Almost There: Jim Carrey in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

by Cláudio Alves

Before writing this piece, the last time I'd watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was with my now ex-boyfriend. We were at his home, enjoying what was, by then, a rare respite, a valley of peace between mountains of quarrel. I had gained a habit of showing him my favorite films, sharing those beloved treasures with someone I loved, maybe looking for a different way for him to know me. This Michel Gondry surrealistic comedy was one of the few pictures we both seemed to adore, and I remember how, drunk with affection, I swore to never forget him. Even if things ended badly – which they did – the promise was made that I'd never wish to erase him from my memory, from my life. Regardless of the hurt we brought each other, I still think that. What we shared is now an integral part of me and that won't ever change.

The people we share our lives with become pieces in the puzzle of our identity. To love is to reshape that puzzle, pain, and euphoria slotted together. I tell you this because it's impossible for me to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Jim Carrey's performance, without projecting meanings born out of love lost…

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Streaming Roulette, August: Exotica, Harriet, and Muppets Now

If you're new to the site this is how we share new streaming offerings for the month. We select a handful or two of titles and just randomly hit a place on the scroll bar to see what the film looks like - no cheating.  Ready? Let's play...

I CAN'T WATCH!!!

Muppets Now (2020) Season 1 on Disney Plus
Let's HOPE Kermit isn't being prophetic about the quality of his new show with this random shot/dialogue. Maybe because we grew up with them, we always give new Muppet content a chance. Will you?

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Beauty vs Beast: Girls Gone Wildin'

Happy Monday to one and all, Jason from MNPP here with this week's brand new edition of "Beauty vs Beast" -- enfant terrible provocateur Harmoney Korine is tossing another neon grenade our way this forthcoming Friday with his film The Beach Bum (reviewed at SXSW), twisting our sexual stoner preconceptions of Matthew McConaughey to suit his perverse needs. So for this week's contest, with Britney's voice still warbling in our heads, let's toss it back seven years to Korine's last much celebrated ode to the wacky Florida lifestyle, Spring Breakers.

In one corner we've got our four bikini kill co-eds (played by Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine) and everywhere else we've got the drug-dealing pistol-fellating Alien (James Franco), owner of shit.

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PREVIOUSLY I figured last week's Eternal Sunshine contest wouldn't be close but it really, really, wasn't close -- Kirsten Dunst walked away with 92% of the vote over Elijah Wood's mega-creep; said Fitz:

"Mary, Mary, Mary. No contest. I think Kirsten Dunst's performance, as a supporting actor, was perhaps more impressive than Kate Winslet's with the limited time she got. Mary's arc was devastating, and Dunst (no surprises) was heartbreaking in the role. Sadly—just another Oscar nod that was denied Dunst who should have at least 6 and 1 win by now (her turns in Melancholia, The Beguiled, Bachelorette, All Good Things, The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, The Cat's Meow, Eternal Sunshine, Interview with the Vampire were all Oscar-worthy performances)"

Beauty vs Beast: Won't You Remember Me

Jason from MNPP here on this chilly March afternoon thinking of leaving it all behind and boarding a train out to Montauk -- tomorrow marks the 15th anniversary of one of the Great Films of the new century (née millenium), Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which rescrambled our brains for the first time on March 19th 2004, and we've never been the same since. Have you watched it lately? I watch it basically once per year, which guarantees I have one great big sobbing session at least once per year. Anyway we've already done one of our "Beauty vs Beast" contests for the film's leads before, so today we'll dive a little deeper into the film's exceedingly fine stable of supporting players -- on one side we have the delectably weaselly Patrick (Elijah Wood) and on the other the more-confused-by-the-minute Mary (Kirsten Dunst), who both enrich the film's main romantic thrust in surprising and sad ways...

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PREVIOUSLY Y'all truly surprised me with last week's contest that pit Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool's lead lovers against one another -- Jamie Bell took the lead early on and never looked back, taking 65% at the end; it's very rare for actresses to lose here on TFE! Why do you think it happened this time? Said Mareko:

"I'm #TeamGloria in life (what an underrated talent) but lean toward #TeamPeter in this movie. Annette and Jamie really are sublime together, and isn't it interesting that she did back-to-back movies set in 1979? Imagine Dorothea Fields and Gloria Grahame in the same universe, living a mere hour away from each other!"

"I dont know. You erased me."