Allen Anders - Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987)
NoBudge A - Z | Best of "A"
•
25-Apr-2019
The fever dream of a 1980s stand-up comic who is either having a nervous breakdown or the best set of his life. Directed by Laura Moss, and written and performed by Tony Grayson, “Allen Anders - Live at the Comedy Castle (circa 1987)” is an ingenious sendup of a dated comedy special, darkly hilarious and thoroughly unsettling. As first delivered as a generic routine about snooze buttons and ‘cases of the Mondays,’ Anders quickly descends into confronting the meaninglessness of life, and the mortality of all, as the studio audience, shown in repeating motifs, smile and laugh innocently. Shot with a period authentic broadcast camera, delivered on glitching VHS, the film is built around a bravura performance by Grayson, perfectly mimicking the rhythm, mannerisms and confidence of a hack comedian trapped in a loop of existential dread.
Director: Laura Moss. Writer // Allen Anders: Tony Grayson. Director of Photography: Eythan Maidhof. Producers: Brendan O'Brien, Jacqueline Dow. Costume Designer: Kelsey Sasportas. Production Designer: Katrina Whalen.
Up Next in NoBudge A - Z | Best of "A"
-
And Nothing Happened
In the aftermath of an assault, a woman tries to come to terms with the violation, or just get through her day. Director Naima Ramos-Chapman uses an unexpected dose of magical realism to express a poetic response to a loss of dignity. The quiet morning at first feels mundane, but as new details e...
-
Are They Smiling?
A young woman decides to carry on the family tradition of attending the county fair, this time with her dead parents. Kate Jean Hollowell directs and stars in “Are They Smiling?” a comedy about an unusual grieving process: spending the day alone at a fair carrying the ashes of your dearly departe...
-
All Shook Up
After being mugged on Halloween night, Dave takes to his hotel room to report the incident to his credit card company and experiences an unsettling exchange. Starring Maxwell McCabe-Lokos (a director we featured with his 2017 film "Ape Sodom,") “All Shook Up,” is a wildly WTF short directed by Ev...
