This So-Called Disaster

In 2000, director Michael Almereyda brought his film crew to San Francisco to document the rehearsal process for the Magic Theater's production of Sam Shepard's play +The Late Henry Moss, as directed by the playwright himself. The resulting film, This So-Called Disaster, is partly a study of the ...more

Michael Almereyda's fly-on-the-wall documentary This So-Called Disaster offers nearly 90 minutes of intimate footage of some high-powered actors at work, but they are not what gives the film its worth. Although Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, and Woody Harrelson all have reputations as wild men, they are across-the-board professional throughout the proceedings. This is because they, like Almereyda, are obviously in awe of the play's writer and director, Sam Shepard. The best moments in the film take ...more