[Sci-Fi Movie] Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[Mistwell]

Just saw it. I thought it was amazing. Really, REALLY good. Nothing like Jim Carry in the past (not slamming his past films, just totally new for him). Fantastic acting from everyone. I highly reccommend it.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

I agree most enthusiastically Mistwell. IMO I consider this to be a science fiction film and a very very good one at that. I'd like to see more scifi like this, exploring the ramifications of high technology and weird science on normal people's lives.

Incidentally, there's a very good article on the science behind the movie here. Basically, you can't erase memories the way Lacuna does, but the way the filmmakers have envisioned memory working are very close to how neurologists now believe it works (as opposed to the older, "wetware" theory used in Memento).

 

[Pielorinho]

Just want to bump this--saw it over the weekend, and it's the best SF I've seen since Gattaca. Who knew that Jim Carrey had real acting chops?
Daniel

 

[Viking Bastard]

Well, he was very good in both The Truman Show and Man on the
Moon. I'm told he was pretty good in The Majestic as well, although
I haven't seen it.

 

[milotha]

I really enjoyed it, and I am not a fan of Jim Carry. I went to see it because I've loved Charlie Kaufman's previous work (Adaptation and Being John Malkovich).

 

[Shadowdancer]

This is the best movie I've seen so far this year, and it will be very difficult for any film to bump it from No. 1.

 

[Pielorinho]

Part of what I liked so much about the movie was the way special effects were handled. Although there was clearly CGI, it was understated, and always always served the story instead of the story serving the CGI.

Perhaps the best example of this was

Spoiler

when Carrey and Winslet are talking in the bookstore memory, and the memory is slowly fading around them. At first, everything is very clear, but then the lights start to go out. And then subtle details in their scene begin disappearing: the titles on books, then the colors of the books, then the other props, until Carrey is desperately holding onto only the strongest and most important bits of the memory.

Beautiful!

On another forum, several people said they saw themselves in Carrey's character. This kind of surprised me: although he was compelling, he wasn't very likeable at all, I thought. Did y'all have the same reaction?

Daniel

 

[Shadowdancer]

Well, his character doesn't have to be likeable in order for you to see yourself in him. Sometimes I don't like myself, either.

Seriously, there were some things he did that I admit I have done before. I could identify with the character and some of his feelings.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

If you enjoyed this film (and especially the way visual effects were used), you should definitely check out Director's Series Vol. 3: The Work of Director Michel Gondry. It's a collection of music videos and short films by Eternal Sunshine's director, including the lego-animated White Stripes clip "Fell in Love with a Girl", the trippy "Hyperballad" by Bjork and the classic "Everlong" by Foo Fighters. You can really see the visual style he brought to the movie in these videos. Some great music too.

The Spike Jonze DVD is a lot of fun, too.

 

[Particle_Man]

I LOVEd this movie. I also identify with the Jim Carrey character (I sometimes have memory problems, even!).

Spoiler

It took me a while to realize that the "ok" at the end of the movie meant "ok, I will accept the bad with the good, just so long as I can have a relationship with you that I can remember even if it tanks" as opposed to "ok, I guess you are right, it tanked last time so we shouldn't even bother this time" but I can be slow that way sometimes.

I do wish I had been more alert to that conversation they had in the broken-into house, at the remembered first meeting on the beach. I may look for the script online or try to see the movie again.