Movie Review: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

2004
R


"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."
-- Mary

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 Academy Award-winning dramatic film directed by Michael Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman. After the end of a two-year relationship with a woman named Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) learns that she has used a revolutionary new technique to erase any trace of him from her memory. Distraught and deeply depressed, Joel decides to have the same intercession in order to erase Clementine from his own memory. He meets with Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) to discuss the procedure and has everyone planned for an immediate operation, which is to be performed at his home while he sleeps that very night. While technicians Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood) supervise the process, Joel's subconscious starts to rebel against the memory-forgetting agent as he desperately tries to cling to any little piece of Clementine that he can find.

Although I've seen this movie before, I honestly didn't have any real recollection of it. I first saw it on a red-eye plane flight sometime soon after its release, but I can't quite remember whether I stayed awake for the film's entirety. That being said, I always wanted to give it another chance considering the fantastic it reviews it received upon its initial release in 2004 and considering the very favorable word of mouth publicity the film has received since. Add the fact that you've got Carrey and Winslet co-starring in a Kaufman-written film, and there's quite a bit of reason for me to give it a gander.

Since we're already mentioned Kaufman, let's start with the screenplay. At first glance, it might not seem all that splendidly fantastic. Sure, it's a little bit out there, but based off what we've seen him create in the past (here's looking at you, Being John Malkovich), anyone looking for a little bit of normalcy should probably look a little bit further from this one. Still, the basic storyline is one of love, and it's ultimately not all that complicated. The plot, however, moves so quickly and so carefully that it almost seems as though there's more to think about than there should be. Any time a films dares to go into a character's subconscious, there's always going to be a little bit of trickery when it comes to conveying it to the audience. Dealing with memories is never the easiest thing to show, but it's well-conceived here, especially considering we're watching the deterioration and forgetting of memories right before our eyes. At the same time, however, we're seeing how each and every character is intertwined with the person next to them, and the final ten minutes of the film help to serve as a perfect "tying-the-bow-on-top" effect. In a sense, everything comes full circle, and those of you who have been reading me for a while know how much of a sucker I am for full-circle screenplays. So while on the surface the screenplay seems a bit rote and predictable, the underlying plot devices and character development make this one a brilliant story that's going to pull at your heartstrings. There's a reason it managed to nab the Oscar statuette for Best Original Screenplay.

We're also getting a stellar set of performances from an all-star cast that's sure to hold a few surprises here and there. We all know just how good Oscar-winner Winslet can be, but there's something about her performance here that's very different from anything else she had done to date. Until this film, she had mostly been seen in intensely dramatic roles that usually came in period films. Here, she gets to burst out of that shell and play a trendy young woman who's trying to make the most of her life. Perfectly balanced with her is Carrey's sullen and seemingly "boring" Joel, and together, the two make for a pair that complements one another perfectly. It should be noted that Wilkinson and Ruffalo also play decent roles, and even Elijah Wood gives a few good scenes here and there. The real surprise, however, comes with the very strong performance from Kirsten Dunst, who at that time was most famous for her leading role in 2002's Spider-man. While I'm not a huge fan of Dunst's overall level of acting, I do have to say that I was impressed with her supporting role here, so I shall give credit where credit is due. Also be on the lookout for bit performances from David Cross and Jane Adams, who play their parts well.

Overall, I'm surprised with just how good Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind turned out to be, and as a result, I'm a little annoyed with myself for having waited this long to give it another view. It's definitely one of the defining cinematic romances of the twenty-first century, and with a powerful screenplay backing the superb performances, there's quite a bit to love about this particular film. If you have yet to give it a chance, I strongly suggest you add it to your "To Watch" list. Don't wait as long as I did to finally take it in.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up

Trailer Breakdown: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL

It's been five years since the last Mission: Impossible film hit theaters, but Hollywood has decided to bring the franchise back to the big screen with Tom Cruise reprising his role as the lead Ethan Hunt. He'll be surrounded by an impressive cast, so I'd say we could be looking at the makings of an interesting return to the franchise. The film's first trailer was released this week with the opening of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and I thought I'd break it down for you and give you the skinny on what we should probably expect. Below is the trailer, and after the jump, you'll see my breakdown. Enjoy!

And now for the questions that entered my mind while watching the trailer:

1) What is Ghost Protocol?
Because it's the film's subtitle, it must play a relatively important part within the film itself. I know that there was never going to be an explanation within the actual trailer, but Tom Wilkinson's mention of it makes me a little more intrigued to find out exactly what this "Ghost Protocol" may be.

