Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Reviews

Clever, Or Just Messed-up?

Posted : 8 months, 2 weeks ago on 9 September 2012 07:55

"In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds."

Oh no, wait-- that's the other one; we would never like that. What would we like instead?

"Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage."

Oh, good.

Or, maybe.... not so good.

Yeah, this is a little creepy.

But I guess that it's all okay, since Scifi has successfully created a girlfriend story that's so disturbing, that it's not even close to being comedy instead of drama.

Good job, Scifi, way to show the world, man.

"The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return."

Wow, what a bunch of perverts, right.

But at least we freed outselves.

We're independent, man.

Legally speaking, no one can stop us from damaging our brains.... in our minds.

....

Yes, my friends, I have great power.

Because I have brain control.

I have brain control, and I know everything.

And I release you.

(6/10)

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 10 months, 3 weeks ago on 2 July 2012 02:55

Recently watched this movie about a month ago. Its a very good movie about lonliness...being single...and being shy and afraid. Watch it!

0 comments, Reply to this entry

A rare cinematic treat....

Posted : 11 months, 1 week ago on 14 June 2012 10:23

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."
- Alexander Pope

Joel and Clementine, once a happy couple, break-up. Joel can't take Clementine out of his head so he decides to patch up. He then learns an unbelievable truth that she had a clinic named Lacuna "erase" all of her memories related to Joel. Joel too out of anger decides to take on the procedure of erasing Clementine-memories from his head.

Okay, I know what some may think. This is totally weird, right? But with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriters, weird stories always become entertaining that has undeniably smart elements. Eternal Sunshine remains their best work to date. It's an unforgettable psychological journey in a person's brain, his dreams, his desires captured with such contrast and vivid beauty that you will be left asking for more. At first, we feel quite envious of the technology that literally removes "pain" from our minds. The direction and screenplay capture this magnificently by taking us in Joel's head and actually showing us in their way how it happens. But soon this desire dies out with a deep emotion of dissatisfaction. Because Joel watches these memories fade away, he gets a second chance to relive them. He then understands that memories, however painful, are vital. I really wanted this erasing thing to exist in real life at first but then the film's extremely strong presentation made me change my mind. This impressive part makes the whole non-linear experience unexpected, thought-provoking and excites us to a higher level of curiosity.

Once Eternal Sunshine grips us through it's smart allegory, it keeps getting better and better. What I loved most was the unexpected conclusion that forces us to wonder about the fate of the characters. What I loved more is that the film also never forgets the supporting cast, especially the "erasers" who work at Lacuna. During the erasing scene, which is the highlight of the entire film, the film kind of switches back and forth from Joel's memories to the real world. They show us the interaction of the Lacuna gang (Elijah Wood, Kirstin Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson). As we surge through Joel's emotions, theirs too is not overlooked. The screenplay smartly shows us how we human beings feel emotions, how we look at the person who's memory we are erasing and the person who's having it erased. In Short, Eternal Sunshine has a weird but differently smart screenplay that works which also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2005. The Direction has a wonderful "flow" in it. The Cinematography has a beautiful colorful saturation and the score, wow, it just syncs with the flow. The film has impressive visual effects too that adds to the stunning imagery of Joel's memories.

Now, the acting. First of all, I have never seen Jim Carrey act a serious character before. Joel is boring, dull, seeks solitude. I still wonder how he did that. This proves that Jim Carrey is more of a versatile actor rather than a comedian. Kate Winslet portrays the energetic, over-talkative Clementine, a complete opposite of Joel. She was nominated for the Oscar for this role and it's quite worth it. The most difficult part is bringing two completely opposites together to love each other which is pulled off perfectly by the two artists. Then comes the Lacuna gang. Wow, another surprise here. Their acting was realistic, if simply put.

In conclusion, Eternal Sunshine is a spotless masterpiece. It's that piece of cinema that tries to approach film-making from a whole new perspective and the result is memorable. The film convinced me of the moral fact that even if you put someone out of your memory, you can't put them out of your heart. Be sure to check out Gondry's Being John Malkovich, another weird but thought-provoking film.

Visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/filmsthemostbeautifulart

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 1 year ago on 4 May 2012 01:23

Great movie but at some points your mind gets lost with whatever is going on, you just need to think but not to much.. then you will really undertand the beauty of this film

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago on 24 December 2011 02:15

A weired kind of love story but a touching one. The movie may not have touched the heart of masses but is a mind boggling, dramatic masterpiece.

A tale of two love birds have a chemistry for each other. Although they got erased their memories of one another but they fall again for one another.

Joel (Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Winslet) is no more intrested in him. Out of desperation, he contacts the memory eraser to scratch every tiny bit of his past time with Clementine. The inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Wilkinson), started removing Joel memory as requested, but as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover his love for Clementine.

