Writer, director and actor Edward Burns' (Ash Wednesday) won Best Picture at Sundance 1995 with what recently found its way into my DVD collection. I hadn't seen the picture in a while and was pleased to see it sitting in the cheapo movie bin at Wal-Mart. I nabbed it and again loved watching it.

"The Brothers McMullan" follows three Irish American brothers through their screwed up relationships and their attempts to make things right in their love lives. It has a nearly non-existent plot and defines the phrase "Character Piece."

The picture was made for less than $25,000, and boy, does it show it. However, as Burns says on the disc's commentary track, "F**k it!"

I have always been able to look past the low budget ticks of such pictures, and "Brother's McMullan" continues to reign as one of my favorite independent films. However, this disc's commentary makes it even better, as Burns goes through how he came to meet everyone and cast them. He also gives details about certain scenes, shooting every New York City location without ever obtaining a permit, or even in some cases, getting permission.

For example, in the opening scene, Burns describes how their cemetery location was actually closed that day, and they snuck in, shot their footage in about twenty minutes and got the hell out before anyone had a chance to see them. That makes the commentary so much fun to listen too.

On the down side, I grabbed the disc marked as "Widescreen," which I hadn't thought anything of at the time. I always get widescreen, so I see what the cinematographer also wanted the audience to see. However, "The Brother McMullan" was shot on 16mm film, which has an aspect ratio of 3:4 to begin with. That is the same as your TV screen, so a "widescreen" version means the discmakers ADDED black bars on top and bottom of the picture, thus taking AWAY from what the cinematographer had originally intended.

However, I never felt like I missed out on the frame reformatting and still enjoyed it as I ever have. I guess Burns would feel the same way and simply say, "F**k it."

Benn - Where's the Humanity?