2) The trailer sets this film up to be extremely fast-paced. Will it deliver on that promise?
For much of the trailer, we get to see a number of sequences of intense action scenes that will hopefully stay off the cutting room floor once the final product is released. Now, I know that the Mission: Impossible series is an action-oriented franchise, but in the past three films, I can't really remember anything truly stellar about the level of action that makes them stand above similar films. In a way, they're just not all that memorable. Still, there's no reason that Ghost Protocol won't change that standard. They even managed to throw in a big-time effect at the end of the trailer, like I mentioned all action film trailers do in my breakdown of Fast Five.

3) What was the reasoning behind bringing this franchise back to theaters?
I know that money was definitely a driving factor in bringing Mission: Impossible back to the big screen, especially considering that the three previous films all surpassed the $100 million mark to be considered "blockbuster" films. That being said, the most recent installment in 2006 spotted the lowest domestic gross of the franchise. Add in the fact that Tom Cruise has had a bit of a shaky personal image in the past few years, then you could start to question the reasoning for bringing this one back.

4) On that note, is Cruise still right for this role?
It'd be tough for Cruise not to come back to a franchise he dominated for ten years, and had he not been asked to return, there would have been quite an uproar from fans. That being said, I simply wonder if he's a little too seasoned to be playing Ethan Hunt yet again. And while I don't think his personal image is as scared as it was a few years ago, I'm pretty sure there's still a good number of people who would avoid this film just because he's starring in it. I just don't know whether Tom Cruise has the star power to draw a massive audience anymore. I personally think he's a great actor (he's nabbed wins in my personal "Best of" awards in 2004 and 2008), but his portrayal of Ethan Hunt was never one of my favorite of his roles. Still, it'd be strange not to see him in the film, so I guess we'll have to live with it.

5) Can the all-star cast around Cruise help give this series a fresh breath of air?
All that being said about Tom Cruise, I'd have to say that whoever was in charge of casting did a great job with this one. The aforementioned Wilkinson brings some serious acting chops to the film. Bringing back Simon Pegg is a huge plus as he's sure to bring some much-needed comic relief to the screen. The addition of the beautiful Paula Patton also brings a level of grace to the screen that I'm not sure the Mission: Impossible franchise has had to date. However, the biggest signing has to be of Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner, who in the past two years has proven himself twice over that he has the potential to be a great actor. Throwing him into the mix with a legend like Tom Cruise should play out very well, and I'm definitely excited to see Renner delve more into the action side of things.

6) Can director Brad Bird succeed in making this live-action film?
Before this film, all of Brad Bird's previous films have been of the animated nature. His debut feature film was 1999's The Iron Giant, and he followed that up with the Pixar endeavors The Incredibles and Ratatouille. He hasn't directed a movie since that 2007 film, so I'm interested to see how his creative tendencies will translate to the live-action format. The fact that he helmed The Incredibles is a little reassuring, considering that was an action-packed film despite being animated. Still, I think the jury has to remain out until the final product can hit theaters.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol will hit U.S. theaters on December 16, 2011.

Movie Review: THE CONSPIRATOR

THE CONSPIRATOR

2011
PG-13

The Conspirator is a 2011 historical drama directed by Robert Redford that portrays the trial of the men and woman accused of conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in the days following the "end" of the Civil War. The film essentially starts on the night of the assassination, where we meet Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a Union soldier and lawyer who is celebrating the imminent end of the war. After the President is shot, mass chaos erupts in the streets of Washington, D.C., and in a whirlwind of days, a number of individuals are either killed or brought into justice on suspicion of having something to do with the assassination plot. Aiken is brought into the military tribunal by Senator Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to defend Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the only woman accused of the treasonous act. Aiken initially struggles with the posting, citing that he fought the Southerners throughout the war and has no desire to defend one who may have helped kill Lincoln. However, as the trial commences, it becomes increasingly clear that the cards are stacked against Mary, who seems to be much more innocent than the government is willing to accept. With the help of Mary's daughter Anna (Evan Rachel Wood), Aiken sets out to prove the tribunal of Mary's innocence despite his personal beliefs to the contrary.

I was initially drawn to this film simply because it presents a historically-based story centered around one of the most tragic moments in American history. Because I'm fascinated with the history of the United States, I was intrigued to see a film that talked about the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination rather than just the murder itself. The screenplay works relatively well, and it presents a compelling argument for the innocence of Surratt, who proved by the the first woman ever sentenced to death under the United States legal system. We receive a slew of great courtroom scenes that show the lengths that the government took in order to achieve justice (read: revenge) as swiftly as possible. My only beef with the screenplay was that the dialogue all seemed a little too simplistic. I couldn't find the characters entirely believable because I just didn't believe that they would speak in the way that they did. Aside from that, however, we get a solid and easily understandable storyline to follow.

