Memento

Rating:
Summary: "I can't remember to forget you."
Review: This is truly an original film. Once in a while a film or filmmaker comes along and completely destroys all conventional ideas about how to make a movie. This film is told in reverse order and by the end it completes a loop where the viewer could push 'play' on his DVD player and continue with the story, forever. From the very first scene it is obvious that something unusual is about to happen. The photography itself is run in reverse to set the tone of the story. Not to be lost in the disjointed narrative are three great acting performances from Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and most notably the lead actor, Guy Pearce, whose role in "L.A. Confidential" began my personal respect for his talent. This is high quality filmmaking on all levels. It is true that the first time I saw this, by movie's end, I wanted to scream. The director, Christopher Nolan, forces the audience to remember each previous scene in detail leading up to the end, thus making the audience identify with the main character who suffers from short-term memory loss. This is a unique film, and I am proud to have it in my collection. Later.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding film, cruelly funny DVD
Review: First things first:

The movie:

Memento is an ingenious film center on the life of Leonard Shelby, a brain-damaged widower who obstensibly lost his ability to form new long-term memories when his wife was raped and presumably murdered. The caveats in that previous sentence are result of the film's storytelling which do not allow a viewer to take ANYTHING presented onscreen for granted. The movie immediately sets you in Leonard's world as it is presented in a succession of 5-10 minute flashbacks, which chop your own knowledge of events into segments like Leonard lives. It is this unusual presentation that drives the movie. What would otherwise be a relatively dull plot is brilliantly revealed in turns and twists in this presentation. The distortion of time becomes the primary narrative device, rather than a cheap gimmick, and truly makes Memento a better movie. The acting in the film is good though not brilliant, with the best work coming from those around an above-average Guy Pierce.

Generally viewers either love or despise this film's ultimate plot, but no one disputes it's creativity. This film's heart is black at best, and takes a decidedly bleak and utilitarian outlook. While it will not change anyone's life, it does deal a massive narrative twist, the biggest in a long series of reverses and shifted angles.

Ultimately, though, if you see the movie once, you will want and need to see it again, and likely again. It is simply impossible to take everything in on the first viewing, because you simply don't learn enough to catch the import of every detail. Which is why one would want the DVD.

Which brings us to this very unusual disc. The packaging itself, which mimic a patient's file at a mental hospital, sheds light on the enigmatic Leonard Shelby and his past. The package also provide some hidden instructions for viewing the first disc. The menus on the disc are presented as a series of slides from a mental competence exam, but an extremely strange one whose questions are not always answerable. The first disc has a few hints that point at the various sub-menus. This brings us to the second disc.

The second disc is similar to the first, with the same moving slides of the exam, but is completely without instructions or even hints of any kind. The viewer is forced to paw around confusedly looking to see what special features they might stumble upon. This is an artistic decision that borders on cruel, but fits with the overall ethos of the film. Hidden among the many unanswerable questions is a version of the film with all the scenes in chronological order, which does much to deepen your understanding of the film, should you find it (or, like me, look up how to get there on the Internet)

While the second disc fits the overall artist approach of the film, it is frankly an unacceptible case of viewer torture. The features are worth finding, but not worth the huge investment it would take to do so. But I am sure Chris Nolan loves that I react so strongly to it. Because it is a tremendous movie, and the special features are unique and very good, I give the disc the 5-star rating, but ONLY because the needless complexity of the second disc can be beaten by an Internet connection.

Rating:
Summary: This is not a potato-chip movie
Review: I got Mememto for me and a friend to watch, and I found the movie to be VERY GOOD! Of course I found myself confused in some parts, but you have to think about it, and at least have to see it twice to understand what is going on in this film. The movie consists of Leonard, a man who after his acccident can not remember things that happen as recent as 10 minutes ago, so he takes pictures of people, places, and things and jots down notes so that he can see what he has to do.
Now the movie plays BACKWARDS, it is like what one reviewer said; it is like going to sleep, having dinner, having lunch, going to school, having breakfast, and waking up. Leonard is looking for the guy who murdered and rapist who raped and killed his wife. Now the chase is on, I am not going to give away the ending, but this is a GOOD movie, and not to be taken light of. You have to think about what is going on, and just when you think you had it solve, there is another twist which makes it more interesting. It is like a good detective story with great twists, and I recommend this movie who are interested in a good mystery. Good movie.

