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nikalbo
Reviews
The Secret (2006)
Imagine two scenarios...
Imagine two scenarios. First, a basketball player is on the free throw line. In his mind, he sees the ball going into the basket, traveling in that perfect trajectory - he envisions himself making the shot, his hands performing the perfect movement. Maybe he even repeats in his mind a few times "I will make this shot". He focuses on his confidence. He releases. The ball goes in. Second scenario - now, imagine a kid who wants a red bike. He shuts his eyes, thinks hard of a ride bike with a basket in front. He does this religiously, in fact that's all he does for two straight days - just lays in bed and thinks hard of his bike. After two days, he opens the door and lo and behold the exact red bike with a basket is sitting in the front yard.
Now, come back to reality. Think about these two scenarios and ask yourself "Are these two the same?". Hopefully you answered "NO". Both demonstrate positive thinking - but there is a fine, but incredibly significant line that separates common sense from delirium. "The secret", while containing a few nuggets of truth, comes dangerously close to implying what the second scenario implies. And because of that, in the hands of the gullible and the desperate, this film may have a few positive benefits (hope) but could ultimately be dangerous (inaction, unreasonable expectations). Positive thinking has been proved to help - yes. Focus and concentration on your goals helps - yes. But, to use the basketball analogy, to make the shot you have to take it. "The Secret", with it's slick presentation, almost suggests that if you focus on the ball long enough some magical wind will carry it into the basket. To be fair, the film is not 100% of this - but believe me it comes dangerously close. It doesn't help that they allude to the book as if Thomas Jefferson and Einstein actually owned it and passed it along, that along with the titled people like John Doe, Physicist and John Doe, Author that they interviewed, they included John Doe, "Mystic" and John Doe, "Visionary" (what in god's name is a visionary anyway???). It's slick, over-produced, and will turn-off any sensible, intelligent person looking for an honest eye-opener. Look elsewhere for enlightenment and growth - there are a ton of books, old and new, that are better than this fluff masterpiece.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Eternal
WOW. what a movie - this one of my favorite movies of all time, and if there was a perfect movie, in my mind, this is it. This is why:
There are movies like the recently released 300 that are low-brow but entertaining purely for their visceral delights - they hold your attention, amaze you, but they offer nothing to think about. Accepting them for what they are, they have their own merits. While they are empty - all fat and calories and no nutrients - I will continue to watch these "blockbuster" popcorn movies on opening night.
Then there are the intellectual movies, so absorbed by themselves that they loose their audience. They set out with the goal of enlightening you, changing you - but they have the tendency to be tasteless and bland. The worst one that comes to mind being "Waking Life". This one actually tried to be eye-candy, but it bored me to tears. The philosophical musings themselves were interesting but basically it was a college lecture in CG graphics. Sophomoric at best, I would have watched Die Hard instead if I had the choice. It lost me at about 25 minutes in...and the theory, thoughts, and the message went through one ear and out the other...
The best movies in my mind transcend themselves and become experiences. They leave you with something, you learn from them, you think about them, they influence how you think about yourself and how you see the world. However, they also fulfill what a movie is supposed to do - entertain. Eternal Sunshine did this - and left me with something new, something I could think about and bring into my life, and at the same time, it held me, entertained me. That is a rare achievement in my mind.
Make no mistake, Eteranal is a movie that demands your full attention. Even so, it warrants a second and third viewing to fully grasp the beauty of this film. The jumps in the story can disorient and I can see how some will be put off by this. However, if you watch carefully and are able to understand this you will realize the beauty and craft behind the mixed pieces scattered throughout the film.
I haven't seen a movie that captures the feeling of a "dream" like Eternal. You will see the absurd, and the surreal...and yet it in your gut it makes sense - just like dreaming. Needless to say, what you will see will arrest you. The direction alone is a masterpiece - the scenes are loaded with creativity, and there are times where you will go "how the hell did they shoot that?". Gondry should have won an Oscar for this.
Finally, I have looked at a lot of the discussion around this film, and while the central themes remain the same, what people have taken away from the film seems to vary - there are different levels to the film beyond the visceral, which is already amazing in and of itself. The tone of Eternal is melancholic, however IMO it's message is very positive. Eternal's message to me is this...when you try to forget the pain, be it a person or an experience, you forget all the good that came with it.
Go watch this movie!