A good movie to watch.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago on 21 December 2011 05:48

Jim Carrey goes low-key in this inspired and dreamlike film. Broken and pained by a lost relationship, he chooses to erase Clementine (Winslet) from his memories without thinking of the consequences. A great, wildly inventive screenplay by Kaufman and ethereal visuals by Gondry put this film on just about every favorite list I see, and mine is no exception. Watching Joel and Clementine dissolve each other into nothing and seeing them struggle to reconnect is simply heart-wrenching and, despite everything, hopeful. Because as they get closer and closer to oblivion, they realize how much they truly cherish the memories they shared. The love that was so strong before reveals how fragile it is under the pressure of pettiness and bickering, but it remains eternal.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 16 August 2011 04:00

A fascinating meditation on love and memory. The portrayal of the inside of the mind is like nothing you've ever seen. Gripping and heart-warming.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 2 years, 3 months ago on 5 February 2011 07:36

Gondry creates a surreal environment that is attributed to the more earthy way: the use of effects is not for sensationalism but contributes to the development of the case. As mad as it may seem the script idea, the film tells the story of the ancient world: a boy meets girl, fall in love, at first things go well until they first appear difficult. Here, however, avoid the platitudes and the story is presented in reverse linear path. But again it may be memories of the character, good or bad, the way he held back in the mind but not necessarily, as has happened in reality. Impressive Carrey in serious and perhaps better (after the Truman Show) part of his career, while pleasant surprise is the interpretation of Winslet. Even the minor characters are left to breathe, have their own lives and micro-stories that are intermingled with the main heroes and includes some minor surprises until you reach the not entirely optimistic finale. The question hanging is whether memory can not be (and therefore past) future. The couple walks in a snowy landscape 'and we do not know what will happen if they are doomed to make the same choices, committing the same mistakes and reach the same point again and again and again.



0 comments, Reply to this entry

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind review

Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 19 December 2010 04:21

Michel Gondry, credited as the director and co-writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is only partly responsible for the success that the film achieves. He implements a awe-inspiring blend of style to a story that is perfectly non-linear. But then there is also the madman genius of the current screen writing plane- Charlie Kaufman- who has written three of the most ingenious, funny, and human of "little" Hollywood movies (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind). He understands, and perhaps likely experienced to a degree, what a relationship holds to- the truth, to understanding, and then when it ends, how out memory changes the relationship. Enter in the concept that makes 'Eternal Sunshine' something of a un-official science fiction film - the Lacuna corporation, led by Tom Wilkinson's character, can erase just one person out of your memory, all of the experiences that you and the significant other had. So, when Joel (Jim Carrey) goes in to erase his memory of Clementine (Kate Winslet) after finding out she did just the same, he enters into a mind-warp. He goes through memories they had, happy ones, sad ones, some that are just what makes up what you have emotionally with the one you've loved. And sometimes, and to the behest of the assistants of Lacuna (Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo), Joel doesn't want them all to be erased.

As I mentioned, the plot is non-linear, which could've gone the wrong way if not done with skill. With a film like 21 Grams, which has a talented director and cast, the non-linear structure isn't necessary. But it's an asset that the story doesn't start from A to Z. To assist Gondry with this, he has the extraordinary Ellen Kuras as DP and Valdís Óskarsdóttir, an editor from Iceland. Their collaboration is crucial with Gondry and Kaufman (and co-writer Pierre Bismuth), as they bring all of these un-real images a real quality. Quite simply, there isn't a finer example of surrealism crossbred with realism in any other American film so far this year. The usage of lights, cuts, and with the kinds of special effects not expected (i.e. no CGI), add to the effect it has on a viewer. That the characters of Joel and Clementine are as enveloping as they are is also a credit to Kaufman.

But then there's one more part that completes the success of the film - the acting. Jim Carrey, very simply, is at his very best. He finds a balance from certain scenes in being like people we see everyday, feeling low, not much of interest, inward. And then when the memory erases begin, we get to see him act funny, but not like the kind of humor he brought with Ace Ventura or Dumb and Dumber. This is Carrey knowing this character just well enough to play off his counterpart, played by Winslet. She, meanwhile, is perhaps at her best. Her character is eccentric, funny, insightful, and wanting. She pulls it off. As do the supporting actors.

There's not much more I can say about this film, except to say that even after seeing it three times, I feel like I could watch it over and over and see a new shot, a new sequence, and new set of emotions tied to things. It's very likely one of the great romantic comedies of the decade.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

One of my favorite movies

Posted : 2 years, 7 months ago on 12 October 2010 05:32

If you think Jim Carrey is a bad actor, you should really watch this movie (and 'The Truman Show'). Kate Winslet gives also a great perfomance. The direction and the story are amazing too and I think it is one of the best movies ever made. It is already a classic and it is definitely worth a look.

0 comments, Reply to this entry