Word: kaufmans
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...does this movie deserve the appellate “astonishing?” Simply because it expands the possibilities of cinema. The script was written by Charlie Kaufman and it clearly shows. He brings the characteristic flair that worked so well in past works such as Being John Malkovich and Human Nature. The problem with adapting Kaufman’s flair-ridden scripts is the danger of self-consciously indulging in their wacky nature and losing their essential heart, a flaw that derailed the last third of Adaptation and the central portion of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind...
...won’t see The Dreamers because I’m not big on Bertolucci, and I won’t see Eternal Sunshine because I’m not big on Charlie Kaufman (“I can see your sadness” ranks as 2002’s dumbest line not written by George Lucas). I’ll probably also skip Dogville, because I’m not inclined to check out another Von Trier, even if he’s spinning Our Town. If I have to watch a Dogme man reinterpret Thornton...
...CHUNG: First off, I’m a bit dismayed that as a fellow admirer of cinema, you’re not “big on Charlie Kaufman.” The man’s an unequivocal genius and the fact that his scripts have attracted the attention of such brand names as Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep (in a supporting role, no less), makes his work all the more admirable. I defy you to name another working screenwriter who has invented a film premise as consistently innovative as Being John Malkovich, a screenplay as audacious...
...even I expected), you seem to forget its context. It was delivered by an immigrant worker whose imperfect English was intended to make it sound somewhat stilted, excusing any loss of impact derived therein. I present to you another line from Adaptation that single-handedly trumps any off-day Kaufman offerings, when Donald Kaufman describes the screenplay he’s working on: “So the killer flees on horseback with the girl, the cop’s after them on a motorcycle and it’s like a battle between motors and horses, like technology...
...very same year that Adaptation came out, there was a wonderful Scandinavian film called Songs from the Second Floor that managed to be audacious, innovative, accessible and convoluted all at once. But the ease or difficulty of such a feat shouldn’t be the issue here: Kaufman, along with “creative” filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Darren Aronofsky, have proven that audacity and innovation don’t automatically beget relatable characters, untiresome plotting, or, as I alluded to with the “sadness” line, thematic grace; if Kaufman didn?...