I finally watched Eternal Sunshine last night

[sfer]

I liked it. A lot.

[IndieMatty]

Took ya long enough. Great movie. I'd almost say better then Adaptaption.

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
I liked it. A lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's next in queue in Netflix. Can't wait.

How'd Carey do in it?

[Number4]

Good - it is a really good movie.

[junkmail3]

I'd say it was much better than adaptation. (I liked Adaptation a lot)

Is there Oscar talk about it? I think if you watch it without having read the back cover on the box it's much better. I couldn't believe everything they said on that box.

[LALDAAS]

That was an awsome movie but the best part was kirsen dunst jumping up and down in a wife beater with no bra on and panties. WOW! I love that woman.

[sfer]

Yeah, I watched it with no idea about the story. I imagine having the story spoiled beforehand would suck. I like that it kicked aside a traditional "everyone's happy" ending to something a lot more ambigious.

[LALDAAS]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I watched it with no idea about the story. I imagine having the story spoiled beforehand would suck. I like that it kicked aside a traditional "everyone's happy" ending to something a lot more ambigious.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ya but how about Kirsten Dunst bouncing boobs. from the looks of things the set temp was like 34 degree's

[Paluka]

sfer how did a hipster like you not see this when it was in theatres?

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
sfer how did a hipster like you not see this when it was in theatres?

[/ QUOTE ]

All of my friends went to see it when it opened, and I was sick that week. Meh. Same for American Splendor; I've got that queued up too. Also, if I'm a hipster I'm a leading candidate for most unhip hipster.

I'd just like to to point out that I like every Jon Brion score that I hear.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
I liked it. A lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was the best movie I'd seen in a year, and it hasn't been topped since.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
All of my friends went to see it when it opened, and I was sick that week. Meh. Same for American Splendor; I've got that queued up too.

[/ QUOTE ]

American Splendor is a great movie.

[astroglide]

eh. maybe i'm jaded by seeing CRUMB, but i thought splendor was enjoyable but seriously forgettable. i'm expecting to hate napoleon dynamite too, i don't think our tastes are that out of line on movies so go watch crumb.

[theBruiser500]

American Splendour was pretty good, it reminds me of American Beauty.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
eh. maybe i'm jaded by seeing CRUMB, but i thought splendor was enjoyable but seriously forgettable. i'm expecting to hate napoleon dynamite too, i don't think our tastes are that out of line on movies so go watch crumb.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I think I would like Crumb, but I was really impressed with American Splendor. I'll put Crumb on my netflix.

[LALDAAS]

Anyone see "The Village" It was a 50/50 split on who liked and who hated it, I thought it was a great movie.

[sfer]

Crumb is amazing.

[sfer]

If it's like American Beauty I won't like it. American Beauty is Happiness made tolerable for people with no nerve.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
If it's like American Beauty I won't like it. American Beauty is Happiness made tolerable for people with no nerve.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bruiser's on crack, the two movies are nothing like each other.

[astroglide]

happiness was completely over the top. very funny, but it tried WAY too hard.

[sfer]

It had more conviction than AB. What was the point of American Beauty? That middle class American life is materialistic and dull? Yawn.

[Paluka]

American Beauty and American Splendor have zero in common. They are in no way similar, unless you think that American Gigolo and American Pie are also similar movies.

[IndieMatty]

Bah. American Beauty is good for what it is, if nothing, it was Kevin Spacey's last decent performance of his over-rated career.

The whole movie's about weed right?

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
Bah. American Beauty is good for what it is, if nothing, it was Kevin Spacey's last decent performance of his over-rated career.

The whole movie's about weed right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, three words: The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey is not over-rated.

[astroglide]

its 'conviction' was artifice. it's really not difficult to do something like that if you're willing to or interested in simply offending most people. very little about that movie was special.

[IndieMatty]

[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bah. American Beauty is good for what it is, if nothing, it was Kevin Spacey's last decent performance of his over-rated career.

The whole movie's about weed right?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dude, three words: The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey is not over-rated.

[/ QUOTE ]

K-Pax, Pay It Forward. Dude. He is. Or at least in the last 5 years he has been. He's in my favorite movie too.

(Glengarry Glen Ross)

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bah. American Beauty is good for what it is, if nothing, it was Kevin Spacey's last decent performance of his over-rated career.

The whole movie's about weed right?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dude, three words: The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey is not over-rated.

[/ QUOTE ]

K-Pax, Pay It Forward. Dude. He is. Or at least in the last 5 years he has been. He's in my favorite movie too.

(Glengarry Glen Ross)

[/ QUOTE ]

Your right, he has made some stinkers. But name one actor in Hollywood who hasn't?

(Nice use of my Dude statement btw)

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[IndieMatty]

Ahh not a play on though. I use dude too much actually, I'm an almost 27 yr old business "dude" too.

Anyhoo, there's a difference between stinkers and movies that don't pan out. No way K-Space read KPax and thought.. "[censored], here's something no one else is doing right now, I'm really stretching boundaries"

Off the top of my head,

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Vince Vaughn, and Johnny Depp all seem to be pretty well intentioned when choosing movies.

[junkmail3]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bah. American Beauty is good for what it is, if nothing, it was Kevin Spacey's last decent performance of his over-rated career.

The whole movie's about weed right?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dude, three words: The Usual Suspects. Kevin Spacey is not over-rated.

[/ QUOTE ]

K-Pax, Pay It Forward. Dude. He is. Or at least in the last 5 years he has been. He's in my favorite movie too.

(Glengarry Glen Ross)

[/ QUOTE ]

Your right, he has made some stinkers. But name one actor in Hollywood who hasn't?

(Nice use of my Dude statement btw)

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Leslie Nielsen.

[Shajen]

Has anyone here done a worst actor ever thread?

I nominate Charleston Heston and Marlon Brando if not.

I think Johnny Depp has made a couple of stinkers...IMDB, give me a hand here....ah, yeah. Freddy's Dead. Benny and Joon was pretty lame...He acted well in it though...and uh...I thought Secret Window was lame as hell too.

Anyway, my point is, every actor makes a stinker or 5. Mainly because they have to. A lot of times they'll be pressured into doing a role so another film they really want to get produced will make it to the screen.

[sfer]

I obviously liked it more than you did.

[Gordon Bombay]

[Q8offsuit]

So I guess I'm the only one who thought this movie absolutely blew dead bears?

Seriously, I thought it was the worst, most self-indulgently "arty" nonsense I've ever had the misfortune to sit through. And I think I'm being kind.

Will someone please explain to me why this movie is good and not just a flick for the QLC members among us?

Edit: I didn't actually watch the whole movie because it was literally too physically painful. Maybe I am missing some key scenes in the middle/end? I really feel like I am missing something, because this was the shittiest movie I have ever seen, without exaggeration, and everyone I talk to loved it.

[ClassicBob]

You sir, are a moron, and I hope the Hawks destroy you in the playoffs.

Cake-eater.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
So I guess I'm the only one who thought this movie absolutely blew dead bears?

Seriously, I thought it was the worst, most self-indulgently "arty" nonsense I've ever had the misfortune to sit through. And I think I'm being kind.

Will someone please explain to me why this movie is good and not just a flick for the QLC members among us?

[/ QUOTE ]

Why bother? You seem determined not to like it and running into a brick wall isn't my idea of a good time.

[sfer]

Weren't you in Young Guns? That was cool. Regulators!

[Q8offsuit]

No, really, I'm very curious to know why you thought it was good. Please, somebody explain it to me, because I just don't get it at all. I'm serious, if absolutely everyone else just loved it, I must be missing something!

[astroglide]

i like the movie happiness a lot, i just think it lacks the 'depth' or 'conviction' that some see in it. to me it's just offensive humor with a shaky but terran plotline. american beauty could certainly be accused of being schmaltzy, but i think in the writer/director/producers collective minds it was an honest idea.

[sfer]

Maybe. It had the conviction to be nasty and offensive to most people. By comparison, AB I find trite and pandering.

And I just love the first scene where Lovitz pulls himself together and says, "Because you're sh*t, and I'm champagne."

[shant]

OK, I'll bite.

It was beyond great visually. It was written by a brilliant writer and has a very interesting storyline. It has a nice non-Hollywood cliche ending, and all the acting was great.

Good enough?

[astroglide]

i don't think that the creators of american beauty were "above" what they created. i seriously doubt its intention was pandering.

[TiK]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd just like to to point out that I like every Jon Brion score that I hear.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's because Jon Brion is a genius...

[sfer]

I'm not sure which is worse, but fair enough.

[astroglide]

there's nothing wrong with people doing what is the height of their capability in good intentions. i think it's quite alright to dislike what they make, but judging them (or their fans) for it reeks when it's something that "means so much". i don't think it's the same as making fun of nascar, know what i mean?

[Gainsay]

Crumb is a good movie. A bit stranger than American Splendor. I had a friend who became obsessed with Crumb and watched it at least once a day for a month. That isn't a good idea.

[sfer]

I've decided, it's my favorite movie from last year, even though I watched it this year.

[private joker]

Compromise. It's a difficult action to write about, since it involves the regression and sublimation of a part in an effort to improve the whole. The most mature love stories have often focused on the need for compromise, or at least the need for some balance of power in the relationship so that the struggle doesn't tip the scales too far in one direction. With his fine reflexive script Adaptation, Charlie Kaufman explored the other connotation of compromise -- the negative one we associate with backing down: compromising our artistic values and our moral principles. With Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, his best work to date -- and luckily the best film made from one of his scripts as well -- he has made that mature love story which deals with that positive form of compromise; the one that involves accepting defeat, living with pain, and sacrificing something of yourself in order to make the best of a connection to someone else.

Kaufman's worlds are rarely realistic, and this one is no different; yet its characters seem to exist in a far more natural state than the clever constructs of his previous scripts. Whether his minds are dangerous, confessional, schizophrenic and split, or merely clouded by celebrity, Kaufman's protagonists have never been as touching as Joel Barish, played by a worn-looking Jim Carrey in what is easily the best thing he's ever done. In Joel's mind, Kaufman finds a place to make a poignant statement about memories and yearning, and about the benefits of experience over purity. Joel discovers a Vanilla Sky-esque doctor's office that will erase from your mind all traces of a person so you can start fresh and avoid painful histories. But what if you find out that painful memories are also all that you have of some small ephemeral happiness you once felt; if the lingering ugliness of time and routine aren't filthy enough to blot out the joy of the best things you've done? Indeed, what good is having no sense of loss if you have no sense of love?

To these ideas, Kaufman adds an explicitly Nietzschean theme of repeated cycles. Our nature and our fixed identity will cause us to behave the same way, and any other artificial recreation of that behavior will only feel unnatural and synthetic. Nietzsche's famous idea of the "eternal recurrence of the same" hasn't been visualized so acutely since Kubrick's 2001, even if the eternity of the title comes from an Alexander Pope poem. What Joel uncovers about himself is that given the opportunity to be re-born and live a fresh life, he will follow a similar path regardless, and must then confront an existential crisis of knowing the end of a romance before he enjoys the beginning. If this is possible, how would that change our approach to the romance? Kaufman leaves it up to us to answer.

Spike Jonze has handled Kaufman material before with understated skill and character-based comedy that centered on storytelling before style. Michel Gondry directed Kaufman's quirky and slightly underrated Human Nature, but nothing in that film or his impressive music videos indicated he would be as brilliant as he is here. Gondry's control of cinematic language is immense; his camera and special effects crew barrel and tear through the celluloid with the kind of zeal usually reserved for 30-second commercials. Gondry manages to extend his enthusiasm for a middle section that lasts over an hour -- in fact, the structure of this film is so bizarre that because of its brief prologue, brief epilogue, and incredibly intense and thorough central sequence, it feels like the film is over before we barely get settled in our chairs.

As Gondry puts the finishing touches on Joel's mind-trip, we begin to see where it's all coming together and how to put the pieces we've observed into a coherent whole. He's a smart enough filmmaker to almost totally ignore exposition and let the images shout the message from rooftops. By the time Joel is frantically attempting to insert the woman who dumped him into every corner of his recessed childhood memories, the emotional impact of the necessity to recall details is enough to make the viewer burst into tears. And if you never thought the words "lost and gone forever" in the song "My Darlin' Clementine" could break your heart, you haven't seen this film.

While Carrey is surprisingly wonderful as Joel (I've never been overly impressed with either his comic or dramatic acting, but here he tones down his physical abilities in order to convey the weight of a life re-examined), Kate Winslet as Clementine explodes with an energy matched only in Holy Smoke and her astounding debut, Heavenly Creatures. Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo also excel in their smaller roles, especially Dunst in another complicated part for a girl coming of age and trying to reconcile her desires with her fears. At times Ruffalo and Dunst are given too much stoner humor by Kaufman's spontaneous dialogue, and Wood's motivations come close to the contrivances that marked Being John Malkovich and Adaptation's machinery. But there is so much passion and intelligence in this blazingly original film that any false notes will fall on deaf ears already ringing from the melodious beauty of Gondry's camerawork (aided by delirious inspiration from Spike Lee vet DP Ellen Kuras) and Kaufman's writing. When this film confronts us with the question of how to live with the knowledge of the past and the knowledge of the future, it's an absolute thrill to re-discover the perfection of that fleeting present which knows no pain, no loss, and -- for a moment -- no compromise.

***

[Note: a second viewing has lessened some of my small problems with the film, which has just grown in brilliance as I've spent time thinking about it and seeing it again to get a better read on the structure -- which marvelously maps out a relationship in reverse and culminates in a powerful scene that reduces a lifetime's worth of love into one night, making Gondry's masterpiece the most emotionally touching movie I've seen in years; this is one for the books, folks]

[astroglide]

uh...

[theBruiser500]

I just watched Eternel Sunshine of the Spotless Mind again, great movie. There are a lot of little amusing things you see in the movie watching it a second time, for instance, Clementine falls on the ice and says "ouch i hurt my butt" and then later in the movie the next day she looks in the mirror and there is the bruise on her butt from falling on the ice. So in conclusion, great movie.