Nova Scotia

DVD REVIEW: Trailer Park Boys – The Complete Third Season

TPD DRINK

Part 2 in my series of Trailer Park Boys reviews!  This one features the mighty RUSH!

For the first installment, Seasons 1 & 2, click here.

TPB3_0003TRAILER PARK BOYS – The Complete Third Season (2003 Alliance Atlantis)

By season 3, Trailer Park Boys was a bonafide hit show, and running on all cylinders. The confidence that Clattenberg and crew had was obvious in season 3. The writers had hit threir stride here, and produced eight of their best episodes. Granted, there are very few bad Trailer Park Boys episodes, but none of them were in season 3. Season 3 also presents the first true classic episode, “Closer To The Heart” featuring guest star Alex Lifeson of Rush.

Ricky and Julian are, once again, out of jail. They are also rich thanks to their dope sale from the previous season. Julian begins a vodka bootlegging business, and Ricky applies for the position of assistant trailer park supervisor, now that Randy has been suspended. Lahey and Ricky working together? You know that’s not going to turn out well.

Before long, Julian comes up with the idea of committing a series of small crimes, so they won’t get caught, and saving the money for a big cruise. Stealing gas and opening an illegal gas station in the park seems like a good idea. This leads to the first-ever big Ricky courtroom scene of the series. If you haven’t seen one of these, believe me, Ricky’s courtroom scenes are always a highlight.

Meanwhile, Julian starts dating a cop, and J-Roc starts jacking other rappers tunes (he calls it “cross promoting”).  This leads to the debut of new character DVS (Detroit Velvet Smooth…from Moncton), who comes to Sunnyvale looking for reckoning. Seeing Bubbles rapping during a moment of crisis is another highlight of the season, as is finding out what J-Roc is really like under that headband.

Then, one day, Bubbles finds that Rush are playing at the Metro Centre. He asks Ricky to go get him a ticket, with the only money he has.  That gets all cocked up, so Ricky decides that to compensate Bubbles, by having Rush do a concert in the park. Just for them. How do you do that? You start by “borrowing” one of the band members.

By the end of the season, the entire world of the Trailer Park Boys has been turned upside down, and things will be drastically different in season 4. It’s all funny, it’s all quality, it’s all good. Truly, season 3 was one of the best seasons of this show, and is actually a great place for non-fans to start watching. It is easily accessible and loaded with witty writing, inspired improvised dialogue, and great stories.

Pick up season 3 if you don’t have it already. For new fans, this is a great place to get into the series.

5/5 stars

DVD REVIEW: Trailer Park Boys – Big Plans, Little Brains: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons

Part one of my new series:  the Trailer Park Boys complete television series.  In anticipation of the forthcoming seasons 8 & 9, we’re going to be taking a look at the original series that started it all.

For those who don’t know Trailer Park Boys, there are some serious rock n’ roll connections throughout the series.  Stick around and we’ll be talking about Sebastian Bach, Helix, Rush of course, and plenty more.

TPB1-2TRAILER PARK BOYS – Big Plans, Little Brains: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (2002 Alliance Atlantis)

Julian is an ex-con who calls Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Nova Scotia, Canada home. He has just been released from jail, and he’s vowed to clean up his life.  Go straight.  Ditch his bad influences.  The premise of Trailer Park Boys is that a camera crew has offered to make a documentary about Julian’s life, and will be following Julian around the trailer park.  Julian is determined to stay straight and not go back behind bars. His best friend Ricky, however, doesn’t have that same commitment to the straight life.

Trailer Park Boys took a season to find its feet, like many other series.  By the end of the first season (only six episodes), it had definitely done so.  Hang on folks, because the first and second seasons are just the beginning of what will turn out to be a pretty crazy series of mockumentary episodes.

In the beginning, the character of Bubbles (easily the funniest and most lovable of the boys) isn’t in the spotlight. Obviously, Mike Clattenberg and company realized Bubbles’ potential partway through the first season and began writing him larger parts. Also introduced in this season are Mr. Lahey and Randy, the trailer park supervisor and his assistant, who are not quite as drunk and stoned as they would get later on. Love interests Lucy and Sarah are here, not yet the adversaries to Ricky and Julian that they would become. Cory and Trevor are sidekicks (aka “jail cover”), and J-Roc and his “Roc-Pile” make their debut. Characters introduced that are later forgotten include Levi and Mrs. Peterson (who is like a grandmother to Julian). The dangerous Cyrus also makes his debut in the first episode, as a recurring antagonist.

