Rating: 
Summary: Great Film, Poor DVD (some spoilers)
Review: I'm not going to bother reviewing the film, except to say "I love this movie".I will say this about the DVD and it's presentation. Lackluster at best. Sure, they threw in a couple of trailers, an interview with the writer/director, the short-story text, and "interactive motion menus". Bah! This movie, being the classic that it is, DEMANDS so much more.
Like what, you ask? 1) How about an option that would play the film in chronological order? 2) (MINOR SPOILER< - This won't make much sense to you unless you've seen the film) Full, indepth explication of the "Sammy Jankis - Leonard Shelby" connection. Maybe the director taking us through HIS opinion(some of us are kind of stupid and may not take the hint). 3) How about some commentary? I hope the Criterion Collection edition (if one is forthcoming) has a bit more for us "Memento" fanboys. This movie is a must-have for anyone that appreciates fine film.
Rating: 
Summary: Memento is a reason to buy a movie instead of renting
Review: This movie requires repeated viewing and pondering afterwards to "really" understand it. That is why we "buy" DVDs instead of just watching in the movie theater, isn't it? Moreover, there are a couple of scenes that actually requires the viewer to pause or put it in slow motion -- those scenes are rather creepy, realizing what kind of brain games that the writer/director Chris Nolan wanted to play! I didn't realize this particular scene until my 4th viewing, but darn it, it was brilliant!
Rating: 
Summary: Just one thing...
Review: A spectacular concept, wonderful filmmaking and terrific acting can't seem to make up for the fact that the preciseness of the timeline - upon which the entire concept is based - is botched about three quarters of the way through the movie. When a film depends so heavily on the chronology of the storyline, it is absolutely deflating to the plot that certain key points (facts 5 & 6) are shown in the reverse sequence of the way they would need to have happened in order for the story to develop the way it did. At that point, once the exactness of detail is called into question so blatently, it's almost impossible not to poke holes in each successive questionable moment. The willing suspension of disbelief is defeated, and the mystery that propels the viewer's interest is washed away.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept -- disturbing
Review: The concept of this movie is a very interesting one. You follow the daily life of the main character who is unable to sustain any short-term memories, but he still has his long-term memory. So he lovingly remembers the wife he lost and how he lost her. He lives on a quest to find and kill her attacker. Unfortunately he can't remember any details in the present and thus takes Polaroid pictures and writes himself notes about people and places. There are some characters in this movie who take advantage of his weaknesses and exploit him. Also, this movie starts at the end and works its way backward in time to the beginning. It was a little disconcerting. Though it was interesting for the first half of the movie, it began to lack substance from there on. In the end, is was thoroughly unsatisfying.
One side note: of my friends who have seen this movie, more of the men liked it -- even loved it. Most of the women didn't like it. It's most definitely not a "chick flick"
Rating:
Summary: The best movie of 2001.
Review: I just have to say that this is the best movie I've seen since The Usual Suspects. Everything about this movie is good - the editing is completely awesome because the scene progression puts you precisely in the mindset of Leonard, and the acting is great. The plot is decent, but how it is presented is absolutely phenomenal. If you pay more attention to the movie, you get more out of it because you know exactly what happened at the end. The story is airtight, and although I've seen it four times, I can only barely grasp the full scope of the movie. Excellent - I hope it's represented at the Oscars this year.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY A GREAT MOVIE IN 2001!!!
Review: Didn't think it would happen. All the hyped up fluff that was offered was always a letdown. Then I saw "Memento" and my faith in the entertainment business of making movies was restored to an extent. What a refreshing, absolutely stunning great movie. I don't want to get carried away with adjectives but it lived up to all the hype I had heard on the net about it. The story is not original but the way it's told is. The movie is told backwards with the end at the beginning, but we are given a narrative that is unique in the way it's told to get to that end. Leonard Shelby, who is played exquisitely by Guy Pearce (who is always great in the movies I've seen him in, why hasn't he been up for the Oscar by the way????) is the haunting, tortured main character who's life has been destroyed in one fell sweep by two criminals who raped and murdered his wife and in defending her he suffers an injury which destroys his ability to make new memories. Even with that severe handicap he sets out on a mission to get revenge. What a great theme, and Christopher Nolan the director and screenwriter tells it to us in a way that is unforgettable. Joe Pantoliano of "The Matrix" fame is his friend (or enemy??) who sets out to help him on this quest, and Carrie-Anne Moss (also from "The Matrix" provides the femme fatale character, and the two of them complement Guy Pearce'S great performance very well. Joe Pantoliano's is able to inject humor, empathy, and charm in his character and Carrie-Anne Moss provides some good eye candy and and excellent acting as well. Even though the theme is serious it has it's funny moments too, and this helped to relieve some of the tenseness of the strong scenes that I found myself caught up in along with Leonard Shelby. Please take the time to see this movie and view it with an open mind and patience. Once you "get it", and that may take more concentration than you're used to giving a movie, I just can't see why the "getting it" will not be the most entertainment adventure you've had with movies so far this year. You won't forget it!!! BTW, Guy Pearce is pretty darned good looking in this movie too!
Rating:
Summary: Want to doubt your sanity? Watch this movie.
Review: Never has a movie [messed] with my mind more than Memento. From the first scene (which is really the last) where a murder is played backwards in real-time, to the last scene (which is really the first) and the Shayamalanesque twist ending (which isn't really an ending, but the beginning), Memento will keep you guessing and more likely than not keep you guessing wrong. If you've read a review of Memento already, you know the basic plot mechanics: Man with short-term memory loss tries to avenge the death of his wife. Movie played in short pieces moving backwards in time, etc. Leonard's disorder is used to its fullest potential throughout; a particularly mean-spirited character removes all the pens in the immediate area before making a startling revelation, so that Leonard can't write it down and hence won't remember it. Such is just one example of many. Memento is a modern masterpiece, a finely (albeit backwardly) woven tale of betrayal, love, and vengeance. If you spend a half hour or more just sitting, in thought, after the credits have started rolling... well, I hope I'm not the only one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Filmmaking
Review: "Memento" should teach Hollywood a lesson or two in the area of smart filmmaking. I don't know that I've seen a more engrossing film over the last 2 or 3 years. Its combination of exciting, yet simplistic, storytelling and a marvelous soundtrack really make this film stand out head and shoulders above anything that's been released this year. I really get excited when a director uses the right music to convey the right emotions - it sets the right tone for a film that may get some attention at Oscar time next year.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a gimmick
Review: When I first read the reviews, there was constant reference to how the film progresses backwards. I thought it was just a clever gimmick. Then I saw the movie. The idea helps to drive home how maddening Leonard's condition actually is. As an example, one scene starts off with Leonard sitting in a bathroom, holding a bottle of Scotch. His first thought is "I don't feel drunk". The audience is as perplexed as the character. Then in the following scene (or previous scene in terms of the story), we see the events that led up to the scene and now we understand how he got into the first situation. It hurt my brain at first, but as the movie progresses you adapt to this "backward leapfrogging" and experience an unforgettable movie. (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Rating:
Summary: A Mind-twister that will make you WATCH the movie
Review: Christopher Nolan has crafted an excellent modern film noir (a genre that is basically as dead as the western). The central performances are emotionally engaging and taut. Some have complained that this DVD is problematics because there's no commentary. If you watch the film closely and rewind when necessary, is commentary really needed? It might have been nice to hear what Nolan had to say, but I think this film speaks for itself. Unfortunately this has come out on DVD now; it might have had a great shot at winner a best original screenplay Oscar, but being out on video reduces, if not completely elimates, the "event" value of such a picture.
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