Memento
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Movie Reviews of Memento
Movie Review: So Many Different Versions
Summary: 5 Stars
Strikingly original and gloriously film-noir, Memento is a rare film that finds the perfect marriage between substance and style without sacrificing the tension, drama, and humor in its well-written script. The first offering from writer-director Christoper Nolan, and adapted from one of this own short stories, Memento engages audiences of all levels in a murder mystery of the first caliber.Leonard (Guy Pierce) is hot on the trail of the man who murdered and killed his wife. He, too, was injured in the attack, rendering him unable to record any new memories - everything fades after around 10 minutes. Although he remembers everything until he blacked out, including his wife lying dead on the floor, he has formed no new memories since that time. This unusual condition has obviously rendered his search somewhat problematic, and Leonard is forced to rely on scribbled notes, photographs, maps, and tattoos to attempt to piece together his investigation.
In what has been described alternately as a pedantic, pretentious film-school choice and a masterful way to tell a story, the story is told in 10-minute segments, starting at the END and working backwards. Therefore, the audience can piece things together in a way Leonard cannot, and our reality becomes totally different from the main characters'. In fact, one could make the case that Memento is a meditation on the meaning and reliability of memory in and of itself, but I'll leave that one to the scholars.
With its legions of fans, it's a wonder this DVD wasn't released with more extras on it. In fact, there are FOUR different versions of Memento on the world market, and all four DVDs have their strengths and weaknesses. The American NTSC-format Region 1 version, seen here, has an interview and the incredible Memento website on it (which, I should note, adds to the story, but only look at it after you've seen the movie, because it might spoil some things). The Canadian version of the film, also a Region 1 NTSC DVD by Alliance, has no extras but has an option where you can select the film's chapters in chronological order, allowing you to see the movie "backwards" (forwards, really). The French and Belgian version is Region 2 PAL, and lacks all the extras but has an option where you can actually play the film in chronological order, instead of having to go back to the chapter screen 48 times. And, last but not least, the planned UK Region 2 PAL release (slated to hit the streets on January 14, 2002) will have a director's commentary, the "play chronologically" feature, but none of the American version's extras.
This shouldn't surprise people, as Memento was released first in the UK and did significantly better there at the box office than it did here. However, unless you want to import a DVD from Europe - which requires a DVD player configured not only to play Region 2 discs, but one that can translate a PAL signal to an NTSC signal - the American version will be just fine. The picture and sound are great, and the chronological mode is basically, as a friend put it, a gimmick. And, with a movie as good as this, we can live without a commentary.
Movie Review: Wow, What a Masterpiece!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Wow" is the only word to describe this movie. I have finally seen "Memento", and now I know that it's not pure hype; this movie is outstanding! This is one of my new favorite movies. If you like movies that make you think ("Fight Club," "Unbreakable"), then you will love this movie.I will be quick and brief when I describe this movie, because this is another movie where you have to be careful on how you explain it or you'll give it away. Leonard seems to be an ordinary man, but he's not. He has a certain condition where he is unable to create new memories. If he talks to someone too long, he will forget what he was talking about and whom he was talking to. Leonard has an agenda in mind; to find and kill the person who raped and murdered his wife. Leonard can remember everything before the "incident," but he cannot remember anything new. So he takes pictures of people to remember them and he tattoos important information all over on his body so he will remember things. As his quest for vengeance continues, the more the twists and surprises come about. Just when you think you know everything, you don't.
This movie was brilliantly directed. The events in the movie are backwards and brief, which sort of gives us an idea of what the main character is going through. All though you do not see a lot of actors in the film, the ones who are in it deliver top-notch performances. Guy Pearce did an outstanding job and was the best actor in the movie. The screenplay was mesmerizing and made the characters seem that more realistic. There are a few extras on the DVD, but it would've been nice to have a few more in there, as always.
There are no guarantees that you will like this film. Since this is such a unique film, it means that only certain people will like it. I think it's worth viewing and even if you do not like the film, I think you'll admire how it was done. Hey, I hated "Citizen Kane," but even I can appreciate how it was filmed and directed. If you don't want a film that's going to make you think, then don't see it. If you want more action than story, don't see it. Otherwise, give it a shot! Since Leonard is so dependent on facts, here's a couple for you that will help you out during the movie:
FACT 1: Pay close attention to the movie. If I were you, I wouldn't take any breaks. If you do, you might forget what has happened, and you'll lose the rhythmic flow of the movie.
FACT 2: Nothing is what it seems. Make sure you pay attention to every character and every conversation that takes place.
FACT 3: Re-watch the movie. This is the type of movie that likes to screw around with your brain! You are very likely to be confused the first time around, but the second time should be a little more clearer.
This is a remarkable film and is an excellent thriller that outdoes most films. Who are Leonard's friends and foes? Who can he trust? What is real and what is not? You'll find that out soon when you see it. "Memento" shows you that some memories are best forgotten. What a spectacular movie!!
Movie Review: The world doesn't disappear just because you close your eyes...
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an awesome movie, by far one of the best I've ever seen. Christopher Nolan really knew what he was doing. The structure of the film itself by going in reverse order adds suspense and really makes you think. I was only a little bit confused the first time I watched it. The second time I watched it and took notes and it made more sense. There are only several things I am confused about, (these are spoilers, so stop now if you don't want the movie ruined for you). I could not figure out if Teddy was lying or not at the end. I was really puzzled as to whether Lenny really killed his wife with the insulin shots because there is a flash of an insulin shot in the movie, and as to whether he and Sammy Jankins are indeed the same person. As I watched the second time, I'm finally just assuming that Sammy and Lenny are two completely different people and Teddy was just lying to Lenny about him killing his own wife. I came to this conclusion by realizing that if all his other memories before the accident are accurate, then why would that one be wrong? I don't think it would be. It would create too much of a loophole in the plot.
