Michael Blieden Movies

Idiosyncratic stand-up comic Zach Galifianakis brings his wry brand of piano-based non-sequiturs to the stage of San Francisco's famed Purple Onion comedy club, and the cameras roll to catch every offbeat moment for this release that's sure to keep die-hard fans doubled over in laughter, and everyone else scratching their heads in giddy bemusement. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Mr. Show alumnus Bob Odenkirk's directorial debut, Melvin Goes to Dinner, is based on the play Phyrogiants! by Michael Blieden, who also adapted the script for the screen and stars in the film's titular role. Melvin has just broken up with his girlfriend, Trenice (Melora Walters), and has met up with his friend Joey (Matt Price) and two women, Alex (Stephanie Courtney) and Sarah (Annabelle Gurwitch), whose relationship to the men remains ambiguous. From there, the bulk of the action takes place around a table at a restaurant, as the four bare their innermost secrets and discuss everything from ghosts to stewardesses to masturbation. The film was shot simultaneously on five hand-held cameras in order to capture the essence and idiosyncrasies of the constantly overlapping conversations. Featuring appearances by Odenkirk, David Cross, Maura Tierney, and Jack Black in an unbilled cameo as a mental patient, and a score by Michael Penn, Melvin Goes to Dinner was the winner of the Audience Award for First Film at the 2003 South by Southwest Film Festival, the Best American Feature Award at the 2003 Avignon Film Festival, and the Best Picture Award at the Phoenix Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Ramin Serry explores such issues as global politics, ideological conflict, and puberty in this coming-of-age film about being an Iranian-American teenager during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Maryam (Mariam Parris) longs to be just a normal New Jersey 16-year-old, but her traditionalist father Darius (Shaun Toub) keeps her on a short rein. Maryam's modest goal is further hampered when her Iranian cousin Ali (David Ackert) comes to stay with them. Though Ali's stridently fundamentalist views represent all that Maryam has come to resent, the two gradually form a friendship of sorts. Meanwhile, Ali's vehement anti-Shah beliefs, coupled with his knowledge of a dark family secret, creates tension between himself and Darius. At the same time, Maryam notices a change in her neighbors' reactions toward her family as the conflict in Iran grows ever more ugly. This film was screened at the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi