Weekly Comedy: Leslie Nielsen Rises from the Grave

Not a whole lot out this week, unless you’re really excited about yet another Ice Age movie. Which you really shouldn’t be. At all.

DVD

Monty Python: Almost The Truth – Easily the highlight this week, IFC’s 6-part in-depth and surprisingly candid documentary featuring all of the remaining Pythons (although it is a little strange to continue referring to them as “the remaining Pythons” considering only one of them is dead and according to this doc, it’s a shock he lived as long as he did). Interviews with a huge range of comics and comic actors are included; everyone from Simon Pegg to Russell Brand to Ricky Gervais to… OK so it’s mostly British comics but still, pretty fascinating stuff. Definitely worth a rental, or catch it in reruns on IFC.

Whatever Works – Woody Allen’s latest attempt to wring comedy out of a creepy May – December romance, featuring Larry David doing his best Larry David impression. Sounds like fun, right? This thing got pretty mixed reviews, but many said it was the best thing Allen’s done since Match Point, so who knows. Oh, and for the record, the poster for this is awful.

Adult Swim in a Box – This is a pretty odd box set; kind of a “best of” Adult Swim seasons (ironically missing Venture Bros., the best show on the network). You get: Aqua Teen Hunger Force season 2, Space Ghost Coast to Coast season 3, Moral Orel season 1, Robot Chicken season 2, Metalocalypse season 1, and Sealab season 2. It’s kind of a motley collection of episodes, but I suppose someone at Williams Street just cherry-picked what they thought were the best seasons they had. Probably makes a good gift for.. uh… someone who loves absurdist humor but somehow doesn’t own or hasn’t seen any of these.

Stan Helsing – Someone exhumed the corpse of Leslie Nielsen for this tired, sad-looking horror spoof about a video clerk who does battle with parody versions of famous movie monsters (Freddy, Chucky, maybe some Critters or Ghoulies show up, who gives a shit). This thing went straight to video, so yeah, now you know.

This Week in Late Night: Tumbleweeds and Crickets Edition

The dog days of summer continue with yet another super-light week. At least Conan’s back on; Fallon and Ferguson both have another week off.

The highlight of the week is likely Robin Williams and Bobcat Goldthwait on Kimmel this Wednesday, promoting their awesome movie World’s Greatest Dad, which if you have not seen you must see.

LETTERMAN

8.25 Eugene Levy
8.26 Jim Parsons
8.28 Artie Lange

CONAN

8.24 Bill Maher

KIMMEL

8.26 Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait
8.28 BJ Novak

CHELSEA LATELY

8.24 Bryan Callen, Mo Mandel
8.25 Chris Franjola, Dan Levy
8.26 The Sklar Brothers, Gary Valentine
8.27 Kevin Nealon, Brad Wollack, Ross Matthews, Jeff Wild

Aaaaaand since it’s such a light week, you should be sure to amuse yourself with this particularly fantastic episode of Adult Swim’s Fat Guy Stuck In Internet, featuring Matt Besser and Timmy from Whitest Kids U Know.

The Drinky Crow Show - "Beer Goggles"

The Drinky Crow Show
Airing on Cartoon Network as part of Adult Swim
Appearing at the prime viewing spot of 12:15am on Sunday night (actually Monday morning)
Episode 1: Beer Goggles

Tony Millionaire is someone you may have heard of. If you haven't heard of him, then you are missing out on someone who makes well-drawn, aburdist comics called Maakies that mostly involve a drunken crow and a filthy ape and their disgusting adventures during the 19th century. This means you are missing out on a lot.

Now, for the second time ever (the first being a bunch of SNL shorts in the 1990's) the exploits of Uncle Gabby and Drinky Crow are animated on the Adult Swim series The Drinky Crow Show.

The animated show captures the art and wit of Tony Millionaire pretty well. The animation appears to be three dimensional computer animation that still captures the style of the Maakies comic strips very well. The story lines are completely bizarre, which captures the style of the Maakies comic strips very well. Will the average Adult Swim viewer bite, though? That remains to be seen.

The premiere episode involves Drinky Crow being depressed after losing his girlfriend. Uncle Gabby instructs him to lower his standards, and when that doesn't work, Uncle Gabby tells Drinky Crow to cut his eyes out and replace them with the almost magical "Beer Goggles" which make the entire world seem upbeat and beautiful. Now in a fake but overwhelmingly pleasant world, Drinky Crow is deleriously happy about everything, to the annoyance of Uncle Gabby who tries to keep Drinky Crow out of harm, but fails, and Drinky Crow blows the world up.

After the world is blown up, Drinky Crow is still happy and has sex with the Earth itself. The Earth gets pregnant and somehow everything turns out happy. Well sort of. Hard to tell.

I think it's fantastic, myself. The completely bizzare adventures of Drinky Crow and Uncle Gabby that often meander into the grotesque is just the sort of thing I want to see on television, and it appears to have been delivered. If this show does not survive another season (which it's very late Sunday night viewing time does not help) I can only hope that it appears in a reasonably-priced DVD box set. Perhaps there's a little suicidal Drinky Crow in all of us.