Monster In a Box

Stars: Spalding Gray (Swimming to Cambodia, Beaches, The Killing Fields). Monologist Spalding Gray (Swimming to Cambodia) serves up another delightful 90 minutes of talk in this entertaining filmed version of his stage show. The "monster" of the title is Gray's 1900-page unfinished manuscript for his semi-autobiographical novel Impossible Vacation. His strong Puritan ethic makes him want to sit down and finish the book; his modern procrastination--especially in the face of so many interesting diversions--hampers his progress. And there are those enticing offers: HBO wants him to interview people who have been on flying saucers for an HBO special in the works; he's been asked to play the stage manager in Thornton Wilder's classic play "Our Town," and the Russians have invited him to be present at a film festival featuring Swimming to Cambodia. Plenty of excellent reasons not to work (not to mention the AIDS scare, the new psychoanalyst, and the research trip to Nicaragua). All of these outside pressures have taken their toll, and Gray describes the various symptoms that plagued him during this period (sweaty feet, a tendency to bark, etc.) in hilarious detail. A WASP version of Woody Allen, Spalding Gray is quite fun to listen to, and director Nick Broomfield's clever camera tricks and Laurie Anderson's nice soundtrack add to the magic of the monologist's stories. Audience: Fans of Swimming to Cambodia, for sure, and adventurous filmgoers. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Jan. 9, 2007—Image, 90 min., PG-13, $14.99—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1992's Monster in a Box sports a nice transfer and Dolby Digital stereo sound, although the only DVD extras are trailers. Bottom line: a disappointing extras package for a fine one man show.]