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TCB Debriefing 7/7-7/20: Bob Newhart, Emmys Noms, Hulu Comedy Specials

1. R.I.P. Bob Newhart, 1929-2024. Never forget that Newhart had the first #1 Billboard charting comedy album with The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart. Honestly, can’t remember the last time that happened since then.

2. Noms for this year’s Primetime Emmys were announced this week, which saw Ryan Gosling get nominated for breaking a bunch of times on SNL and The Bear getting a record number of nominations as a comedy with almost no comedy in it (don’t get it twisted– it’s a brilliant, astounding, paradigm shifting sort of show). Thank goodness What We Do in the Shadows got nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Their honors are long overdue.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES NOMINEES:
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Palm Royale
Reservation Dogs
What We Do in the Shadows

Full list of Emmy noms here.

3. Hulu, alongside Amazon, is gunning for Netflix’s big comedy fish, which, this week, includes Bill Burr and Roy Wood Jr. At one time, getting an HBO special was the gold standard for comedians, then it shifted to a Netflix special. The time for some new standard might be nigh.

4. Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson (who we hope you would have seen in Under the Skin) take a different approach to facing off in A Different Man, the latest dark comedy from A24 and director Aaron Schimberg. This very well could be a hallmark episode of The Twilight Zone, but with what seems like a hilariously satirical twist. Please enjoy the trailer for A Different Man here, then look for it in limited release this Fall.

5. Inside Out 2, at $1.37 billion in global box office, is now the second highest grossing animated film of all time (Collider) only to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Don’t be surprised if it gets #1 and if Disney Pixar has to figure out how to do sequels that cover Riley’s college and early twenties.

6. Oof, what a time for Tenacious D to cancel a tour and put all creative endeavors on hold because Kyle Gass said “Don’t miss next time,” referring to the recent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, during a concert. It almost seems like they will actually have to legitimately come up with the greatest song in the world to fix this mess.

7. Rachel Bloom‘s high concept comedy special, “Death, Let Me Do My Special” is going to find it’s way to Netflix (Variety). It’s kind of criminal that Bloom has gone this long without top billing after Crazy Ex-Girlfriend went off the air.

8. Star Wars, one of the most popular franchises of all time, went anime and now it’s Rick and Morty, one of the most popular animated franchises in the 21st century. Thursdays at midnight, starting on Aug. 15th, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith will be a bit more stylistically animated and probably even zanier with this anime bent to the series from Takashi Sano. Adult Swim will be airing both English and Japanese language versions. Take a gander at the trailer here.

9. Futurama just keeps Futurama-ing (perfectly skewering the present time thousands of years in the future) and we like it that way. Peep the trailer for season 12 here, due out July 29th on Hulu.

10. The one and only Margaret Cho has just been bestowed the Vanguard Artist-in-Residence at Joe’s Pub that will allow her to handpick and personally curate a fair chunk of programming at one of NYC and NYC comedy’s most cherished stages (THR). Maybe this’ll lead to Cho opening up her own venue at some point?

11. There’s quite a bit major reshuffling in LA comedy theaters over the last couple of weeks. The Ledge Theatre in LA is coming to a close at the end of this month with The Pack Theater relocating from The Broadwater in Hollywood to their current space in Los Feliz. There’s a lot of dust to be pardoned here, but make sure to go support the Ledge while you still can and patronize the Pack when it gets up and running just a few doors down from The Clubhouse.

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12. Variety announced it’s first Comics to Watch line-up that would have to forego a victory lap at JFL Montreal. Hats off to this year’s picks Asif Ali, Ralph Barbosa, Jackie Fabulous, Rachel Feinstein, Tina Friml, Troy Iwata, Preacher Lawson, Leslie Liao, Nathan Macintosh, and Saul Trujillo, all comics that you have probably seen on TV more than a few times already or come up endlessly in one of your social media feeds.

13. Those missing Darcy C’Arden and Will Forte on the reg, fret not, as they will be the stars of a dramedy following a tanning business gone out-of-control called Sunny Nights (Deadline). One tiny detail is that it’ll be streaming on Aussie streamer, Stan, so, umm, you’re going to have to find a way to get access to that.

