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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Directed by Michel Gondry

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 12:01 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 16 February 2009)

Even though unfortunately this movie was not as brilliant as the other and earlier written Charlie Kaufman movie "Being John Malkovich" it's still a great and unique watch. Still not entirely fair that this movie always have been given more credit than "Being John Malkovich", fore this movie is surely not without it flaws.

It above all things is a Charlie Kaufman. It's not necessarily a Michel Gondry movie, not necessarily a Jim Carrey movie, or not necessarily a Kate Winslet movie. It's a movie that really has a typical trademark Charlie Kaufman style all over it. A real accomplishment and what other movie writer can say a thing like that as well. This movie also earned Kaufman his first ever Oscar, while he already got nominated two times before in the past.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" takes you along for a ride and takes you to a strange world, in which you know more than halve of it isn't for real. It's a dream like movie but not as far off as I probably make it sound right not. It's a perfectly accessible movie for all type of audiences. Don't be alarmed or scared off by it's art-house kind of reputation. The story is at all times perfectly understandable, even though quite some strange things are happening in it.

It's an unique movie for sure, that also has a unique love theme in it. It's refreshing that it doesn't handle it romantic aspects in a formulaic way, though it also needs to be said that it's also thanks to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet's performances that its main story and two main characters work out so well for the movie and therefore also its romantic theme.

It's again one of those roles in which Jim Carrey shows that he can really act, without trying to be or look funny all of the time. Too bad a lot of people still don't see this. The movie also features some other great and well known actors beside Carrey and Winslet, such as Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson.

It's a great movie with some great movie-making tricks. It's a true visual movie, with an almost constant dream like atmosphere. A lot of old fashioned techniques are being used, which are all still better looking than modern special effects and are therefore more effective, especially for this type of movie, as well.

My complaint with this movie is though that its story and the way it's progressing is quite predictable all. It's not really the story that offers the movie with its most unique or greatest moments, though the writing in general still remains great, as weird as that might sound. Hopefully you will understand what I mean by this when you watch the movie yourself.

Certainly a great and also definitely unique movie to watch. Especially for the Kaufman fans.

8/10

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Happiness (1998) Directed by Todd Solondz

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 4:33 AM / comment : 1 , , , , , , , , , ,




(Review originally written at 15 December 2006)

How come that this movie was completely overlooked by most big award ceremonies? Probably because of its controversial subjects. It's brilliantly written and directed and brilliantly acted out by its cast members. It's perhaps the most overlooked movies from the '90's and is on a level of brilliance I haven't seen a movie on for a long time. This is one of those movies that grabs and doesn't let go. It makes you forget the time and everything else that is happening around you. I haven't watched a movie in that way since like forever. It made "Happiness" a truly unique viewing experience that left a big impression. The movie kept me thinking for hours afterward and I could hardly sleep because of it.

 Here they are; characters we often hear and read about in the papers and on TV. Characters we simply think of as being unsympathetic monsters, we don't want to spend too much thoughts about. I'm talking about pedophiles and phone sex masturbaters, among others. This movie shows that in truth often those people are nothing more than common persons, with a good job, money and a family of their own. They could be a colleague of yours, a neighbor or even a family member. A person you think you know but without ever truly knowing what is going on in their heads and what their perverted sexual fantasies and preferences are. The movie shows that these sort of things could happen in your neighborhood or somebody you know. It's shocking and confronting but of course closer to the truth then them just being cold-hearted ruthless monsters, even though the thought of it is strangely more comforting. The fact that it all are 'ordinary' persons is far more shocking. None of the characters wants to be that way, they just ARE that way.

 "Happiness" does a good job at creating a realistic environment and story lines and connecting all those different lines together in the movie. The movie follows multiple different characters and therefor also story lines but the movie never gets disjointed even though of course every storyline has its weaker and less interesting moments. It also doesn't make the movie confusing or unnecessary hard to follow, like some other directors would probably have done with the story (Alejandro González Iñárritu or Steven Soderbergh springs to mind.) The movie instead chooses a light comedy like approach. Comedies really don't get darker than this. Despite its heavy subjects, the movie is also still fun to watch, with some great funny moments. It in a way makes the movie also more accessible to a wider range of audience.

 The movie is of course also truly uplifted by its fine cast. Even actors who I normally don't really like (like Lara Flynn Boyle) were just great. While watching this movie it made me realize something; Philip Seymour Hoffman is probably my favorite actor at the moment. What can I say, he's just great! I'm glad he finally won an Oscar last year. Finally true recognition for one of the best actors in the business, not just now but of all time. But it in all honesty is Dylan Baker who gives the best performance. He without doubt plays the toughest role of the movie, a married, with children, psychiatrist pedophile. He manages to make the character in a way more accessible and understandable. Especially the sequences with his teenage son, who is starting to discover his own sexuality, are greatly done and very powerful, especially toward the end of the movie. Also Jane Adams delivers a notable performance, as a (too) kind person who gets exploited by others because of it. The pain and inner-conflicts of the characters as portrayed in this movie are almost sensible.

 If you want to or not, this movie makes you look differently at the world and the sexual 'perverts' we hear and read about. It therefor makes "Happiness" a powerful and effective, thought provoking portrayal, of real life humane characters.

 10/10

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