An appreciation for the genius of Aidy Bryant and her new short Darby Forever
I have a confession. I’m embarrassed to say that when Season 38 of Saturday Night Live premiered in 2012 I was not a fan of Aidy Bryant. I unfairly dismissed her as a background presence and resented the fact that she was taking up one of the open slots on the SNL team.
I fell in love with Aidy Bryant when I was in the hospital and couldn’t sleep. I tuned on SNL and was introduced to the “Girlfriends Talk Show,” a sketch of two high school best friends putting on an internet talk show. I immediately took back every negative thought I ever had about Aidy Bryant when her character, the insecure Morgan, uncertainly exclaims “and I’m the most Morgan I can be right now…” Her awkward characters like Morgan and daddy obsessed Melanie are perfect examples of why everyone should be obsessed with Aidy Bryant and why she deserves a much better comedic platform than the floundering state of SNL.
Until Darby Forever, Aidy Bryant hasn’t had the star vehicle to showcase her talent. Sure, she has a small reoccurring role on Girls this season, but in Darby Forever, Bryant has a career-defining role in Darby, a woman in her twenties working in a fabric store. The 20-minute short fits in well with the current indie landscape dominated by filmmakers and actors like Greta Gerwig, Kristen Wiig, and Lena Dunham. It follows Darby throughout the week as she fantasizes of a world where everyone finds her as funny and charming as she knows herself to be. In her daily life she bedazzles shoes and office supplies, but in her daydreams she lives in a world where all of her jokes work, she fronts a band, and she even mothers a daughter named Gardenia Rose who has never witnessed cruelty and ugliness.
Nothing really happens in the 20-minute short but that’s perfectly ok. I was thoroughly entertained watching Darby fail in the most endearing ways possible. She shoved a steaming Hot Pocket in her mouth because she was impatient. She embarrassed herself in front of customers. She wasted gallons of water on a weekly basis so that she can see the water delivery man she has a crush on. She even invented her own form of baseball that involves no running whatsoever. Darby’s failures speak to me on a spiritual level.
The $.99 rental is worth it just to watch Aidy Bryant finally be given a leading role but the story behind the production also makes the short more than worth the cost. Darby Forever was produced as the first film in Vimeo’s “Share the Screen” initiative, their push to support female filmmakers and entertainers. The short film initiative almost feels like an informal pilot season and I hope network executives start paying attention to Bryant. Darby Forever proves that Bryant can carry more than a five minute sketch and if this year’s crop of half-baked sitcoms (Dr. Ken and Angel From Hell) are an indicator, the networks are desperately in need of actual talent. They should be begging Aidy Bryant for a pilot idea.
Aidy Bryant’s comedy resonates so strongly with me because her characters are often rooted in this sense of self-confidence that no one else in their world seems to recognize. Darby knows she’s the funniest bitch in the fabric store but her manager doesn’t even trust her enough to run the register. So whether she’s inappropriately hitting on someone’s dad at a sleepover or bedazzling staplers I am here for Aidy Bryant and will be loudly proclaiming my support for her until she is the queen of every single one of American’s television set.
Pee Wee’s Big Holiday is a refreshing throwback to childhood bliss
Are we too cynical for Pee-wee Herman? I grew up with the childish comedian, and I watched Pee-wee’s Playhouse every week. He returns after over 20 years with the buoyant and charming Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. It made me feel like a kid again, and it also features one of the best bromances in recent memory.
Life in Fairville is pretty tame. Pee-wee works as a cook in a local diner, and it doesn’t seem as if the little hamlet has ever had any real problems or issues. It makes Pleasantville look like downtown Detroit. Even though every is sunny and seemingly perfect, his band, The Renegades, inform him that they are too busy to keep practicing and they have to break up. Pee-wee throws a tantrum (he always did have that temper, didn’t he?), and that’s when a certain member of a former HBO horror series walks through the door.
Joe Manganiello (as Joe Manganiello) is the epitome of “triple cool,” and he and Pee-wee connect over their love of root beer barrels (as seemingly heterosexual guys do). Joe immediately invites Pee-wee to his birthday party in New York City. After Joe leaves, Pee-wee can’t get Joe’s advice of “live a little” out of his head. He sets off on a cross-country road trip, but, of course, things don’t go as planned.
