TCB Debriefing 8/4/23: The Pod Generation, Asteroid City, Ziwe’s black friend Essays, Russell Howard
1. It almost comes as no surprise that there are a number of high concept sci-fi dramedies coming our way soon since Black Mirror has been such a cultural milestone for years. Already, there’s the very trippy Landscape with Invisible Hand and, also due out very soon, will be Sophie Barthes‘ film festival hit The Pod Generation. From the trailer, one sees Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor navigate trying to have a child in a future where every baby is a test tub– er, egg tube baby. Full disclosure, when we first heard the title, we thought this might have something to do with podcasts. Look for The Pod Generation in limited release next Fri. Aug. 11th.
2. Also this next Friday, Wes Anderson‘s hysterical, madcap, brilliant, incredibly self-aware comedy Asteroid City will be streaming on Peacock (Deadline).
3. You’ve seen the iconic IG Live legend, Baited, as well as the iconic Showtime series adaptation, and, hopefully, her live on stage (probably somewhere in Brooklyn). Now, you can get an iconic book from the one and only Ziwe aptly titled, black friend Essays. Since Paramount idiotically brought Ziwe on Showtime to an end, this book is required reading. Pre-order now; get it Oct. 17th.
4. One of the UK’s best comedy exports, the effervescent, yet shrewd Russell Howard, is back on the road (note: he was one of the handful of comedians that actually pulls off a gigantic global tour). Howard just announced a good ol’ U.S. of A. (East Coast and some of the Midwest to be accurate) tour running from Oct. 4th-22nd. Get tickets here.
5. Some comedians, when dismounting, use the past tense when referring to themselves (e.g. I’ve been [name of comedian] rather than the existential present tense. Is this an indicator that they’ve played more of a stage persona than their actual selves? We think about this at every single stand-up show we watch.
