Sunday, December 24, 2017

"Jim and Andy and the Great Beyond" A Doc. of Jim Carey Filming "Man on the Moon" - Lunacy Personified

Andy Kaufman and Jim Carey share the same birthday, January 17th.  An interesting coincidence maybe, the doc. of Jim Carey portraying the late Andy Kaufman (b 1949-1984) in the biopic "Man on the Moon," is generated lunacy genius.   Kaufman's comic genius pushed the boundaries of comedy, performance art and role playing into the outermost stratosphere.  Carey's comedic/acting talents are no less stupefying for his ferocious fearlessness performing with no safety net.  Kaufman is best known & beloved for his role of Latka on Taxi.  Andy is also known & loathed for his wrestling antics that took the public down for the count as to the reality of his antagonistic antics and physical injuries.   "Man on the Moon" directed by Acad. Award winning Dir. Milos Forman was released in 1999 earning Carey an Acad. Award for his role.  The movie was not met with great financial or critical success.  Carey's career at the time of making "Man on the Moon" was at an apex atop mega-hit film series "Dumb & Dumber" and "Ace Ventura".   "Jim and Andy and the Great Beyond" is a doc. following Carey's personification of Andy Kaufman that completely eclipses the original movie and shines a strobe light into the psyche & artistry of provocative creative genius.  The original footage of the filmmaking narrated by Carey is exhausting, exhilarating & profound.  The doc. captures two extra-terrestial beings, Carey & Kaufman, being brazen, brilliant, exasperating & beyond the constraints of conventions.  Carey, never going out of character while film also involves portraying the numerous multi-complex characters Kaufman created.  This was an astonishing feat.  Trying to discern the distinctions between the actual individuals, their characters and the characters their characters portray is like stepping through the looking glass and falling down the rabbit hole.  Carey's brilliant commentary, candor & pensive reflections keep the zaniness from over powering the intensive character studies of two unique entertainers whose talented trajectories soar to heights beyond the pull of gravity.  "I can manipulate people's reactions  But, I'm not trying to be funny.  I just want to play with their heads."  (A Kaufman)  "My focus is to forget the pain of life.  Forget the pain, mock the pock, reduce it.  And laugh." (J Carey)  Dir. Christopher Smith stunning doc. "Jim and Andy and the Great Beyond" is a hybrid of humor and human angst.

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