25 years ago in 1991, Gus Van Sant released his masterpiece, My Own Private Idaho. The film starred Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix as street hustlers in the Pacific Northwest in a loose re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.” Idaho was one of the first flicks I saw at the first art house theater to become an important part of my life — the Odeon in Frandor, Michigan, just up the road from Michigan State.

In 2012 polymath James Franco released a feature length cut of the film’s unused footage which he’d secured from Van Sant. The two filmmakers worked together on Milk when Franco told his director about his obsession with River Phoenix:

“I never wanted this to be seen as in competition with [‘My Own Private Idaho’] or in any way trying to outdo that film,” said Franco at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which screened the film to a packed house of Francophiles and River Phoenix fans at the Walter Reade Theater Sunday night. “I was able to let the camera sit with River a lot longer in this film because ‘My Own Private Idaho’ had been made. This one can be supported by the prior film.”

Here’s My Own Private River…

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"Fear! The crack that might flood your brain with light!"

In a recent episode of Coincidence Control Network, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the hilarious cult movie, Withnail and I.

This shambling wreck of a tale finds two down-and-out actors drinking their way through their damaged, dilapidated days, simply trying to get out of the city to enjoy the fresh air in the country. The story really is that simple, but it’s the details and the dialog and the unforgettable characters that make all the difference here.

As British actors, Withnail and his friend – “I” – are steeped in the work of The Bard. References to – and quotes from – Hamlet cast the hapless duo as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, tripping over one another, on their way toward a certain kind of doom.

I’m a bit obsessed – again – with the film and just found this nifty documentary. It’s a hilarious revisit for veterans and a fine introduction for newbies as well.

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Watch this performance of my OccupySong at Occupy Congress in DC!