Book Review: Miscreants, Murderers, & Thieves edited by Samuel W. Reed

Miscreants, Murderers, & Thieves is a unique collection of short stories celebrating the distinctive styles of thirteen emergent independent authors from across the United States, as they reinterpret and reimagine the concept of crime using their personal artistic voice. From doctors with a taste for the macabre to cat burglars who would rather give than take, this collection offers something…

teehee for two          Placevine.com

"Invention with Brian Forbes, presented by the dynamically droll duo of David Beeler and Tom Konkle, is as dry as a Dean Martin martini (i.e. you just wave the bottle of Vermouth over the glass of gin), with a twist of Monty Python and a dash of Benny Hill, i.e., it's very, very British, in a retro sort of way. This series of short two man comedy sketches even features a 1970s sensibility in its color palate and fashions, which surely must be a deliberate tribute to its obvious source of inspiration. It's basically a "talk show" regarding a variety of topics involving intellectual ingenuity, all presented with their tongues planted so firmly in the cheeks it's amazing they don't mumble. The format - roughly described as conversational skits- is definitely an acquired taste, but if you like your humor dished up with a layer of sophisticated silliness on a platter of understated irony, you'll enjoy what the sly sort of satire they're serving."

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pulling boners the hard way          Placevine.com

"Safety Geeks is yet another winsome, winning comedy series from the talented twosome of David Beeler and Tom Konkle, this one an ensemble effort chronicling the exasperating exploits of the P.O.S.H. (Professional Occupational Safety Hazard) team, in both 2 and 3D! The fact that they're basically a bunch of well-meaning but hopelessly incompetent misfits is the basis for their bumbling series of moronic mishaps, which all prove quite counterproductive to their professional mission statement. The troupe's over-the-circus-top antics, which include ribald riffs and goofy gore in the spirit of Monty Python, either rub your funny the bone the right or the wrong way, but there's no denying their seemingly endless supply of inspired inventiveness."

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3 "Clinks" for Invention! (Out of 3)          Those Video Guys

The UK Web TV reviewers, Those Video Guys, have high praise for "fellow Brits, Dave & Tom"

"I'm laughing just thinking of them. That's how funny they are."              "What a great way to spend 5 to 10 minutes just watching funny sketches."            "The  caliber of the cast and writing... they've worked with some of the greats. You can't deny the actual caliber of the writing and acting."            "It's great to see two British comedy actors sticking to their British roots doing that kind of humor you would have expected from a Python."            "They reminded me of Fry & Laurie.... it has that surrealness."            "Brian Forbes, a great show and a lot of fun! Cheers to Dave & Tom!"

click here for full review

Procedural à la Python: On SAFETY GEEKS: SVI – The WEB TV Movie              Web to Watch

"It definitely exemplifies Dave & Tom’s credo:  “silly comedy for smart people.” "All the actors do a really good job. Their performances are quirky and consistent. So much delicious awkwardness." "a unique environment. It lent its self to humor you normally only see in animated shows." "...most laughs came from non-sequiturs and witty one-liners, of which there are many." "Verdict: In the spirit of the show, it gave me a comedic erection. One that lasted over 8 hours."              

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Invention With Brian Forbes              93Studios Screening Room              - Steve Spaulding            

Bottom Line: The Internet is filled with sketch comedy, some of it good, most of it pretty painful, but rarely do you see a show that hearkens back to the best of Flying Circus while still managing to stay relevant. Invention with Brian Forbes is a dry, acid-tongued sketch web series that will leave you laughing from minute one.

Great writing, awkward pauses and strong acting ties Invention together making it a treat to watch.

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Webisode Clack - Safety Geeks: SVI              Clique Clack              - Brett Love

"The creators have described the show as “a nice mix of surreal Adult Swim humor with a Monty Python take on CSI, Missing, Without a Trace, NCIS etc..” While I hesitate to compare anyone to Monty Python, because they are legends, that description is well stated. The show is very funny, full of one-liners, and often flying off the rails into the completely absurd. If you’re an Adult Swim or Monty Python person, it should be right in your wheelhouse."

"The actions of the team range from odd, to stupid, all with huge helpings of cheese. And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s all great fun to watch."

