Living In Oblivion

The gritty flipside to Francois Truffaut's valentine to the movies, Day For Night, Tom DiCillo's nightmarish comedy takes a behind-the-scenes look at the tumultuous set of a low budget independent film. Steve Buscemi (the indie-scene's hipster saint) stars as first-time director Nick Reve, whose desperation to finish his film increases with each calamity. James LeGros is hilarious as the swaggering, egomaniacal lead actor who may or may not be based on Brad Pitt (the star of DiCillo's Johnny Suede). And Catherine Keeler is extraordinary as an actress struggling to get through an emotional scene bedeviled by every conceivable foul-up. (D. Liebenson)[DVD Review--March 25, 2003--Columbia TriStar, 92 min., R, $29.95--Tom DiCillo's indie filmmaker's manifesto looks sharp in this widescreen transfer, and boasts a few notable extras. DiCillo's nigh-pathological love/hate relationship with Hollywood is given full throat, as they say, in the alternately whiny and insightful commentary. Also included is a deleted scene (that's actually pretty funny) and a wonderful retrospective screening audience interview with DiCillo and star Steve Buscemi. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an indie cult classic.][Blu-ray Review—Dec. 1, 2015—Shout! Factory, 92 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1995's Living in Oblivion features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD mono soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by writer-director Tom DiCillo, an “In Our Own Oblivion” retrospective featurette (43 min.), a Q&A with DiCillo and star Steve Buscemi (17 min.), a deleted scene, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: an indie classic makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]