Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating.
September 20, 2008 9:38 AM   Subscribe

 
Good timing. Today's his birthday.
posted by Devils Slide at 9:52 AM on September 20, 2008


Despite all that, I love Kaufman's work and will make my way through the material.

The inside out, deconstructed, out of sequence, "dangling-the skeleton" method of posting this interview is a little pretentious and off-putting. Yes we know that's how Mr. Kaufman writes, but is it a little too cute to post the interview in the way?

OK, I have a few thoughts before I read and listen to everything in the link:
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 10:13 AM on September 20, 2008 [1 favorite]




I believe this is a double.

(I recall this because I expressed doubts about the whole shebang in the original thread. Still have them, too.)
posted by william_boot at 10:42 AM on September 20, 2008


Italo Calvino used to say, reality is the bread, fantasy is the jam. bread alone is too dry, but without the bread, jam is shapeless. Kaufman is brilliant but, to adapt the the bread/jam metaphor, weirdness cannot entirely replace storytelling either, as much as one would like to discard it entirely -- for its general unhipness -- as a relic of the past.

more often than not -- ie, basically always, except John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine -- I find that Kaufman's material is shapeless. one is grateful for Kaufman's refusal to dumb down his material, but still, his actors (or Gondry's moment of genius) cannot always save his material from being, well, too much jam and too little bread.

and I say this as someone who is deeply awed by L'année dernière à Marienbad.
posted by matteo at 12:03 PM on September 20, 2008


"dangling-the skeleton" method of posting this interview is a little pretentious and off-putting

actually... I kind of liked that. I found it interesting to read about the design of the article, browse the draft and listen to the interview. I haven't read the final article yet and haven't decided whether I want to check my takeaway against the authors.
posted by krautland at 5:04 PM on September 20, 2008


"dangling-the skeleton" method of posting this interview is a little pretentious and off-putting

actually... I kind of liked that. I found it interesting to read about the design of the article, browse the draft and listen to the interview.


Shhhh.... me too... I was just being a smartass and wanted to use the term "dangling the skeleton.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:09 PM on September 20, 2008


got it :-)

listening to this makes me miss LA all the more. I know exactly where they are and loved the black mussles there. the ambient sounds from the music to the hunky mta busses driving by, all this is making me melancholic. I can almost see the huge mirrors in the place.
posted by krautland at 6:43 PM on September 20, 2008


by the way: more, please.
posted by krautland at 2:58 AM on September 21, 2008


Coincidentally, Roger Ebert just added Adaptation to his Great Movies list, and writes a wonderful essay about it.

Adaptation is one of my top 5 favorite movies. I've seen it at least 20 times, and never tire of it. Reading Ebert's essay makes me want to watch it again today.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:25 AM on September 21, 2008


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