Rating:
Summary: Good but its no USUAL SUSPECTS.
Review: The hype about this film is the plot twist however it does not turn out to be half as good as what people where saying about it. It is a good ending to a film in a Hitchcock sort of way but does not come close to the twist scene in the Usual Suspects but it is still leaps and bounds ahead of say - Identity. The film is mostly shot in reverse and that is a very cool concept that is committed to the screen in a very daring and remarkable way. Great entertainment value but not the best plot twist we have ever seen by a long shot.

Rating:
Summary: great movie... BAD dvd
Review: This movie might be one of the best i have seen in the last few years, but the dvd they put out here is cumbersome to say the least. Its packed full of "extras" but they're so hard to access that it makes the pain in looking for them out weigh any positives. They are burried in a quasi mental aptitude test. Yup, and im still, almost a year after buying the dvd, not sure if ive even seen half of whats there. So id HIGHLY recomend the movie but get the single disk version and save yourself a headache.

Rating:
Summary: The most complex film you'll see
Review: Why oh why did this NOT win best Original Screenplay? It's one of the most complex films to come out in recent memory and it loses?(I think it lost to Almost Famous, which was equally good). Anyway enough griping, this was innovative. A movie that starts you off with the last chronological event and working backwards. So imagine having Sleep, Dinner, School, Lunch, School, Breakfast in that order and you get the picture.

Leonard Shelby is tracking down his wife's murderer and rapist. He fought with the assailant only to have his brain screwed with. See, he can remember everything up until the accident but everything afterwards disappears, like if he were to shower, 10 minutes later he'd literally forget he took one. So to help him out, he takes pictures of places and pictures with notes in order to keep track of who's who and who to trust.

It got quite a lot of attention due to the rather unorthodox way of showing a film(final scene first, first scene last in a time aspect), and also its twist at the end. Once it unfolds towards the end, you really see how the rest of the film came together...if you can remember it. Problem with this kind of way of showing and also its benefit is that sometimes you forget how Leonard got to a particular place or why he was there, making the benefit of repeated viewings.

If you wanna work your brain for a change, instead of the "jerking off the ego" movies that have come out recently, give this one a watch.

Rating:
Summary: Memento is an inovative fresh thriller
Review: This movie had me wondering what was going on the first time I saw it. I was thinking 'this is backwards', and of course it was, but the way it was written has you guessing even more how things happened to lead up to the end, when that's what you are watching first. It is a switch from seeing a movie and being able to guess the end of the movie after watching five minutes of it.

Rating:
Summary: Groundhog Day revisited
Review: Ingenious construction that plays like a parallel universe version of Groundhog Day. GHD you may recall was the story of a man held prisoner in a world that had no memory, where each day started at zero and where he is the only truly free agent. Memento reverses and internalizes this idea so that it is the main character who has to relive each day anew, standing still as the world moves around him. In one film he is the focus of change as others are the unchanging scenery while in the other he remains the same as the other characters develop and transform before our eyes. In the first film the main character begins with frustration and ends with release: this is comedy. In the second he starts in desperation and ends in resignation: this is tragedy. In GHD the central character learns to use the world to his advantage and his journey ends when he is ready for acceptance (he goes through the seven stages of loss). In memento the world learns to use him to its advantage and his journey continues when he refuses acceptance (the policeman's speech at the end).

Rating:
Summary: unusual, but well worth your time
Review: This movie is unquestionably one of my favorite movies of all time. With the plot moving from end to the beginning, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The main character has a condition that causes him to lose his short term memory very often, so as these scenes are regressing, you do not know what happened just moments before, just as he does not. It is unique and you will be left with a couple unanswered questions at the end. The movie questions memory from many different directions. If you do not like a complex storyline that takes some paying attention, do not bother. This movie came out around the same time as "Pearl Harbor" but did not get much attention. It just goes to show you what a big budget can do for a terrible film.

Rating:
Summary: Memento - Otnemem
Review: If you are even thinking about buying this movie and are on the fence let me tell you that it is well worth it. I'd have to say that this is one of or possibly *the* greatest movies of recent years (or any year for that matter).

This is a puzzle movie, if you prefer to have a plot spoon fed to you and a nice neat round up of events in the final scene that explains it all then continue browsing for something else.

Otherwise this is the movie for you... I won't outline the plot as to do so would be to mentally prepare you for what comes next or should that be before :-)

This DVD has a hidden easter egg (use google) that allows you to view the movie in the *wrong* order. If you have already seen Memento then this hidden gem makes this DVD worth the price alone.

Suffice to say I find myself reaching for this one when I'm bored or looking for a mind work out...repeat viewings are required to fully grasp what the Director had in mind...btw the directors commentary is pretty interesting as well.