Writers Paul Reubens (AKA Pee-wee mastermind) and Paul Rust (star of Judd Apatow’s Love) succeed in banding together the motliest of crews I’ve seen in a while. Pee-wee encounters a trio of Faster, Pussycat! bank robbers, a farmer with 9 eager and amorous daughters, and a traveling joke salesman, and he manages to meet and abandon them in an almost breakneck fashion. Pee Wee’s Big Holiday only runs 88 minutes, so they focus on making you laughing—even if the jokes are a bit corny and screwball (“Did you hear about the corduroy pillows? They’re making headlines!”). There are dream sequences where Pee-wee images connecting with Joe Manganiello, and it made this viewer jealous on so many levels.
Unlike Fuller House, Pee Wee’s Big Holiday feels less like it’s a nostalgia show-off. Reubens has had his fair share of ups and downs, but Pee-wee was his constant, joyful, and overly childish presence that consistently made me laugh. There is a sequence where he blows up a balloon to a giant size, and then he deflates it to show some Amish people how to have more fun. Some people will think Pee-wee Herman making a balloon fart for almost a minute is exhaustive. I found it hilarious. Enjoy being a kid. Don’t take everything so seriously. Live a little.
Who says you have to be young when you reach a crossroads in your life?
That recurring theme seems like it will be present again when Netflix’s Grace and Frankie returns this summer. When we last left our dysfunctional foursome, Lily Tomlin’s Frankie slept with her recently announced gay ex-husband Sol, played by Sam Waterston. Sol is about to tell his partner, Robert, right when the first season concluded. Surely, the second season will begin with that fallout?
Here’s the official synopsis:
“From executive producers Marta Kauffman (‘Friends’) and Howard J. Morris (‘Home Improvement’), the hilarious and heartbreaking comedy returns for a second season with new adventures and challenges for the newly-formed clan. Their unconventional bonds are tested by health scares, business ventures, harmful secrets, and new romantic relationships. Grace and Frankie learn some of life’s most difficult lessons in their golden years and come to cherish each other despite their differences. The series also stars Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, along with Brooklyn Decker, Ethan Embry, Baron Vaughn and June Diane Raphael.”
Episode 68: On this week’s podcast, we deep dive into Netflix’s Flaked and discuss what gives us TV ennui
On today’s Water Cooler Podcast, the Cooler gang takes a look at the concept of TV ennui. What shows – even those that are critically acclaimed – have we lost steam in barreling through? Is it us? Are these shows really not as good as pop culture would have you believe? Can you jump back into a show once you’ve gotten bored with it? Before that podcast segment, we take a slightly spoilery look at Netflix’s latest comedy, Flaked. This series stars Will Arnett as, according to Netflix, a self-help guru. Does this description fit? What did the Water Cooler Podcast gang think of Arnett’s stab at legitimacy?
Also, at the end of this week’s podcast, be on the lookout for a Very Special Announcement regarding an upcoming show!
Remember to prep for our Flashback episode, dropping next week, centering around Starz’s cult hit Party Down, starring Adam Scott and Jane Lynch. We’ll be discussing that series in detail plus the legacy it leaves behind.
Thanks, as always, for listening and being such loyal followers!
Veep returns for its fifth season after finally winning the Best Comedy Series Emmy
Veep season five picks up immediately after the election night tie that closes season four. Emmy-winner Julia Louie-Dreyfus continues expanding the character of President Selina Meyer as she struggles to win an elected term. Trying to appear presidential, she welcomes a team of Olympics and congratulates them on winning gold. They only received bronze medals.
The huge, excellent cast returns, including fan-favorites Timothy Simons as Jonah Ryan and Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer. New faces include Peter MacNichol (Ghostbusters) and John Slattery (Mad Men).
Veep season five returns Sunday, April 24 at 10:30pm ET.
HBO’s production of All the Way also stars Anthony Mackie, Melissa Leo, and Bradley Whitford
Bryan Cranston won four Emmys for his legendary role as Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad. He looks to win another for playing Lyndon B. Johnson in HBO’s upcoming TV movie All the Way. Cranston won a Tony for the role in 2014.
All the Way details the struggles Johnson and others went through to pass controversial civil rights legislation in 1964. The film includes Johnson’s inheritance of the presidency after the death of John F. Kennedy. Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War) plays Martin Luther King, Jr. Melissa Leo (Wayward Pines) plays Lady Bird Johnson, and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, Transparent) plays Hubert Humphrey.
