Synecdoche, New York Trailer, You Guys

Finally, a trailer for Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York, you guys:

Charlie Kaufman is a great screenwriter who's worked hard to create his own universe of alternate realities (no duh). He is to ideas what Wes Anderson is to interior design. And the idea for this movie, a down-on-his-luck theater director with a terminal illness who stages a play in a nearly lifesize simulacrum of New York City housed in a giant warehouse in New York City is painstakingly crafted with the loving oddness of a Sophie Calle installation. Also Philip Seymour Hoffman! Also Catherine Keener! So let's all give this first time director the benefit of the doubt and ignore the seemingly endless stream of "it's life, jump into life" style statements that make up the majority of this trailer.

"Death comes faster than you think."
"Everyone's disappointed if you know them long enough."
"There are millions of people in the wold, and none of those people is an extra. They're all leads in their own stories."

OK, Charlie Kaufman, your movie is full of mildly trite statements of deep import, as if a movie about SIGNIFIERS and THE CHARADE OF LIFE wasn't already making those statements. Now can we please get back to the genre-bending moebius narrative filled with darkly funny moments strung together by the common thread of existential absurdity? Please?

Posted by Gabe at 9:16 AM in Trailer
Tags: Catherine Keener | Charlie Kaufman | Michelle Williams | Philip Seymour Hoffman | Samantha Morton | Synecdoche | Tilda Swinton

4 Comments

I'm the one person who gets the Sophie Calle reference, and even I'm like: what? You're name checking Sophie Calle? OK...

Posted by: Dropsy at 09/18/08 6:21 PM | Reply
Score = -1

You really think that you would be the only one to get a Sophie Calle reference? OK....

Posted by: burntfilm at 09/19/08 3:27 AM | Reply
Score = 0

Ok, I'm not trying to sound like a dick when I say that I read an early draft of this script, and it's amazing...I don't think this trailer does it justice...the whole "life affirming" angle is way more downplayed and the stuff with the play is really really interesting and clever...give it a shot if you like his other stuff, even if you don't think it looks great in the trailer

Posted by: cole at 09/19/08 4:01 AM | Reply
Score = 0

I know it's been said already, but namedropping Sophie Calle on videogum sort of makes you sound ridiculous.

Posted by: David at 09/19/08 3:36 PM | Reply
Score = 0