Weekly Comedy: The Patton Oswalt Blitzkrieg

It’s all Patton all the time this week, plus some pretty damn good DVD releases

(and one of questionable taste)

(OK maybe not questionable taste)

(I’m referring to Scrubs season 8)

(Scrubs is a blight on this Earth of ours)

(if you’re a big Scrubs fan kill yourself)

(okay maybe don’t kill yourself but you should reconsider the life you’re living, especially the part where you’re a big Scrubs fan)

(Scrubs is terrible)

IN THEATERS

Big Fan – Okay, so this isn’t really a comedy, but it’s the directoral debut of the guy who wrote The Wrestler and stars everyone’s favorite comic Patton Oswalt (who’s having the best week ever!) as an schlubby obsessive sportsfan who winds up in a pretty dark predicament. There is apparently some comedy in it but it’s mostly an exploration into the psyche of fanatical fans and even gets into some existentialism. Sounds hilarious!

But seriously it’s supposed to be excellent, so if you’re in one of the 2 cities it’s playing this weekend check it out. Otherwise, it’ll probably get a wide release next month.

DVD

Adventureland – One of the best movies of the year and a fine, fine dramedy in the fine, fine tradition of Freaks & Geeks. Great performances all around here, especially Martin Starr. If there were an Oscar for “Best Portrayal of an Adult Nerd Drifting through Life filled with Ennui”, Martin Starr would be a shoe-in. Also present are Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who are great in everything, including this. It’s at least a must-rent.

Sunshine Cleaning – A “black” comedy – meaning it deals with dark or disturbing themes, rather than being a Tyler Perry movie – featuring the ever-chipper Amy Adams and the delightful Emily Blunt, who run a business cleaning up crime scenes once the cops are done. I haven’t seen this yet but it’s at the top of my Netflix queue and had a ton of positive buzz coming out of Sundance.

Scrubs Season 8 – You know those Cottonelle toilet paper commercials with the talking Golden Retriever puppy? Zach Braff is the voice of that puppy, and he’s clearly trying really hard to sound “cute”. I hate Zach Braff – mostly for the odious Garden State – but the “cute voice” he’s doing for that puppy makes me hate him even more. And all of that is on top off the fact that I already hated Zach Braff because he’s in Scrubs, which is not a good or funny show.

CD

Patton Oswalt: My Weakness is Strong – Obviously the blockbuster release this week. When you buy the CD you get the DVD of his Comedy Central special for free, which is a sweet deal considering it can be had for just 10 bones. Look for the full Comedy is Dead review this week!