Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Joel: This is the day we met. You're down by the surf and I could just make you out in the distance. I remember being drawn to you even then. You were in that red sweatshirt that I'd come to know so well and hate eventually. At the time I thought, 'How cool..."
Clementine: Hi there....I saw you sitting over here by yourself. And I thought, thank God, someone normal who doesn't know how to interact with these things either.
Joel: Yeah...I don't ever know what to say.
.........
Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's gonna be gone soon. What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy....


Give me any Charlie Kaufman / Michel Gondry movie and I can watch it any number of times. Every quote in their movies has a deeper meaning and something that one can relate to. Just like Joel wonders in the initial half as to why he falls in love with every woman who shows him the slightest of attention. And thus starts the story with his random thoughts that would span over a couple of years and run in circles again.

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) gets to know that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had him erased from her mind by a procedure that is made possible at Lacuna by Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). Feeling humiliated, he decides to do the same and asks the doctor if there is any risk of brain damage. As Dr. Mierzwiak mentions, "Technically, this is brain damage. But it's on a par with a night of heavy drinking", Joel finds that comforting. As Dr. Mierzwiak's assistants, Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood), set out on the process of erasing Clementine from his mind, he finds himself in a quandary and wants to hold on to some of the good memories he has of her.

He tries to hide in different corners of his brain where he can escape the process in an effort to not let Clementine go. He remembers a memory where Clementine mentions, "Meet me in Montauk", which is the place where he would have headed on an impulse at the start of the movie. As we go back to the beginning where the movie had started, they both realize they had a past and have to decide whether it's really worth working it out again.

This is one of the few movies of Jim Carrey where he has shown his audience that he is capable of more meaningful roles. And Kate Winslet as the wild and impulsive Clementine is, of course, a treat to watch. She is one of the most versatile actresses with a variety of roles in movies such as Finding Neverland, The Reader, Jude or even Iris. Mark Ruffalo as Stan also does a great job and I feel he is one of those underrated actors who never gets his due. Overall, some brilliant acting by most of the cast, but Kate Winslet definitely stands out. Can't believe it took her six nominations to finally win the Oscar!

Rating: 8/10

Beautiful Boy (2010)

Bill: Hi...This is Dad. I know you are not gonna get this, but I wish you could have told me what's wrong...that's what I'm here for....Well, I just wanted to hear your voice...that's all

Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) are not doing too well in their marriage, until the unthinkable happens. As they are trying to plan a vacation to make things work, they get the news of their 18-year-old son, Sammy (Kyle Gallner), being the perpetrator of a mass shooting at school. Being hounded by the media and the superficial sympathy from friends and relatives, they keep struggling to find an answer behind their son's monstrous act. The usual questions. Was he depressed? Was he taking drugs? Did we do something? Did we not do something? How could he do it?

As they avoid going out, we don't see any real duel with the world outside. When they decide they couldn't stay in that house any longer, other people find a way in to take photographs or look at Sammy's belongings. As Bill visits the place one day, he sees a kid talking on the phone saying, "The dude even had a medal for perfect attendance". Even as he doesn't mean to, Bill gets into a confrontation with the kid. They realize they have to live with the stereotyping of campus killers - shy, quiet, lacking friends, no past misdeeds, etc.

Cooper (Austin Nichols) comes across as a friend of Kate who gets his to-be-released books first revised by Kate. When Kate finds out the real purpose of Cooper's visits, she asks him to leave. And in that scene, Cooper says, "I was just trying to see who Sammy was....I'm just trying to show them he was human too, no different from anyone else. Everyone is capable of such rage....It's no one's fault what happened...It's not your fault, not your husband's...that's all I'm trying to say". Well, exactly what I'd like to say too about some of those kids. However, even someone's offer of help can seem like an intrusion. Just like Bill realizes on his first day in office after the tragedy.

As they keep struggling to come to terms with their environment, they finally see they have only themselves to fall back on.

A brilliant, sensitive subject for a movie that I'd highly recommend, specially with Sandy Hook incident being so fresh in our minds. Sammy wasn't evil. Neither was the Sandy Hook kid. Let's not be too quick to judge.

Rating - 7.5/10

Lost in Translation (2003)

Bob: Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then this hotel, then the city and then the country. Are you in or are you out?
Charlotte: I'm in. I'll go pack my stuff.
Bob: I hope you've had enough to drink. It's going to take courage.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a fading actor who's in Tokyo to film a few commercials. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is a Yale psychology graduate who has tagged along with her photographer husband. They both live in the same hotel and they are both bored with their lives. And not understanding the native language is one of those common things that brings them together.

Charlotte definitely has a talent for seeing through fake people, and to be more specific, seeing through her husband's fake friends. She is everything you could ask for in a woman, making it difficult to believe she is in her early twenties. The only time she opens up to one of her friends over the phone, she realizes nobody really cares about her troubles or her dull existence. Bob, on the other hand, is sarcastic, grumpy and yet mild-mannered during his interactions with people around him.  Both are obviously bored in their respective marriages and they strike a fast friendship as they go along. Probably it's the age difference that makes each of them hesitant to turn it into anything more than a friendship. They discuss everything about life, relationships and aspirations even though both are the quiet-types. Almost like they have known each other for long enough to complete each other's sentences. There's pure magic in their relationship, even though they decide not to be back again in order to treasure those moments.

There's not much happening in the movie and it's exactly that which makes the movie so likable. One could compare this pair to the one in In the Mood for Love or Before Sunset. This is Sofia Coppola's second movie and she has done an absolutely brilliant job. Bill Murray fits the role perfectly (just like the way in Broken Flowers) and Scarlett Johansson is, as usual, lovable.

Rating - 8/10

Michael Clayton (2007)

Michael Clayton: I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy! Are you so fucking blind that you don't even see what I am? I sold Arthur for 80 grand. I'm your easiest problem and you're gonna kill me?....... You're so fucked. Here, let me get a picture while I'm at it.

Michael Clayton is a fixer with a powerful law firm who works behind the scenes to clean up his clients' mess. They call him a miracle worker, though he prefers to believe he is just a "janitor". He drives the company's Mercedes and doesn't even have $75k "just lying around" even after being with the firm for 17 years. It's a failed restaurant business and a divorce that's to blame.

The movie starts with Arthur Eden (Tom Wilkinson), the firm's star lawyer, deciding that he is no longer going to defend UC North in a lawsuit after finding evidence that could be damning to UC North. He snaps in a meeting and takes off all his clothes while threatening to blow the whistle. This can turn out really bad for both his and Michael's boss, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack) and the law firm's business. Michael doesn't really believe that there might be a problem with UC North but the fact that Arthur might not be taking his medications. UC North's legal attorney, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), lays out all the cards on the table and they would make it look just like Arthur is crazy and he has no case here.

Michael is not too sure whether he is Arthur's friend first or he needs the $80k more when Marty agrees to pay the money. Of course, the money comes with strings attached. We won't know whether he would have stayed loyal to his friend or his boss if certain things hadn't happened. But he seems more pissed off with the agri-firm making an attempt on his life.

Michael Clayton is the directorial debut for Tony Gilroy and he does a decent job at it. Of course, we all love George Clooney in those suits, though he is not as wealthy in this movie as he looks. I can't remember if I have seen Tilda Swinton in a similar role before, but I think if ever there is a role for a cold-hearted manipulative bitch, she should be the perfect person to play that (I'm actually praising her performance here). It's scary to think that corporations might be willing to go to that length to protect their reputation and it's not just fiction. The Insider was based on a true story.

Rating: 7.5/10