"That cheesiness also extends to the look of the show. Clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into the effects used, and they take on a quality that I would call fantastically bad. That’s not bad in the sense of not being good. It’s bad in the sense that many of the effects are so cheesy that they are almost as absurd as the story we’re watching. To that end, they fit perfectly, and just add to the experience."

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Safety Geeks: SVI              93Studios Screening Room              - Steve Spaulding

"Raunchy, wacky and filled up to the brim with one-liners, Safety Geeks SVI is an object lesson in High Camp and a real must-watch for anyone who likes their comedy with a great, big dollop of outrageousness."

"Safety Geeks SVI has some of the best special effects I’ve seen in a web series."

"All in all, this is a show that deserves your attention. It’s timing, sense of humor and overall feel put it on the list of top tier web comedies."

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             Safety Geeks: SVI              VisioWeb.tv              - Alec Corday              "...mainstream appeal with its one-liners, non-sequiturs and black humor."  "Much of the humor derives not so much from safety and lack thereof but from the wacky characters played by seasoned actors all around."  "hilarious... a lot of fun...."  "Very much noteworthy is also the execution of the show."

click here for full review            

Invention with Brian Forbes              VisioWeb.tv              - Alec Corday

"...outrageous inventions that will leave you ROFLing..." "...inventions so out to lunch, they could only have come from the brilliant minds of two Anglophiles, Dave & Tom." "The acting is superb and the simplicity of the settings rely solely on the writing… no fancy sets or props. It’s the jokes and the actors who carry it along. And it works. We’re dealing with professionals and there is no questioning that."

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Webseries: Invention with Brian Forbes              Pink Raygun              - Melissa Voelker

"...hilariously loony ...consistently funny" "This series is very well written." "The two leads play off each other very well and together they make a great comedy duo. It was really easy to watch each webisode back to back and not lose interest. And I continued laughing until the very end, which proves that this show handles its simple but funny concept really well."            

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Safety Geeks: SVI - Entertainment Review              MyNerdGirl.com>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>              - Sidney Cozzaglio              

"It's witty and mindless all at once."

"I would say this show was definitely made by fans of the likes of Monty Python, Shawn of the Dead, and Robot Chicken."            

"It is silly. I can think of no better word to describe it. The 'over the top' situations and characters poke fun at shows like CSI and, I think, The A Team and the archetypes we find in modern crime dramas.  This show is the sort of thing that Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin did in the 60's and 70's (with) Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies."            

I have to agree with their flier. If you like shows like Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, or even Spaced, and movies like Blazing Saddles and National Lampoon's European Vacation you will likely enjoy this web show."

click            here for full review

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Web TV Review: Safety Geeks: SVI                        BLOGCRITICS VIDEO                         - Mary K. Williams

"new and edgy comedy...funny stuff"

"similar in sensibilities to Family Guy or Adult Swim content (read funny, but un-PC adult humor)"

"the right mix of cool and goofy."

"They bring the funny in a very geeky but delightful package and make this reviewer impatient for more."

click              here for full review

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Dave and Tom Send Up CSI in ‘Safety Geeks’              Tilzy.TV>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>              - Ana Hurka-Robles

"The team’s website boasts an impressive array of of video content."

"Safety Geeks:SVI appears to be Dave and Tom’s bid for the big leagues."

"The tone is old-school British sketch comedy in every way, combining the silliness of Monty Python with the innocently naughty Boobs ‘n’ Underwear humor of Benny Hill."

"Dave and Tom have proven skill at taking down the self-serious..."

click              here for full review              

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Eye-on-Lesser-Known-Web-Series                LG15 Today

"Thunderbirds meets Larry from OSHA by way of CSI."

"stars memorable actress Brittney Powell in a bust out role..."

click              here for full review

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Dave & Tom's Online Comedy              NewTeeVee>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Editor's Rating:              - Julia Diddy

"It’s nigh impossible to discuss Dave & Tom without invoking England’s mighty Monty Python."

"...this double act plays like vintage Flying Circus..."

"...comedy writ large with an almost swashbuckling sense of wordplay and whimsy."

click              here for full review              

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           The Archaeology of Comedy            BLOGCRITICS MAGAZINE               - Mary K. Williams

"Archaeology of Comedy is a great discovery in the world of humor."

