'Five Easy Pieces'

It's very interesting that the novelist Cormac McCarthy and film makers Joel and Ethan Coen highly regard this movie because it made me think of "No Country For Old Men" the entire time. Plus, a little "There Will Be Blood."

There's a wildness about it (mostly Nicholson) that is caged by the beauty of the northwest, the house of his invalid father and the music that he can play, but doesn't really run through his bones. Yet, there's a longing there that tears him to pieces.

Like he'd prefer the realness of his girlfriend the oil fields, but the luxury of Bach, Mozart and sophistication.

You never gain a full grasp on Nicholson or his character, which isn't uncommon for him if you've seen "One Flew ...," "Batman," "The Departed," "Easy Rider" or any other of his films. There's always a screw loose or five easy pieces missing.