More on Charlie Kaufman
David L. Ulin sidesteps the importance of the third act in movies (“Why Charlie Kaufman Is Us,” May 14). Movies are an accelerated form of narrative, so without a strong closing, the entire clothesline of ideas collapses. Kaufman is masterful at ideas, but an emperor with no “close.” He is in good company.
In an era of “The Towering Inferno” and “The Poseidon Adventure,” Woody Allen’s operatic neuroses were hailed as comic genius. At a time of inoffensive Dan Fogelberg ballads, Michael Jackson’s overcooked obsessions thrilled music fans worldwide. When cookie-cutter approaches to mass media fall flat, idiosyncratic approaches often soar.
Kaufman’s idiosyncratic screenplays remind us of how strange and surreal our daily lives can be. Kaufman stirs up wonder and dread in equal measure. Whether Kaufman will go the way of David Lynch or Steven Soderbergh remains to be seen. I’ll be watching!
Brad S. Barnes
Santa Ana
Only good movies
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