Friday, October 3, 2008

Movies You Might Have Missed: What Happened Was...



WHAT HAPPENED WAS...(1994) - DIR. TOM NOONAN

So the actor Tom Noonan appeared in a prominent role in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut "Synedoche, New York" that I was so lucky to see last night, and it got me thinking about this indie movie that I used to enjoy watching on cable back in the day.

"What Happened Was..." is the film adaptation of Tom Noonan's play of the same name. It's basically about two New Yorkers who work at the same law firm, and the awkward first date that takes place at the woman's apartment. It's another one of those dialogue-driven 90's films, but I was always surprised by how these types of films found really riveting drama out of two people talking. I remember this movie being pretty unsettling, especially since Tom Noonan played the weirdo killer in director Michael Mann's "Manhunter" (1986), which he talks about here.

I couldn't find the scene that I wanted to show you, where the awesome actress Karen Sillas (a Hal Hartley regular in the 90's) tells a really morbid children's story, but here is a taste anyway, friends:



What Happened Was... (1994)

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