I'm writing to you tonight from the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Don't ask--it's a LONG story that I will post more details of when I get back.

At any rate, through a series of bizarre coincidences, I saw a screening of Elijah's movie "Ash Wednesday" this afternoon. Since it won't be released until fall, I don't want to give away any details, but it's a great movie and Elijah is excellent in it.

I hope a lot of the younger Elijah fans don't go see it just for him--it's a supporting role, rather than the lead (Ed Burns is the lead actor, as well as the director, co-producer, and writer) and the movie itself is pretty dark. But it's a great role and Elijah does well with it--it's his first really adult role, and he's playing a 21-year-old Irish-American ("Sean") who grows up with a father and brother in the Irish Mafia. Set in New York, the majority of it takes place on one day -- Ash Wednesday -- in 1983, with the opening sequence taking place on the same holiday 3 years previously. Ed Burns plays his older brother Francis,and is very much the heart of this movie.

I'm in awe of Ed Burns after seeing this--he is obviously incredibly talented, and the Q&A after the screening confirmed that, with those actors who were in attendance, as well as his co-producer Margot Brider, having unanimously positive things to say about him in all his hats, but especially as a director. Apparently he not only gives his actors a lot of leeway with their roles, he actually expects them to improv (at least in part) much of the dialoge--I'd be interested to hear how Burns' approach worked for Elijah, who seemed very at ease in this film (unlike the almost totally improved "Black and White" in which he seemed very much out of his element).

What else can I say about this? It's very obviously a small-budget indie, but Ed makes that work for it instead of against it by using the gritty, slightly claustrophic feel to contribute to the atmosphere of the movie. I was struck by what appeared to be its lack of "polish," but I think this may have been intentionally as well.

More when I get home, including a few photos of the producer, the Q&A session, and some of the many LOTR fans who turned out for the screening.