14. Jennifer Lawrence is staying in the comedy lane with Why Don’t You Love Me? (Indiewire). It’ll be from A24, so, as a comedy, you can count on reality probably being bent in some way shape or form (and we’re here for it).

15. Upcoming Tubi comedy series, Z-Suite (has nothing to do with zombies unfortunately), possibly sounds like a PG-rated update of The Lord of the Flies (Deadline) with Gen-Z’ers suddenly in charge at a NYC ad agency.

16. We’ll leave you with this: Mr. Show might play differently with Jay Johnston with being a Jan. 6th insurrectionist.

TCB Debriefing 8/3/23: Dicks: The Musical, Rap Sh!t S2, Carmen Christopher, Leslie David Baker Office Spin-Off, Conan Remembers Paul Reubens

August 3, 2023

News

a24, aaron jackson, carmen christopher, conan o'brien, dicks the musical, hbo max, josh sharp, leslie david baker, paul reubens, rap sht, the office

1. In what will be one of A24’s boldest releases yet (except for Everything Everywhere All At Once), and that’s still a high bar to clear, they are doing their first musical and they’re making damn sure it’s rated R. Thanks to the wickedly sharp humor of Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp and the directing talents of Borat’s very own Larry Charles (and managing to have Megan Thee Stallion and Nathan Lee in the same movie), 2023 might be the year with Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Dicks: The Musical. Get your first taste here, then look for its release on Sept. 29th.

2. Due to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike still not being over, Issa Rae’s latest dramedy, Rap Sh!t, will now be premiering Nov. 9th instead of next week (Deadline). In its place, get ready for way more reality TV on HBO Max that you didn’t ask for.

3. Carmen Christopher who brilliantly blends being dry, absurd, and hysterically aggressive is setting to go on big ol’ North American tour from the end of this month all the way to the end of the year. Do not miss out on his Waverunner tour whether or not it’s close to where you live or not (go get tickets for a city near you here).

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4. At one point in time, Leslie David Baker, often known and celebrated as Stanley Hudson from the American version of The Office attempted to crowdfund a spin-off that would center around Stanley. After years of delays (and the double strike), Baker has opted to refund all his backers on Kickstarter (Deadline). When Tinseltown is all back up and running, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this project get revived again, perhaps even without needing to be crowdfunded.

5. Conan O’Brien remembers and pays tribute to Paul Reubens on the latest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. He also reminds us all that Reubens was amazing even he was not being Pee Wee Herman.

6. One day, a Trump joke will feel as dated as Nixon joke. We only hope that, somehow, America/the world got better enough where either won’t be relevant anymore.

TCB Debriefing 7/21/23: Harley Quinn S4, Barbie Previews Best of 2023, Solar Opposites S4, Rick & Morty, Problemista, Danny Masterson

July 21, 2023

News

a24, barbie, greta gerwig, harley quinn, julio torres, justin roiland, problemista, rick and morty, solar opposites, that 70s show

1. Harley Quinn, over 3 seasons, has managed to give a hysterical redo to a character that Margot Robbie has already mastered in live action DCEU. It’s one of the most subversive and raunchiest animated series on TV and season 4 is just around the corner. Take your first gander at the fourth season with this trailer, then look for it to stream exclusively on Max starting Jul. 27th.

2. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie scores the best previews box office best all year thus far with $22.3 million take between Wednesday and Thursday (THR). Going from Lady Bird to Little Women to Barbie, could Gerwig follow the roads of Richard Linklater or Steven Soderbergh and put her stamp on nearly every film genre possible? If that happens, we hope her body of work still ends up being mostly comedy because she’s really damn good at that.

3. Solar Opposites gives a more extended look/listen at/to Dan Stevens replacing Justin Roiland as one of the principal aliens on the show, Korvo, and being fully self-effacing about the whole thing. To be honest, it’s kind of really working for us. See for yourself with the season 4 trailer here, then look for the premiere exclusively on Hulu come Mon. Aug. 14th.

