• Remember “Crashing” on HBO? That Pete Holmes show that depicted what starting in stand up was allegedly really like in New York City? If you were at least a little bit interested in comedy from 2017-19, you had an opinion on it. I was in the camp that found the show endearing, if a bit flawed. Anna and I joke about the show’s divisive legacy occasionally and we got a big laugh out of the idea of her telling me the plot of the show as a bedtime story. So, we made it a reality and shot the thing. I made an ill-advised choice to wear a kangaroo costume that a coworker gifted me a few years ago to show how childlike I am in the sketch; it comes off a bit weird but I like it. You don’t need to have seen the show to get the bit here- we spell it all out for you and it’s only two minutes. Would love to hear your thoughts on this one if you have two minutes to spare. Link below.
• Comedy can be great at a number of lengths. An hour of comedy is typically a great marker that you’ve made it and found your voice as a comedian. It sounds distinguished and substantial. Also, a TikTok like the “Da Vinky” video (Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about) can be just as satisfying a morsel of humor. Still, the idea of a perfectly timed comedy show where 100 comics do a single minute is certainly an enticing idea. Todd Montesi, the mastermind showrunner, put together the performers allowing them to do their 60 seconds and cutting them off as soon as their time was up to keep the thing running smoothly. Hosted along with co-producer Harmon Leon, the production felt like a buffet of comic tastes where some chose to work on longer form chunks (if you consider a minute long), others did tried and true strong material and some just went weird staying silent for 40 of the 60 seconds. I went the route of trying to jam in as many one-liners as I could (“Thank you, this is my longest set of the year”) and I blew through seven of them with varying degrees of success. Just reminded me that comedy is meant to be slow and steady. Even the guys in the Da Vinky video take their time to get to the unintentional punch. If you’re at all interested in watching this madcap show and seeing a number of comics you’ll recognize, the link to the show is, yes, in the comments.
• Now for a slew of TV shows, movies, podcasts and a magazine recommendation before you’re on your merry way and you can leave this “See More” manifesto:
“Detroiters” (2017-18): I am going to make a controversial comedy statement that I’ve been too afraid to go public with for too long- I think “I Think You Should Leave” is just OK. Some sketches are great but a lot of it feels stage-y and overly silly and didn’t do a lot for me (the Will Forte screaming baby on the airplane sketch is an undisputed classic though). So, I went into this beloved sitcom with tempered expectations. It completely swept me off my feet. In the pilot, our heroes, ad men Tim (Tim Robinson) and Sam (Sam Richardson) spend the night together overlooking the city of Detroit after a particularly rough day on the job. Turns out they’re waiting for the garbage men to drive by so they can shout genuine praise at them. They’re fans. The rest of the show is fun but this bit is absolute comedy perfection- joy and praise for the mundane without condescension felt perfect. We could all use cheerleaders at our jobs.
In its brief two seasons, we see the effects of gentrification on Detroit as a start up moves into the guy’s building in a bit that traded the show’s silliness in for actual commentary (they also point out Tim’s hypocrisy; he claims he’s from Detroit but he’s from the burbs) and a commentary on the sameness of commercials with integrity (“Stay Detroit Strong” seems to be all of their competitors’ slogans no matter the product in a particularly biting segment). There are many goofy jokes strewn throughout as well, none quite as sublime as the secret life of the aging secretary Sheila. She still gets around and vamps it up in the office in nearly every episode showing no shame for her age. Almost as hysterical is the newsman Mort Crim (who is a real-life Detroit anchor and Anna told me the inspiration for “Anchorman”) who records a lengthy anti-ISIS rant for a furniture company commercial for the guys. I ENDED UP LOVING THIS THING AND WISH IT WAS STILL ON THE AIR (Streaming on Comedy Central).
SNL with Chris Rock: Last night was the long awaited return for the show to the studio. It did disappoint. Yeah, I’ll say it. The show has always been at its best when it’s been mean and lean but now at 20 cast members, it has more bodies than it has ever had...in a time when we should be social distancing. To be fair, it is nice that Lorne is creating jobs when everyone seems to be getting laid off. I stayed for the end credits and only saw one name I didn’t recognize on the writing staff: Celeste Yim. I don’t believe there’s been any kind of formal announcement about her yet but I’m excited to learn more. Anyhow, let’s dig in.
Cold Open with Jim Carrey as Biden was less entertaining than the actual debate. There was a truly unnecessary Harry Styles cameo and while Carrey did nail Biden’s folksy, easy to anger demeanor, it played a bit too slapstick like Carrey circa 1995. Baldwin was tamer than the actual Trump and the whole thing struggled to compensate for the fact that the real news is that Trump is in the hospital. Rock’s monologue that followed was full of platitudes found in change.org emails (Presidents shouldn’t have four year terms! Agreed!) which are nice but felt a bit safe for our pre-eminent social satirist (I think he’s the best around). The sketches themselves were mostly stinkers but I did love the Kyle Mooney-led “Future Ghost.” Well-realized jokes about how short sighted we are regarding the future (when Kyle sees himself in 2020, he doesn’t care about the virus just how cool the graphics are in his Tony Hawk game) are scary in how accurately they capture our values as selfish beings. Major shout out to Megan Thee Stallion too for her visually adventurous appearances and strong message complete with voiceovers from Malcolm X and Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron (the latter wasn’t in Cameron’s favor). The whole show needed that level of urgency. Here’s hoping Pete Davidson’s “King of Staten Island” co-star Bill Burr brings it next week (Streaming on Hulu and probably Peacock).
