Monday, July 7, 2014

'Life Itself' & 'Synecdoche, New York'

I decided to pair these two in my original post because there is a (small) connection between the two.

The first, "Life Itself" (2014) is a brand-spanking-new documentary about the life of the most famous film reviewer who ever lived, Roger Ebert.

The second, "Synecdoche, New York" (2008) is, in this writers opinion, the most ambitionus fictional narrative ever made. It was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, the Oscar winner for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' for best original screenplay in 2004. His other credits include writing 'Being John Malcovich'(1999) and 'Adaptation.'(2002) Kaufman was also nominated for best original screenplay again for the latter. Nicholas Cage stared in that film and gave performances worth two Nick Cages.


Well, let's get to it.

Life Itself. What a fucking title. And the title certainly fits the films subject, Roger Ebert. The film tells the amazing story of an amazing man's life. I was simply... amazed. His young life was filled with boozing and womanizing. One day, he simply decided to get sober. He says "If it weren't for hangovers, I would still be drinking, and unemployed... actually I would be dead."
He held week-long film classes where he'd show the film on a Monday and then spend Tuesday through Friday breaking down every scene and nuance in the film.
He was very outspoken with his opposition to the Motion Picture Association of America Film Rating System.
I really don't want to say much more because there is so much good stuff I'd rather not spoil. I will say that his work ethic and spirits are quite astounding for a man at the end of his life. You can tell he really loves his work and his family. This film is loving and poignant. Ebert has a great sense of humor as well. It's a very engaging doc and the 2 hours absolutely fly by.

It's not a spoiler that Ebert lost his battle with cancer. In june of 2006 he had surgery to remove tissue inflicted with cancer in his right jaw. A week later he had a life-threatening complication when his carotid artery burst near the surgery site. He lost his ability to eat, drink and speak. He died on April 4, 2013.

Critics and audiences alike love this movie. It sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.6/10
Don't Miss it. I believe it is on demand now but if you can't afford it you could watch it online here:
http://nosvideo.com/?v=cu1jx8wbaaxk
My Score: 4.5/5 Stars



OK, Synecdoche, New York.... ugh, this is going to be difficult. Let's start with the title again, why don't we? Well, you probably have never heard of the word Synecdoche. It is a literary term where a part of a whole is used to describe a whole. An example of this is someone eating a slice of pizza and saying "this is a good pie" This difficult title should warn you that this film is a BEAST and not for your average filmgoer. Think about a cheesy, feel-good rom-com. Yeah, this is exactly the opposite. This film takes the truth and rings it out till all the pain drips out of the dirty rag, staining your smelly hands with all the dirt that can fit under those nails. It might make you cringe (maybe once,) cry (probably a few times,) and might leave you terribly depressed. Just a warning.

With all that said, here is the great Roger Ebert connection. He apparently loves the movie almost as much as I do. He named it the best film of the 00's. THE BEST.
Of the 5,000+ movies plus that came out that decade, he name it the best.

So, what is this movie about, you ask? That's a toughie. It's far more abstract and the plot is less important than most films. that isn't to say nothing happens: it is chalked full of odd bodily functions, "dating, relationships, death..... all of that"

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Caden Cotard. (side note: Cotard's syndrome is a disease where you think you're already dead.) Health certainly rules Caden's life. Health and love. A lot more love than health actually.

His life is filled with pain, as all of our's are. He goes through tremendous heartbreak over his life. The driving force of the plot is he receives a MacArthur Genius Grant. With this virtually unlimited money, he start's work on a massive theatre project (the film takes place from when he's 40 to where he finally dies around age 90). The project gets bigger and bigger and actors are playing characters from Caden's real life and then there are actors playing those first actors. As you can see, this movie is difficult to describe.

But in the end, this movie is EXTREMELY rewarding. This is a movie you can watch 100 times and realize more about it each time. I have seen this one probably more than 100 times and it's only been out for 6 years. If that math holds up that means I'll see it around 1,000 times, But, don't listen to me listen to Roger Ebert:
http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-best-films-of-the-decade

The simple fact is Charlie Kaufman is a kind of mad genius who's brain needs to be studied after his passing. If you haven't seen his work, see ALL of it.

This film is at all major libraries and it's online. You should really buy the DVD so Kaufman can continue more. He's "About 70% complete" with a stop motion feature film he's wrote and is making with Dino Stamatopoulos (Creator of Morel Orel).  He's currently in pre-production on a 10 episode TV Show staring John Hawks, Sally Hawkins, and Michael Cera.
www.beingcharliekaufman.com is the go to source for Kaufman news.
My Score: 5/5 Stars



Well, I guess that's it for my first post. I never claim to be a writer, just a guy who loves movies. I don't really know how this site works: if there are comments or you can send me messages, but I would love to hear from people about what they think about these movies I will be hitting each week.
I will do my best to have a post every Monday, but no promises. I am going away this Saturday through Wednesday so it may be late unless I feel inspired.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it!!

Aren't movies the best?

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