Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed

One of the most unique standup comics working today, Lewis Black employs seething rage as shtick: at any given moment he seems to be the angriest guy in the room. Gritting his teeth, bellowing with a raspy voice, and jabbing his fingers in the air, Black delivers jokes with a snarl, not a smile. While everything is grist for his sarcastically satirical mill, Black takes a special delight in skewering politicians, and during the course of this 75-minute performance (taped before a live audience at Washington, D.C.'s Warner Theatre) he targets the Bush administration in general and Dick Cheney in particular, while also opining on the media obsession with Terry Schiavo and FEMA's fecklessness in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. An extremely gifted and dynamic performer (and regular visitor on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show), Black is at his profane and provocative best in this sidesplitting special, which was originally broadcast on HBO. DVD extras include five brief featurettes on topics ranging from Black's tour bus to outtakes from a promo spot in which Black delivers an anal probe to an ailing Uncle Sam. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (E. Hulse)