All the Way is produced for HBO by Amblin Television with Steven Spielberg and Cranston executive producing among others. The film airs Saturday, May 21 at 8 p.m. on HBO.
Ryan Shore talks with ADTV about his path to scoring such a wide variety of films and TV shows
Ryan Shore is an Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer. His uncle, Howard Shore, gave him his first keyboard at the age of 13, and he hasn’t looked back. I recently sat down to talk to Ryan about his influences, his work, and scoring Penn Zero Part-Time Hero for Disney.
Awards Daily TV: Let’s find out more about your background, for those who aren’t familiar with your work.
Ryan Shore: I am primarily a composer for film, television, games and theater, and also a songwriter. So far, I’ve scored 30 feature films. I mostly do features, but lately I’ve been doing a lot of TV. Currently I’m scoring an animated TV series for Disney XD called, Penn Zero Part-Time Hero. It’s so much fun scoring the show.
I just finished scoring season one, and it was about 7 1/2 hours of music that I wrote, plus about 40 songs. Now I’m about to start on season two this week.
ADTV: So, going back. Do you remember the very first soundtrack that you listened to and how that affected you?
RS: That’s a good question. I remember one of the first CD’s that I ever bought. It was a collection of themes from movies, and that may have been one of the first times that I really had a chance to listen to music that was in movies. One theme I remember was the score for Fletch. Did you ever see that movie?
ADTV: I did.
RS: Harold Faltermeyer wrote the score. I remember hearing that, but I already knew the music because I knew the movie so well. It was cool to hear it on its own. Maybe some scores like that, but I think when I first really started paying attention to scores were ones my uncle had composed, Howard Shore.
ADTV: I actually spoke to him recently.
RS: Did you talk to Howard?
ADTV: Yes for Spotlight. He’s a lovely guy.
RS: Fantastic. You’re talking to my whole family. I love it. [laughs] Have you talked to my mom?
ADTV: No. I haven’t, but I’d be happy to. [laughs].
RS: Howard was a big influence and has been a big influence for me. We play all the same instruments; saxophone, clarinet, flute and piano. He recommended Berklee College of Music which is where he went, then I went there. He gave me my first keyboard for my 13th birthday, and that started my piano playing, and beginning of composing. It was the first time I’d ever had a keyboard in my house was that keyboard he gave me.
When I graduated from Berklee, Howard offered me my first employment, and so I worked for him for four years on probably about 12 of his movies. I started out doing music copywork, then orchestrations and some music producing. So, Howard was a huge influence in how I’ve developed.
I was definitely influenced by him, and I started paying attention to film scoring by really paying attention to his scores. I feel like the first scores of his that I really paid attention to were probably Silence of the Lambs and, for some reason, I really remember the score to Prelude To A Kiss. I went to see that in the theater, and he had scored that.
ADTV: He’s a very talented man, his catalog of work is so impressive, and you’re right, his scores stick with you.
RS: I agree. One thing I love about Howard’s writing is that it is distinctly his own voice which is beautiful, for example his dramatic use of music in picture and how he applies the music, where he makes shifts in the music, or uses different beats within the music and how that marries with picture. When I worked with him, I paid attention to that a lot because I was so involved in all the music, and I’d watch it closely and I thought it was so cool. I learned a lot about dramatic storytelling with music by observation from him.
ADTV: You’ve also worked on horror and the comedy genres, but what attracted you to working on horror?
RS: I first got into scoring for horror because a friend of mine was making a horror film. Andrew van den Houten was making his first feature film called Headspace and it was a horror film. It might have been the first one I scored, and what brought me into it was really just a personal relationship with the film maker. It wasn’t like I sought out the genre, I was just looking to write music, and he was making a movie that was a horror movie, so we did it.
Prior to that, there were certainly some horror movies that I was aware of, and some of my favorites were Poltergeist and Psycho. I wouldn’t say that I was really I was a huge fan or even checking them all out. So, when I did Headspace I wasn’t really thinking of horror scores and what had and hadn’t been done. I just thought about that movie and what would be an appropriate score for that movie.
I did what I would do. Since then, I’ve probably done ten or twelve horror films, and after having done them, you do a movie, it plays in a film festival, you go to the film festival, you go to the screenings, you read the magazines that are commenting on the movie .You know like Fangoria and Rue Morgue, you see what people are writing about them, and I’ve become much more familiar with the genre, and also talking to the films and film-makers you get to be familiar with it. I’ve grown a great appreciation for that genre because there’s such a loyal fan base for it.
