Nina Conti: Her Master's Voice [HD]

"Problems of the Self" Examined by Artificial Others
While my ventriloquism-loving friends either laughed at the crudeness of Jeff Dunham or sang along with Terry Fator, I found myself pursuing the sheer quirkiness that is Nina Conti. Despite having released at least three shows on DVD, being featured in a Christopher Guest film, and being a regular both at comedy shows and in Youtube clips, true fame has eluded Conti, though I'm hopeful that her first solo film project here will give her greater North American recognition. As is her style, Conti uses her documentary to balance spontaneous humor and genuine human emotion for a sometimes-uncomfortable, always-entertaining tribute to her deceased mentor and spiritual center of the piece, theater maverick Ken Campbell.

The gist of the "story" here is that Conti,...

HER MASTER'S VOICE Is A Brilliant Exploration of Life to the Fullest
I'll admit that I've always had a bookish interest in ventriloquism. It's not that I've ever wanted to give it a go - my failure to walk and chew gum at the same time practically insures I'd be nothing short of inept at manipulating a puppet, making it speak, and not moving my lips. Rather, I've always had an interest in acting. Ventriloquists master the unique challenge of creating not one but sometimes many personalities - the artist and the various dolls - and imbuing all of it with charm, wit, and performance grace. As someone who, in his youth, did some minor theatre productions, that's no easy task to do once; can you imagine having to do it simultaneously?

HER MASTER'S VOICE AND THE LEGACY OF SIX BEREAVED PUPPETS is a brilliant mockumentary entirely of Nina's design. When we join her, we find out that she's begun questioning herself and her career choice. At the onset, she's decided that, perhaps, it's time to hang up the puppets, put ventriloquism behind her,...

Different but acceptable
This was different than what I was expecting. It doesn't have the standard emphasis on humor, but it was still interesting. If you are just looking for laughs this isn't for you, but if you love the "vent" industry and the people in it than it's worth your time.

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