‘A Serious Man’ trailer, ‘I Am So Proud of You’ comes to DVD, season 3 of one of the best shows on TV approaches, and new games and comics featuring our favorite superhero.

Most film buffs would agree; a new Coen Brothers movie is always something to get excited about. Despite a few missteps now and then (and this from a guy who even liked Intolerable Cruelty), they’re guaranteed at the very least to deliver a unique vision. No other films quite look or sound like the Coen Brothers’ work. One might think that after an Oscar nod for No Country for Old Men, and a more star-studded turn in Burn After Reading, they’d be tempted to veer away from the eccentric style that’s won them such fan loyalty.

The recently released trailer for A Serious Man knocks those concerns right out of your stupid head.

Right on the verge of more mainstream success, they release this: a strange, sad story of a man who’s losing it. Obviously it’s hard to tell much from a creatively-edited two minute teaser. But what we do get to see doesn’t signify a pedestrian film, or even one that’s simply good storytelling with their own brand of quirky characters on the level of an O Brother or Fargo. This looks like full-on hyper-real misanthropy in the style of Barton Fink, with maybe a little bit of Lebowski weirdness thrown in. Can you imagine Falling Down as envisioned by the Coen Brothers? I can, and it fascinates me. We’ll see how it ends up on October 2nd.

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One of the people Under Culture will continuously champion is animated short film-maker Don Hertzfeldt. His simple pieces have a wonderful mix of humor and humanity, especially for stories conveyed primarily in stick figure form, and it’s a shame that there are so few places to see his work. I was lucky enough to catch a special live tour in the fall of last year, during which he screened his full catalog. As the finale he also debuted his latest, I Am So Proud of You. The vision, voice, and even craft of his films is something entirely his own, so they’re definitely worth tracking down if you can.

A task made easier now that I Am So Proud of You is coming to DVD, available later this month.

The sequel to his previous Sundance Award-winning film, Everything Will Be Ok, Proud follows the further travails of its terminally ill and frequently hallucinatory main character, Bill. This time, his death isn’t the only one addressed, with darkly comic trips back to his ancestry and childhood filling out his life story.

Hopefully some day, at the very least, you’ll be able to find these films on Netflix (OK is at least available on the Animation Show Vol 3 compilation), but until then DVD or live shows are the only ways to catch the follow-up. Pre-order now, and you can even get a piece of the original film reel as a collector’s bonus. It may be a case of paying a little more than you’re used to for a film that’s only 20 minutes long, but you’re supporting a totally independent creative mind who deserves all the help he can get to keep making these movies. Don’t miss out.

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An easy choice for personal favorite on last year’s Best Of list, most fans should already be aware that Mad Men comes back for season three in just over a week (Sunday, August 16th). If you haven’t seen this show yet, shame on you. You only have a week to catch up with the cool kids on the turmoil of Don Draper.

For those just looking to get ready for a new season, check out AMC’s list of most shocking Mad Men moments to get back in that priceless mood of malaise. (via Pop Candy)

Personally, I would have had at least one addition/modification to this list, specifically involving the last shot of last season showing Pete Campbell sitting alone in his office holding… well, I won’t spoil it for you if you’re still catching up.

If all your friends haven’t already, don’t forget to have a go at making your Mad Men self too. I gave mine a fun little hat, and the obligatory cocktail. If only my real self could drink in the office…

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Finally, to fulfill our quota of mentioning Batman at least once every dozen posts, don’t forget that what could be the first good Batman game ever made comes out this month.

If you can’t wait to give it a try, the free demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum is available for download this week on PS3 and Xbox 360. Mine is waiting at home to be played something like 20 times over the weekend.

Speaking of Batman, and not only to rehash things we’ve covered in this space already, another big event happened this summer, and now it’s available in deluxe trade paperback form.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, a supposed ‘death of Batman’ special miniseries, was released last month.

After this, no more Batman comics will ever be released. That’s it, done. Dead.

Yeah, right. Of course these superhero deaths never stick, so this could be considered a pointless story. However, this one was written by comic legend Neil Gaiman, and the issues span a myriad of art styles by Andy Kubert, paying tribute to all the eras of the Batman mythology before the unthinkable happens. Or does it? You won’t find any spoilers here, because sadly I have yet to go pick up a copy at my local comic book shop.

If you’d like a peek though, the NY Times does have a five page excerpt to tickle your Bat fancy.

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Final notes:

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter our The State DVD contest, which ends Monday at midnight. The signed poster could be yours!

Also, apologies for the lack of podcasts. We tried to record one recently and the audio files were corrupt and unusable, so the next episode will have to wait another week or so. Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon with plenty to talk about, and until then, you can always comment or email us with any questions or potential topics for the next show.