synecdoche, new york (2008)

i have been sitting on my review of synecdoche, new york for a good few days now. while im making an effort to remove any overtly foul language from my blog at the moment (a new title is en route folks) this film is the new benchmark when it comes to that most beloved of cinematic event, the mindfuck. move over inland empire there's an heir to thy throne, in the shape of charlie kaufman's directorial debut. kaufman is best known as writer of the likes of spike jonze's being john malkovich and adaptation as well as eternal sunshine of the spotless mind from michel gondry.

synecdoche, new york is a hard film to summise, but basically it tells the story of caden cotard, a theatre director whom suffers a breakdown of sorts. we follow caden throughout the course of his breakdown; during which he attempts to stage a production based on his own life (and the lives of his family and friends), within a large warehouse in new york. within the warehouse he rebuilds the settings and scenarios of the outside world, building effectively a life size model of new york within it. all this without a mention of the smoking house, the tattooed ten year old child, miniature artwork and a bizarre obsession with tootbrushes, time (and the subsequent timekeeping) and hairstyles. its all very odd, but wonderfully realised.

i thought of the film as a comment on many aspects of film and art, with particular note made on the role of the actor within the picture. there's a great scene whereby one of the actors is attempting to perfect he way his character walks. considering the genuinely epic scope that this film exhibits, to make note of such a trivial moment may seem odd, but i found the moment strangely telling of the true nature of the piece.

philip seymour hoffman continues his recent good run (following doubt) with perhaps his most interesting role to date. there is great support from the triptych of women in coden's life.

it goes without saying that synecdoche, new york will have many a different interpretation, but that eally is the joy of this kind of cinema. the discussion factor is endless, with the film already proving incredibly devisive amongst those that have seen it.

doubt (2009)

ever the fan of philip seymour hoffman, its great to see him back in the sort of role that he would have produced prior to his breakthrough success in capote, and exactly the sort of role i have been eager to see him in for what seems like quite a while. the uneasy nature of our relationship as a viewer with the character of 'father flynn' is left in a similiar position to that of the way in which we relate to hoffman's 'scotty j.' in paul thomas anderson's ''boogie nights''. part of us pities the man, yet part of us cant help but be disturbed by him (well maybe thats going a bit too far for poor 'scotty j.'). regardless of this, hoffman is electric in the role.

enough of the philip seymour hoffman love-in, there is no mistaking that ''doubt'' is very much meryl streep's film. empire magazine recently declaired that her entrance as 'sister aloysius beauvier' was the most iconic since that of darth vader's, and while i may not agree with that point entirely, its still pretty great and sums up the mood of the picture from the out. as a former catholic schoolboy myself, albeit in the later days of the sort of school on display in ''doubt'', i can wholeheartedly relate to the sense of fear, ambiguity and sheer menace that 'sister beauvier' projects. similiarly i can relate to the way in which 'father flynn' comes across as a comfortable figure, and the naivety and frailty in which amy adams' 'sister james' signifies.

the film is beautifully shot by roger deakins, the british cinematographer behind the dark hues of andrew dominik's ''the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford'' and ''no country for old men''. the film looks as good as one would expect from deakins, and is especially surprising considering the restrictions imposed by the fairly limited number of locations. despite this deakins manages to craft a film as cinematic as anything else i have seen all year.

the films core theme, of one dealing with their own faith leaves us with a rather ambiguous ending. the core story is largely tied up, with the eleventh hour revelation from 'sister beauvier' all but confirming 'father flynns' guilt, but the larger question is to what her tears concern. is it because she has reached a crisis of faith herself? despite what she projects on the outside, did she secretly doubt her own concerns internally? as a fan of ambiguity in cinema i was pleased with such a conclusion, and while i hold my own beliefs as to what the tears signify, im sure that there will be many that beg to differ.

before the devil knows youre dead (2007)

reminiscent of spike lee's "the inside man'', sidney lumet's final film revolves around the tale of two brothers and a heist gone awry. philip seymour hoffman, ethan hawke and albert finney all give solid performances, with the off kilter strucure lending hugely to the slight plot. "before the devil knows youre dead" makes a good companion piece to lumet's earlier "dog day afternoon".