Hi everyone,
Between all these dang festivals and the onset of summer, it’s a busy time, and boy do we need to laugh. How about you? Here’s what we’re looking forward to in May, as well as what’s made us lol recently:
Los Angeles
Welp, nothing big comedy-wise in LA this month…. JK JK. The Netflix is a Joke Festival is in full swing — and we’ll be doing full coverage in a dedicated post next week! In the meantime, here’s some initial reporting:
Netflix Introducing… was an incredible kick-off to the 12 day festival in LA. We were able to catch the earlier of the two tapings (which, we later learned from a few of the comics, was riddled with some audience issues/heckling that made the later show way more fun, at least for everyone onstage). Given that 2024 is a year with no New Faces, we were excited in particular to discover clear standouts like Dylan Carlino (former Austin’s Funniest winner) and Ryan Goodcase. Also worth noting for their distinct voices are Kel Cripe and Sureni Weerasekera (the only New Yorker on the lineup!)
New York
New Yorkers won’t want to miss co-headliners Moss Perricone and Jonathan Van Halem on May 18th at Union Hall. Moss has plenty of writing credits to boast (including Problem Areas and The Other Two), but Jonathan will be a welcome surprise to anyone who enjoys a good joke (or a particularly good story about Karl Rove).
For anyone who couldn’t make it to the Bell House for Newcomers in April — the full video is available to watch here. The lineup is chock full of unrepped talent — take a look!
This month’s coverage from The Lower East Side Film Festival:
Be Bad is a strong sketch about a new dad who realizes that his middle finger has been up in every photo he's ever taken. The jokes escalate perfectly and I was especially impressed with the originality of writer/star Rob Christensen's voice. An established stand up and writer, it feels like he may be due for a breakthrough in front of the camera.
The Retreat is a wild short about a writer on a winter retreat who finds himself in a series of increasingly bizarre encounters - from an unsettling hole in the ground to the omniscient cashier at a thrift store. Check out writer/director Emmett Kerr-Perkinson, who is an established cinematographer (Theater Camp) - his experience shines here in the the strong execution required to pull off an ambitious idea. This one got huge laughs.
Sleeping Alone is a comedic thriller following a young woman from the city as she attempts to enjoy a night of housesitting in her friends' countryside home. I was very impressed with the filmmaking - the pacing is right on, and the tonal balance between comedy and horror is played perfectly, with both legitimate laughs and thrills. A cameo from the always-delightful Grace Kuhlenschimdt as a clueless internet self defense guru is another highlight. Reps who work with young filmmakers should be running to writer/director/star Kelsea Bauman-Murphy (Last Week Tonight).
And if you’re reading this from NYC and feeling the remotest of festival FOMO: there’s still time to get into it. Tonight (5/6) there’s one last screening and afterparty — go go go!
"Cosmohedron" from Duncan Hatch is a surreal, trippy journey through the interconnections between all things (from aliens to humans to other creatures). It blends visually striking animation that uses clever visual puns and a bright color palette and will leave you wondering "what the hell did I just watch, and how can I watch more?".
A longer short than we usually write about for this newsletter, but "Jimmy and Baby" is too fun a ride to not include. Using pixel art animation that is brimming with vibrant, neon colors and intricate details that feel like a retro video game, the short strikes a unique tone - balancing zany, over-thetop action sequences and quirky characters to tell a heartwarming, comedic story of friendship and adventure. Paul Robertson’s distinctive style and humor imbues the narrative with energy and nostalgia, and if you've ever wanted to relive the glory days of Ren & Stimpy, this one might just be for you.
We have a new short series from Adult Swim's "Smalls" program — this time from Violaine Briat and Samantha S. Gray! High Moon Queen is the latest addition and one of our recent favorites. The limited animation makes this standout from primetime animation and feels like anime and '80s cartoons wrapped in a fun, Superjail!-esq package. The short series blends sharp satire and witty humor, effectively subverting fantasy tropes and creating a lead character who deserves her own series.
Who knows what there is “to do” with this, you guys, but we stumbled upon The Dream Eaters on Instagram and there is something undeniable about the Sears portrait aesthetic mixed with their self-described “The Carpenters meet Slayer” musical stylings. Also most of the songs are less than 30 seconds. At the very least, here’s a new link to send colleagues when a project tanks.
That’s it for this month.
Thanks!
*This newsletter features contributions from a team of comedy tastemakers:
Carly Hoogendyk
Emily Kochman
Keelin Ryan