Kid: Yeah, well, I guess they had it coming. 
Will: We all got it coming, kid. 

—-

Movie Number: 5
Title: Unforgiven(1992)
Running Time: 131 minutes (“R”)
Director: Clint Eastwood

Unforgiven delivers much more than I could have expected. Not only is it the story of the old west, filled with gunfights and wonderfully manly dialogue that only the western genre can house, but it also makes the viewer think. Unforgiven brings up questions of humanity, morality, and about what it means to be a true friend. The taking of another’s life is something important in Unforgiven, the way it is in reality. That humanistic quality is what makes Eastwood’s Unforgiven so damn powerful. It is a thinking person’s film, not without violence and bloodshed, but every drop of blood spilled has meaning, exactly as it should. This meaning sets up the final act of the film beautifully, and puts Unforgiven atop my list of Westerns.

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It’s going to be gone soon. 
Joel: I know. 
Clementine: What do we do? 
Joel: Enjoy it.

—-

Movie Number: 4
Title: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004)
Running Time: 108 minutes (“R”)
Director: Michel Gondry

Whenever I finish an excellent, four-star film, I am reminded why I love movies so much. The greatest movies have the power to transport the viewer, and that transportation doesn’t happen until said viewer is able to relate with the characters, the setting, or the story in one way or another. The idea of erasing from ones mind memories of an old love might seem like a great idea on the surface, but as Eternal Sunshine teaches, that isn’t the way life is supposed to be. Love will always find a way, and those heartaches inform us as human beings moving forward. Eternal Sunshine is a refreshingly honest and unique story of true love, and one that had me dreaming of those who hurt me in the past. Without that hurt, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Love can be the most magical thing in the world, or it can be the most devastating. Eternal Sunshine argues that even though we know that devastation might come, we need to brave if we ever hope to find the magic.

The fact that Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) beat out Kate Winslet for Best Actress in 2005 at the Oscars is awful, but the fact that Jim Carrey was not even nominated for Best Actor is an absolute injustice. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Jim Carrey, and Kate Winslet were all wonderful in their roles, but none more so than Carrey and Winslet. It’s a shame the film didn’t get the recognition it deserved back in in 2005.