I got acquainted with Charlie Kaufman at the beginning of this year. If you don't know who he is, just know that he is one of the trippiest screenwriters in Hollywood. To his name he has Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (often cited as my favourite film), Being John Malkovich, and Synecdoche, New York. Bro has a monopoly on flipping reality upside down. All I want for Christmas is another Kaufman/Gondry collaboration please. I can't remember what got me to watch Adaptation. Probably a nudge from one of my friends. Naturally I was reluctant because I'm pretty prejudiced against Nicolas Cage films. But holy crap. This film was fantastic. Definitely something to be owned and studied. Definitely stressful and at times hard to follow. Definitely is meta as fuck. Definitely a must watch.
I have a bit of a girl crush on ScarJo. And the promo around Under the Skin made it too good to pass up. So my friend Emily and I went on a little cinema date way back when. And man were we shaken up after those 108 minutes. Walking through Leicester Square to catch our separate trains home, we both kept looking over our shoulders and hardly exchanged any words. I read the book first which I felt helped me understand the film better. But I think it would be an equally rewarding challenge to watch the film first and then visit the source material. Also northern Scotland has never looked better.
Boyhood is the most satisfying film I have seen in a long time. For me, the hype was deserved. It warmed my heart that it kept selling out at my local cinema. The film was one big nostalgia bomb, especially if you were born in the 90s in the US. Also, how boss is it that the director actually made The Black Album, a post-Beatles mixtape Mason's father gives to him as a present.
And I can't complete this post without giving a shout out to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you've been putting off watching it like I was. If you love Firefly. And Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. And a middle-aged British man trying to navigate American teenagers. And unexplained hair cuts. Then GOD what are you waiting for??? Only one season left until I am sad because there is no more and inevitably move on to Dollhouse.
Have you seen any of these films? Any stand outs at the cinema for you recently? Angel or Spike? Let me know. (But try not to spoil me; I'm still mid-season 6 of the Buffster.)
2 comments
Hey Marion! I'm glad you're back to blogging. You've picked some stunning film poster art. I am deathly curious to see "Under the Skin" after watching the trailer and reading rave reviews. Scotland, Scarlett…what more could you want?
ReplyDeleteBoyhood was one of my favorites this summer. I'm growing to like Richard Linklater. He seems like a cool dude.
As for other films, I recently saw The Riot Club and liked it. Gorgeously shot, not too intrigued with the plot. [Stealing that last line for my Goodfilms review...]
Thanks for your comment, Lizzie! I feel like I should delve into more Linklater since I enjoyed Boyhood so much. I'll have to check out The Riot Club--cheers!
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