Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind first published by Movie Gazette As a screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman is nothing if not consistent. His Being John Malkovich (1999) spins an absurdly logical yarn from a portal which enables people temporarily to enter Malkovich’s mind; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) is based on Chuck Barris’ half-fictionalised ‘memoirs’…
Adaptation. first published by Daily Info At one point in Adaptation., orchid hunter John Laroche (Chris Cooper) explains to New York Times journalist Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) how each type of orchid has a symbiotic relationship with its own specially adapted insect – its ‘double’ or ‘soulmate’. “Neither”, says Laroche, “will ever know the significance of…
First published (in 2008) by EyeforFilm An ailing middle-aged theatrical director contemplates his anxieties, regrets and impending death. That’s Synecdoche, New York in a sentence – or to reduce it to a word, the film is all about melancholy. Rest assured, though, there is a whole lot more than this to the directorial debut of writer Charlie…
First published by EyeforFilm A middle-aged man in crisis finds himself contemplating his mortality, loneliness and insignificance in a vast, indifferent universe. These are the sort of grand existential themes that are normally associated with filmmakers from a more literate age, the Viscontis or Bergmans – but given that Synecdoche, New York is the directorial debut of…