Tempting Fate  Character and destiny in Being John Malkovich and
Dreaming of Joseph Lees  Is celebrity fate? This is a question
that never bothered Aristotle, but it’s put a huge dent in the
collective psyche of our century. Writer Charlie Kaufman and
director Spike Jonze stand the Greek notion of character
equaling destiny quite literally on its head in Being John
Malkovich, a mad, comedic improvisation on fate and fame that
features Malkovich playing a nightmarishly fantasized version of
himself. It‘s a cheerfully deranged stunt, executed in a spirit
of infectious lunacy that powers the resulting film to its
strongest laughs, and weirdest depths.  Yet Malkovich is merely
the brand name on the bottle. The story’s actual protagonist is
Craig (John Cusack), an out-of-work puppeteer (aren‘t they all?)
who succumbs to the fatal call of the dreaded day job. His
garrulous, paranoiac boss (a magnificent Orson Bean) suffers a
rutting lust for the office’s cracked secretary (Mary Kay
Place). Though married, Craig him