The story arc:  Ricky and Julian return from jail to find the park has changed — Cyrus has taken over. All the criminal activities that Julian used to run in the park have now been assumed by Cyrus.  He’s even occupying Julian’s trailer.  The boys must somehow get rid of Cyrus without going back to jail. In the meantime, Julian decides to head to community college, and that means Ricky is persona-non-grata around him. J-Roc makes some cash on the side making “greasy” porno tapes, which Ricky thinks might be a good thing for him to star in (it’s not).  It’s all a build up to Ricky proposing to Lucy to finally be a good father and family man. It all comes crashing down at Ricky’s wedding which closes season 1.

While season 1 takes a while to build up speed, season 2 is full-on TPB. The verbal trainwrecks known as “Rickisms” abound.   Bubbles has become integrated as one of the main three. The get-rich quick schemes are now fully formed (or at least as fully-formed as they ever get on this show) and Lahey is a total fucking drunk. Season 2 sure hit the ground running with full confidence and skill.

TPB12_0002Yes, I used the word skill — to execute dialogue off-the-cuff like this and create such lovable characters out of criminals takes skill. The execution of this show is such that they make it look easy. I once heard it said that you have to be really smart to pull off a really dumb character.

Once again, Ricky and Julian have returned from jail.  Once again, the park has changed for the worse.  Lahey’s drunk and in neglect of his duties as trailer park supervisor.  As a consequence, the park has turned to shit.  Sam Losco (who lives in a camper, not even a full trailer) is seeking to be elected the new supervisor.  This would be very bad for Ricky and Julian.  With drunk Lahey around, it’s easy for Ricky to grow dope.  Sam Losco won’t make it that simple for them. New character Barb Lahey (Mr. Lahey’s ex-wife and owner of the park) and Treena Lahey, played by newcomer (!) Ellen Page add a new element to the show.

Since Lahey’s drunk out of his tree, it’s the perfect time for Ricky to start growing dope again (“Freedom 35, boys!”). All is almost derailed by some greasy Bible pimps, some dope-eating insects, new antagonist Sam Losco, and once again, Cyrus.  Other schemes this season involve J-Roc’s illegal night club in the trailer park, which does not go according to plan.

Lots of DVD bonus features are included, and the best one is the Tragically Hip video for “The Darkest One” starring the boys and Don Cherry! Great song. Lots of alternate and extended takes are included, and as an easter egg, the very first Bubbles short called “Cart Boy”.

The only negative thing I have to say is regarding the packaging. My case broke the day I brought it home, and so did those of some friends of mine.

5/5 stars

Winner – Best use of a crane shot in a music video – 2003 LeBrain Music Video Awards

REVIEW: Sloan – peppermint (1992 EP)

SLOAN – peppermint (1992 murderecords EP)

I’m not a big fan of early Sloan.  I rarely listen to the first album Smeared (haven’t played it in years despite having two great singles on it).   I don’t really get into Sloan until their second album, the magnum opus Twice Removed.  I didn’t like them back then in 1992 at all; Sloan were the enemy.  A bunch of glasses-wearing short-hairs who pouted and didn’t play a lot of solos.  The antithesis to what I liked; and the Canadian embodiment of the kind of thing that was killing off my kind of music like a cancer!

So there’s that.  Listening to the peppermint EP today (I even hate that the title is all lowercase) still doesn’t do much for me.  “Underwhelmed” is an outstanding song, but this early slower version is just a patch on what it would later become.  I do like its lyrics, even though it contains these lines:

She skips her classes and gets good grades,
I go to my courses rain or shine,
She’s passin’ her classes,
While I attend mine.

Taken out of context, kind of lame; but the song is actually quite clever lyrically and one of their finer achievements.

Patrick Pentland’s “Sugartune” is catchy but not outstanding.  “Pretty Voice”, sung by Jay Ferguson is also one of the better tunes.  This one did not make the album Smeared for whatever reason.  It’s the first really fast upbeat song, and it has a bit of a tasty guitar riff to it.  It’s just recorded so damn muddy, as is all of peppermint.  And that’s my biggest obstacle to liking this EP.  It boils down to the sound.

Even though the band themselves are noisy and enjoy guitar squeals and feedback at this early stage, it’s not captured on tape. Instead there’s this dull roar of 90’s sounding guitars, without a lot of distinction.  I can hear bits and pieces of coolness and even genius, but only buried under the morass of the mix.

I even dislike the 90’s-indie cover art.  Boring.

2.25/5 stars