Random Movie: Memento (2000)

Like many people, I have a few "Top 5" or whatever denomination lists. Movies, music, tv shows, etc. Most of them, especially the music one, changes very often, sometimes by day. My movie list, everchanging as well, has always, since 2000, had Memento on it, usually at #1. I had read about this film before it came out and was quite intrigued at the concept. Bascially, it is about a man, Leonard (Guy Pearce) who cannot form new memories, and is trying to solve his wife's murder. The movie tells his story backwards, where each new scene you watch ends where the previous one began. He must keep notes and pictures and in some cases tatoos, to remind him of certain things and people. He usually forgets what is going on after about 5-15 minutes. He has normal memory up until the point of his wife's murder, an altercation in which he was injured, thus leaving him in his condition.

I had never seen a movie like this before I entered the theatre that day. I was lucky enough to see it while it ran for a short time in a theatre that no longer exists. I walked out speechless. For a number of reasons. One of them being, that I foolishly hyped this movie up based on what I had read, thinking it was going to be the greatest movie ever. Not really smart; usually a film will not live up to that. This one actually EXCEEDED it. I could not believe how well crafted it was. Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, The Dark Knight [if you had to click the Dark Knight link to find out what it is, punch yourself, you cave dweller]), the director, is a genius. Watch an internview with him if you can, about his movie making porcess. He is fantastic. This movie, is really told in 2 chronologies. Backwards and forwards, and ultimately stopping in the middle of them. The present is black and white and the backward is color, and the film goes back and forth between them. What this does, is give you the same kind of affliction Leonard does, only you still know what happened. This causes a few laughs as well as gasps, as you have already seen what is coming, but did not expect what happened immediately beforehand, which technically happened after because of the chronology of the scenes. This is a flim noir syle film and it just really really is possibly the best movie ever. There have been many a film that has tried to emulate it's style, but to no avail. I do not claim to have this movie completely figured out by any means as far as who did what, and who is good, and who is bad in relation to Leonard, bit the film does not completely go over your head, which it easily could have done. Leonard "narrating" the film during the black and white scenes kind of helps keep you focused and in snyc with what is going on. Carrie Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano also are in this film and are quite good. The DVD comes with an interactive menu with excepts of Johnathan Nolan's short story Memento Mori, and offers some further backstory, and is rather an interesting twist on the events that occur in the film.

To be honest with you, it is my hope that you will watch this film and for that reason, I do not want to delve to deeply into the events of it, because it really is a whole different experience watching it and I would like you to enjoy it fully.