06/06/2002 Entry:
"First Person - Season 2, Episode 3"

I love Errol Morris, and one of the great disappointments of my life is the fact that I did not have access to Bravo when the first season of First Person aired. Can we have some DVDs of that someday? Please?? Having recently gotten DirecTV, I was mightily pleased to discover that IFC has produced a second season of First Person. This was the first episode I've seen, and it was classic Errol Morris through and through.

The piece was based around an interview with mob defense lawyer Murray Richman. This guy has some stories to tell, and he tells them in an immensely entertaining style. It was a little jarring to hear Morris actively interviewing his subject during some portions of the program, usually he keeps on the sidelines letting his subjects do the talking. On the other hand it was pretty fun hearing him spar with Richman, even though a lot of the subject matter was a little old hat (how can you live with yourself knowing the people you defend are murderers and scum?)

Stylistically though, this was just like his films racked up a notch. Through the use of his Megatron (an invention of Morris' which uses 20 different cameras to film interviews) Morris jumps from shot to shot with abandon and care, setting up the emotional impact of each story, sequing from funny to serious to heartbreaking with apparent ease. I loved watching this, and now Tuesday nights are worth looking forward to even when Buffy is in reruns.

I will end this with a desperate heartwrenching plea to whoever need to know to for gods sake please release Fast, Cheap And Out Of Control on DVD or video in its proper aspect ratio. One of the best films of all time, the fact that it is gorgeous frames are only available in pan and scan is a tragedy of epic proportions.