The Writer's Poke

Joel (Jim Carrey) isn't impulsive, but as the film begins, he cuts work and writes in his diary about his sudden urge to visit the beach in winter. It's his first entry in two years and he notices ripped out pages. He doesn't remember ripping them out. Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel start chatting on the train to the beach. They're attracted to each other, and she feels like she's seen him before. She has blue hair and starts talking about her hair color obsessions. She doesn't stay one color for long. Joel listens, but there's some sort of awkward tension between them. Clementine almost gives up chatting with Joel, but then maybe she decides to try again. She comes on as aggressive; Joel is more passive. He wants to meet a woman, he writes in his diary, but he can't talk to women. He's better at sharing his thoughts in his diary. She gives him a punch goodbye, but then Joel decides to give her a ride and a second chance. Just an odd way to star...

Surely Kate Winslet has been in a few duds, but if so, what are they? I usually feel like it's a mistake to watch a film just because an actor is in it. I mean, I do, but I'm often disappointed. I often wonder: Why on earth did they pick THAT role? Why did they agree to be in THAT movie? It reminds me of actors like Bruce Willis who, at least at the end of his career, signed up to be in any movie that came his way. Granted, I get why Willis made that decision, but Winslet has never had to make that choice. She's always been able to pick provocative roles in good movies. And this is a really good movie. I did find myself saying "No... no... no..." when I realized that the film was about to end and the characters were all starting to make weird decisions. I don't believe, for example, that Sarah (Winslet) would go over to the child molester in the park late at night to see if he is okay. I don't believe that Brad (Patrick Wilson) would stop to do skating tri...

Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) first met at some random party. They're both in their early twenties. She's an aspiring actress, and he's, well, we don't really know much about him. He's just a guy who works some random job. Later, we will learn that he had briefly been in the military and had seen Paris. At first, it's not clear why she would like him. She seems to have hopes and dreams. He, maybe he's just a conventional guy who will work a job, get married, and have a few kids. But what apparently attracts April to Frank is the fact that he had been to Paris, and when he talked of that experience, he was full of energy and life. Maybe April imagined that both of them were special, designed (or destined) to live extraordinary lives. Not just the typical lives of married couple with two kids in the suburbs. Clearly she wants him to want more to life, too, and she wants to feel what she first the first time they made love... she wants to f...