Mad Atoms

I just can't be a Charlie Kauffman hater. I should be, lord knows I hate everything else. I'm not saying the guy has a perfect track record, the last third of Adaptation was total shit, and that one with the hairy chick was pretty awful. But Charlie Kaufman’s pretty goddamn creative. I mean, Jim Carrey in romance? It's just so.. out there. 

Writer-turned-directors don’t have the best track record. Which makes sense. Most writers are assholes. They’re lazy, they think every goddamn word out of their mouth is pure gold, and they spend so little time with real people that, as the career progresses, their work tends to get more and more detached from reality. That’s why Shakespeare’s last play is like a crazy acid trip that makes no fucking sense, and why the last Harry Potter book had twenty-five different endings. 

That said, Kaufman should have some time before he descends into Robert Towne territory. 

Too bad he didn't have the budget that Benjamin Button had. The make-up in this movie doesn't look nearly as good. Then again, all the make-up in the world can’t make Phillip Seymour Hoffman look like Brad Pitt. 

The real danger with this film is if it starts dispensing little life lessons at the 80 minute mark. I caught one during the trailer, something to the effect of, “there are no extras.” I guess that’s supposed to make all those loser wanna be actors in LA feel better about themselves. Well let me tell you Charlie, those assholes are extras, but only when we’re lucky. 

If precious morsels like these pop up in future trailers, we’ll know the film’s in trouble: “create for yourself, not other people;” “great art comes from within;” “the last third of Adaptation did NOT suck.”  

Syndechdoce stars like every indie actress stalwart except Parker Posey. Poor Parker Posey. Used to be, you couldn’t make a movie under a million dollars without her. That was actually written into the SAG contract. Where is she now? Working at a Whole Foods. I swear.  

My only real problem with this trailer: what’s with the Wheel of Fortune title design?