Watch Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity For Free

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The acting in this movie is really good.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Coming to you from Washington, D.C., this is Jeff Dunham's second comedy special and the guy is simply a blast. No pun intended there considering Achmed the Dead Terrorist pretty much takes the term literally. Achmed is joined by Dunham's regular stable of suitcase pals - old curmudgeon Walter, Melvin the Super Hero, Peanuts and Jose, Jalapeno on a Stick. It's quite difficult to catch Dunham move his lips while voicing the characters, every once in a while you'll notice, but otherwise he's got the ventriloquism gig down perfectly. Notice the fan reaction to Dunham's routine, you have people in the audience who double over from the snarky comments of his characters and his precise comic timing. As an aside, did you ever see a picture of Walter and former Vice-President Joe Biden side by side? The resemblance is uncanny.

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to stand-up comics, but I don't think I've ever laughed harder at a single comedian than Jeff Dunham. The guy is a master. Watching his shows is a non-stop ticket to comedy heaven, and the acts do not get any less funny when watched repeatedly.Jeff Dunham brings back some of his most popular puppets (Walter, Peanut, and Jose Jalepeno), and brings on two new ones (Achmed the Dead Terrorist and Melvin the Superhero Guy). Walter, my personal favorite, is funnier than ever. I was laughing so hard that I could hardly breathe. Unfortunately, Dunham brought back his weakest puppet, Peanut, who's worse than before. In "Arguing with Myself," Peanut boasted a few laughs. Here, he nearly brings the show to a dead stop. Dunham needs to take the hint and get rid of this irritating Muppet-wannabe. Have the somewhat funnier Jose the Jalepeno pair up with another puppet. Or better yet, get rid of him as well and bring back a funnier doll, like Sweet Daddy D.His two new puppets are more successful. Achmed the Dead Terrorist is Dunham's most famous puppet, and there's a reason for it: he's hysterical. The inept ex-suicide bomber is almost as funny as Walter. Dunham risked a lot by putting such a controversial character into his show, but Dunham is never insulting to anyone (except terrorists).Less successful is Melvin the Superhero Guy, but he can generate a few laughs. The big-nosed superhero isn't as funny as Walter or Achmed, but he's a lot more entertaining than Peanut.The director, Michael Shannon, isn't as good as "Spark of Insanity's" Manny Rodriguez. Shannon frames Jeff and his puppets pretty well, but his sense of comic timing needs fine-tuning. Fortunately, Jeff is funny enough to not let this ruin the jokes.If you thought "Arguing with Myself" was funny, don't miss this one!

Dunham has to be one of the funniest comedians working today, and note I didn't specify just as a ventriloquist. Having said that, I have to pause for a moment to reflect on something: Achmed the Dead Terrorist is hysterical, and it's probably better to laugh at your enemy than fear him, but I think Dunham pushes the envelope a little too far with this character. Ditto Jose Jalapeno. I am amazed Mexicans haven't risen up in revolt, except they have no voice yet in America. Jose reminds me of Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez character or for that matter, the Taco Bell dog. Or even Speedy Gonzalez and his siesta-loving buddies. So maybe Dnham is the equivalent of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or Lisa Lampanelli, both of whom also push the envelope to the point of discomfort -- even while they have me bending over in spasms of laughter. But it's easy for me, a white, English-speaking, Christian male, to laugh at what in truth is thinly veiled racial humor. Imagine Achmed as a Jewish moneylender or Jose as an Italian organ grinder. Not so funny now, huh? Characters like Walter and Bubba, on th other hand, are right out of the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy days, although I don't think I ever heard Bergen's puppets get that rude. Peanut is another matter entirely. One way or the other, I believe Dunham is a truly gifted performer even if his humor does get pretty vexsome. The guy is pulling in $30 million a year, so he must be doing something right. Someone here has suggested characters like Achmed and Jose Jalapeno are simply playing on American ignorance, which is exactly what Borat does. But I'm not so sure this is true in Dunham's case.

This is the 2nd DVD of Dunham's shows, and I wish we could rate higher than a 10, since the 1st one is a 10 and this DVD is even better. We chanced upon these from a DVD rental service where you can watch some movies for free, and have never laughed so hard or for so long. There are a variety of characters, and the audience is able to relate to at least one of Dunham's "friends." Dunham first comes out doing a stand-up routine, which of course each character manages to work into their routine when they are brought out later. You get the sense that these are not puppets but actual beings. Want even more laughs, head to youtube and check out the bloopers.