Memento

Rating:
Summary: A Strange Movie With a Strange Format
Review: Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano star in this strange and difficult movie to follow about a man who is hunting for his wife's killer. Leonard Shelby (Pearce) is obsessed with finding the man who murdered his wife. However, due to the trauma he suffered during the struggle to save his wife, he now suffers from short term memory loss. Due to this condition, he's only able to remember names, events, and places for a very short time before he completely forgets them. He has resorted to taking polaroids, writing notes, and even tattooing messages on his body.

Joe Pantoliano stars as Teddy, a person who befriends Leonard and tries to help him find the killer. But is Teddy all that he seems to be?

I found this movie to be very hard to understand. In reality, it was made backwards; with the ending shown first, and the film then works backwards to the start. It was hard to keep track of the plot, and I really had to "work" to watch the movie and keep track of the events. Some parts of the movie were good, but when the conclusion came, I was left with just as many questions as I was at the beginning (or should I say end?). Thus, I only recommend this movie to people who have a sharp sense of detail, and who can follow events very closely.

Rating:
Summary: This movie blows my mind.
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. It had all the right twists and angles. I had a vague idea of what the jist of the story was through some of the movie but even with that jist I had no idea what was the real story. If you like really screwy but really good movies you should definitly see this. It really kept me thinking.

Rating:
Summary: You'll Never Forget This
Review: .sdrawkcab dlot si otnemeM Excuse me. I mean, Memento is told backwards, with the end at the beginning and the beginning at the end. The story revolves around Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), an ex-insurance claims investigator who had to give up his job after he lost his ability to create new memories. He lives by taking photos and keeping notes of his life.
The last thing he remembers is two men raping and killing his wife. So he has dedicated his new life to finding- and killing- the man who killed his wife and took away his memory. All he knows about the man are the few facts that he pulled from the police file from the accident: his name is either John or James, and his surname's initial is G (John or James G.). The man has a connection to illegal drugs, and he has a license plate number. Along the way, he is joined by Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), a guy who he fears he cannot trust, and Natalie, a woman helping him out of pity. Unfortunately for Leonard, though, his notes can be manipulated, and he soon realizes that no one can be fully trusted.
The great thing about the way this movie is told is that, since we haven't seen the events leading up to a scene, we are just as in the dark about the situation as Leonard, and just when we think we have something figured out, our beliefs can be shattered in an instant when the truth is revealed.
You'd think that with the end at the beginning, it would be impossible for there to be a twist ending (I know I thought so), but just the opposite is true; the final scene of this film will completely blow you away.
This is one of the few thrillers as of late that succeeds in it's mission statement; to keep the viewer guessing and to deliver a killer twist ending. I guarantee you'll be thinking about this film long after it is over.

Rating:
Summary: Memorable "Memento"
Review: Christopher Nolan's "Memento" is one of the landmark films of the new century. The film is distinguished by powerhouse storytelling, snappy editing, and great acting. The basic story concerns Leonard(Guy Pearce) a man suffering from short-term memory loss who is attempting to unravel the mystery of his wife's murder. Leonard's efforts include a network of body tattoos, Polaroid pictures, and handwritten notes he leaves for himself. As Leonard attempts to piece together the mystery the question arises as to the reliability of these reminders. Leonard's condition also subjects him to the exploitation from some malevolent forces. Pearce gives an extraordinary performance as Leonard and is ably supported by Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss, characters whose motives in "helping" Leonard could come under suspicion.