I need to figure out how to write an entry about a movie I saw recently.

Last night, I saw a movie at Lemming's place. Actually, I saw two of them, but this entry is about the first one and I'm not entirely sure how to write it. Or even how to start the entry, for that matter.

The movie is about orchids. And the characters are all static for a while, but then there is a deux ex machina and they suddenly change after the script writer (Charlie Kauffman) gets help from his ficticious twin brother Donald. We then see (in order) sex, drugs, a vehicle chase, murder, and a gruesome death by a crocodile (or maybe it was an alligator). (Actually, this order might be approximately right, but it was funny to see this because when he took on the script, Charlie Kauffman had vowed not to put in any of that stuff. He wanted to adapt a book and not have a convoluted plot.) You see, Charlie is really shy, has trouble talking to women, and seems to say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the right time (after which awkward silences ensue). He likes very introspective films; for example, he was the writer behind Being John Malcovich (also a really awesome flick!), which makes a cameo in this film. Hence, the first part of this film, called Adaptation, has an introspective flavor. Donald, on the other hand, only recently learned to write screenplays after having taken one of those weekend crash courses. (In this course, by the way, one of major pieces of advice is to never use deux ex machinas.)

The author of the book also appears in the film; she's played by Meryll Streep. Her book doesn't have any drugs or sex in it, but that's only because she lied. The Kauffman brothers spied on her and found out about it.

You know, I'm really not sure if the way I've been writing this blog entry is the way that I should be doing it. Maybe I should start over? ... I know, I could follow the movie and write my review in a way that reminiscent of this other review. (If this blog entry were turned into a movie, who do you think would play me? Maybe Tom Hanks? That's the actor several people have told me I look like, but maybe I could just play myself. I just don't think my essence can be duplicated.) Well, that's ok. None of you will be seeing my scratch work anyway, and it's the final result that counts after all.

Nicolas Cage, playing both brothers, gave an incredible performance. It was especially nice to see him as Charlie because it was quite a departure from his "standard" on-screen persona that he's asked to play over and over again. I identified with Charlie's trouble speaking to women quite a bit, and empathy with one of the characters is obviously an excellent way to suck somebody into a film.

We laughed so hard that we cried. In fact, we were making so much noise that the neighbors called the cops to come in and quiet us down. I had to answer the door, because Lemming was acting too drunk (even though he was sober), muttering something about his cell phone. It's a good thing I got rid of them before the brownies caught fire -- a little side project of ours. If it had happened sooner, the cops also might have stumbled across our female friends in the back room. Whew!

So, in conclusion, Adaptation is a fantastic film. Go see it!

P.S. This entry makes a lot more sense for people who have seen the movie than for those who haven't.