Watch before Viewing Synecdoche New York

Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut with the brilliantly baffling Synecdoche New York

From Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) comes, Synecdoche, New York, a quirky, humane and head scratching flick as only  Kaufman can do. To sum up the plot succinctly is impossible but it centres on a stage director and hypochondriac, Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who trades in his suburban life with wife Adele (Catherine Keener), daughter Olive (Sadie Goldstein) and regional theatrical work in Schenectady for a chance at Broadway. He puts together a cast (resembling those in his own dream world) and brings them to a Manhattan warehouse being designed as a replica of the city outside. As the world he is creating inside these walls expands so does the focus of his own life and relationships. As the years literally fly by he gets deeper into his theatrical self which soon starts to merge with his ownincreasingly pathetic reality.




Adaptation





Plot

Despite the success of his first produced script, for which he received an Academy Award® nomination for best original screenplay, Charlie Kaufman (Cage) is plagued by insecurities, both in his career and his personal life. Now, commissioned to adapt The Orchid Thief, a non-fiction book about a fanatical orchid breeder, into a screenplay, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ends up writing himself into the story with bizarre results.

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One of Charlie Kaufman’s finest and often overlooked flicks, Adaptation reminds us just how good the writer can be at handling the subject of identity. Additional kudos points go to Nick Cage for what is his best indie role in years.




Inland Empire





Plot
Shot on a handheld Sony PD150 digital video recorder, Inland Empire is the tale of an actress (Laura Dern)whose personality becomes increasingly fragmented as she delves ever deeper into her work for a high-profile filmmaker (Jeremy Irons).

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We’ve kept the plot brief and after watching this movie you’ll see why. In fact despite the fact the film was two years in the making; there was no formal script for this David Lynch helmed project. While it may not be the easiest watch, a Lynch film, much like Kaufmans, always pays off and this unconventional means of storytelling works a treat to any film fan who loves the “WHAT THE FRAK” factor…



Boogie Nights






Plot:
Directed by P.T. Anderson, Boogie Nights documents the rise and fall of the  sex industry and disco in ’70s/80s America, all reflects in the career of one young special porn superstar: Dirk Diggler aka Mark Wahlberg.


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A more linear film than the previous examples, Boogie Nights features an early and memorable performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as a repressed gay film technican in love with his actor, aka Mark Wahlberg. A star (though thankfully not a porn star) was born!

 



“Synecdoche New York” is in Irish cinemas from Friday, May 18th.