Synecdoche New York is the directing debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, which is about all I need to know in order to have a raging nerd boner over it. No release date is set yet, but it premiered at Cannes last week.

As you can see, the poster’s just been released and it features Phillip Seymour Hoffman presiding over a pretty hefty to-do list.  I mean, I’m assuming it’s Phillip Seymour Hoffman – any second it could slowly turn around and… Surprise, it’s the Cryptkeeper! You’d forgotten about me since the early 90s, hadn’t you my pretties!  *maniacal cackling*

[Picture Source = IonCinema] 

Three new video clips from Synecdoche, New York have hit the web.  ‘Doche is the directing debut of my favorite screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman – who previously wrote Eternal Sunshine, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Being John Malkovich. 

Synecdoche, New York stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director named Caden Cotard, whose life in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel has prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his body’s autonomic functions. Worried about the transience of his life, he moves his theater company to a warehouse in New York City. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside.

I didn’t really understand that, and the three clips don’t make a ton of sense out of context either – the last one shows Michelle Williams with a gigantic back tattoo.  But it’s Charlie Kaufman.  He made Nic Cage look like a good actor.  He could say, “I wrote a new movie, it’s about what would happen if Meg Ryan crapped on a turtle,” and by the time he finished the sentence my ten bucks would already be in his pocket.  Ta da!

Couldn’t find embeddable clips so you’ll have to watch them at /Film. 

Word around the campfire is Phillip Seymour Hoffman* and Viggo Mortensen (fresh off Eastern Promises**) are set to star in Vanikoro for Hitman director Xavier Gens.

The French explorer La Perouse, was wrecked on Vanikoro in 1788. The ship Boussole was destroyed on a reef along with most of the crew. The second ship Astrolabe was also wrecked, but survivors salvaged enough to build a small ship and sailed away. Two survivors remained on the island into the early 1800′s. [BloodyDisgusting via JoBlo]

Ironically, Astrolabe is the protagonist in my unproduced space porno.

Extra Tidbit: Apparently, Mortensen got so into character during the filming of LOTR, that Peter Jackson referred to him in conversation as Aragorn for over half an hour without him even realising it.

Golly, he must’ve been all up in that character! Additional tidbit: Peter Jackson once had an entire chicken leg stuck in his beard after a meal and didn’t even notice.

*Worthy of all the attention he’s getting for his part in Charlie Wilson’s War
**Second most overrated movie of the year behind Atonement

I’m starting to love the MTV movie interviewer guy. 

Following last month’s clip of him totally harshing James Franco’s mellow, he decided to take his unique brand of social awkwardness to the premiere of Charlie Wilson’s War.

Phillip Semen Hoffmore treats him like an insane homeless person, and Tom Hanks quipped "You’re creepin’ me out."

Good work, dude.  I haven’t seen celebrities that uncomfortable since I took my penis out at Shia LeBeouf’s Bar Mitsvah.  Hey, I just thought a boy becoming a man should have a gander at what a real man looks like. Ha ch-cha cha cha! *rimshot*

In this eight minute clip from Charlie Wilson’s War, we learn some fun things – like the fact that Phillip Semen Hoffmore’s character is named "Gust" and that people used the word "tool" in the 80s.  Who knew?

Watch eight minutes of Charlie Wilson’s War here

Ya know, if you would’ve pitched me the idea of a movie about the triumphant story of the guy who helped get money and weapons to Bin Laden’s boys back in the 80s, I would’ve called you an idiot.  Then again, I’ve killed men with my bare hands because I didn’t like the way their hair smelled.  Perhaps I’m too high strung.

It’s just nice to see Tom Hanks not working with Ron Howard for a change – creepy goddamned ginger. (Opens today – written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Mike Nichols)