Living In
Oblivion
“Steve
Buscemi is
consistently remarkable.
Whichever part he is
playing — good guy, bad
guy —
he is totally
believable....”
IN THIS MULTI-AWARD-WINNING CULT COMEDY CLASSIC from Tom DiCillo, Living
In Oblivion, Buscemi (Interview) is his usual magnificent self as
he plays Nick Reve, a luck-less low budget film director struggling against
all odds to get his artistic vision on screen.
Giving you an insight into life both in front of and behind the cameras, Living
In Oblivion offers subtle comedy and an all-star cast — including the
radiant Catherine Keener as leading lady Nicole Springer and the wonderful Dermot
Mulroney as the emotional Wolf — and reflects the difficulties of trying
to produce
a film in difficult surroundings with little money and mostly unknown, inexperienced
actors.
Cleverly shot in black and white, reserving colour for the actual film being
made by Nick, Living In Oblivion is a fascinating dark comedy that sees
Chad Palomino (caddishly played by James Legros) — the 'big name' leading
man — arrive on set with a big mouth and an even bigger ego, determined
to take over and to undermine his insecure leading lady with whom he'd had a
one-night stand.
Nick has his work cut out as he gamely tries to cope with prima donnas and his
inept crew — as well as dodgy equipment, unexpected noises, a dwarf with
attitude in a dream sequence ("even I don't have dreams with dwarves in them")
and a cinematographer who fails to capture a rare moment of brilliance because
he's too busy throwing up.
Love rivalries, personality clashes, petulant staff and fluffed lines add to
the mounting tension that threatens to push Nick over the edge
as he tries to get a grip. Along with the overwhelming problems, he is offered
unexpected help from a dubious source.
Will Nick ever get his film finished? Will he keep crew and body and soul together?
Or will he see his dreams dashed into the mire? This film may not be for everybody,
but it works well in a simple way and the (real) cast acquit themselves beautifully.
Also notable are: Danielle von Zerneck as Wanda; Rica Martens as Cora/Nick's
Mother; Peter Dinklage as Tito and Laurel Thornby as Nicole's Mother. The music
is also worthy of mention and adds life to the film.
The man behind Living In Oblivion, Writer-Director Tom DiCillo has a
good pedigree — he was heralded as one of the most exciting members of
the 1990s independent film scene. The films he has previously worked on as cinematographer
include Jim Jarmush's Stranger Than Paradise and he made his directorial
debut with the award-winning Johnny Suede, starring screen idol Brad
Pitt (Fight Club), the film on which he based his experiences for Living
In Oblivion.
•
Living
In Oblivion finally made its DVD debut, courtesy of Second Sight, on 21
January (2008), complete with a host of great extras. Special Features: Director's
commentary | deleted scenes | interview with Tom DiCillo and Steve Buscemi.
RRP: £15.99.
“Steve
Buscemi is