Adaptation,Hours

After what could probably be described as a mildly-intense week,I rewarded myself after sending in an assignment by renting some DVD's.The first was Adaptation-written by Charlie Kaufman (the magnificent talent behind Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich,the latter also being directed by Spike Jonze-who reteamed with Kaufman for Adaptation).As all of Kaufman's film's go,they're at first bizarre,eccentric without being too unbelievable and subtly moving as the film ventures into deeper levels,while retaining the unique creativity that attracted us in the start.I was really impressed by the film and honestly hadn't expected too much from Adaptation,as after seeing Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (which,so far,remains my favourite film) I didn't think any of Kaufman's other works could rival-but I guess Adaptation comes pretty close,and Nicolas Cage (who plays the two main characters here) has a lot to do with how great the film is.Yes,Eternal Sunshine did have both Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey carrying its fateful weight,but what Nicolas Cage does here is much more difficult and he does it with a sense of realness and genuinity that seals the deal.Adaptation definitely enters my top-films list,but it seriously lacks the emotional conviction and wonderful beauty that Gondry gave Eternal Sunshine-I believe Jonze has a directing style that's significantly more harsh and slightly more impersonal.The Hours was another amazing film,largely due to its three female stars (all exceptional except maybe Meryl Streep-whom i absolutely adore-she has that kind of rare beauty that improves with age-yes she's impressive as usual,but her performances in different films somehow don't have much variety) and its bold music score.This is the kind of film that's terrific,but can't match up to its Oscar competitors-characterization was done well-enough,but some minor details like set design (the 1970's era depicted seemed way too cold and studio-like,with most of the costumes looking like they belonged to a Hollywood theatre play) and sometimes repetitive music (the tunes were excellent,but every now and then they resembled one another) creates tiny inconsistancies.The film's a bit about suicide,a bit about modern feminism being presented through age-old metaphors,a bit about freedom and self-expression,but the film deals with those things lightly and focuses more on its main story about three women and their troubles with themselves,and it doesn't strive to be inspirational,educational or overly dramatic (the same approach worked for The Queen,too)-it's simply a straightforward drama that doesn't try to do more than it has to.An incredible film with a spellbinding story,and wonderful performances.

Well,two films relieved me of the stress I've been holding on to for the past few days.But now the weekend's here,and all will be allright.