On DVD
Cinematographer Robert Brinkmann convinces good friend character actor Stephen Tobolowsky to go on film and tell some of his entertaining stories. He’s normally the life of every party. In movies, he’s a secondary character, but here he’s the star of the show. His stories are humorous, well-told, and occasionally very insightful. The movie appears to have been shot over the course of one day as Mr. Tobolowsky visits the beach then cooks for friends before they come over for an extended party. (Click below for the rest and some pictures from his films)
My favorite story involved an old man crossing the road very slowly while the actor is in a hurry toward an audition. He’s mad at the old man of course. Within a week’s time, the actor is symptomatic from a kidney stone and he becomes the guy who crosses the street slowly. He, in turn, is yelled at by a younger person. The anecdotes don’t let up, but at 87 minutes, the movies feels long – mostly because there’s no change in the delivery (although the director does his best to changes settings). B
Below are some of his widely diverse roles in his best films.
Mississippi Burning -1988 (as a KKK leader)
Thelma and Louise -1991 (as FBI agent) - with Harvey Keitel
The Insider -1999 (as a corporate suit)
Memento -2001 (as Sammy Jankins, memory-deficient CPA)
Groundhog Day -1993 (as Ned Ryerson, insurance salesman) Skipped the chronologic order for this, his best and most memorable role. Happy Groundhog Day tomorrow.
2 comments:
he was also in this season of Heroes (before i lost interest) and brought some heft and gravitas to the character and, by definition, the show. i'm interested to see this one. i assume i'll have to netflix it?
I used Netflix. I haven't seen it on any cable station. I forgot to mention he's a Dallas native.
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