TCB Debriefing 12/14 & 12/15/23: Blair Socci, Poor Things, Carol and the End of the World, Critics Choice/Spirit Awards/Black List, You’re Dating a Narcissist
1. The voice and the attitude alone make Blair Socci the sort of comedian that you can’t ignore, whether you’re paying for two drinks to sit at a cramped comedy club table or hanging in the back as a comedian. Socci’s delightful cartoon-esque voice and penchant for unfiltered truth are kind of a perfect comedic contrast. In her first hour special, Blair goes in hard on the follies of men, the Disney hegemony versus Only Fans, and, of course, the crime that is the existence of Triscuits and we’re willing to bet that you’d enjoy even if you’re the target of the joke because Blair is just that undeniably funny. Thank goodness a crisp, minimalist special Live from the Big Dog (even though it was shot at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room) is here to give the shine that Blair has deserved for far too long. Blair Socci: Live from the Big Dog is streaming on demand on Veeps. Peep it here.
2. To say something is Yorgos Lanthimos‘ most ambitious work to date is truly saying something considering landmark dark comedies The Lobster and The Favourite are also in his filmography. Yet, Poor Things boldly stands tall and dreams as absurdly big as possible, highlighting everything beautiful and grotesque in truly being alive (a la being reanimated by a obsessive surgeon), especially as a woman in 19th century Europe, or a pastel colored, dreamy nightmare version of it anyway. Emma Stone delivers yet another performance of a life time as Bella Baxter and Lanthimos sagely utilizes the talents of comedians Ramy Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael for the 2023 comedy that will stick with you, having you stew about all of it’s incisive and fiery commentary on, well, everything in life/society/culture/existence for weeks (and probably months) after the credits roll. Poor Things is playing in limited release now and opens wider on 12/22. Oh, you probably won’t hear a more unique score in any other movie this year thanks to Jerskin Fendrix.
3. Martha Kelly could very well be the voice of us all in the impending end times (and the lead voice in the Dan Guterman Netflix animated series Carol and the End of the World–get your first look here; due out Dec. 15th)
4. All hail Barbie and American Fiction for nominations at The Critics Choice Awards and Spirit Awards coming next year. Honorable mention for Poor Things and Bottoms as well. Comedy is running real strong this awards season.
5. Whole bunch of clear cut (and often dark) comedy in this year’s Black List, the annual list of the best/most popular unproduced screenplays, including the top script which follows a rescue dog suspecting his owner is a serial killer, Bad Boy by Travis Braun, and Alex Kavutskiy & Ryan Perez‘s super meta High Concept. Peep the whole list here.
6. Marisa Tomei, Sherry Cola, and Ciara Bravo are starring in an upcoming rom-com that hones in on a psychologist trying to talk a daughter out of marrying a narcissist, aptly called You’re Dating a Narcissist (THR). The marquee trio is enough to peak interest here, but the atypical rom com structure has us colored very intrigued.
7. We’ll leave you with this: OK everyone, how much longer are we going to woo and cheer for Nicole Kidman during the AMC pre-roll? It’s getting tiresome, especially if it’s coming right before something like Godzilla Minus One.
