NWR: Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter & sometime director

originally posted by Zachary Ross:
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by maureen:
And Nick Cage was great in "Raising Arizona."
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That is true.

We should have a whole 'nother thread about the Coen brothers. (Maybe we do; need to see what condition my condition was in.)

Not to mention "O Brother." Complete gem.
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If you haven't, do see Miller's Crossing, their best. It was early in their career, so sometimes overlooked.
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I'm partial to Blood Simple. And of course Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, and Fargo, among their finest.
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I thank Zachary for typing out in toto my response. Complete agreement.
 
It is Sonnenfeld's cinematography that sets Miller's Crossing above some other very good choices. His work is most noticeable in the forest scenes, though the entire color palette is different, more somber, than anything the Coens achieved later. This was Sonnenfeld's final movie with them, after having been the DP on Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. Love the cast in MC, too. Byrne a little more controlled than usual, Finney in fine form and finally listening to some direction. And the usual cast of characters, Buscemi, Polito, Turtorro. Best performance I've seen from Marcia Harden. Excellent atmospheric score from Burwell.
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
originally posted by slaton:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
AdaptationHas always been one of my favorite films, just by the bye.
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Me 2.

Made me realize that contrary to most prior evidence, Nic Cage could act. Who knew?
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Thanks for this, I had put it on my "never ever watch, not even Netflix" list due to Cage.

I watched about half of one of his movies, called National Treasure, so dumb it was hilarious.
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isn't that geared towards to kids?
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Ben Hunting:
Catherine Keener
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I first noticed her in "Living in Oblivion"—which is also kind of fantastic in retrospect, as there was an early(ish) Steve Buscemi and Peter Dinklage!

I think I only watched that movie back in the day (per the internet, 21 years ago) because I'd liked the actor James Le Gros in "Drugstore Cowboy." Wheeeeew.

I'd been a huge "Reservoir Dogs" fan, but I didn't catch how great an actor Buscemi was; jeepers.
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i thought he was pretty terrific in "tree's lounge". worth checking out if you haven't seen it.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
"tree's lounge"
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Yes. A real feel-good movie, that one.

"Living In Oblivion" mentioned upthread is another personal favorite among Buscemi flicks.
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
It is Sonnenfeld's cinematography that sets Miller's Crossing above some other very good choices.
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Good point. It's a beautiful movie I should rewatch. Why did they stop collaborating?
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
It is Sonnenfeld's cinematography that sets Miller's Crossing above some other very good choices.
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Good point. It's a beautiful movie I should rewatch. Why did they stop collaborating?
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Sonnenfeld wanted to direct and produce on his own, and was very successful at it.
 
"Out of Sight" is another favorite of mine. Illustrates that Jennifer lopez's true talent is acting. Keener particularly great in it.

Trivia question. Which much lauded actor made screen debut in this movie?
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Interesting. I haven't seen any of his movies, but the name did ring a bell.
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He started out great, with "Get Shorty" and "Out of Sight". And then made a lot of money.
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Out of Sight was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Sonnenfeld was an executive producer.

Oh, I just went back and read what you said above about Sonnenfeld wanting to direct and produce on his own. Nevermind.
 
Sharon and others who enjoyed Eternal Sunshine, one thing I might suggest for the arthouse film-minded among you is to watch another film from around the same time, that is a meditation on a lot of the same themes - love, time, memory - the film is 2046 by Wong Kar Wai. A caveat - WKW's style is more arty than Eternal Sunshine and a bit of an acquired taste. The other complicating factor is that I believe that 2046 is best viewed after another WKW film, In The Mood For Love, which in turn is a wonderful film in my opinion, but a love it or hate it experience.

A bit of background about Wong Kar Wai for those not familiar - his films are gorgeous, sumptuous, and largely improvised when it comes to the actual dialogue. He was one of the most admired directors among film school students during this time, and his work was an influence on many other films you probably have seen, like Lost in Translation. Would love to know people's thoughts if they have seen these films, or make the effort to see them after this post.
 
originally posted by Tristan Welles:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by maureen:
And Nick Cage was great in "Raising Arizona."
Click to expand...

That is true.

We should have a whole 'nother thread about the Coen brothers. (Maybe we do; need to see what condition my condition was in.)

Not to mention "O Brother." Complete gem.
Click to expand...

If you haven't, do see Miller's Crossing, their best. It was early in their career, so sometimes overlooked.
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Are you giving us the high hat??

Nevertheless, the Old Man is still an artist with the Thompson.
 
In Paris, about ten years ago, a Wong Kar-Wai series ran at one of the Latin Quarter movie theaters. What big screen movies! I agree about the importance of seeing "In The Mood For Love" before "2046". "Happy Together" is magnificent, too.
 
originally posted by amateurwino:
A caveat - WKW's style is more arty than Eternal Sunshine and a bit of an acquired taste.
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I'll see your Wong Kar-Wai and raise you a Tsai Ming-Liang. I just taught his What Time Is It There? in my "Cinema and the City" course this week. It's such fun to watch my students' little heads explode over that one. As relationship movies go, makes Eternal Sunshine look a little bit like Bambi.
 
originally posted by fillay:
originally posted by amateurwino:
A caveat - WKW's style is more arty than Eternal Sunshine and a bit of an acquired taste.
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I'll see your Wong Kar-Wai and raise you a Tsai Ming-Liang. I just taught his What Time Is It There? in my "Cinema and the City" course this week. It's such fun to watch my students' little heads explode over that one. As relationship movies go, makes Eternal Sunshine look a little bit like Bambi.
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Ha good one, I like it! While I try to decide whether to play a Hou Hsiao-Hsien back at you, or go beyond Chinese diaspora directors and put a Hong Sang-soo or Alexis Dos Santos (could see a Gondry fan digging Unmade Beds) on the table, let me raise the stakes on my WKW play first: if you want to get even geekier before watching 2046, you also watch Days of Being Wild, which plants the seeds of some characters and storylines for 2046 even before In The Mood For Love.

Sharon, sorry for the thread drift.
 
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