ADTV: Is Fangoria even still around?
RS: I haven’t checked recently, but I remember it being around a few years ago.
ADTV: We should look into that. [laughs] So, is one medium harder than the other?
RS: You know, most composers will say that comedy scoring is the hardest because it’s all about timing, and I do agree that for sure with comedy there’s absolutely an element of timing that has to be very precise for jokes to feel right. You’re never pushing the humor, but you’re also supporting it. I would agree that comedy can be a challenging medium.
When I think about it, there aren’t any genres that stick out to me as being any more inherently more difficult or challenging than another. It usually comes down to the individual film and the film-makers you’re working with. That affects how challenging a project may be.
ADTV: You’ve done so much work, but is there one piece that you’re particularly proud of?
RS: Many. It’s a difficult question to answer because every piece of music in a way, is like a child, this thing that I’ve given birth to. Every single piece of music that I’ve written, I remember every thing about it. I remember the decisions that I made when I was writing it, and how it was recorded and mixed, and what I’d do different. Every piece becomes personal.
I would say there are definitely a few milestones along the way that have stood out to me. One of them was a movie that I scored, Cadaverous. It played at the Woodstock Film Festival. Elmer Bernstein was giving the award for Best Score at the festival. I remember we applied to that festival because Elmer had that award. We went to go see a masterclass that he was giving. It was awesome to see and hear him. Then myself and the director of the movie went up to talk to him after the masterclass and Elmer didn’t let on that he knew our names or the movie. He was “nice to meet you.”
Michael, the director, and I went out to lunch after and figured we would never win anything because he didn’t even know who we were. [laughs] We went to the awards ceremony, and Elmer said, “And the person who receives this award will know that I know how to keep a secret.” Then he announced my name, and I was shocked because we had met him earlier and we had no idea.
That was a really important moment for me to have that score recognized because when you’re starting your career, often things can be slow between projects, you don’t get a lot of recognition, you don’t get a lot of money. You need some nice “attaboys” to keep you going. That was a big one for me to be recognized by someone I have so much respect for.
There are a few other occasions, like when I wrote the score to a film called Rex Steele Nazi Smasher. It was the first time I’d ever gotten to write for a full orchestra and record it live. I recorded it with a 110 piece orchestra, with the Czech Philharmonic and choir. It was an action-adventure score, and that gave me a lot of confidence because that was the first time I’d ever done that, and it came out the way I thought it would.
The last project I’ll mention is the movie Prime. That was the first time I’d ever scored a feature with a major studio and major stars in wide release. That was a tremendous experience for me to be able to see my movie in a theater, the advertising campaign, to see the poster on a bus stop. That was an amazing experience.
ADTV: That was a great score. It totally worked because I laughed a lot.
RS: I loved scoring that movie. Coming up with the sound, I wanted it to have a classic sound to it. I remembered listening to The Beatles when I was working on that score. I was thinking whether I could write anything that could remotely resonate in the way I listen to these classic songs.
Ben Younger, the director, liked the approach and that’s what we went with. I loved scoring that movie. It was surreal to be looking at these quick time movies with Meryl Streep in them. I was thinking, “Don’t mess this up there’s amazing talent in this.”
ADTV: Do you use digital libraries? Which ones?
RS: In my studio, I’ve built out a facility. I have all the major sample libraries. There are other custom libraries that I’ve built over the years. Whenever I’m writing a score, I always mock everything up with all the sample libraries. I work really hard to make sure everything sounds as real as possible. Even if I’m going to record everything live, I’ll still mock everything up so hopefully the mock ups sound world class and leave no room for misinterpretation.
I use Cinesample library for woodwinds, brass and percussion. I use cinematic strings, Hollywood strings. I still use sonic strings. I use omnisphere and trillion, a whole bunch of libraries.
For more on Ryan Shore visit http://ryanshore.com/. Disney’s Penn Zero Part-Time Hero returns later this year.
The Silicon Valley season three trailer shows the Pied Piper gang struggling again to overcome the odds
There are two things in the Silicon Valley season three trailer that had me at generic rock music. First, Zach Woods in Pied Piper swag, a gaudy yellow concoction that naturally horrifies the rest of the crew. Second, T.J. Miller in a Pied Piper costume riding a stuffed unicorn.
