Looking for a Valentine's Movie?

Now neither one of these films will have the "best feel-good splendor ever" (soon to be Pete Hammond's credit on the DVD box) of Valentine's Day coming out this weekend, but they are in fact warmer and thought-provoking so stay in with your loved one and give these two a watch.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has been gushed about quite a bit the past few months and if you have not seen this film yet do so immediately. Joel (Jim Carrey) is stuck in life and after breaking up with his girlfriend he can't bear to be with his own memories. So he decides to have her erased from his mind. But what happens after is perhaps the most warming sentiment on film. There is something about Clementine (Kate Winslet) that both makes you rue and ache for your failed past relationships.

I saw Lars and the Real Girl during my winter break and never got around to writing about it. It makes much more sense to post it now anyway. Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a shut-in living in the garage of his older brother Gus (Paul Schneider, how has this guy not been given a movie by now?) and his wife Karin (Emily Mortimer). He doesn't talk much or at all after the death of his father except to tell the co-worker he shares his cubicle with, "that he got coffee last time." He has an admirer in Margo (Kelli Garner) but Lars in content with going to work, nodding hello and going about his business as if you were not there.

For the most part no one really pays attention to Lars until he purchases a sex doll - don't worry there is nothing but the best intentions for that doll - dresses it up in Karin's clothing and parades it around church, dinners, parties and around town. Gus who already thought his brother was nuts pleads with Dr. Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) to fix him as quickly as possible. Lars and the Real Girl had a premise that could've been exploited very easily into a formulaic rom-com, but the interest in the story comes not from Lar's romantic opportunities but the town that embraces its own. A modern Capra film if there ever was one.

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9) Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages, Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

Paprika vs. Inception

Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes a review declaring Toy Story 3 to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out a glowing review of Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !

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