“Haunted Mansion” (2003): One of those movies I wanted to see in theaters 17 years ago and then somehow, it’s a Saturday night and I’m watching it on my couch. The film is fairly complex and intense as far as Disney films go and only sporadically captures the fun scares of the ride itself. We begin with a bit of wordless exposition seeing a murder was staged within said haunted mansion long ago. Flash forward to 2003, real estate mogul Eddie Murphy is invited to the spacious scare sanctuary with his picture perfect family and things start going sideways when they meet stoic butler Ramsley (a never better Terrence Stamp) which leads to scares and their true meaning for being at the mansion. It’s KIND OF “The Shining” for kids but with ham fisted life lessons about being scared and force fed exposition. The movie operates at its absolute best when it feels like we’re on the ride with ghosts appearing from all angles, disembodied barbershop quartets singing whatever they’ve just heard and a jumpy underwater sequence when skulls appear out of nowhere. Plus, there’s a “Sixth Sense” “I see dead people” joke that probably felt groan-worthy in 2003 but enough time has passed in 2020, that it made me laugh. I understand why this didn’t turn into a billion dollar franchise like the Mouse corporation most likely envisioned a la “Pirates of the Caribbean” (there’s no Jack Sparrow to latch onto here- the leads are real estate agents) but it’s directed somewhat deftly by Rob Minkoff, the director of the original, animated “Lion King” and he gets away with characters saying “Hell” and “Damn” in a Disney film. Plus, you got Wallace Shawn being Wallace Shawn. THIS IS A PERFECT INTRO TO JUMP SCARES FOR KIDS (Streaming on Disney +).
*I never do this because it’s so irritating but I actually have a better idea for this movie. Imagine if “Haunted Mansion” was about a family that went to Disneyland and all the rides became haunted versions of themselves. Forget the trappings of an invented world- just throw tourists into Disneyland making it a haunted version of itself. Seems so much more fun.
Carry on.
“Knuckleball” (2012): Sorry, I love baseball documentaries. This one, cross-cutting between the legend Tim Wakefield and at the time phenom RA Dickey doesn’t have a whole lot to say other than these guys found a way to baffle batters with an unconventional pitch. Perhaps, something about the resilience of marching to the beat of your own drum? There are well-edited sequences and amusing anecdotes shared with past knuckleballers Charlie Hough and Phil Niekro (they golf and drink wine together in perhaps the most staged hang sesh ever committed to celluloid) but this is a bit of a puff piece. ONLY FOR BASEBALL FANS (Streaming on YouTube; link in comments).
WTF with Cecily Strong: Strong, who I covered on “Good One” last week is making the rounds on the podcast circuit for her Emmy nomination. This pod, she’s a bit more open covering her depression and being arrested in high school. Also, learned about her going to Cal Arts with Alison Brie and how she made a concerted effort to do more physical bits on SNL which she does execute with aplomb. Still, listening to someone as a guest on a podcast twice in a two-week span is a bit tiresome as there is a bit of overlap.
WTF with Barry Levinson: This is a greatest hits podcast that will be fun for anyone that likes behind the scenes stories of the pictures. I didn’t know Levinson directed “The Natural.” I didn’t know the stories behind “Diner.” I didn’t know how Dustin Hoffman got into character on “Rain Man.” It’s fun, breezy and full of stories you didn’t know you needed.
• For the holidays last year, Anna bought me a subscription to the UK-based film rag Empire Magazine after I caught an issue by chance in a library. If you’re a film nerd, I don’t know of more engaging, nerdy writing about cinema out there. I anxiously await each new issue and tear through them. Sure, this feels like an ad but if you’re looking for writing outside the internet and miss the days of magazines being sent to your mailbox, I can’t recommend this enough. The only downside is that some of the reviews are a month or two behind US releases because it is UK based. I think it adds to its charm.
We’re less than a month from the election now. Every time I write one of these, I think to myself, I wonder what the world will be like in seven days? Other than when lockdown hit, this week was the biggest change with the fate of the Presidency in jeopardy.
Times are wild and can’t wait to see what this week brings.
TTYL
01.) A Comedian Goes To Sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSEVJohLMtE&list=PLoBsCsHJsKMrx6cuZ4Se8CQ_QBfOUcJ5U
02.) Todd Montesi Show: https://www.facebook.com/596857377/videos/10158697243662378/
03.) Knuckleball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjzqUx30mos
04.) WTF with Cecily Strong: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1161-cecily-strong
05.) WTF with Barry Levinson: http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1160-barry-levinson
06.) Empire Magazine: https://www.empireonline.com/
