Happy-Go-Synecdoche

I don't remember what my first movie was.  Some kids do, they can recount the first time their parents sat them down in front of the strange black box.  It's usually Disney or one of the classics like The Sound of Music or The Wizard of Oz.  I don't think my first was The Wizard of Oz, but it must have been one of the earlier ones because I can distinctly remember an absolute terror of the Wicked Witch of the West.  At my daycare when I was three we used to stage frequent productions of The Wizard of Oz in the living room.  On those days I was forced to play the Wicked Witch that way I couldn't be frightened of myself.  Mostly all that was required of the role was sitting in the corner while clutching the disgusting broom from the kitchen.  The whole experience was an early indicator that I was not meant to be an actor.

Movies were a big deal at my daycare.  Once a month or so all the parents would meet for secret discussions the children weren't privy to.  We would get pizza and cram into the tiny back room in front of the TV.  I don't really remember watching movies at these gatherings.  I remember long arguments about what movie we should watch and long stretches when the TV was having technical difficulties.  During one of those waits one of the older kids told us that the black and white static on the screen was teams of black and white ants racing.  Every few minutes we'd get to ask which team was wining.

On Friday I saw "Happy-Go-Lucky" and last night I saw "Synecdoche, New York."  HGL I really wanted to like, but it fell short.  I think the main problem was I could never really like the main character, she always kind of bugged me.  So I watched all of her exploits with mild irritation.  Then none of her exploits were resolved in the end.  They just kept introducing story lines and none of them were completely wrapped up.  

Synecdoche on the other hand.... wow, that's a trip.  It's written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, the guy who did Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.  I'll watch Adaptation at some point, Meryl Streep's in it, and Being John Malkovich is one of my favorite movies.  I went in expecting something pretty trippy, but still brilliant.  That was what I saw, but the trippy really outweighs the brilliant.  I felt like I was trying to process a new way of looking at everything while trying to keep up with the story and multitude of characters.  James over at A Blogwork Orange says it's a film that must be seen twice.  That would probably help.  It's quite the creative work and the performances are incredible.  But it fucks with your mind.