Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs

What day is it?

Oh, that's right, it's Thursday. Yeah, I'm at the age where I'll forget simple stuff like that. Most annoying, I'll walk into a room and stand there like an idiot because I can't remember what I went in there for. My wife swears up and down she's told me things of which I have no recollection whatsoever. I almost forgot to create this post.

Almost.

Luckily, I saw a couple other posts for this week's topic in Wanderer's Thursday Movie Picks meme: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs. In those posts, there were some great movies that I fully intended to pick and, yes, even a movie I'd nearly forgotten about. To check out those posts and get the ins and outs of participating, swing by Wandering Through the Shelves. Use the link, you know, in case you forgot the way. While you're here, check out the movies I've retrieved from the dark corridors of my memory. These aren't exactly hidden gems, so we'll just call them favorites.

Total Recall

(1990)

Douglas Quaid, our hero in Total Recall has some strange, but rather vivid dreams about being on Mars. They're so strong, he goes to a place that specializes in virtual vacations and decides to "go" to the red planet for himself, have a grand adventure with a beautiful woman by his side and get it out of his system. Since things are never as simple as they seem, he might really be on Mars, and it might be true that his memories were actually removed and he really is a secret agent named Hauser. Maybe. How it plays out is perhaps the finest adaptation of any Philip K. Dick writing. Sorry, I hate Blade Runner. Just had to slip that in there. It's certainly one of the best movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. The 2012 remake starring Colin Farrell is okay, but I'd advise checking out this version. (Full Review)

The Long Kiss Goodnight

(1996)

When most people think of Geena Davis, they first think of her driving off a cliff with Susan Sarandon in Thelma and Louise or, perhaps, playing catcher in A League of Their Own. Me? I see her as regular old soccer mom Samantha Caine, who is completely thrown for a loop when some very dangerous people show up trying to kill her. She completely forgot that she was badass super secret agent Charly Baltimore. Bring Samuel L. Jackson along for the ride and we get one of the best action movies ever to have a female protagonist. And she's a lot more fun character than Jason Bourne. Yup, I said that.

Finding Nemo

(2003)

In this case, our amnesiac is not actually the protagonist of the film. She only kinda-sorta qualifies as an amnesiac. She's not even human. However, the movie is so good I can't help but include it. Dory, played wonderfully by Ellen DeGeneres, is a Pacific regal blue tang who suffers from short-term memory loss. She literally can't remember things that just happened. Still, she hangs with our hero Marlin every step of the way in an effort to find his son Nemo. As far as I'm concerned this is one of the great animated movies of all time. And yes, I'm extremely excited that 2016 will bring us Finding Dory.

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