4. Speaking of replacing Justin Roiland in things, Rick and Morty are just going to cast soundalikes and not try to justify a whole character/voice change (THR). Knowing that many of the unprecedented amount of episodes that have been ordered and written and have yet to be animated (along with their still being a WGA strike right now), that’s probably the best choice. Best of luck to whomever will have to deal with Rick and Morty‘s rabid fanbase.

4a. Oh, let’s not forget that there’s an anime version of Rick and Morty coming out from Japanese anime director Takashi Sano and Telecom animation. So far, Morty seems more heroic and Rick seems less drunk, but there appears to be just as much multiversal chaos as ever. Get your first look at Rick and Morty: The Anime here.

5. The highly anticipated a24 comedy/Julio Torres vehicle, Problemista, which had been slated for release in just a couple of weeks, has had its release paused due to the double strike (Indiewire). This is somewhat ironic considering there is so much in Problemista that highlights how hard it is to make a living being a creative (especially if you’re an undocumented immigrant).

6. Fresh off of getting convicted of sexual assault, Danny Masterson has been almost entirely omitted from That 70’s Show activation at Comic-Con (Deadline). Whenever they get to That 2020’s Show, they better write a joke addressing this.

6. Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan should do the next AMC screening pre-roll because of the wild popularity of Barbenheimer and it’s irrefutable display of the majesty of cinema as well as that Nicole Kidman one that been overplayed for awhile now (and people still keep gleefully clapping for it).

A24 Has Their Next Fantastical Comedy Lined Up with Julio Torres’ Problemista (Trailer)

May 26, 2023

News

a24, julio torres, problemista, tilda swinton

For 2022, A24 really pulled off some magic with having Everything Everywhere All at Once winning nearly everything it was nominated for and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On receiving heaps of critical acclaim and some awards wins as well. The exuberant imagination brimming through both comedies might be the tip of the iceberg with what lies ahead with their comedy slate including Julio Torres‘ already buzzy Problemista.

Just on paper alone, stand-out comedian and former SNL writer Torres made something eye-catching in his filmmaking debut, Problemista, that’s a magical realism/immigration/art world dramedy co-starring one of the greatest actors of our generation, the ethereal Tilda Swinton. Julio has dreamt up a story of an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador attempting to getting the right to work in the United States only to find that to be Sisyphean task guided/impeded by a manic art curator play by Swinton. Woven throughout are fantastical details and consequences such as immigrants vanishing from the face of earth if they don’t get their Green Card in order in an otherwise very grounded universe.

Otherworldly dramedy might just be A24’s forte and we’re on board for it. See all of this and more for yourself in the first official trailer for Problemista here, then look for it in theaters soon.

It Looks Like “You Hurt My Feelings” Could Be the Ensemble Comedy for 2023

March 21, 2023

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a24, julia louis dreyfus, nicole holofcener, you hurt my feelings

For 2023, powerhouse A24 is really honing in on comedy. It makes sense considering Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, the absurdist comedy sci-fi adventure they took a chance on distributing, had a historic awards season sweep.

In addition to the Netflix series BEEF that’s coming soon, a film festival favorite, You Hurt My Feelings, from indie auteur Nicole Holofcener, is another buzzy comedy with the A24 stamp set for release on May 26th. Boasting a very impressive comedy ensemble of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Amber Tamblyn, and David Cross, the film captures all the ways in which many folks lie or omit the absolute truth to the ones they love the most. It feels like such a Seinfeld-ian idea that it’s almost too perfect that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is starring in this latest work from Holofcener.

The just released trailer for You Hurt My Feelings has plenty of great morsels of this notion, which you might, like we have, play over and over. Enjoy it for yourself here until the film’s release just about two months.

Also, don’t be surprised if this is the tip of the iceberg for A24’s comedy slate this year.

