Synecdoche, New York [Movie Review]

Eccentric and esteemed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York, a goulash of human and cinematic constructs. The film paints the rapidly progressing existence of theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man trapped in an empty, estranged marriage, and suffering from a debilitating and mysterious illness.


One by one, Cotard begins to lose control of his autonomic functions, and terrified by the idea of his impending demise, sets out to achieve his masterpiece. He creates a massive and multidimensional theater project, a living and breathing metropolitan replica, housed in a New York City airplane hanger.

When viewed through strictly analytical eyes, the film’s beauty can be easily overlooked and the plot can become maddening. The audience is left to constantly guess whether or not the events on the screen are occurring in reality or are simply products of Cotard’s ailment. And from this view, the film’s progression, or perhaps lack thereof, becomes drudgingly anticlimactic; the big pay off never comes.

Conversely, absorbing the film’s stylistic and humanistic charm as it plays, and not harping on the logistics of it all, is an incredibly rewarding and engaging experience. The film is superbly acted and delightfully crafted. The dialogue is consistently witty and charming, and quirky nuances coat the screen at every turn. Synecdoche, New York is a film that transcends space and time, and reveals some insightful truths about the nature of both life and death.

Adam Resurrected Review

"Adapted from the novel, ADAM RESURRECTED is a searing journey through the post-WWII psyche that illuminates the indistinct lines between freedom and captivity, truth and artifice, tragedy and comedy. At the center of the story is Adam Stein, once a popular German cabaret star who now, in the early 1960s, is living in a very different kind of three-ring circus: an experimental insane asylum in the Negev Desert in Israel. (Austin Film Festival)."



Adam Resurrected, the new WWII festival darling starring Jeff Goldblum, is the type of film you expect to see at a film fest--it's complex, daring, experimental, visually stimulating and at times, emotionally draining. It is the kind of film that, for better or worse, leaves you speechless.

That being said, there is no denying the fact that Goldblum owns this performance; he carries the narrative on his shoulders, truly personifying the tortured yet spirited character, however likable or unlikable he may be. It is this single quality, perhaps, that makes the film inspire conflict and provocation of thought. Adam is brilliant and a victim of hardship, yet he is flawed with a raging temper, and a manipulative and domineering personality. Yet, as the film progresses, we begin to see glimpses of humanity, and motive for Adam's persona.

William Defoe, who portrays a Nazi in Goldblum's flashbacks, also gives an incredibly strong performance, as does the supporting cast--a peculiar and damaged crew of insane asylum residents.

In an industry where WWII films are a dime a dozen, Adam Resurrected gives the audience a haunting and personal glimpse into one man's life amidst the war's aftermath. The film teeters on the edges of sanity and humanity and explores the pain that comes with surviving tragedy.

Quarantine [Movie Review]

Quarantine is a new horror movie shot with a handicam; in the same vein as Blair Witch Project, Diary of the Dead and Cloverfield--what the camera sees is what you see.

The film follows reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter of Dexter) and her cameraman, as they ride along with a team of firefighters to an apartment complex where an old women was heard screaming, and suffering a horrible fall.

What they find, is a growing zombie-like epidemic of super rabies that begins to spread from person to person, pet to pet, forcing the rescue-workers and residents to try and flee the scene, but soon after they arrive, a SWAT team and the CDC barricade the building with Plexiglas, posting armed gunman at every exit.

The people inside are forced to try and survive by fighting away the infected.

This film manages to pull off the guerrilla style shooting with some ease, everything captured looks somewhat believable, and there aren't any annoying moments when the camera shuts off, or we miss what happens. While the camerawork may be smart, the main characters are not, constantly venturing upstairs into the zombie infested hallways instead of staying downstairs by the door like they are told.

Their risky behavior definitely warrants some scream-at -the-screen moments.

While all of the characters' actions are not always believable, their emotions are, the characters behave in a way fitting of such a extreme, unbelievable situation, even if their screaming and panting gets a little annoying.


I will say, this film has the kind of ending that I hate, an ending that really put a damper on a pretty enjoyable horror flick, but maybe I'm alone in my disdain for this particular breed of horror conclusion.

Over all, this was a good way to kill an hour and a half, its no instant classic but its no dud either.



C+