Playlist: I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale

Before I begin, yes, that is one too many colons in the post title, and, yes, I'm pretty sure that's the punch line to an awesome proctologist joke that, if you happen to know, I'd love to hear.

Right, so this is a 40-minute doc about the late, great John Cazale who you may know from one of the 5 films he made during his career. Those films? The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. Yes, for you math wizes out there, that is a 100% Distillation. And a strong 100 at that.

This is an A-list affair, from good friend Al Pacino (who said he learned more from Cazale than any other actor) and Robert DeNiro (who rumor has it put up the insurance money so the terminally ill Cazale could be in Deer Hunter) to fans such as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buscemi. Not to mention Meryl Streep, Cazale's girlfriend at the time. It was strange, as it always is hearing celebrities place themselves in the real world, hearing Pacino tell about seeing Streep in the hospital when Cazale was dying from lung cancer at the way too young age of 42. (It's also pretty clear how much Streep still cares about him three decades later.)

And to think I almost turned it off when the first thing that came on screen was, "Brett Ratner Presents."