Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in a science fiction based love story, where a couple fall in love, fall out of love. They have each other erased from their memories and as they step back through those memories they realise what they had and what they are giving up.

With Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo in the cast, this really is a wonderful piece of film making. The ideas behind the film are simple, would you erase someone from your life if you had the opportunity? It explores the idea around what would you do if you made a rash decision that you could not go back on. It also asks the questions around should we have any control and we not love and lose people for a reason even if that reason is painful at times.

Another film that when I first heard about it did not tickle my fancy, however I started watching it and was captivated and there are a nice couple of twists that make it interesting and intriguing. This is a 4 star recommend from me, it covers the romantic film and science fiction also makes you appreciate what you have and why it is good to remember as you learn from life.

Jumanji (1995)

Film of 2012 #51

So if you found a board game in the dirt and it sounded like it was playing the drums would you play it? This is the basic premise of the family comedy starring Robin William, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce. Who all end up playing a game that has disasterous effects and they have to keep playing to reach the end. I do not remember this film coming out and do not know if it was a massive success but it has a small place of family joy in my heart. You have a story of a bullied school boy, Alan who fancies a girl and gets her to come over to his house and they play a game that he finds, there is a nice joke as it is in the 60's that ther must be magnets which in the 90's it is suggested it must be micro chips. Anyway Alan gets sucked into the game and when he comes out he is Robin Williams.

This follows the story as Kirsten Dunst and her younger brother whose parents have died recently find the game and continue where the sixites kids left it. It is a family film with plenty of action some dodgy CGI and a fun fast paced stoyline that makes little sense but is still alot of fun. There is a nice epilogue to the film as well that really brings home the family nature of the film.

This is a film I have seen several times and would re-watch it and I am happy to reccomend it, there are some slightly dark scenes for the younger audience but at the heart it is a coming of age film that gives the main characters a second chance at life. This is a solid three star recommend if you have not seen it yet.