A24’s Latest Will Be an All-Out Rage Feud Comedy Between Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in “BEEF”

March 16, 2023

News

a24, ali wong, beef, lee sung jin, netflix, steven yeun

A24’s riding high off one hell of an awards season right now. Between Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, The Whale, and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, the brand already almost did no wrong in the eyes of their fervent followers and probably feel even more vindicated now.

With that in mind, it’s a great time for A24 to introduce their newest project, a juicy revenge dark comedy series, BEEF, that gets as petty and off-the-rails as class warfare can get between two people who are really great at channeling rage into their performances, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Created by Lee Sung Jin (Undone, Dave, Tuca & Bertie), this series shows lots of promise, especially given the zeitgeist favors revenge-fueled phenomenons like John Wick and Succession.

Take a gander for yourself here with the official trailer here, then look for all episodes of BEEF to drop on Netflix come Thurs. Apr. 6th.

Enjoy Trailer for “Showing Up” a More Delicate Comedy About the Art World

December 19, 2022

News

a24, hong chau, kelly reichardt, michelle williams

When it comes to the art world getting sent up in comedy, Ruben Östlund’s fearsome satire The Square that won the Palme D’or at Cannes in 2017 is what comes to mind.

Beloved American indie writer/director Kelly Reichardt and A24 are offering up a more nuanced, more delicate humorous look into the art world (and how unnecessarily competitive it can be) with her latest work, Showing Up. Michelle Williams and Hong Chau (having a banner year between The Menu and The Whale) having a simmering rivalry as up and coming artists as well as, it would seem, neighbors. As such, the jokes will seem to be playing a lot with negative space, which we do have a penchant for.

Take a look for yourself with the first official trailer for Showing Up here.

Pick of the Day: An A24 Comedy & Drag Variety Show (in NYC) 5/22

May 6, 2022

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a24, club cumming, dot deville, drag show, freeda kulo, mary beth barone, miss Ma'amshe, nyc comedy, sarah ravel lazarus, zach zimmerman

While the big budget tentpoles are rolling out in earnest with things having reopened enough to abstain for continuous postponing, that doesn’t mean you have to take a break from appreciating and obsessing over the indie art house movies that usually take up all the awards consideration or, at the very least, the majority of non MCU film discussions.

If you’re the sort indie art house movie die hard that has A24 movies in your dating profile, you might want to be in NYC for the upcoming A24 Comedy & Drag Variety Show. Yep, you read that right; it’s a whole comedy/drag/variety show that will be themed in tribute to your favorite moody, artsy production house.

NYC drag queen Dot Deville and comedian Sarah Rachel Lazarus will be taking over Club Cumming on Sun. May 22nd at 7PM ET for one of the most high brow drag/comedy shows you’ve probably ever attended, especially with the likes of Mary Beth Barone, Freeda Kulo, Miss Ma’amShe, and Zach Zimmerman joining into this celebration of being a film snob.

Tickets are only $10 and you best go get them right now as space is limited.

Even Just the Trailer for Marcel The Shell With Shoes On Will Make Your Day So Much Brighter

April 5, 2022

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a24, dean fleischer-camp, isabella rossellini, jenny slate, lesley stahl, marcel the shell

Years and years ago, Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, and some of the most adorable stop motion animation we’ve seen since Chicken Run all came together to give the world the wondrous creation that is Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. No matter where you’re coming from, it was near impossible to resist Marcel’s innocent charm and perfectly twee persona.

All the way here, in 2022, Marcel still has kept his very genuine sweetness and hope and is embarking on a full length feature movie of an adventure. Fleischer-Camp and Slate reunited for the film and brought the likes of Isabella Rossellini, and 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl (to play herself). The cleverness of the documentary that has Dean following Marcel and his grandma (voiced by Isabella Rossellini) is irresistible and, despite the havoc of the world, had us heartily giggling (and subsequently very much excited to see this Marcel adventure).

Take a gander for yourself with the first official trailer for the Marcel The Shell With Shoes On movie here, then look for it in theaters on Jun. 24th.

