There are times when you encounter a story that’s so trippy and interesting and totally something you dig, and you just can’t help but wish that you wrote that story or that you can write something as close to fantastic as that story. I mean, you know what I mean, right? It could be a book or a movie – anything really – that makes you wish you thought of it first.
I haven’t been much of a reader for the last year or so, so these fantastic stories I’m referring to are actually movies that I’ve seen in the last few months. Just a warning, this post may contain some spoilers so if you haven’t seen any of these films – do a quick scroll, hurry! – and don’t want to know what happens in these movies, I suggest you turn away from this post now. Turn away, friend, and save yourself from, er, spoilers about old movies. Amsorrehhh..
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play Joel and Clementine, two people who meet on the train and make a love connection. What they both don’t know is that they were actually a couple whose relationship went sour and they had each other wiped out from their memories. Throughout the movie we see how that happened. It was Clementine who first had Joel erased from her memories. Of course, that made Joel angry so he decided to do the same. But while the memory guys were erasing his memories of Clementine, including the good ones, Joel realizes he doesn’t want everything erased so he and Clementine start running from memory to memory in hopes of finding a place in his subconscious where Clementine can hide. This all happens while Joel’s asleep, by the way, so it’s all pretty trippy. And awesome.
I think I watched this movie years ago but didn’t pay too much attention so it didn’t really leave a mark. All I remembered was Kate Winslet’s awesome colorful hair. Then I watched it again a few months ago and holy crap it was just weird and amazing. The whole “they’ve erased each other from their memories and yet they meet again” thing is pretty cool. It’s beautiful. Watch eeet.
About Time
Dohmnall Gleeson (who I thought was one of the Weasley twins but was actually the older brother Bill) plays Tim and he finds out from his father, played by the magnificent Bill Nighy, that the men in his family can travel in time. He can’t change history though and can only go to moments in his own life and change what happens. So what does Tim do with his new ability? He uses it to try and get himself a girlfriend, of course. Sometime later he meets Mary, played by the gorgeous Rachel McAdams. They hit it off and she gives him her number. Unfortunately, an unrelated time-travel moment results into a new present day where they never met. Tim uses his ability so they meet again and again until they end up together. Throughout the movie, Tim learns to be careful with his ability lest he changes things too much or for the worse.
This is a really cute movie with a great cast. It’s a British film so there’s a lot of that deadpan British humor that I love. I love Dohmnall Gleeson. I’ve never seen him in anything other than the Harry Potter movies and he didn’t really do much there. He’s in errything now though – Ex Machina, The Force Awakens, Brooklyn, etc. Errything! Rachel McAdams is her usual charming self. Of course, Bill Nighy is always excellent. My favorite is Tom Hollander’s performance as the sarcastic and broody writer Harry. Okay, I haven’t said anything important about the story, but believe me it’s good. It’s just a really adorable and charming film. Watch eeet.
I Origins
I saw this movie on cable a few months ago. It’s a movie directed and written by Mike Cahill and stars Michael Pitt, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, and Brit Marling. Michael Pitt plays a scientist studying the evolution of the eye. He falls in love with Sofi (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who has uniquely-colored eyes, but she dies in an accident. Years later Ian ends up marrying his lab assistant Karen (Brit Marling). They have a baby boy whose iris scan happens to match some old dude who died just before the baby was conceived. They also find a match for Sofi’s iris scan – a little girl in India – so Ian travels to India to look for the girl and find answers. It’s all so bizarre and fascinating.
Seriously, this movie has some fascinating shit. And I find Astrid Bergès-Frisbey fascinating in everything. Okay, so I’ve only seen her as the mermaid in that Pirates of Caribbean movie, but she just has that certain something about her. Anyway, the whole “matching iris scans” concept is some fascinating shiiiit. Watch eeet.
Another Earth
This is another film directed by Mike Cahill. He wrote it with Brit Marling, who also happens to play the lead role in the movie. It’s about a young girl named Rhoda (Brit Marling) who’s into astronomy and just got accepted into MIT. After a night of partying, she drives home and hears on the radio that a new planet similar to Earth has been discovered. Apparently, it’s visible and shining like a blue star, so she looks up while still on the wheel and crashes into another car. The other driver, John, a music professor, survives but his pregnant wife and young son are killed. Four years later, Rhoda is released from juvenile prison. She goes to live with her parents, finds a job as a janitor at her old high school, and also tries to commit suicide. One day she decides to go and apologize to John who has become a depressed recluse. However, when she gets to his house, she loses her nerve and tells him she’s from a cleaning service offering a free trial to potential customers. She ends up becoming a regular cleaner at his house and they both slowly become part of each other’s lives.
Like, whoa. This film. I love it because it has an element of sci fi but it’s really a human drama. I just happen to have a girl crush on Brit Marling. Anyway, the story of Another Earth is something else and it has a somewhat open-ended ending which I think is really cool. Seriously, watch eeet.
That is all. For now. All these stories. All fascinating shiyeet, I tell you. For me, anyway.
What’s the one book or film that you wish you’d written or created?