I forgot how much work goes into these freaking long movie reviews, so in the event that I don't have the second TMNT anime piece up by Tuesday (which isn't looking too good...), here's A Crayon Haiku #8 to help pass the time. This one's actually got three haikus in it. Woo.

So today/yesterday my dad and I went to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Wow, that was a great movie. Admittedly it had me hooked from the beginning -- even before the title credits rolled they already had me hooked with strange and quirky Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet). And while the notion of having certain memories erased in order to regain one's peace of mind isn't exactly novel -- that's been the premise of a number of "Outer Limits" episodes, not to mention other science fiction offerings -- the way it played out in Eternal Sunshine was undoubtedly fresh and clever in more ways than one. Plus there were some really beautiful moments in the film, and despite the tragic elements of the tale I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face. But I also felt kind of sad inside. Seeing Joel's memories of Clementine, I really wish that I had some memories of people like that. I don't. This is one of those movies that will really make you appreciate your memories of people you've lost and the good times that you once had together, but if you don't have any people like that it may just make you feel like an alien or a monster. I hope I'm not spoiling too much for you, since you should really see the movie. I'll stop now.

Oh, and Kate Winslet looks great with blue hair. But most people do. 😉

So my latest copy of Dawn of the Dead played fine, and I'm throwing my recommendation to this film too -- it's great stuff. But if you haven't seen the current "re-imagining" of the film and are planning to, I'm not sure which you should see first. If you see the original film first and really appreciate it, I'm fairly convinced that you're going to sit through the new one thinking "this sucks" over and over again in your head like a prayer mantra. Whereas if you really like the new one and are more a fan of "BOO!" scares and action-packed films, you'll probably find the old one to be pretty boring -- it's worth noting that a lot of the action scenes that take place over the course of the film aren't show in the movie, or at least aren't shown in their entirety. But I'm going to say watch the original one second, 'cause it's better. Romero's original trilogy was rife with social commentary -- as were a lot of older horror films -- but I think the newer ones have eschewed that ideal and just try to make you jump in your seat without leaving you with much to think about when the lights come back on. I might have to write up a mini-review of this film for SC, just to spread the good word.

So with Thelma and Louise, these make three great films that I've seen in the past week. Ha-cha-cha. Ja!