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Memento Reviews
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Memento review
Posted : 4 months, 4 weeks ago on 25 December 2012 07:19
I watched a clip in college and decided to give it all a look. It has many twists and turns the way it's shot is great but confusing but I think I understood perfectly what was actually happening.  0 comments, Reply to this entry
Memento review
Posted : 5 months, 4 weeks ago on 27 November 2012 05:57
Memory - it is one of the key elements that separates human beings from animals. It is one of the basic building blocks of personality. Who we are is shaped as much by our experiences as by our environment. Memory can also be unreliable, not to mention easily influenced. Ask three people to describe the same event, and none of those accounts will be the same. But, although memories are skewed by perspective, they are critical to the human experience. Memento is very much concerned with all aspects of memory, especially the manipulation of it, and this endlessly fascinating, wonderfully open-ended motion picture will be remembered by many who see it as one of the best films of the year. When I initially saw Memento at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, where it played in competition, I recognized this as a shoo-in for a spot on my year's end Top 10 list. There's no way this film could miss. Had it been released last year, it would have landed in the #1 or #2 position (right ahead of or behind Requiem for a Dream). This is a great motion picture, and, as an added bonus, it has a tremendous "replayability", meaning that subsequent viewings are almost as rewarding as the first. The only downside is that, with a small distributor like Newmarket Capital Group, it may be difficult to find, especially for those who don't live near major metropolitan areas. Memento stars Austalian actor Guy Pearce (one of the crossdressers in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and the "straight" guy L.A. Confidential) as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance investigator and crime victim who is trying to find the man who raped and murdered his wife (Jorja Fox). His goal is simple - he wants revenge through execution. Nothing less will satisfy him. But there's a small matter that complicates Leonard's investigation. He has no short term memory. During the attack that ended his wife's life, Leonard suffered brain damage. Now, although his long-term memory is fine, he can't remember any recent events. He can meet the same person a hundred times and won't know their name or who they are. To combat his condition, Leonard relies upon a series of annotated Polaroid snapshots - not exactly the ideal tool by which to seek out a killer who even the police can't locate. Along the way, Leonard is aided (or perhaps hindered) by the ubiquitous Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who is always on hand to offer advice, and he becomes involved with the mysterious Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss), whose motives may not be as straightforward as they initially appear to be. Memento doesn't stop with a great premise. In fact, what really distinguishes this film is its brilliant, innovative structure. Nolan has elected to tell the story backwards. He starts at the end and finishes near the beginning. The main narrative is presented as a series of three-to-eight minute segments, each of which ends where the previous one began. A second thread, which starts at an unspecified time in the past and moves forward to intersect with the main storyline, is used to buffer the "reverse" segments as well as to provide background information. (It also tells the important "Sammy Jankis" story, which becomes increasingly important the deeper we get into the film.) Although this approach might at first seem confusing, it doesn't take long to get used to it, and to understand how well it works with this material. By presenting events in Memento backwards, Nolan allows us to get into the mindset of the main character. Like Leonard, we don't have a clear indication of what happened before the current segment of time. We know some things from the past, but not the recent past. Like him, we are presented with numerous cryptic clues, some of which may mean something other than what they initially appear to represent. And, although it might seem that an approach which reveals the story's conclusion in the first five minutes would lack tension, that's far from the case. Memento builds to a surprising yet completely logical finale, and there's plenty of suspense along the way to keep the viewer riveted. Those who enjoyed the dubious pleasure of piecing together the plot of The Sixth Sense in retrospect will be delighted by Memento, which only reveals the entire landscape when the end credits start rolling. Unlike The Sixth Sense, however, Memento does not rely upon an easily-predicted twist ending to give the storyline meaning. This movie is constructed as a series of clever and logical revelations. It builds to the final scene rather than attempting to ambush us. In addition, since many aspects of Memento can be interpreted in more than one way (for example, during one critical conversation, it's up to each audience member to determine whether or not Teddy is telling the truth - Nolan does not offer a "definitive" answer), it's possible for one movie-goer to have a completely different vision of the film's backstory than the person sitting next to him/her. In some ways, Memento can almost be described as anti-Groundhog Day. (The presence of Stephen Tobolowsky in supporting roles in both movies strengthens the connection.) Both pictures toy with timelines and memory, but, while Groundhog Day re-treads one period of time, constantly re-shaping recent history, Memento represents the past as a vacuum. Bill Murray's character in the 1993 film has multiple memories of a single time period. Here, Leonard has none. Another movie that comes to mind when discussing Memento is the Dana Carvey comedy Clean Slate. The two films have pretty much the same premise, but, while Clean Slate does little with it, Memento draws every ounce of potential from this rich well. Lead actor Guy Pearce gives an astounding performance as a man struggling to avoid being manipulated in a world where he can easily become anyone's pawn. It's a tight, thoroughly convincing performance. Able support is provided by Carrie-Anne Moss, who is quickly moving far beyond her label as the "Matrix Babe", and character actor Joe Pantoliano (the newest addition to the cast of "The Sopranos"). But the real star here is Nolan, and the way he has edited this masterful thriller into its final format. Every festival has a defining film. Sometimes it wins awards; sometimes it doesn't. For Sundance 2001, Memento was that movie. Despite its diversity of genres, the festival couldn't boast anything better; now, in the bleak movie-going climate of early spring, Memento is poised to breathe life back into art houses and independent theaters that have been as stung as multiplexes by mediocre fare. For those who love films and don't mind endings that don't wrap everything into a tidy package, Memento is not to be missed, even if you have to make a long trip to reach a theater showing it. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Memento review
Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 13 October 2012 01:04
Before Christopher Nolan made himself synonymous with Batman, he directed this number 1 flick of its time, Memento, the modern example of mindf*** and neo-noir. Memento works like an intricate embroidered pattern, everything stitched perfectly with expert hands. Don't you just love the feeling that you just saw something that was beyond your thinking capability and something just out of your hand's reach? 80% of the fun watching a film like this lies in how much you understood of it. The remaining 20% is entertainment, which is not really important. I'm not gonna go in the obvious facts of the movie, you can understand that from other members' reviews or by watching it yourself. Anyway, it is such a well-made non-linear film that it very well could be the greatest non-linear film ever. Finally, a film that not only makes you rack up your brains but actually makes you wanna get deeper into the shown subject or take a 2-minute interest in it. Not a bad thing, I say. Since I take a rather morbid interest in these things, I kinda understood it on the very first try and I think I'm able to place the film in correct chronological order and come up with solutions to the loop-holes and the psychological level in all the major characters. I just need to see it one more time tomorrow to corroborate with what I understand, or think I understand. Mind you, it's not Donnie Darko, to which the answers are obvious, Memento is much deeper than that, more than just one person. It is about identity; lack of it, or several of it. Anyway, Guy Pearce was Christopher Nolan's first Christian Bale. It's a wonder why Nolan never bought back Pearce in any of his other movies. The cast of Memento is undeniably the best cast Nolan has ever chosen for his film, no kidding. Everyone were convincing and perfect in their characters. Take Joe Pantoliano as Teddy for example: He will always remain the supporting actor, but a great one at that (check out The Matrix and The Fugitive). He managed to bring realism to his character. Then we have Carrie Anne Moss as Natalie. She is one of my favourite actresses and this is one of her best roles to date. She brings a level of mysteriousness to her character alongside realism. Now take Stephen Tobolowsky as Sammy Jankins. In his limited screen-time, Stephen manages to grab your attention and etches himself in your mind. Then of course we have Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, one of the damn best movie characters out there. The thing is that Nolan has a good eye for choosing the perfect actor / actress for a certain role. Guy Pearce looks both an ordinary citizen and someone who you wouldn't see walking down the street everyday, an important VIP, a secret agent maybe. The interesting combination provided by Pearce made Leonard Shelby more than just a movie character, more than just a person, a person we hold in our back of our minds and he embodied it masterfully. Nolan should cast him again in a film of his. Anyway, Memento is a thinking film and not for lazy couch potatoes. If you can't understand the film, try to. 9.0/10 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Memento review
Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago on 15 December 2011 11:19
Probably Christopher Nolan’s best-known work before he directed The Dark Knight. It tells the tale of Leonard who, after a traumatic head injury, can no longer make long-term memories. But this is a very clever film because the whole story is told in reverse-chronological order with black and white segments peppered between scenes of a telephone conversation between Leonard and a mystery man. Watching this, you are as confused and suspicious as Leonard is because you can never be sure if you’ve met someone before or if this person is taking advantage of you. All we can do is trust Leonard and his notes, which isn’t much at all, as he often admits to himself. Leonard becomes a tool for vengeance with his one goal tattooed on his chest—John G. raped and murdered my wife. Find him and kill him. This is a very successful and cerebral film that examines the fallibility of memory and the limits of vengeance. Seek it out. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Memorable Thriller
Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 17 August 2011 04:20
Nowadays Christopher Nolan is known and highly respected for the overrated "Inception" and highly popular 'Batman' re-imaginings. Back in 2000 he made a lesser-known film called "Memento," which actually outshines some of his recent work. "Memento," which was his second full-length feature, was based on a short story called 'Memento Mori' by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is revealed as an unreliable narrator, and you have to take what he says a face value. Hit on the head during an attack on him and his wife, Leonard has no short term memory. It's not amnesia, he explains, but he probably won't remember their conversation in a few minute's time. Actually, it's a specific kind of amnesia, called Anterograde amnesia. Although it can be implausible at times, "Memento" is no cheap soap opera, nor a cheap exploitation of it's subject matter. Leonard cannot remember anything that occurs after the accident. In order to create 'new' memories, he writes notes or tattoos details on his skin. On his hand is printed 'remember Sammy Jankis,' and a sideplot reveals the sad story of an older man with his condition. Leonard's mission is to find and kill the men who raped his wife and caused his head injury. He is helped by a suspicious, flippant cop named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss,) a manipulative she-b*tch whose drug dealer boyfriend is recently missing. He finds neither of them totally trustworthy, and must rely on himself to find the perpentrators. But can he? The film is cleverly structured and told in reverse, so that you gradually move on to the earlier events in the story. Guy Pearce, a slightly more inconspicuous actor, was picked out by Nolan out of superstars like Brad Pitt. He does a good job, showing Leonard's confusion and resolve, although he remains not a compelling as Ralph Fiennes in David Cronenberg's similarly mind-bending thriller "Spider." "Memento," in it's darkness and ambiguity, can easily pass as film noir. Another noir-ish element is the dark developments of it's characters. Even Leonard's beloved wife is revealed to not be all she seems. Although one of Nolan's earlier works and not a cinema-packer like "The Dark Knight," "Memento" deserves a wide viewership and stands as a capable thriller with an outstanding twist. 
