Watched and Read - February 8, 2026

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

MOVIES

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), directed by Michel Gondry, is one of the top films of the twenty-first century. It debuted at a moment when we were transitioning into Web 2.0. The film raises important questions about archives, memory, and digital media. This is one of Jim Carrey’s great dramatic roles, something he had already established with The Majestic.

Hello, Dolly! (1969), directed by Gene Kelly, might be one of the last musicals of the old Hollywood studio system. The musical numbers outweigh the narrative, but I still very much enjoyed the film. “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” is a great number. I also loved that they filmed part of the movie in the Hudson Valley, where I grew up. I knew exactly where they shot the scene at West Point, not far from Trophy Point. My only complaint is that I thought Walter Matthau was not a good casting choice. Maybe I’m too used to seeing him play Oscar in The Odd Couple or in gritty films like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

Wuthering Heights (1939), directed by William Wyler, is a good gothic romance. What stood out to me most is the cinematography. Even before Citizen Kane, you can see Wyler’s interest in deep-focus photography. I was surprised to learn that they shot the exteriors in Thousand Oaks!

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not (2026), directed by Marina Zenovich, is an okay documentary. There were some interesting things I learned about Chase, but I was expecting much more. I also felt that some of the music used during the montage clips did not work. I would have loved to see someone like Judd Apatow make the documentary instead.

Sid & Nancy (1986), directed by Alex Cox, is an excellent film about Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. It is a gritty film about drug use that reveals a very dark side of rock stardom. Roger Deakins’s cinematography is amazing. There are also some cool surreal moments, especially the ending.

Mona Lisa (1986), directed by Neil Jordan, is a dark film about prostitution and has a bit of a Taxi Driver vibe. Bob Hoskins is amazing, and it’s no surprise that he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Neil Jordan would go on to direct The Crying Game, for which he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

TV

I recently watched the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes “The Best of Both Worlds” and “Family.” This is an incredible run of serialized episodes. “Family,” written by Ronald D. Moore, explores Picard wrestling with his experience as a Borg. You can see how Moore is becoming a key writer on the series.

All Creatures Great and Small, season six. Every season is wonderful. This season was especially emotional, particularly Tristan’s struggle with PTSD after the war. It’s a great show that gives all the warm, cozy vibes.

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BOOKS

Widow’s Point, written by Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar, is a very good novel about a haunted lighthouse. I really enjoyed the way the authors tell the story, using video recordings and audio confessions. The best parts of the novel are the backstories of the different characters who were mysteriously killed after either visiting the lighthouse or living there.

 

 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I frequently screen Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) for my film courses. The topic we often discuss is the film's relationship between new media and memory. Although the film came out in 2004, I think it still offers some insights into concerns of privacy and big data. 

A topic that I brought up with my students this past semester is the character of Patrick played Elijah Wood. To be short, the film is a science fiction love story that entails a recently separated couple Joel (Jim Carrey) and his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) who erase their memories of each other by a company called Lacuna.  

Patrick works for Lacuna. While Patrick assisted Stan (Mark Ruffalo) with Clementine's procedure, he became attracted to her.  As a way to court Clementine, Patrick steals Joel's memory objects from Lacuna's office. 

Patrick stealing Joel's memory objects certainly addresses concerns of database breach. But Patrick's mining of Joel's memories is also similar to how digital algorithms can map and predict our shopping behaviors. In one scene, Patrick gives Clementine a gift which he stole from Joel's bag of memory objects of Clementine. Of course, Clementine is taken aback by the gift. Patrick seems to know exactly what she likes, even though they have only been seeing each other for a very short period of time.

Perhaps the most significant scene is when Patrick and Clementine are on the frozen lake. He recites some of Joel's memories about her.  Like the binary code of digital, Patrick is too perfect. And it is exactly this moment that Clementine loses her desire for Patrick.