Adaptation - DVD Release

The team who gave you 'Being John Malkovich' -Director Spike Jonze and Writer Charlie Kaufman - go one better with this enormously satisfying movie. If you missed it at the cinema it's well worth a rent or even a buy.

Jonze and Kaufman have defied the old saying that movies cannot convey complex challenging ideas. This movie 'brains up' to its audience and insists that you keep up with an elegant, elusive, multi-layered plot. The acting is uniformly excellent: Nicholas Cage (not my favourite actor) has never been better, the greatly underrated Chris Cooper is superb and Meryl Streep after her (for me) overblown excesses of 'The Hours' is back at her best.

But it is the screenplay that distinguishes the film and raises it to a very special level. It is clever, thoughtful, imaginative and Lord help us, subtly ironic. It mocks and challenges most of the shallow aspirations that run of the mill Hollywood fare too often settles for. For much of this film you don't quite know where you are going; and at the end you are thought-provokingly unsure quite where you've been. But speaking for myself, I sure-as-hell enjoyed the trip. See it.

Zettel - October 2004

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Hi Z, I bought this on DVD in China earlier in the year and watched it again recently. I enjoyed it very much, although it does get very silly towards the end. It's a great depiction of writerly neuroses and insecurity, so a must-see for all scribes.

Btw, I'm going to Robert McKee's Story Seminar next month and am looking forward to finding out how much he resembles his character in this film.

Write on,

Adele

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PS I just hope I don't coming out going, "Bob says..."

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Where is the seminar? Love to hear what you think. Don't think it is silly at the end but given what went before who's arguing. My hunch from your various comments is that there is little danger if you coming out saying anybody "says...." .

regards

Z

Hi Z, it's in London on 12-14th November. It is pretty expensive, but I'm looking at it as an investment in what I hope will be a career as a writer:

http://www.mckeestory.com/Europe.html

Adele.

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PS Someone I met on my Chinese course this summer is also going - he has lots of contacts on Broadway and said it had been highly recommended by some of them.

Kaufman is a truly original screenwriter but sometimes a bit too mad.

The best thing he's done is the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. What a fantastic piece of writing. If you haven't seen it, go...NOW!!!

Adele - have you seen the Raindance courses? I did one a couple of years back, only it was film production, but you come out of it (2 day seminar) feeling majorly inspired and you feel you could make a lo budget film straight away. Only they do screenwriting ones too, which would be good I reckon. They may be cheaper than McKee, who is brilliant in Adaptation. Bit freaky for me though, that film!

Luv n' Spotless minds


Dav
xxx

Hi Dav, I did try to get on one of the Raindance courses but told it was full up. McKee is clearly a good businessman as my fast-melting credit card has already been debited, so I'm definitely going to his gig. I'll report back!

Adele.

Cool - look forward to it. I wonder if he's like he is in the film?

Be interesting to hear how it goes, coz the Raindance ones are chilled out, coming from a low budget angle. I have a good book by them actually, which I'll dig out and give you the title of, coz its v. helpful.

Luv n' running out of things to go with it



Dav
xxx

Hi Davey

ESofTSM is a problem for me as I suffer from Carreyphobia (and Kidmanic depression but that's another story). Also of all films to nod off in (not the film - work and a modest intake of an interesting mixture of fermented hops and malt) this was a bad one I'm sure you'd agree. In fact I thought I'd woken up in planet Zog or inside the Twilight Zone. Guess I'll have to give it another look. I don't find Adaptation freaky at all.

Regards

Nice to meet a movie lover in cyberspace.

I'll pass on the spotless mind bit. I'd fail the medical.

Zettel