"Where have Dave and Tom been hiding themselves?"

"superb writing and comedic acting"

"Beeler is charming"

"Konkle is completely brilliant"            

click              here for full review              

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Dave              and Tom in              GOOD NIGHT:

BACKSTAGE              WEST              -Polly              Warfield

"...creme de la              creme of comedy."

"Wittily penned              and performed by David Beeler and Tom Konkle..."

"These              two are worthy successors to the comedy mantles of the greats..."

click              here for full review

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L.A.              WEEKLY            -              Paul Birchall

"...gleeful              and quick-witted..."

"...intense              and tightly honed..."

"...writer-performers              David Beeler and Tom Konkle capture the geniality and goofiness              of the late, great masters..."

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Dave              and Tom in Lester McFwap:

THE              HOLLYWOOD REPORTER            -              Rich Mintzer             "One of the most promising up-and-coming troupes..." "The well educated, Monty Python-influenced quintet offers              a more cerebral approach, bucking the improv-based norm with carefully              scripted routines that move beyond the day's news."  

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             L.A. WEEKLY            -              Terry Morgan               "Surreal, intelligent and very funny."                

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                             THE              NO HO NEWS              -Rick              Parsons               "I have seen the future of sketch comedy and it is in very              capable hands." "Put simply, Lester McFwap (is) the best sketch comedy group              I've seen live in Los Angeles. Their show called 'Hold for Incontinence'              was some of the funniest written and brilliantly performed comedy              I've seen live since Monty Python played The Hollywood Bowl."               "Clearly, the near capacity audience loved Lester McFwap..."               "This group deserves to find an outlet for their obvious talent              as sketch performers and writers." "Fans of Monty Python and Peter Cook can rest easy, Lester              McFwap is the American invasion poised to continue the tradition              of classic sketch comedy."                

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                                           THE              COMIC BIBLE              -              Maryann Piero               "If sketch comedy is your forte, these guys are a must see.              With their own twist added to a Pythonesque style, Lester McFwap              portray the embodiment of intelligent humor for everyone. Always              a hit, their collective goal is to make people laugh and I'd say              they've more than reached that plateau..."                              

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                             THE ENCINO NEWS            -              Penny McGuiggan               "It's an intellectual, absurdist, and stylized comedic approach              to some cerebral material...it works!"                              

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                                           THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE              -              Marc Savlov               "By far the most intellectual comic entourage I'd seen in just              about forever, the group (four men, one woman) relies heavily on              the 'so stupid, it's genius' formula honed by early-seventies Brit-wits              such as Peter Cook and the Monty Python gang." "By far the most intellectual comic entourage I'd seen in just              about forever, the group relies heavily on the "so stupid it's              genius" formula honed by Brit-wits such as Peter Cook and the              Monty Python gang...worthy of a gold medal for originality...inspired...a              good time was had by all."

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Dave              and Tom in Beyond the Fringe:

What's Being Said of SAFETY GEEKS: SVI:          

"It definitely exemplifies Dave & Tom’s credo:  “silly comedy for smart people.” "All the actors do a really good job. Their performances are quirky and consistent. So much delicious awkwardness." "a unique environment. It lent its self to humor you normally only see in animated shows." "...most laughs came from non-sequiturs and witty one-liners, of which there are many." "Verdict: In the spirit of the show, it gave me a comedic erection. One that lasted over 8 hours." >>>>>>>>>>-  WEB TO WATCH 

"I hesitate to compare anyone to Monty Python, because they are legends, that description is well stated. The show is very funny, full of one-liners, and often flying off the rails into the completely absurd. If you’re an Adult Swim or Monty Python person, it should be right in your wheelhouse."  "It’s all great fun to watch." >>>>>> full story           - Brett Love, CliqueClack.com

"...mainstream appeal with its one-liners, non-sequiturs and black humor."  "Much of the humor derives not so much from safety and lack thereof but from the wacky characters played by seasoned actors all around."  "hilarious... a lot of fun...." >>>>>> full story  >>>>>>>>>>- Alec Corday, VisioWeb.tv