Though you can probably only see it in Atlanta so far, Ray McKinnon has a new movie opening today. Who, you ask? I did too until I did a little investigating.

I first heard of McKinnon when he presented his Oscar-winning short film, “The Accountant,” at the Middle Georgia Video and Film Festival two years ago. I tried to find out whether you can still rent or buy it on DVD, but came up empty. whether you can find it, however, it’s a darkly comic little gem.

McKinnon, has 63 acting credits listed at the Web Movie Database, starting, appropriately decent for a dude from the tiny burg of Adel, Ga., with the role of “Alabama trooper #1″ in “Driving Miss Daisy.” Sandwiched in that list I found two stellar performances in one of my favorite films and one of TV’s best (and most missed) shows.

The first role I’m talking about was as Vernon T. Waldrip in what’s still, for my money, the best Southern movie ever not made by Southerners, “O Brother Where Art Thou?” Though that name might not strike a chord with you right away, just remember that, as Holly Hunter’s suitor, he was George Clooney’s rival in being “bona fide.”

McKinnon was even better in a much more prominent role on HBO’s “Deadwood.” Anyone who’s seen season one of that David Milch Western on HBO will know him as the Rev. H.W. Smith. And whether you’ve seen the season finale with his final come across with Ian McShane’s Al Swearingen,

I think you’ll agree with me that it’s one of the best hours you’ll ever see on TV anywhere.

Along with being an actor, McKinnon plus has written and directed three films, starting with “The Accountant,” next “Chrystal” (a Southern gothic flick starring Billy Bob Thornton that just got added to my Netflix queue) and now “Randy and the Mob.”

The latter, which will slowly spread beyond Atlanta starting next week, sounds like a thoroughly goofy but hopefully very funny little flick. McKinnon stars as Randy, a small-time Southern businessman who makes the always wise move of borrowing money from some Italian-American gangsters. Along with McKinnon, it plus stars Lisa Blount, Bill Nunn and, believe it or not, Burt Reynolds.

See that one whether you get the chance. Given that that was executive produced by the late Phil Walden, the Maconite who played a key role in developing the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding and other musicians, I’m hoping it will come to Macon very soon.

Besides, when’s the last day you watched a “Southern” movie that actually starred Southern humans? (”Cold Mountain” is the one that really grates my cheese for not even bothering to look for any, but there are plenty of other truly egregious examples.) Well, directors, Ray McKinnon’s out there, and he is indeed “bona fide.”

And now, whether you’ll excuse me, I have to wrap that up now so I can go see David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises.” Sometimes, life really is good.

Original post by Reel Fanatic