TCB Debriefing 10/27/23: Albert Brooks, Joe Kwaczala, Welcome to England, Dead Guy
1. Even those comedy purists that are self-appointed guardians of the label “comedy legend” cannot deny the legendary status of one Albert Brooks. Thus, a documentary on the groundbreaking comedy visionary is more than called for and thank goodness it’s coming in the form of Albert Brooks: Defending My Life from director/friend Robert Reiner. Take your first gander with the trailer here, then look for it on HBO/Max on Sat. Nov. 11th.
2. Have no idea when the next season of I Think You Should Leave is going to come out? Fear not as Joe Kwaczala’s Funny Songs & Sketches can (and very much should) be your fix for carefully honed and precisely engineered tomfoolery. Kwaczala really lets his imagination run wild on a sonic canvas and that includes the “perfect” country song, hyper specific, very personal commercials, and even a behind-the-scenes sound byte of the “best” actor of all time. With that said, please enjoy Funny Songs & Sketches on repeat wherever you get your comedy albums.
3. Ava Pickett, writer on The Great, is moving from historical dark comedy in Russia to England in the 10th century. Sky Studios is indeed developing her medieval comedy series, Welcome to England (Deadline). To get in the mood, maybe binge through the first season of Blackadder.
4. Thanks to an interim strike waiver, a dark comedy starring the likes of Michael Shannon, Judy Greer, Eva Longoria, and Luis Guzman just wrapped under the helm and pen of Courtney J. Camerota (Deadline). Called Dead Guy, the movie will, of course, follow a dead guy, specifically one that just died, being passed around by neighbors who don’t want to be associated whatsoever with his death. An inverse on the premise of Weekend at Bernie’s? We’re game for that.
5. We’ll leave you with this: As anti-comedy actually still is comedy, does any other art form accept attempts at its antithesis?