From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“… … It’s not a masterpiece, but without a doubt, a work of genius.”

Roger Ebert said so.

This short sentence contains a thousand words, revealing Roger's attitude.

Roger doesn't think it's a masterpiece, but Charlie Kaufman's ingenious imagination has finally found a suitable way to present itself.

In fact, this can also be seen from the score—

Ninety-three points.

Not a perfect score.

Since the Cannes Film Festival, Roger's praise and admiration for Anson have attracted much attention. This Pulitzer Prize winner seems to have a different view of that pretty-boy idol, which is definitely a topic in the film circle and among film critics.

However, Roger is very frank and upright. He lives up to every evaluation he makes, has a clear conscience, and can withstand any test:

Good is good; bad is bad.

The same is true now. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is good, but not good enough.

To some extent, Roger and "The Baltimore Sun" share some of the same views.

Roger agrees that Charlie Kaufman is a screenwriter who relies heavily on concepts and structures, starting with a wild idea and layering reality and illusion to make the audience lose themselves in the switching between truth and falsehood.

Like a dream, yet incredibly real.

Under such a dazzling high-concept shell, the filling and outlining of emotions inevitably lack the support of details, making the characters prone to becoming dry.

Therefore, people often say that actors will be swallowed by Charlie Kaufman's script—

The same goes for directors.

As a screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman's presence is too strong, overshadowing everything else. Even experienced actors such as Meryl Streep, John Malkovich, and Nicolas Cage are no exception.

"The Baltimore Sun's" criticism is reasonable.

The difference is that Roger believes that in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Charlie Kaufman also realized that emotional connection is the core of the chemical reaction of the film, so he consciously increased the emotional details and allowed the two actors to pour more life into the characters.

“Kate Winslet has dedicated the most agile, most romantic, and most vibrant performance of her career.

In the wave of Hollywood actresses choosing to uglify themselves and hide their appearance to focus the audience on their performances, she did not do so, but simply made the character of Clementine ordinary.

Ordinary. This is more difficult than we imagine.

However, such a character who does not hide her shortcomings blooms with incredible charm. Her freedom, her bravery, her unrestrainedness, her changeability, her vitality, and her fragility, her insecurity, her confusion, her impulsiveness, are a complex yet infinitely possible synthesis.

Delicate and vivid, layered and vivid, Kate Winslet successfully made us fall in love with Clementine—

Who could not love her?”

You can deeply feel the energy that Roger pours into his words. He likes the character of Clementine, and he likes the color that Kate injects into the character.

Before "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Kate had been nominated for an Oscar for acting three times, once for "Sense and Sensibility," once for "Titanic," and once for "Quills." Although not yet thirty years old, Kate is already one of the best of Hollywood's new generation of actresses.

However, Roger still believes that Clementine is Kate's best performance to date.

The attitude is clear at a glance.

Moreover, Roger believes that Anson delivered a performance in the film that was in no way inferior to Kate's.

“Anson Wood, handsome guy.

There is nothing special about it. It's just that preparing to repeat again, 'Handsome', 'Charming', these adjectives seem to have become a habit when placed with him, without any sense of disharmony or strangeness. This is a fact, it's that simple.

It's still the same in this work.

Although he appears dull, restrained, serious, rigid, and vicissitudes of life, and even hides people's attention to his appearance with a slight hunchback and a messy beard; he is still handsome, charming, and dashing. Even just sitting next to Montauk Beach and gnawing on a chicken leg can attract women's attention.

However, this is the first time that we can see his shortcomings in that skin.

Rigid. Stiff. Inferior. Suspicious. Fragile.

God, what a useless man, but the wonderful thing is that we will not hate him or hate him, because in his azure eyes, we can see his sincerity, purity, simplicity, and persistence. He is like the ocean, always tolerant of Clementine's flame.

At the end of the film, in the character of Joel, we can see a contradictory complexity:

Hesitation and determination, timidity and courage, fragility and tenacity.

He doesn't know why he's doing this or what he should do, but he still takes steps in fear and confusion.

Not just the eyes, but also the expressions, movements, and demeanor. From the inside out, Anson Wood's soul and that man are perfectly integrated.

Words have power. In the arrangement and combination of those words and vocabulary, the author transforms the pictures and emotions in his mind into a language and presents them to the readers who read carefully, completing the soul stirring and thought exchange in the air.

Roger did not hide and does not intend to hide his appreciation for Anson—

"The Butterfly Effect," "Elephant," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." In Roger's view, Anson has completed a triple jump, truly opening the door to the role of an actor.

Of course, Roger understands that when a person becomes popular, there will be a lot of gossip. Those controversies and doubts will never disappear, but Anson is indeed continuing to move forward and climb according to his own pace. No matter how "Spider-Man 2" performs next, with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Anson has already established his position as the number one person in Hollywood.

No one can match him.

Including Roger himself, he is also faintly looking forward to how "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" will perform at the box office.

Therefore, Roger agrees with the first half of "The Baltimore Sun's" views, but disagrees with the second half.

In Roger's view, Kate and Anson's performances inject soul into the script, making "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Charlie Kaufman's most emotionally impactful work; and the excellent performances of a group of supporting actors are the icing on the cake, making this film a mirror of modern love.

Everyone can see their own reflection.

Ninety-three points is not perfect, but it still clearly shows Roger's attitude.

Moreover, on the recommendation index, Roger gave a perfect four stars—

“Not to be missed.”

Roger said that if you are only preparing to watch one movie in the entire March and April, I would recommend "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." You may like it or be disappointed, but you will definitely not waste your two hours.

The attitude is obvious.

This evaluation can deeply feel Roger's objectivity and fairness. Looking back at other scores, it is not difficult to understand the scene in front of you.

Full marks, strong screen swiping.