Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party
Encyclopedia
Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party is a 2005 documentary
about Stephen Tobolowsky
in which he tells stories from his life. The actor, who is usually in a supporting role, takes center stage in the 87-minute birthday party.
. After some stories in the backyard, where he is grilling the sausages, the guests arrive. Then Stephen entertains his guests with stories about being nominated as one of 100 coolest people in LA, being in a rock 'n' roll band, and working on such films as Bird on a Wire
and Mississippi Burning
.
The film ends in the dark of night with a few leftover guests in his candlelit backyard and a tribute to his close friend Bob Darnell. Among the guests at the party are the actors Mena Suvari
, Amy Adams
, and his wife, Ann Hearn.
, edited on a Dual G5
Apple computer and finished in HD at Sunset Digital in Los Angeles. It was produced, directed and shot by Robert Brinkmann. Andrew Putschoegl was the co-producer. The film was edited by Andrew Putschoegl and Robert Brinkmann. Stephen Tobolowsky performs the music.
in Aspen in 2005. It was shown at festivals all over the world, including the World Film Festival in Montreal, Raindance Film Festival in London, SXSW in Austin, Cinequest in San Jose, the Milwaukee International Film Festival, RiverRun, Atlanta, San Francisco, Jacksonville and many more. It won the Deffie Award for Best Documentary from the HD Fest film festival in December 2005. The DVD was released on May 30, 2006, which is also Stephen Tobolowsky's 55th birthday.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
in which he tells stories from his life. The actor, who is usually in a supporting role, takes center stage in the 87-minute birthday party.
Plot
The film opens on a beach in Malibu, where Tobolowsky recounts a miraculous swim he took on an earlier birthday. It continues in the kitchen of his home, as he boils sausages for his guests and recounts stories about his early auditions in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After some stories in the backyard, where he is grilling the sausages, the guests arrive. Then Stephen entertains his guests with stories about being nominated as one of 100 coolest people in LA, being in a rock 'n' roll band, and working on such films as Bird on a Wire
Bird on a Wire (film)
Bird on a Wire is a 1990 feature film starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, directed by John Badham, and shot mainly in British Columbia, Canada. The title refers to the Leonard Cohen song "Bird on the Wire"...
and Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
.
The film ends in the dark of night with a few leftover guests in his candlelit backyard and a tribute to his close friend Bob Darnell. Among the guests at the party are the actors Mena Suvari
Mena Suvari
Mena Alexandra Suvari is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Shortly after beginning her career as a model, she appeared in guest roles on 1990's television shows such as Boy Meets World and High Incident...
, Amy Adams
Amy Adams (actress)
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
, and his wife, Ann Hearn.
Technical
Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party was shot with Clairmont Camera modified Sony F900/3 cameras in HDHigh-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
, edited on a Dual G5
Power Mac G5
The Power Mac G5 is Apple's marketing name for models of the Power Macintosh that contains the IBM PowerPC G5 CPU. The professional-grade computer was the most powerful in Apple's lineup when it was introduced, widely hailed as the first 64-bit PC, and was touted by Apple as the fastest personal...
Apple computer and finished in HD at Sunset Digital in Los Angeles. It was produced, directed and shot by Robert Brinkmann. Andrew Putschoegl was the co-producer. The film was edited by Andrew Putschoegl and Robert Brinkmann. Stephen Tobolowsky performs the music.
History
Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party premiered at the U.S. Comedy Arts FestivalU.S. Comedy Arts Festival
The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, is a comedy festival held each year in Las Vegas, Nevada. From its 1985 inception to 2007, it was held annually at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado...
in Aspen in 2005. It was shown at festivals all over the world, including the World Film Festival in Montreal, Raindance Film Festival in London, SXSW in Austin, Cinequest in San Jose, the Milwaukee International Film Festival, RiverRun, Atlanta, San Francisco, Jacksonville and many more. It won the Deffie Award for Best Documentary from the HD Fest film festival in December 2005. The DVD was released on May 30, 2006, which is also Stephen Tobolowsky's 55th birthday.
External links
- Official website
- DVD Journal article by Mark Bourne