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Memento review
Posted : 2 years ago on 11 May 2011 09:34
A simple phrase to describe a movie like "Memento" is "cinema experience". This is movie that promotes the art of filmmaking to another level. Certainly the time will be recognized as a movie station because it departs from the convention and really has something new to present. The prototype script followed by a stunning film shot in stunning directing and editing. As the film to trace past events experienced by the viewer of the future and there comes to your mind is made literally sponge. If confused it means that the movie succeeded because this is exactly the goal. Leaving gaps movie is incredibly complex and atmospheric. The possible issue underground music adds to blowmind shaker who wants to put you the director(Nolan). Avery good movie,with a very good perfomance by Guy Pearce but most of all again with a very smart script! 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Memento review
Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 24 January 2011 11:13
Memento is one of those pictures that will have you sitting in the theater after the lights come up so you can talk to everyone else about what they thought of the movie. This is a highly intelligent and original brain teaser that will have you guessing from beginning to end, and even afterwards. The story and the direction are the best I've seen so far this year, and it deserves all the kudos it gets. Plainly put, the film tells the story of Leonard Shelby: a man who lost his short term memory in an assault where his wife was raped and murdered; now he's looking for the killer, despite his handicap. Simple as that. You don't need to know anymore. The film is constructed and told in such a way that you are constantly put into the shoes of Leonard Shelby, beautifully played by Guy Pierce. Carrie-Ann Moss gives an equally mysterious and complex performance. This film is well-made all the way around--from the direction, to the editing, and especially the unique story that is rarely found in Hollywood these days 0 comments, Reply to this entry
My favorite movie
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 25 August 2010 04:02
It is pure and simply my all time favorite movie. It is the only movie I can re-watch without being bothered by the small imperfections. The funny thing is that, when it was released, back then I was living in England, the trailer didn't really impress me. Honestly, I thought it looked like any other convoluted dark thriller with a guy with some weird tattoos. A year later, I was back in France renting a movie with my best friend and we had no idea what to watch. My friend suggested this because there was absolutely nothing else and we both had no idea what it was about. Eventually, we started the damned thing and it took us at least 15 minutes to figure out the weird structure but then, we were both hooked. The funny thing is that we were at his house and even though we started with only the two of us, every 15 minutes, someone else would show up so we would stop the movie, explain what was going on and further move on. At the end, we were like 6 people watching this flick, none of us had heard from it before but we were all mesmerized. Basically, I think this movie is really amazing. At the end, you are so confused. I'm sure a lot of people are annoyed by this but I just love this feeling. Even though you have more information than Leonard, the main character, at the end, it still remains a big blur. How long has been he on the run ? 1 year ? 2 years ? longer ? How many John D. has he killed ? Was his wife killed or did he made that up ? So many questions remain even if you watch the movies 20 times. I just think it is fascinating and even after multiple re-watch, I still remains flawless. There were even some hilarious bits, funnier than most of the lame comedies I have watched. Of course, there are some plot-holes. For example, with his disease, Leonard shouldn't be aware that he has this sickness and he shouldn't even know what is tattoos or his pictures mean. Furthermore, he always forget precisely at the right moment so that the movie could be properly edited. In my opinion, those are minor flaws though, and to me, this movie is the best one ever made and I just love it. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Stylish, intelligent and taut masterpiece
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 5 August 2010 11:22
"Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts."
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WOW!
Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 2 August 2010 02:34
This movie is so great, kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Christopher Nolan really knows how to make you think, and keep you guessing. Its pretty different because the story is told backwards, then when you think you know how its going to end, it is just changed last minute and you are left with a blank look on your face and are saying to yourself "what just happened.'' The acting was superb in this Guy Pearce really stood out in this moive. I suggest you buy this movie, because its something you can watch over and over again. 8.4/10 0 comments, Reply to this entry
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