#26 We just watched this on Netflix streaming.

You should too!: Me and Orson Welles

The Film: Me and Orson Welles

Citizen Kane is widely considered the best movie ever made. I dislike that description, as do most people my age. It is hard to describe why, but it really might be the most important contribution to movies…ever. It isn’t the type of movie you can pop in at a party, but more a masterpiece you watch alone in your apartment pacing around the room cursing the genius who made it.

Orson Welles was a genius, this can’t be refuted. He was a great actor, an accomplished magician, a master of filmmaking, the stage, and radio. It boggles the mind how he could accomplish this all before the age of thirty.

Me and Orson Welles is follows the production of Welle’s famous rendition of Julies Caesar at the Mercury theater. It is amazing at highlight not only Welle’s genius, but stubbornness, wild ego, destructiveness, and infidelities.

Why to watch it: You really feel like you’re watching Welles

Christian McKay’s performance as Welles is as convincing as your probably going to get to the guy. Dickheads love to pine that Welles actually turned out being like Charles Kane, but I think most people who know a lot about Welles would say he was probably already there in his youth. Just watching him swagger around the Mercury spitting words of wisdom is so fucking enjoyable.

Pay attention to this: The behind-the-scenes accuracy of a stage production

If you’ve ever enjoyed a stage production, or been in one yourself, you’ll love this movie. Stage productions involve more waiting around then anything else. People talk, gossip, flirt, pick sexual partners, and fight. Me and Orson Welles is fun because so much of the production was just waiting around for Welles to actually show up.

Welles was juggling numerous projects at one time and would fund one project with money other projects. Whether or not this amounts to a lot at the end of the film is up for debate, but it is still a pretty cool film.

-Collin.