Web Series Review: California Roll

Denyc & Victoria Hogan

Web Series Review:  "California Roll"

Bottom Line Up Front:  Although it's raunchy and low budget, "California Roll" is so hilarious that I can hardly wait to see Season Two, which is in development.  This comes as no surprise
to me, because our previous interview with Denyc, the writer, producer, and star of "california Roll," is, in my proud opinion, the funniest interview LA Libertad has ever published since its first issue in June, 2012.  Denyc' is the funniest interview I have ever read, for that matter, with the possible exception of a certain interview with Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr.

"California Roll" is written and produced by Denise Poole, also known as "Denyc."  Season One is complete, with thirteen episodes, which Denyc screened at a red carpet event in Santa
Monica, California, on Friday, July 25, 2014.  By attending this event, I had the privilege of watching all thirteen episodes in sequence, as well as the opportunity to write this review.

I found "California Roll" repulsive and disgusting, yet so entertaining, it reminds me of Clerks 2, in which Rosario Dawson's character states, "I'm disgusted and repulsed and... I
can't look away!" 

Perhaps the most disgusting scene is when an elderly make-up artist, played by Mary Shellster, spits on a sponge and rubs it on Denyc' face.  The "fine" art of make-up is among one of the
most hazardous indulgences in Hollywood, similar to piercings and tattoos.  There is no telling whose make-up or ink, and bodily fluids, the brushes or needles have been diped in, yet no one seems to think twice about letting strangers poke or inject them with brushes and needles used on numerous actors and models, one right after the other; this practice is more nauseating than double-dipping the trail mix, nacho cheese, guacamole, and salsa at sports bars! 

For some inexplicable reason (perhaps great acting), I laughed most at the scene at the end of the "Saving Stephen" episode, when the co-starring characters, played by Denyc, and Victoria
Hogan, try to save Stephen, played by Chaz Kao, in an intense drama reminiscent of the one in which John Travolta's character stabs Uma Thurman's character in the heart, in Pulp Fiction. 

I'm not sure why, but this scene had me laughing so hard my ribs felt as if they were going to split, well into the following episode!

These webisodes are based on what it's like to pursue success in Hollywood, mostly in a car. 

People in the entertainment industry often live in their cars in Hollywood, a common practice which Jay Leno and Tom Hanks resorted to, early in their careers.  Even people who live in houses and apartments in and around Hollywood, usually feel as if they are living in their cars, thanks to L.A.'s notorious traffic jams, and all the wide, open space it occupies.  For people such as these, "California Roll" is like a series of inside jokes - incredible, yet believably realistic, and only one, thin layer above a reality show. 


View Denyc' teaser at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_oMoLp3aOs&feature=youtu.be

Review by William Mortensen Vaughan