Cannes Clips: Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:37:59 -0700

Did you like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? How you answer this question will probably indicate whether or not you'll be interested in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. The movie is premiering at Cannes and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among a ton of others.

IMDB describes the movie's plot like this: "A theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play." If it's similar to the movies Kaufman has written in the past, Synecdoche, New York will be darkly bizarre and incredibly self-aware (and self-referential). The clips from the movie already indicate this for the most part, and will probably make more sense within the full context of the movie. To check out the clips from Synecdoche, New York, read more.

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Movie Preview: Michelle Williams in Mammoth

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:30:38 -0800

Sometimes it's still hard to believe that Michelle Williams was once Jen Lindley on Dawson's Creek. She's completely broken out of that mold with her ongoing string of indie films like Wendy and Lucy and Synecdoche, New York, and now comes yet another dark choice to add to her resume.

Williams stars opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in the upcoming drama, Mammoth, which follows a young family whose world begins to crumble after a few bad decisions. Leo (Bernal) is a website mogul off on a trip to Thailand, Ellen (Williams) is his doctor wife, and the film spotlights their daughter's nanny, Gloria, as well. Judging by the trailer, things begin to implode after Leo goes to a club and takes up with a prostitute - and everyone, even Gloria, feels the consequences.

I'm already mentally preparing myself for Mammoth. Thanks to its global, interconnected stories set up, I'm thinking it will be on the same intensity scale as a Babel or Crash. (Which means it's probably a downer that I'll need to decompress from later). Still, that sort of riveting drama can make for a great watch - albeit stressful - and Williams and Bernal's performances look exceptionally good in this one. It comes to theaters November 20, but watch the trailer and tell me if you agree with my assessment when you read more.