I saw two good films this weekend. The first, Adaptation, is screenwritten (actually far more than that) by Charlie Kaufman. It tells the story of Kaufman’s struggles to turn Susan Orlean’s book, The Orchid Thief, into a screenplay. Watch this: it’s an extremely entertaining “film within a film” setup with some dubious reality thrown in for good measure.
Avalon is directed by Mamoru Oshii, also responsible for Ghost in the Shell, one of my favourite films. This haunting exploration of virtual reality asks questions about the solidness of our perception and interaction with the world around us. These questions have been asked by many other films, but Avalon does so with a grace and a style that are unique.