Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

This film was directed by Tom DiCillo and it pays hilarious homage to those independent filmmakers who keep on going...no matter what happens.

The film is shot both in B&W and in color during one day's production of a low-budget OR no-budget feature film. It is a film within a movie. There have been rumors that the character of Chad Palomino (James LeGros) is based on Brad Pitt. These rumors have yet to be proven. You can draw your own conclusion!

This is a rag tag group of people who are trying to create a feature film. Nick Reve is the director (played by the completely enthralling Steve Buscemi). "Wolf" (Dermot Mulroney) is the one-eyed camera man who spends some time puking in the bathroom and dresses like 'Rambo'. Nicole Springer (Catherine Keener) is the lead actress and her main claim to fame is a shower scene with Richard Gere. Wouldn't wanna go there.

Nick, as the director, has to cope with the inexperience of his crew, bad milk, bad breath, missed cues, booms in the shot, anxiety dreams, squabbles within the crew, misbehaving equipment and his mother's escape from her nursing home! Nick's mother, Cora, is played endearingly by Rica Martens. Sometimes senile is 'crazy like a fox'! There are also the giant egos of the actors to deal with. When you are an actor working for no money at all...you can get quite picky about how you want to appear in each shot. Over and over again! Then you have the dwarf for the dream sequence. Doesn't every dream sequence need a dwarf? AND a smoke machine! Well, neither goes well. The dwarf (Peter Dinklage) does not want to play a dwarf and I won't tell you what happens with the smoke machine.

This film is shot with hilarity and reality. You will be fascinated from the beginning until the end and (if you're like me) you will find that the end comes far too quickly!

I have a great admiration for independent filmmakers and think that this film probably shows a lot more truth than fiction.

Runtime: 1:30

This film is available on DVD, VHS, cable or satellite.

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This column is dedicated to those films that most of the world missed!