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MOVIES / ON DVD / THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER
This So-Called Disaster

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This So-Called Disaster (2004)

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90 %
Reviews Counted: 29 Fresh: 26  Rotten:3 Average Rating: 7.3/10

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The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 89 mins

Theatrical Release: Apr 21, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: After appearing as the ghost of Hamlet's father in Michael Almereyda's 2000 film version of the Bard's classic story, which also starred Ethan Hawke, Julia Stiles, and Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard invited the director to make a behind-the-scenes documentary on the rehearsals for... After appearing as the ghost of Hamlet's father in Michael Almereyda's 2000 film version of the Bard's classic story, which also starred Ethan Hawke, Julia Stiles, and Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard invited the director to make a behind-the-scenes documentary on the rehearsals for Shepard's play THE LATE HENRY MOSS at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. The stage work, based on Shepard's own father, who was a Fulbright scholar whose life and career fell apart in a haze of alcohol, featured a remarkable cast, including Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, and Cheech Marin, with music by T-Bone Burnett. Almereyda followed the action onstage, in the dressing rooms, in bars, and at Shepard's ranch, where the usually private playwright spoke openly about his relationship with his father. Although Nolte and Penn--and even Shepard himself--are well known for not being forthcoming with their personal lives, they open up in remarkable ways for Almereyda, sharing fascinating stories about their experiences and their work. THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER is a thrilling look at the creation of art from a myriad of compelling angles. [More]

Genre: Education/General Interest

Starring: Sam Shepard, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, James Gammon

Director: Michael Almereyda
Producer: Callum Greene, Anthony Katagas

DVD Info

Release:

Dec 14, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region (unknown)
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Mono

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

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11/19/04
Michael Healey
PopMatters
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3/4

Will appeal mostly to those who love theater and relish the opportunity to see a production being built, scene by scene.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/10/04
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star
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N/A

Consistently engrossing, with nary a dull moment, and very enlightening on what is popularly called "the actor's process."

Full Review | comment Comment
08/08/04
David Noh
Film Journal International
N/R

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08/07/04
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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3/4

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06/18/04
Los Angeles Daily News
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3/4

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06/18/04
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald
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3.5/4

One of the finer peeks into the creative process of staging a play.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/04
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
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B+

A fractured but compelling piece of reality theater.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/04
E! Online
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3/4

Lets us hang out with, and really meet for the first time, artists we thought we already knew.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/04
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
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4/5

In its vision of the push-and-pull of rehearsal and the revelation of how a play comes to breathing, snorting life onstage, Almereyda's video brings us close to the act of creation.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/17/04
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
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N/A

In the end, what takes shape is not just a significant unraveling of Shepard's taciturn mystique, but a potent sense of the pain and rigor of revealing oneself through art.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/17/04
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly
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3/4

Ultimately, you leave This So-Called Disaster with renewed respect for Shepard, who comes off as a kind of quiet hero: a man of words, confronting his past with little fuss, and from it creating a legacy.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/21/04
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
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B

As a portrait of a collaborative artist at work, the film is an invaluable document, not to be missed by anyone with more than a passing interest in theater.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/04
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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4/5

One of the most pleasurable documentaries in recent memory.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/12/04
Jurgen Fauth
About.com
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3/4

Theater lovers are likely to find the film interesting even when it zigs and zags.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/07/04
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
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N/A

It's fun to see actors doing what they do and to see them through the eyes of a director.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/04
David Edelstein
Slate
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N/A

An unbridled orgy of uninhibited Stanislavsky.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/06/04
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
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N/A

Not as insightful as Topsy-Turvy or Vanya on 42nd Street about the process of putting on a show, it's nonetheless a fascinating meeting of the minds.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/27/04
Scott Foundas
Variety
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4/5

An engaging behind-the-scenes look at playful creativity.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/27/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER is very much like the Sam Shepard play it depicts?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 1/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER is very much like the Sam Shepard play it depicts?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 1/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER is very much like the Sam Shepard play it depicts?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 1/10/05


REEL_REVIEWER
THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER is very much like the Sam Shepard play it depicts?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 1/10/05


Anybody know when there will be wider release?
by: Burns 5/23/04

Around the Network

• This So-Called Disaster at Rotten Tomatoes
• This So-Called Disaster at AskMen
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