Plot: What’s it about?
Michael Moore and his team of crack specialists take aim on corporate America, making sure the wrongs do not go unrighted. If Disney decides to skunk some workers in their theme park, Moore dispatched Crackers (the corporate crime fighting chicken) to discuss unfair labor issues with the head honcho himself, Mickey Mouse. Are you mad about the Swiss keeping all the loot the Germans stole from holocaust victims? Moore is too and as such, he sends Adolf Hitler himself to enter the banks and withdraw whatever he can. I mean, if they won’t give it back to him, who would they give it to, right? Moore and his team will travel near & far to help get justice for the people, even if it means installing a webcam across from someone’s apartment to teach them a lesson about personal privacy. No one is safe from his eyes, not UPS and their breach of contract and not even the tobacco companies. It turns out even those without voice boxes (due to smoking) can sing carols, especially as they stand in the lobbies of the big tobacco companies. This and more awaits you, should you decide to learn The Awful Truth.
I was surprised when this release was announced, but I was also very pleased and looked forward to the day when I could add The Awful Truth’s first season to my personal collection. This series isn’t for everyone and that’s for sure, but if you have a sense of humor and compassion for your fellow man, The Awful Truth is a fun and poignant television show. What makes this show so funny and worthwhile is that what Moore does is real, whether groundbreaking or just for laughs. When he helps a man overturn his HMO’s refusal of service (in a very humorous fashion), the guy really gets a new pancreas and lives. We watch as government officials and corporate lackeys get both barrels of Moore’s team and their guns, and tell me that isn’t worth a look. Some of the subject matter is rather controversial and as such, you need a good sense of humor to sit through this one. Moore explores teen violence, the holocaust, and even one room shacks, so make sure you can take a joke before you watch this series. I think this is a pure brilliance in action and I highly recommend you pick up this fantastic release from Docurama.
This release from Docurama/New Video is terrific and is well put together in all respects. I was pleased to find the episodes spread across two dual layered discs, which means video & audio quality would not suffer because of the long running time. On each disc, you’ll discover seven episodes of The Awful Truth and you can choose to watch them in a few different ways. You can watch all the episodes on the disc in a row, which means a Moore marathon and a ton of laughs. You can also choose to watch specific episodes on the disc, or even certain segments from within those episodes. The chapter selections have been well done and offer the viewer easy to access to all the segments, which is much appreciated. A few small extras have been included, but with a release like this you can’t really expect much more. I suppose an interview with Moore would have been nice, but he talks a lot in the show, so I can overlook that omission. This turns out to be a terrific treatment for this excellent series, I hope to see more from Docurama very soon.
Video: How does it look?
The Awful Truth is presented full frame, which is the original broadcast aspect ratio. This looks much like you’d expect from a television show, which is good news if you ask me. I never saw serious colors bleeds, as hues were bright and flesh tones looked natural also. Each yellow feather on Crackers was as crisp as could be, if you ask me. The contrast is also solid and I found no detail lacking in any of the sequences. I would like to give this a higher rating, but a couple instances of pixillation prevent me from doing so. But trust me on this one, this is a fine visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This show isn’t geared toward dynamic audio, so the included stereo mix is more than adequate in this case. Some of the programs were recorded live and can be a little hard to decipher at times, but that is a flaw with the source materials and not this audio mix. The music sounds terrific and most importantly, the dialogue comes across in crisp & clear form, which is vital for this show.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a talent file on Michael Moore as well as various Awful Truth polls, which are a lot of fun to browse.
