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Reviews
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
An Artist's Existential Nightmare
Lots of praise for this film here, but not enough to convince me to give it a second go. I think this might make the best short film ever, but coming in at 2 hours, it starts to feel like Andy Warhol's "Raygun". Kaufman's self-indulgent existential nightmare takes us deep inside his own neurosis, paranoia, and depression. "Adaptation" (one of my favorite films) took me far enough already, though.
Honest and challenging? Hell yeah! Great performances? Incredible. And some really hilarious moments: the New Yorker kind of high brow sh*t us Indie film folk love. But I guess this kind of "challenging" is not for me... maybe if I ever get the courage to watch this hot mess again, I'll challenge myself with a bong rip first. I'm sure Catherine Keener would approve.
Summer Love (2006)
Polish Guy Directs A Western
I liked this film a lot... inventive camera work, interesting music choices, very loose plot. Not a formulaic Hollywood Western here, which will displease a lot of people. Not a popcorn and soda movie, but one that has left me thinking about it the next day.
Also, Val Kilmer is not really in this movie, which will also upset people. I mean, he's technically there, with like 30 sec screen time and no lines. It was interesting how much weight this unimportant character was lent because of his star power, though.
This is an avante-garde European director doing a Western film... all hail the modern day cross- cultural mash up!