Synecdoche, New York

**Skeeter** · 12-24-2006, 08:55 PM

Coming in 2007, this is Charlie Kaufman's latest film, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Kaufman will be directing as well.

Since Kaufman is one of my favorite screenwriters and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is my favorite actor, I am understandably excited about this. I'm a little wary of the idea of Kaufman directing, though.

**meatfinger** · 12-25-2006, 04:35 PM

Kaufman writing brings his films to an acceptable level of bizzare. Kaufman writing and directing might result in an non-understandably bizarre film experience.

**bread man** · 12-25-2006, 11:00 PM

Anything with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in it is worth seeing. I've liked Kaufman's other films, so I'll be looking forward to this.

DKelly · 09-18-2008, 12:15 AM

Well, the film finally has a set release date(it'll get a limited release on October 24th of this year) as well as a full-length trailer:

http://www.screeninglog.com/journal/...-new-york.html

Thoughts?

***Art*** · 09-18-2008, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bread man

Anything with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in it is worth seeing. I've liked Kaufman's other films, so I'll be looking forward to this.

Including Capote??

rock_show_host · 09-18-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

Including Capote??

Why not? (I haven't seen Capote)

And I'm really really pumped for Synecdoche.

**meatfinger** · 09-18-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Why not? (I haven't seen Capote)

It sucked.

rock_show_host · 09-18-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meatfinger

It sucked.

I heard it was good and kinda wanted to see it. What was so bad about it (without giving too much away)?

DKelly · 09-18-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rock_show_host

I heard it was good and kinda wanted to see it. What was so bad about it (without giving too much away)?

I don't think that it was necessarily bad, but I didn't find it to my liking when I saw it. Yes, Philip gave a terrific performance, but, personally, listening to his voice in that film for almost two hours got to be a little grating after a while. Plus, I didn't think the pacing was that great either.

**meatfinger** · 09-18-2008, 11:19 PM

The only somewhat redeeming element was PSH's performance. The plot was so mind-numbingly boring we didn't finish it. And I've sat through some pretty frickin' boring movies.

**bread man** · 09-19-2008, 05:34 PM

I thought it was alright. PSH was easily the best part of it though.

Ordinary Sarah · 10-11-2008, 08:33 PM

I just heard about this film in the USA insert in the paper. I am soooo excited. Eternal Sunshine is one of my top three films.

DKelly · 10-11-2008, 10:46 PM

I found a post on the film's IMDB fanboard that explains why Charlie decided to direct this film:

"Did you listen to that 2.5 hour interview with Kaufman? I think that will shed a lot of light on what you are driving at. Kaufman basically says that Spike Jonze is the one who funnels his wild, kind of flailing ideas into a more comprehensible, consumable product. He says that Spike, in the beginning stages of SNY scripting, expressed some deep reservations about it (though he wouldn't go into the details). He also said the same thing about BJM. Kaufman didn't want to compromise anything this time around, he said. That is why he took on the directing responsibilities himself... for better or worse. "

Also, several reviews are already up on IMDB as well, all of them positive. In one of those reviews, I found this opening quote that single-handedly makes this my number three must-see of the year:

"Synecdoche, New York" expands on the basic subject themes of all Kaufman's work, but mostly on "Adaptation". And it makes "Adaptation" look like an exercise for kids compared to this."

Wow.

TheProdigalModern · 10-12-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKelly

"Synecdoche, New York" expands on the basic subject themes of all Kaufman's work, but mostly on "Adaptation". And it makes "Adaptation" look like an exercise for kids compared to this."

If it's drawing comparisons to Adaptation, I won't be seeing it. The only reason I sat through to the end of Adaption was because I kept on thinking that it was going to get better. I know everyone thinks it's so great because it's a Kaufman film, but I can't see it as anything more than a steaming pile of narcissistic bullcrap.

And I say this as a fan of Kaufman's other work.

ApparentlyNothing · 01-17-2009, 11:52 PM

So, I just saw this.

Ummm, wow. I don't fully grasp what happened, but I sure liked it. I'm gonna need another viewing.

*****SPOILER*****

So, Ellen. Was PSH playing her the whole end? I seemed to notice the real Ellen in bed with a guy named Eric, which reminded me of when PSH's daughter said he was a homosexual with a guy named Eric. But I don't know if I'm just remembering that wrong. Gah, I need to see this again to grasp everything that happened.