We also get a nice bit of acting from the ensemble, center-pieced by a fine performance from James McAvoy. It took me a little while to warm up to his character, but as the film progressed, I felt more and more connected with him. Aiken is given a rather complete character arc as he struggles with the loopholes the government uses in order to make the tribunal as unconstitutional as one can imagine. What starts as a terrible bit of luck turns into a fight for basic human rights as Aiken does his best to convince the generals that serve as the tribunal's jurors. I wouldn't quite say that McAvoy delivers a tour-de-force performance, but he definitely steals the show from an otherwise pedestrian group. Robin Wright is okay, but she's given a lot less screen-time than one would imagine considering her top-billing. Sadly, she doesn't do much with a role that isn't entirely developed, so it's probably not her fault. Wilkinson is rather good in a limited amount of scenes, but he definitely makes you notice him. Be on the lookout for some other relatively well-known actors, such as the following: Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, Danny Huston, an inexplicable Justin Long, and Norman Reedus (who's most memorable from his starring role in The Boondock Saints).

Overall, there's definitely some flaws with The Conspirator (one of the biggest being its incredibly slow pace), but there's still enough for you to latch onto and enjoy if you're in the mood for a period piece like this. If anything, go for McAvoy's performance - give him a little time, and I guarantee you that you'll fall for the character at some point.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: B-
1 Thumb Up

Movie Review: THE GREEN HORNET

THE GREEN HORNET

2011
PG-13

You can watch the trailer here

The Green Hornet is a 2011 action film directed by Michel Gondry that follows a young and wild man named Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) who has wasted his life partying and living his lavish lifestyle to its unfulfilling fullest. His father (Tom Wilkinson), the chief editor of a major newspaper called The Daily Sentinel, despises his son’s state of living. Upon his father’s untimely death, Britt is forced into his shoes and realizes that he has never done anything with his life. He meets Kato (Jay Chou) who was his father’s mechanic and coffee maker. Britt quickly learns that Kato is a martial arts expert and a genius with machinery, and the two decide to join forces in order to bring justice to the streets. Their guise, however, relies on the fact that they will pose as villains in order to get close to the real bad guys and bring them down from within. They soon butt heads with the local gangster Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) who already runs all the crime in the city. With the unwitting help of secretary Lenore (Cameron Diaz), Britt and Kato delve into their plan at full-speed, never truly questioning the morality behind it all.

I’m going to start with acting this time around (you’ll see why in a moment). Now, there’s no one that terrible in The Green Hornet – no one except Seth Rogen, that is. He’s absolutely dreadful. I’m sure he went for outright comedy, which is his niche market, but he’s one of the last people that should’ve had a crack at this role. It just doesn’t fit the tone of the film at all. Considering he’s the lead character and the person we see for most of the flick, there’s a little bit of an issue.

To be fair, the actors didn’t have much of a script with which to work. There’s a little bit of intrigue to the story, but the dialogue is so horrendous that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. Case and point: Christoph Waltz’s character has lines that are so bad that it reduces the recent Academy Award-winner to a tiny slice of what he could have possibly been. His lines are so bad that I wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to jump at the first paycheck that came his way post-Oscar. A lot of the blame here also lies with Rogen, who co-wrote the script. I’m sure in his mind, it was hilarious and captivating, but it’s really just a bit of drivel.

If anybody stands out, it’s Jay Chou as Kato, stepping into a role made famous by Bruce Lee in the original T.V. series (if you see the movie, pay attention for a Lee homage; it’s pretty blatant, but if you’re not paying attention, you could easily miss it). He brings a bit of comedy as well as the fighting prowess needed for the role, and it’s nice to have him opposite the dreadful Rogen to bring something positive to the screen.

We do have a couple of interesting cameos in the film. One of them comes from Edward Furlong – the boy from Terminator 2: Judgment Day – and you may not even recognize him. I had to look closely because he doesn’t even look like he used to. But it’s him. However, the real cameo cake needs to go to none other than James Franco. My God, this man is everywhere right now! But it’s definitely a pleasant surprise to see him grace the screen in an extremely funny role.

Seriously though, I’d say this movie isn’t worth watching. I usually like to highlight a couple of positive attributes at the end of these posts, but I really don’t think you should waste your time with The Green Hornet. If it does poorly, it won’t get a sequel (yes, the ending leaves it open to such). Please don’t pad Seth Rogen’s ego any further.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: D
1.5 Thumbs Down