Sofia Coppola Taps Bill Murray Once More and Rashida Jones for Latest, “On The Rocks”

August 19, 2020

News

a24, apple original, bill murray, on the rocks, rashida jones, sofia coppola, trailer

One of Sofia Coppola’s breakout works in her filmography is Lost in Translation that also ended being one of the more iconic roles for Murray following a career of iconic roles. Thusly, it wouldn’t be the only the twain should collaborate on something. Coppola ended up doing a Christmas special a few years ago centered around Bill Murray, A Very Murray Christmas, which was a definite departure from Murray wandering as one of the most famous people in the world in Tokyo. Now, Coppola’s latest film, On The Rocks, pairs Bill Murray with Rashida Jones for a father-daughter dramedy that follows a marriage between Jones and Marlon Wayans that might be exemplary of the title.

From the trailer, it would seem that there’s some sort of continuation of some spiritual/emotional arc of Murray’s Bob Harris from Lost In Translation with Murray’s role here; a quest for redemption via preventing similar mistakes that he made with love from happening again. It might be far fetched to call it a spiritual sequel, but it’s undeniable that there’s a niche that both Coppola and Murray fill in for each other. Throwing the comedic nuances of Rashida Jones and Damon Wayans (seemingly in more low key role than usual) makes for an atypical love triangle we’d really like to see.

Look for yourself in the trailer here.

On The Rocks is set to come out on Apple TV + in October.

TCB Debriefing 7/7-7/20: Bob Newhart, Emmys Noms, Hulu Comedy Specials

TCB Debriefing 8/3/23: Dicks: The Musical, Rap Sh!t S2, Carmen Christopher, Leslie David Baker Office Spin-Off, Conan Remembers Paul Reubens

TCB Debriefing 7/21/23: Harley Quinn S4, Barbie Previews Best of 2023, Solar Opposites S4, Rick & Morty, Problemista, Danny Masterson

A24 Has Their Next Fantastical Comedy Lined Up with Julio Torres’ Problemista (Trailer)

It Looks Like “You Hurt My Feelings” Could Be the Ensemble Comedy for 2023

A24’s Latest Will Be an All-Out Rage Feud Comedy Between Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in “BEEF”

Enjoy Trailer for “Showing Up” a More Delicate Comedy About the Art World

Pick of the Day: An A24 Comedy & Drag Variety Show (in NYC) 5/22

Even Just the Trailer for Marcel The Shell With Shoes On Will Make Your Day So Much Brighter

Sofia Coppola Taps Bill Murray Once More and Rashida Jones for Latest, “On The Rocks”

Ramy Youssef Signs Overall Deal With A24

Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray Meet Up Once Again for ‘On The Rocks’ Co-Starring Rashida Jones, Which Will Also Be the First Apple x A24 Film

A24 Is Screening Eighth Grade at 100 Schools for Free This Month

Bo Burnham and A24 Are Having Free Screenings of Eighth Grade So Kids In and Around Eighth Grade Can Go See It

Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade Is Hands Down One of the Best Coming of Age Movies of the Year

Trailer for Never Goin’ Back Hints at a Great Indie Teen Comedy/Debut for Augustine Frizzell

Watch Trailer for Bo Burnham’s Writer-Director Debut “Eighth Grade”

Look for Eighth Grade in theaters on July 13th.

Lady Bird Is Definitely The Best Coming of Age Comedy This Year (and Is Expanding Nationwide This Weekend)

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird Has Best Limited Opening of 2017, Will Expand Nationwide on Thanksgiving Weekend

Jon Daly and Gil Ozeri’s Short Film “Men” Shows Toxic Masculinity Getting Its Well Deserved Comeuppance

Greta Gerwig Looks to Have Cooked Up Something Special for Her Writer/Director Debut “Lady Bird”

Lady Bird starts rolling into theaters on Friday, November 10th.

See James Franco Channel Tommy Wiseau in Teaser for “The Disaster Artist”

A24 Is Giving a Theatrical Release James Franco’s Comedy About the Making of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, “The Disaster Artist”

20th Century Women to Donate 5% of Revenue to Planned Parenthood This Weekend

Mike Mills Has Made a Spectacular Follow Up to Beginners with 20th Century Women