Amnesiac Fever

What is it about memory loss these days? One little film called Memento and everyone wants their very own dysfunctional brain cell or two to make them feel they belong. Not only do we have Nicolas Cage being resurrected complete with inconvenient blank in his memory in the upcoming Back Up, but only yesterday did John Woo throw his twopenny's worth into the forgetful frenzy with the Philip K. Dick-inspired Paycheck. Ever quick off the mark, Val Kilmer has spotted the bandwagon departing quickly into the sunset and duly scrambled on by his fingernails with new film Blind Horizon. The story follows that now familiar fella, an amnesiac, who tries to warn a small-town sheriff about an assassination plot against the American president. Here's a wee touch of advice for Mr Kilmer, however. If you really, really fancy a deep exploration of the mind-bending effects of memory loss go for the surreal side of life big time like the new script from Being John Malkovich writer Charlie Kaufman. The supreme chutzpah of Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has attracted no less than Jim Carrey to the lead. Ditching theoretical ponderings for the good old mechanics of amnesia, Kaufman gets our big gold star for making most of the movie's action take place inside Carrey's brain while his memory is rubbed out. Watch, Kilmer, and learn.