Trailer: Synecdoche, New York
By Craig Kennedy - September 18th, 2008; 7:26 am
Must. Not. Watch….
Watch it in HD at Yahoo.
Coming October 24
Filed under: Trailers
Tags: Charlie Kaufman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche New York
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“Must. Not. Watch….”
Go for it, Craig. Take Margo Channing’s advice. . . . Keep your self in suspense . . . continue to put those ellipses . . . where a trailer ought to be!
My enthusiasm for this film has been slipping bit by bit as the critical responses have slowly trickled in. I know festival reviews can be really skewed, and I know critics don’t always know what the heck they’re doing (cough*SpeedRacer!*cough), but this film seems tailor made for critics. If they don’t seem that taken with it….well, like I said, not nearly as excited. Perhaps Kaufman as director is not nearly as thrilling as Kaufman as writer.
I’m just gonna go ahead and watch the trailer.
Ok, I watched. I’m in, but I’m tamping down hard on my expectations.
I just can’t decide how I feel about it, after reading the screenplay but before watching the film. This one, more than any of his others, reads like a vivid, slowly warping fever dream made literal. I know explicitly what to expect from it, and yet, I still really don’t. It will take more than one viewing to digest.
But at any rate, it should be interesting and different from anything else we’ll see in 2008. I’m not pumped, but I’m game.
Some of you are crazy. This film has been compared to 8-1/2 even by critics who didn’t much like it. It’s written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, perhaps the most artistically daring and provocative screenwriter of the past decade, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, perhaps the most artistically daring, continually interesting and simply tremendous actor we have at this moment, with a spectacular ensemble cast of deservedly acclaimed actresses.
And above is one of the most gloriously strange and genuinely arresting trailers I’ve seen in a long time.
Please open in Marin County, California on October 24. Please, please, please. At least San Francisco. Please!
None of you are really crazy, though, I take that back.
I think it looks great. Hollywood is sorely lacking in originality right now, so I say thank God for Charlie Kaufman. He is constantly taking risks, trying new things, and pushing the envelope.
The screenplay confused the shit outta me jenny, which I take as a good sign. How it will translate on screen is going to be interesting indeed.
Hey! I’m not crazy! At least, not most of the time…
:)
“This one, more than any of his others, reads like a vivid, slowly warping fever dream made literal” You’ve described a movie I am dying to see. It’s the same reason I like David Lynch. Movies that are dreams come to life with all of the narrative inconsistencies and mind blowing turns of logic (or lack thereof).
I reject critical responses entirely. I think the reaction was very muted to Inland Empire which was the best movie of its year.
Festivals are no place to absorb, digest, parse and appreciate works of art.
This one could fall flat on its ass, but the lack of enthusiasm for the “idea” of it in some quarters is baffling to me. This is the kind of movie (however it turns out) that keeps me going to movies. It keeps me writing about them. This is the payoff for every middle of the road 2.5 - 3.0 star mediocrity we suffer through for most of the year. This is a movie (I hope) that says “You think you’ve seen it all? You think you know how a story is supposed to turn out? Well, I’ve got something for you right here and it’s going to freak your cinematic shit brother!”
Sorry to get all evangelical. These things get me excited.
Riddle me this about the trailer though… Does it look like it was thrown together by some nameless company stooge anxious to convince you the movie is something its not (with no regard for what it really might be) or does it look like Kaufman himself may have had a hand in it and it’s all a part of the bigger artistic picture?
Pardon the plug here, but if you want to hear Kaufman himself talk about this movie and its unique challenges, I’ve posted my 2.5-hour interview with him in mp3 format at http://blog.wired.com/storyboard/ . It’s part of an online project we’re doing, documenting the process of pitching, writing, editing, and designing a profile of Kaufman for our November issue, so there’s lots there for the curious…
Thanks for that Jason. I’d actually run into it the other day and meant to post something about it, but got distracted by this, that or the other thing.
It’s a little confusing at first so be sure to read the “What is It?” blurb and start with the older posts (if you’re into the whole “Chronology” thing).
I can honestly say, this seems like the rare trailer made with utter integrity. I didn’t detect the machinations of a nameless company stooge–so even if that stooge had a hand in it, he finally transcended his lowly existence for something higher, like in Ikiru (sorry, I have Kurosawa on the brain as my blog testifies).
I know, Evan, I know… :)
Ok, I’m watching it.
Good trailers can be a part of the whole movie-going experience. Annoying ones that either lie or give away the whole movie in order to convince people who only see a handful of movies each year are the ones I hate.
Excuse me. I have to change my diaper now.
You cave too easily on these, Craig - hold out with me!
Too late. Watched it. Loved it.
Join the Dark Side, Craig.
See, I wasn’t lying. It’s a great frickin’ trailer.
I shall hold out!!
I caved too, but what can I say, I am generally a trailer whore anyway.
I’d call this one legitimately a part of the overall experience. It gives you a taste that will seep into your subconscious and be largely a hint of a memory by the time the film hits theaters.
I’m not trying to twist anyone’s arm, I’m just saying.
Stay strong people!
Ha. I scoff at your attempt at persuasion. I’ve developed the strength of Samson when it comes to these suckers.
You should do ads, Daniel.
Just say no.
Craig’s subtle suggestions aren’t enough to get ya.
I try to persuade no one because I know the value of trailer avoidance full well.
I still haven’t watched the one for Burn After Reading
Love the truthfulness of the trailer. There is no sign in it of false marketing. The script was for me breathtakingly brilliant - both intellectually and emotionally engaging and confounding. The latter in a way that fascinated rather than frustrated me. I loved its ambition and marveled at the craft. Completely Kaufmanesque yet pushing the envelope of his sensibility and preoccupations out much further into abstraction than most film artists would risk. Reading it was like reading the best of Stoppard and Murakami in terms of literary quality. One could easily write a thesis on its complexities. I can’t wait to read you debating its interpretation and relative merit, as will surely happen. Just sorry I’ll have to wait far longer to watch it myself.
Evan, I too don’t agree with your notion that if this doesn’t work with critics then worrying signs are afoot. Many critics reflect general taste. I also think they can be resistant to film that functions more like literature. In other words, film experience that takes time to think through as its meaning and emotional tone – particularly a more existential one – resonates and blossoms. That said, I’d be surprised if this film didn’t finish at 80% or higher on RT. Critics may have plenty to say about why it didn’t fully work for them, but I doubt that many will deny the presence of quality.
I would rather not have seen that shot of the actual city … but it’s a small price to pay for being dazzled, confused and captivated, all at once.
“Some of you are crazy. This film has been compared to 8-1/2 even by critics who didn’t much like it. It’s written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, perhaps the most artistically daring and provocative screenwriter of the past decade, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, perhaps the most artistically daring, continually interesting and simply tremendous actor we have at this moment, with a spectacular ensemble cast of deservedly acclaimed actresses.”
Ditto! I’ve also read the script, and Kauffman has a masterpiece if he was able to get that on the screen.
There’s the rub, Chuck. CAN he translate the words to the screen?
God I hope so.