Saturday Double Special: Zak Toscani Live in Portland [Stand Up] + Same Boat [Film]

Hello Folks, and welcome to another Saturday Double Special. As we are all doubling up on the content we are taking in these days, we are excited to share with you two incredible collection of moving images that I know you are going to love oh so damn much.

First off, we are so excited to talk about a brilliant half hour set (27 minutes if you need to be a dick about it) from our dear friend and past guest Zak Toscani. It’s been just over a year since we had Zak on the site, and we have continued to follow, and love, his work since then and definitely before. Zak has continued to make audiences laugh with his brilliant observations and self-realization that could arguably considered a bit too harsh on himself, but that’s obviously the point. He’s poignant and profound in his act and I simply cannot say enough good shit about his work. He’s a wordsmith as well. “There is no love where there is no obstacle” is a quote from Zak that I truly adore. Especially since it is about frozen pizzas.

Zak, like so many other great comics we have had on the site (including a lot of his friends), is continuing to attempt to entertain audiences during this extremely weird as time and has something incredible to share with you all. Back in January, Toscani returned to his old stomping grounds, our beloved former home base, of the Pacific Northwest, PDX proper, and gave an absolutely phenomenal performance. In absolute seriousness, it is one of the best half hours I have ever watched. I hope with all of my heart that one day I will finally get to see this shit live. Word for word, I know I would laugh myself into hysteria. It’s that damn good.

So what does a stand up set from January have to do with Zak’s attempt to keep us laughing? Well, recently he publicly announced that he would like to share this set with the world.

And being the humble man he is, if you simply ask him to check it out, he’s probably going to give to you for free. But, I implore you all to shoot him a couple of bucks via Venmo (unless you live in the UK where they refuse to acknowledge this fabulous service, the bastards) or PayPal (way to think internationally PayPal!), or however you are able to send funds to a brilliant comedian who simply wants to make people laugh and also afford to purchase the canvases known as frozen pizzas.

We are living in some sort of strange simulation right now, so let’s roll with that shall we? If you were able to roam the streets of Portland, Oregon for a night, you may wander into Helium and drop 10-15 bucks (I’m honestly spit-balling here, because I’ve been to exactly one comedy club, ever) to watch a wonderful comedian give their brilliant observations of the world. Well, it can still happen! You’re just at home, in your pajamas, watching comedy. How great is that? I honestly can think of nothing better. Except maybe actually going to a show, as I mentioned earlier, but it’s not an option so let’s make the best of it.

So, how can you watch Zak’s incredible stand up? Simply hit him up on TWITTER. And don’t forget to ask for payment information, and pay what you think is fair or whatever you are able to spare. And of course, if you are simply broke as fuck but need the enlightenment, Zak is likely to simply hand it over to you being the perfect gentleman that he is. But, if you can spare a few bucks, I implore you all to do so.

Enjoy!

One of my favorite moments in TV history. Past guests of the site Mike Mulloy, Zak Toscani, Sean Jordan, and David Gborie, showing their support for their friend Ian Karmel before his set on The Late Late Show. This has no context to anything, I just really wanted to to exist on our site as well.

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“James is a time travelling assassin from the 28th century sent to 2018 to kill a woman, but when his intern gets sick and he loses his paperwork he has some time to kill, so to speak, while enjoying the cruise he accidentally falls in love with the woman he’s supposed to kill. Same Boat is a film about duty, love, friendship, and how kindness is more powerful than destruction.” – October Coast PR

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If I am being 100% honest Folks….I was very hesitant to watch this one. I can’t quite explain what exactly it was about the description of the film that was turning me off, but I definitely put off checking out for a while. And let me tell you all, I have made some terrible decisions in the past. Big ones. I once shot myself in the foot with a BB gun to prove a point. And I am confident enough to sit here and tell you all: THAT wasn’t even as dumb as putting off viewing Same Boat. Not only is this film one of the best I have watching this year, it may be a new all-time favorite comedy.

To reiterate a comment I previously made about Same Boat this week in an interview we did with Josh Itzkowitz:

I would never compare Josh’s work directly to anyone in particular, as his whole style seems to be coming up with something highly original. I may “liken” it to a bit of a strange genre of sci-fi that might have an origin linked (at least in my mind), to a guy like writer/director Charlie Kaufman. It’s that type of science fiction that takes an idea that is futuristic and exciting, but focuses more on the human reaction elements to a bold stance. A time traveling assassin who travels hundreds of years into the past to kill a woman but can’t because of the power of attraction? That’s on par, if not superior in my opinion, to how humans would react to living in a celebrities head for 15 minutes or fighting against time in your head to stop the erasure of a loved one from your memory while Hulk and Kristen Dunst dance on top of you.

Same Boat is an absolute gem of a film that I am certain you will be hearing about here at TWS in the future. Director/Leading Actor Chris Roberti shines in the film, as does Tonya Glanz and the whole damn cast. What we have here is an amazing collection of hilarious individuals portraying wonderfully written characters that steal the show with every moment they appear before us. Seriously, I feel the need to shout them out individually, as it truly feels like lightning caught in a bottle. Evan Kaufman, Katie Hoffman, David Bly, Leah Rudick, David Carl, Julia Shonberg….EVERYONE! You were all incredible, and thank you so much for what you are giving the world in these desperate times!

So Folks, if you are looking for a bit of an escape from reality, I can not recommend Same Boat enough for your viewing pleasure. Get on it Folks!

Same Boat is available now VOD wherever you purchase great films.