I also believe that Lenny sets up to kill Teddy out of revenge. Teddy had Lenny kill people for him. Since Lenny has this moment of revelation, that's why he writes on the back of Teddy's picture to kill him. Part of me also believes that Lenny really believed that Teddy was the right guy. The plot of this movie, from my point of view is that Lenny is actually getting his memory back. It took several times of reading through my notes to realize this. I came to this conclusion because the only scene of the film that is actually shown in backwards motion is the beginning scene of Lenny shooting Teddy. This leads me to believe that everything comes back to him after this shooting because Lenny wants so much to believe that Teddy is the right guy that raped and murdered his wife. In his head, he has served justice to his wife. The rest of the movie is just a recall of what really happened and how it must've felt to have this condition.
One other thing that I really didn't get and I almost still don't quite get, is how does Lenny remember that he has a condition. Sure, he would know that he can't seem to remember anything other than what he's retained from before the accident, but... How does he remember that he has this anterial-grade memory loss? I really didn't understand how he could tell everyone that he had this condition unless he's conditioned himself to instinctively know that he's got a problem (possibly a difference from him and Sammy Jankins). This is really the only thing that really bothered me about the movie.
Overall, awesome movie. This is a real mind-blower, and is definitely not for your everyday movie-goer. Excellent acting by the actors and actresses and a really mentally stimulating movie. Repetition is key... Or is it?
Movie Review: You may want to watch it twice
Summary: 5 Stars
Every so often, there's a movie where the hero has amnesia. Even with amnesia, a person can establish an identity in a few weeks, judge new people and surroundings, and function. In addition, such movie heroes are easy to identify with, because the audience seems to know as much as the hero.
Well, in this movie, our hero has the opposite problem, an inability to make new memories. And that kind of problem is indeed rare, and it merits some discussion.
What would you do if you couldn't form new memories? Well, you would probably be institutionalized, or cared for by family or friends. Without that, it would be important to be in familiar surroundings as much as possible, ones you would remember. You would remember your old house, your old car, and, of course, your old acquaintances. But you would not remember new possessions or friends. And you would be totally lost in a new town, while in your old one, you would know where your friends' houses were, where your bank was, where the restaurants were, and so on.
You would need to avoid strangers. And you would need a way to take notes, read and understand those notes, and keep a rough diary. Probably you would need to trust a few friends to keep a few key documents and help you update them occasionally. And you would also need a safety deposit box for notes, diary entries, money (even with a bank account, a safety deposit box would be very useful), and so forth.
The key problems would be taking notes, figuring out how to make sure you could and would read and understand those notes, going on "missions" (even a short errand would be a major event), and keeping your privacy.
For any important task, you would almost surely need to be backed up by a trusted friend, known by you from back when you were able to make memories. That friend would need to be with you at such occasions or as a minimum constantly available by phone.
You could write cryptic notes that only you could decipher, using your earlier memories. But it would be hard to be sure just what secrets you had divulged. Basically, you could keep your ideas private only by making sure nobody else saw them. And that would be tricky. That's one more place where a safety deposit box could help somewhat.
I'm writing all this in order to explain just how weird the situation is for our hero in this movie, who is basically, um, "open loop," and cut off from almost everything that is familiar. It's a fascinating and suspenseful movie, but one can see that the hero is at a tremendous disadvantage.
On the other hand, there are some things the hero knows quite well, and that makes the movie work. Rather than offer a spoiler, let me just say that I highly recommend it.
Movie Review: A Movie That Acually Makes You Think(!?)
Summary: 5 Stars
When Leonard wakes up during the night to find his wife not next to him in bed, he automatically yells to her demanding that it's late. When he gets no response except what sounds like muffled screaming from the bathroom, he immediately gets out of bed and picks up his gun to investigate the situation. As he opens the bathroom door, he finds what seem to be a man atackaing his wife. Leonard shoots one man directly in the head, seeming to kill him. When he goes to check if his wife is okay, he is pushed from behind by another man, slamming his head and falling to the ground beside his wife. As he lays their next to his wife, staring into her eyes, the second attacker runs away and the scene fades to darkness. This is Leonard Shelby's final memory. The only thing Leonard has as he begins his search for the man who raped and killed his wife and destroyed his ability to create new memories is a name: John G.This is the basis of Memento, one of the most interesting and imaginative movies ever created. Without the ability to hold a thought for more than a few minutes, Leonard has developed a system of ways to keep track of his investigation through a complex series of notes, photos, and tatoos. The movie is played backwards in a way that a scene is shown for about ten minutes and then another scene is shown of how that scene came to be, and this goes on and on throughout the whole movie. If the beginning, which is shown at the end, hadn't been done so well, this form of showing the movie would be terrible. It is, however, very effective in this case.
As Leonard continues his backward search, he meets up with both allies and enemies, most of those he meets are both. Everyone seems to take advantage of his memory problem is some shape or form. A personal favorite is the hotel worker who rents him out two rooms, even though he only uses one at a time. At the end of the movie, most people won't belive that the movie is over. The ending really seems to leave you hanging. But this is only because the ending is the beginning and the real ending is shown at the beginning of the movie. If you think about what happened during the movie, it should all add up.
This movie isn't for everybody, though. If you talk during the movie or someone talks to you during the movie, you'll miss something. If you watch the whole movie with no or very few interruptions, you will be greatly rewarded with the privalige of watching (and hopefullly understaing) an amazing film. This movie may be too fast paced for most, and not everyone will appreciate the backward story telling (it takes some getting used to), but ultimately this film is worth watching, even if it's only to be able to discuss the ending endlessly with those who watch the movie with you.