ario Bayu, Java Heat).

I wasn’t all too familiar with Al Madrigal’s work before receiving his album to review.  After looking up his web site I had realized it was The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that I had recognized him from, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was a fan.  With comedians, though, going into their act knowing very little about them, most often the experience seems to be more enjoyable; after all, with no expectations it’s hard to come away disappointed.

Six months ago I’m not sure how much I would have been able to relate to Madrigal's set, a set that has a very distinct storytelling style, and his stories for the most part consist of him being a father.  Sure, not everyone has to be a parent to find his set funny, but had I not recently had a child come into my life in the past few months I don’t believe I’d connect with as much of his set as I did.  Whether Madrigal is discussing how he disciplines his children when they talk back or talking about hiding from the kids just to embrace a little alone time, he maintains a narrative that everyone in the audience can appreciate.

Official Upcomingdiscs Autopsy Report:

There's a case to be made that it isn't exactly fair to review a television series that was axed after only 8 episodes. Fans of that kind of a show are already up and arms and just waiting to thrash you for, as they see it, putting another nail in the coffin while they're still looking for extraordinary measures to revive the corpse. It doesn't matter how long it's been dead or how slim the chances are for revival. If it's your show you just aren't ready to give up, and you certainly don't need a word jockey like me throwing dirt on the grave. When it comes to Red Widow, however, I think I've seen enough to make the official pronouncement of death.