Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004

A persons memories and mind it web, a tangle of good and bad, but what would happen if you could remove the pain and the sorrow from your thoughts, only keeping the things that made you smile or laugh. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a film full of twists and turns that you would have never seen coming, tangling the idea of memory in it non chronological order confusing the viewer into falling into traps where they believe that they know what is going on. 
The film stars Jim Carrey as the main character Jole Barish, an man with little going for him self, and not much too say. However his whole life changes when for no reason he skips work and finds him self on a beach in Montauk, New York where he meets Clementine Kruczynski (played by Kate Winslet) From here on the film begins to twist and turn through out Jole and Clementine's relationship. After a while their relationship breaks down, and Clementine finds her self going to Lacuna, Inc. a New York company that will remove the bad memoires from your mind leaving you with no recollection of what you once knew of a place, person or a dead family member. Jole then finds this out and has the same procedure from this point on the film then is set inside Joles mind and memoires. As we walk through them in reverse we see Jole fighting to hold on to the very last few good day that Clementine and Jole spent together. In the last few moments of his first memory of Clementine she whispers 'Meet me in Montauk'  
Jole awakes in his bed the night after the procedure to find his car damaged but no recollection of how, we then see Jole at the train station (where we see him at the opening of the film). On impulse Jole leaves his platform and runs for the train to Montauk - 
'Random thoughts on Valentines day 2004, today is a holiday created by greetings card companies to make people feel like crap. I ditched work today took a train out Montauk, I don't know why I'm not an impulsive person'  

This film honestly left be with out any words, was a breath of fresh air to watch. I would honestly recommend it. Just stunning!! 

Ikea's Digital Camera

Ikea have just realised their own Digital Camera. The Kanappa as it has been called is almost entirely made form cardboard and has no digital back, thus bring back this idea of not knowing what you have taken till you upload the images onto your computer. The camera is powered by two standard batteries, has a memory of up to 40 images and a USB port for easy upload to your computer. 
The idea behind this whole project is the climet that we live in, Ikea are really looking into ways of sustainability as well as reusing all the card packing that they use for all their flat packed goods.  

The camera its self is really a point and shoot, but has brought back the days when film was widely used, however this does not mean that the waiting is long once the 40 shots are taken you just go to your own computer and see them straight away, so it could be argued that this camera brings back nothing that film once gave to us. 

Here is a video of the camera in action.

I would love to know what others think of this idea? Is photography becoming less and less of an art? Or do you feel that the idea of photogrpahy be accessible to every one is a good thing, alowing people to express them selves easier them before?

Wristcutters - A Love Story (2006)

This post is going to take a break from art and photography, and instead looking at the film 'Wristcutters - A Love Story (2006)'. 

Love stories and many other films follow the conventional Todorov's Theory, this structure is made up of five stages - 

Equilibrium - all is normal in the start. 

Disruption - Something changes the equilibrium that we see at the start.   

Recognition - Realising that the balance has been upset. 

Attempt - To put things back as they were

Reinstatement - Of the equilibrium, but with changes as a result of the reinstatement of the equilibrium. 

The film is set in a parallel, mundane world - Limbo. Reserved for only those that have committed suicide. 

The film opens with the main charter Zia sat in his room after the break up of Zia and his girlfriend. The room is a mess and it is clear that he has given up, however he then performs a pre-suicidal ritual and cleans the whole room, before leaving for the bath room and slitting his wrists.  

The film then moves into Limbo, were Zia hears that his ex-girlfriend has also committed suicide after hearing about Zia's death. Zia then makes it his mission in death to find her and be together once again. He sets off with his Russian friend Eugene, on the way they pick up a hitchhicker - Mikal a girl who believes that she is there by mistake and didn't mean to 'Offed' her self. 

The film its self could be miss-interpreted as condoning suicide, however it simply explores the idea of life after death, love and miracles.  

The world is very much a dystopia of the common ideas of life after death, everything is dead, mundane and no one can smile.  

The love story eliment comes from Zia looking for his deceased ex-girlfriend, however Zia and Mikal become close and in the end Zia's chasing for his 'one' turns out to be in vain. 

There are many different meaning's to the film, life after death, fate, not to waste your time chasing something that is lost and most of all a second chance. In love and life.