Friday, January 02, 2004
"You are what you love, not what loves you."
Ok. So I just got finished watching this movie called Adaptation with Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper. Am I going to post a review on my site? No. I'm not in the mood. And I have tons of other reviews I need to post.
But I've just gotta say something about this movie. It's just plain weird. It's written by Charlie and Donald Kaufman and it's based on a book called "The Orchid Thief". What is it about? Charlie and Donald Kaufman writing a screenplay based on "The Orchid Thief". Confused yet? So am I. This film isn't particularly noteworthy except for the acting (Streep and Cooper won some well-deserved Oscars) and the screenplay/directing. It's like a giant circle, and it just makes your head spin. There's so many layers...
For example, you get Nick Cage (playing both Charlie and Donald Kaufman just to add to the confusion) speaking in a voiceover, followed by him saying out loud that voiceovers don't work and shouldn't be used in a movie. There's a whole lot of moments like this, where it makes you want to go, "Huh? Wait just a second..."
Also, both Charlie and Donald have distinct personalities, and since both are scriptwriters this is evident in their work (I'm talking about the characters in the movie here....I think). Charlie is more original and artsy, while Donald prefers the cliched thrillers. And a lot of this movie is original and artsy, but by the end you will have seen plenty of "Donald" events thrown in (guns, sex, a man-eating crocodile, stuff like that). So you're seeing these two characters' personalities being described on film, as well as actually seeing both styles physically present in the film's structure. It's just mind-boggling.
Some people will hate this film. Others (such as my brother) will love it. Me, I kinda like it, just for its unique and distinct style. There's nothing quite as refreshing as a movie that makes your head hurt every once in a while. There's a paradox in there somewhere, I know. Anyway, if any of you charming people (I'm sure) ever need something to do on a weekend, you might as well check this out. Will it be a rewarding time? I don't know for sure. But it will definitely be...er...different.
Besides, you'll get to see Chris Cooper wit' no front teeth and lookin' like a hillbilly.
But I've just gotta say something about this movie. It's just plain weird. It's written by Charlie and Donald Kaufman and it's based on a book called "The Orchid Thief". What is it about? Charlie and Donald Kaufman writing a screenplay based on "The Orchid Thief". Confused yet? So am I. This film isn't particularly noteworthy except for the acting (Streep and Cooper won some well-deserved Oscars) and the screenplay/directing. It's like a giant circle, and it just makes your head spin. There's so many layers...
For example, you get Nick Cage (playing both Charlie and Donald Kaufman just to add to the confusion) speaking in a voiceover, followed by him saying out loud that voiceovers don't work and shouldn't be used in a movie. There's a whole lot of moments like this, where it makes you want to go, "Huh? Wait just a second..."
Also, both Charlie and Donald have distinct personalities, and since both are scriptwriters this is evident in their work (I'm talking about the characters in the movie here....I think). Charlie is more original and artsy, while Donald prefers the cliched thrillers. And a lot of this movie is original and artsy, but by the end you will have seen plenty of "Donald" events thrown in (guns, sex, a man-eating crocodile, stuff like that). So you're seeing these two characters' personalities being described on film, as well as actually seeing both styles physically present in the film's structure. It's just mind-boggling.
Some people will hate this film. Others (such as my brother) will love it. Me, I kinda like it, just for its unique and distinct style. There's nothing quite as refreshing as a movie that makes your head hurt every once in a while. There's a paradox in there somewhere, I know. Anyway, if any of you charming people (I'm sure) ever need something to do on a weekend, you might as well check this out. Will it be a rewarding time? I don't know for sure. But it will definitely be...er...different.
Besides, you'll get to see Chris Cooper wit' no front teeth and lookin' like a hillbilly.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 1/02/2004 11:19:00 PM 
