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MEMENTO IS A CLASSIC

October 31st 2008 12:18
memento
Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby
Memento is a film that defies the constraints of linear plot and simple explanation and demands repeat viewings to solve its layered mystery. The screenplay by director Christopher Nolan is an adaptation of a short story, Memento Mori, which was written by his brother, Jonathon Nolan. When it was released in 2000 Memento provoked huge and ongoing discussion and argument - not so much about what had taken place but about what it meant. * Guy Pearce (LA Confidential/The Proposition) is Leonard Shelby, a man afflicted with a memory loss condition, who is out to avenge his wife's murder. Joe Pantoliana (Ralphie from The Sopranos) is Teddy; a corrupt cop who is manipulating Leonard for his own purposes. This includes leading Leonard to believe that the man who raped and murdered Leonard’s wife is a certain drug dealer - Jimmy - whose girlfriend, Natalie, played by Carrie- Anne Moss (The Matrix) has her own agenda. * Andy Klein on salon.com gave a comprehensive breakdown of the action without which, no doubt, many fans of this film would still be in the ‘I really enjoyed it but what the hell was it about?’ frame of mind. He explains how the action, which we can see is switching between past and present, actually works in two intersecting streams. But his explanation is by no means definitive. * Memento is a film about memory - within the concepts of time, reality and absolute truth. The black & white sequences progress forward in time and the coloured sequences work backwards in time, in overlapping increments, in the way that recollections from the past are often built up step by step from the present. * But who is lying? Who is telling the truth? How certain can we be about the veracity of the events we witness? Disagreements engrossed fans of this film. The director is said to claim that a definitive answer is there to be found ; yet all solutions, while plausible, retain the question mark of uncertainty. In the end you must, as Leonard says, use your instinct to decide where the truth lies. * And that seems to be the point. Many references are made, within the film, about the fallibility of memory and we are shown how the emotional core of memory - in Leonard’s case it is guilt and grief - affects what is remembered and how it is remembered. Memory is selective, truth is relative and planes of reality are shifting. * In true noir style, an element of doubt remains.

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Comment by Someone

November 5th 2008 13:59


Evil Pleasures
Random Musings on Life, Love and Everything
Let's Get Down To Business

I solely blame this movie and 'The Usual Suspects' for the string of awful 'twist' movies... especially M. Night's recent string of shockers.

Then again... once you've seen these two, can anything really compare?

Comment by Mister Smith

November 5th 2008 21:07


MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
Hi Someone
Yes, The Usual Suspects was definitely a movie that I wanted to watch again as soon as it had ended. If there's a twist it's got to be a good one. I haven't seen M Knight's. Which are they?

Comment by Someone

November 6th 2008 11:42


Evil Pleasures
Random Musings on Life, Love and Everything
Let's Get Down To Business

I should probably have used his full name, M. Night Shyamalan... Sixth sense (his peak), signs (lame), Unbreakable (lame), the village (awful), the happening (juts atrocious).. i think he's getting worse as time goes on

Comment by Mister Smith

November 6th 2008 12:18


MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
The sixth Sense was very good. I saw The Happening & another one reviewed on At the Movies - looked awful. I have just been reading that very very long Damo argument. By the time i had finished I couldn't work out how it had begun. You did a great job of injecting humour into a degenerating situation.Do you know what the Butterfly reference was?

Comment by Someone

March 25th 2009 01:17


Evil Pleasures
Random Musings on Life, Love and Everything
Let's Get Down To Business

Sorry for the (late) reply, you've probably figured it out by now but I'll respond anyway,

Butterfly8 (If memory serves) was a new orble user who in their first post insulted Damo, and just seemed to have an unjustified hatred of Damo. It's been ages and I still haven't figured out what the heck happened in that argument.

Comment by Mistersmith

March 25th 2009 06:05


MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
Hi there Someone
Yes, that question was a looong time ago and I did figure out who Butterfly 8 was, with a bit of searching. Coincidentally, my search for that entity and my observation of the way certain Orblers ganged-up on Damo led indirectly to me having to set the verification of comments on my blogs. Maybe it is now safe to remove!

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