Suddenly, April 24 can’t possible come any faster.
When we last left the series, Pied Piper won its litigation against corporation Hooli. Raviga then snaps up the start-up and informs Richard (Thomas Middleditch) that they’re replacing him as CEO. Season three continues with Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day) joining in a recurring role as “Action” Jack Barker, the replacement CEO.
Daredevil season two continues Netflix’s unexpected winning streak with the Marvel property
A buddy of mine instantly fell in love with the opening five minutes of Daredevil‘s second season premiere. An unexpected ode to Tim Burton’s Batman, the sequence pans across the troubled Hell’s Kitchen playing with visuals and focus while producing a menagerie of New York sounds. The effect is meant to illustrate the blind Daredevil’s enhanced hearing. Later, he picks off random criminals by lurking in the shadows. As the sequence closes, Daredevil stands high on a rooftop staring over his city, smiling.
It’s probably the only time in the entire series you’ll see Daredevil smiling.
And there’s little reason for our beleaguered title character to smile. This season brings the near-mute vigilante The Punisher, old flame Elektra, and the return of the Asian gang The Hand in an orgy of blood and violence. I’ve only seen the first two episodes, and things are looking just fine. I’m slightly worried that the intersection of all these dangling plot lines will rip the series apart. But not just yet. For now, Daredevil returns in fine form as one of the more challenging and engaging comic book properties to date.
Isn’t it interesting how the best Marvel properties (Daredevil, the Captain America films) focus on humans first over dramatic special effects? Is the human interest that appropriately anchors the Netflix series. Our title character, Matt Murdock in his non-combative form (Charlie Cox), has to juggle between his nights as a shit-kicking super hero and his days as earnest legal eagle, defender of the penniless. He’s aptly supported still by Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), his best friend who knows Murdock’s secret, and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), his love interest who wants inside his heart and mind.
At night, though, Daredevil fights alone, eventually falling to The Punisher (The Walking Dead‘s Jon Bernthal) not once but twice. The fights continue to be choreographed violent ballets between the two men. No, nobody’s wearing tights or tutus. It’s the amazing display of athleticism and nimbly constructed fight sequences that really drives the series into high gear. They’re lightening fast and violence as hell. Despite my appreciation for the human sequences, I can’t deny that the fights are the reason I keep coming back to the series. It’s just easier to justify on an intellectual level thanks to the human interest and on-going Catholic guilt. You can thank director Phil Abraham (Mad Men, Bates Motel, The Sopranos) for keeping things moving swiftly and visually intriguing. There’s one great shot that appears to start in a bloody window but, as the camera pulls back, it’s revealed to be a gun entry/exit wound on a corpse.
Gotta love it.
The performances continue to be serviceable with Charlie Cox aptly embodying the title character while remaining strangely vacant in the role. Bernthal is convincingly brutal in the role of The Punisher even if he seems to be hitting nearly identical beats from The Walking Dead. Season two, after the two episodes I’ve seen, seems to be lacking that central great villainous performance that Vincent D’Onofrio brought as Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin. Still, no one is really coming to Daredevil for the acting. But D’Onofrio’s great performance was the bloody cherry on the body-filled sundae.
Overall, I’m intrigued with Daredevil season two. I’m highly anticipating the addition of Elektra later in the season. I’m interested in how the two currently at-odds characters will reconcile and, presumably, work together. It’s difficult to fully consider a series in progress (unless they’re complete stinkers out of the box), but color me happy that Daredevil has returned.
Thanks, Netflix, for keeping it classy. And bloody.
Daredevil season two is currently streaming in its entirety on Netflix. For a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how Netflix streams this and other series, take a look at this Variety article.
Netflix whets our appetite for a new season of Orange Is the New Black with some glossy stills
Netflix’s Orange is the New Black is one of the first streaming shows that led us down the bingeable rabbit hole. The ladies of Litchfield had a divisive third season, but most fans should be excited to see what the newest season brings.
A series of images was released on Thursday. They show some of our favorite characters ready to bring the drama. Multiple Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba is getting her mouth shut for her in one still, and it looks as if Piper will be getting into some serious (and violent) trouble again. It doesn’t look like she will be able to punch her way out of this one.
Now, where’s the full trailer?
Orange is the New Black returns on Netflix June 17.
