It's movie review time. I liked Adam's succinct review of Synecdoche, New York, so I'm here to dish out my own $0.02.

Choke: I did not enjoy this movie. This is strange for several reasons: 1)I like Sam Rockwell. Unfortunately, he can't carry the rest of the lackluster cast. 2)I like(d) the Chuck Palahniuk book on which the movie is based. Granted, it's been a while since I've read it (and I do fear -- dare I say it -- that I've somewhat outgrown Palahniuk), so maybe I'd have a different reaction were I to re-read the book. But, from what I remember, I laughed a lot reading the book. It was a well-crafted dark comedy. This movie, however, evoked maybe a few solid laughs from me, that's it. 3)The writer/director is an actor who has appeared in both Sports Night and The West Wing. As an actor, he does a fantastic job. But I guess maybe he should stick to acting, not writing and directing.

Synecdoche, New York: All right. I'm a bit biased here, as I'm a huge Charlie Kaufman fan. But here's the deal. The first time I saw this movie was last November in New York City with my mom. At that time, I felt cheated. I felt like it was far from his strongest work. I felt like, after all the wait (it was three years, I believe, since his last movie), that it was a letdown. However, I wanted to watch it again. As with all Kaufman movies, I knew it required a second viewing. Unfortunately, due to a limited release that never really turned wide, I never got a chance to until it came out on DVD. Watching it again, I've changed my mind considerably. Maybe it's a bit of a placebo effect: me thinking that a second viewing will be better, thus, the second viewing was better. Maybe it's because I knew what to expect, what to look for, things like that. But, whatever the reason, I'm willing to say that Synecdoche is on par with the rest of the Kaufman cannon. Certainly not his best (let's be honest, it's hard to top Adaptation or Eternal Sunshine), but a strong and worthy contender. If you like trippy mind-bending movies, I highly recommend seeing this one. Twice.

The Hospital: Paddy Chayefsky is another great screenwriter, in my opinion. George C. Scott stars in this movie from 1971. It's short, it's dark, and it's also quite funny. Here's the plot summary from IMDB: "Black comedy in which a suicidal doctor struggles to find meaning in his life while a murderer stalks the halls of his hospital." Another recommendation. This one not requiring two viewings to fully comprehend.