My mind is melting away... by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
1/04/2012
When the cast of Jersey Shore goes to Italy, they take a little of Jersey with them. And the birthplace of the Renaissance might never be the same. While embracing all that Florence has to offer -- great art, food and wine; cobblestone streets and gelato -- they've managed to remain true to who they are. There's plenty of GTL, fist pumping and hair gel -- it's just a little funnier when it's in a foreign country.
Italy is invaded by the Jersey Shore, and the country will never be the same. This 4-disc set includes all 12 episodes, plus the reunion and bonus material.
Disc 1 (2:43:59)
Going to Italia (40:13)
Like More Than a Friend (41:17)
Twinning (41:12)
Crime and Punishment (41:17)
Disc 2 (2:44:37)
And the Wall Won (41:03)
Fist Pump, Pushups Chapstick (41:07)
Meatball Mashup (41:07)
Where is my Boyfriend? (41:20)
Disc 3 (2:45:22)
Three Men and a Snooki (41:16)
Damage is Done (41:18)
Situation Problems (41:25)
Ciao, Italia (41:23)
Disc 4 (42:00)
The Reunion (42:00)
Video
This is a matted widescreen release (it's a 1.33:1 image with bars on the top and bottom to make it widescreen), which means you'll have black bars surrounding the image on a widescreen TV. It's always hard to review these MTV reality shows because of the way they're shot, and the cameras used. Most of the shots look great, but you'll still come across shots that are filled with noise, especially ones shot with little light. Each disc contains a "play all," and this season they placed a chapter after the opening of the show, which allows you to skip over the "previously on..." segment, as well as the opening titles.
Audio
It's a basic stereo audio track for this release, except it's VERY LOUD! I don't know what happened here, but I had to watch these episodes at half the volume I watch everything else at. Episodes are closed captioned, and if the dialog is hard to hear the show has burned-in subtitles so you don't miss anything. As the front cover of the set indicates, this is "Uncensored"... for the most part. There are still some instances of censoring, but the majority of the words are uncensored. I can't imagine watching the show on TV, as the kids swear a lot, and the constant beeping would drive me insane.
After Hours (1:04:16)
"And the Wall Won" (21:32)
"Meatball Mashup" (21:12)
"Three Men and a Snooki" (21:32)
Jersey Shore: From the First Fist Pump (40:53)
A look back on the entire series.
Deleted Scenes (33:10)
18 deleted scenes, no "play all."
Jersey Shore: Fashion (4:27)
Pauly D and Deena show off some of the clothes they bought in Italy.
Confessionals (14:35)
Watch 8 confessionals... without a "play all."
Louie & Joey (6:12)
This was the most painful thing to watch. Louie and Joey were funny for 5 seconds.
Summary
I can feel brain cells die every time I watch this show, but I just can't look away... I can't. I have to keep watching to see what situation "The Situation" will get himself into, which castmates will fight each other, how long Ron and Sammi can go before their relationship explodes again, and what trouble a drunk Snooki will find herself in. It's like a massive car crash that you just can't look away from. Yes, I know some (or all) of the show is fake, but sometimes it's fun to shut off your brain and watch something that's completely mindless. Jersey Shore is either mindless entertainment, or entertainment for the mindless... you decide.
