In this issue: A disappointing miss from some talented comedians and a big hit starring two guys from a little country.

Miss March

(R, Available Now)

Sketch comedy is hit and miss by its nature. For every instant classic on "Saturday Night Live," there are five complete stinkers and five more that would have been a lot better if they had quit at the two-minute mark instead of rambling on for eight.

For me, there have been three consistently great sketch comedy shows: Britain's "Monty Python's Flying Circus," Canada's "The Kids in the Hall," and now we Americans finally have one to call our own, "The Whitest Kids U Know." My DVD of the first season has brought me countless hours of laughter. Some sketches I've easily watched upwards of twenty times. Had it not been for the presence of two of the "Whitest Kids," Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore, I probably would have given "Miss March" a pass. As it is, I really wish I had.

"Miss March" tells the story of Eugene (Cregger), who went into a coma after a prom night accident, while his girlfriend Cindi (Raquel Alessi) waited for him upstairs. Unlike the rest of their classmates, Eugene and Cindi had remained abstinent up until the prom.

The next thing Eugene knows, he's being re-awakened by a baseball bat to the head from his best friend Tucker (Moore). Four years have gone by, and Eugene has some catching up to do. He wonders why Cindi isn't at the hospital with Tucker, who insists that Cindi has disappeared. That is, until Tucker opens up the newest issue of Playboy. Cindi is Miss March, sending Eugene's head spinning. His only chance to win her back is to have Tucker bust him out of the hospital and get to the Playboy mansion.

As thoroughly uninspired as this premise is (the story is credited to three relative newcomers), I had hoped that Cregger and Moore (who wrote the screenplay and co-directed) would be able to mine comedy from the characters and the road trip storyline. What they deliver is surprisingly unimaginative and many of the gags feel recycled. Only a few moments here and there work, the most notable being Tucker's awkward phone message to the enraged girlfriend he left behind...after stabbing her in the face with a fork while she was having a seizure. Mostly though, "Miss March" just falls down time and time again. It's a terrible shame. Anyone who has watched "Whitest Kids" knows how funny these guys really are, even if their acting skills aren't quite on par with their writing.

I hope that Cregger and Moore's next venture into film is far better than this. These guys have it in them. 3/10.



"Flight of the Conchords": Season 2

(Available 8/4)

When we last saw Bret (Bret McKenzie) and Jemaine (Jemaine Clement) they were reforming as the original lineup of Flight of the Conchords, one of New York's most popular New Zealand folk novelty bands. Meanwhile, band manager Murray (Rhys Darby) was taking Crazy Dogggz to the top. But being that this is Murray, he's not going to be there for long. When the rise of Crazy Dogggz comes to an end (due to their hit song being a blatant rip-off of a Polish song from the nineties) he must unceremoniously vacate his new mansion and return to his little office at the New Zealand board of tourism, holding band meetings during business hours. Thus begins the next round of absurd adventures for the little New Zealand two-piece and their loyal but inept manager.

McKenzie and Clement came out of the gate with a hilarious first season, but their skills as actors and sitcom writers have only improved in the show's second year. They're still giving us the same dry subtle humor against an outlandish backdrop. One episode shows what happens when they overdraw their checking account so each of them can have his own tea cup, while another illustrates the perils of "dissing" rappers in a song, in decidedly "Conchords" fashion.



Jemaine: Bret dissed a lot of people in that rap thing that he did.

Murray: Who were these people you were dissing? The only one I could make out was Snoopy! What's your problem with him?

Bret: No, Snoop Dogg.

Murray: Yeah, I know he's a dog, Bret. I'm not totally in the dark ages. I do go out every once in a while. But, Snoopy's lovable! Leave him alone.



All of this "dissing" prompts Bret to form the Tough Brets, a street gang whose toughest member is a man in his eighties.

Between forming gangs, Murray's endeavor to "kick things up a notch" with their friendship, and Jemaine dating--gasp!--an Australian, it's a wonder the guys have time to practice or play gigs. The truth is they really don't. But the ever loyal Mel (Kristen Schaal) loves the band all the same.

In its second season, the writing is even sharper and more characters are getting in on the singing, as each episode features one if not two full length music videos that integrate beautifully into the show. The number of successful musical television series can probably be counted on one hand (or possibly even one finger), making "Conchords" a rare and unique treat on TV today.

So sit down with some of your closest friends, friends of friends, co-workers, or strangers ("We're strangers now...It's gonna be awkward.") to enjoy the hilarious and refreshing second season of "Flight of the Conchords," New Zealand's funniest export since...well, their funniest export in a very long time.