A Year of Movies Round 1 - Memento
- Thread starter Raising Heel
- Start date
I give it 70/100. I did enjoy this. For people that didn’t get it? Well that’s bc you’re stupid.
Why do today what I can put off till tomorrow?
Haha... I’ll watch it at 8:15 Saturday night.
My plan is to watch it tomorrow afternoon. I've seen it before, but it didn't seem right to use a review based on when I watched it last, which was years ago.
I did watch Red Sparrow in theaters last night (new Jennifer Lawrence movie), it was pretty good, but one of those sort of movies where there are a lot of twists and turns almost for the sake of having twists and turns. However, there is one specific reason you guys should check it out, if you pick up what I'm laying down.
I did watch Red Sparrow in theaters last night (new Jennifer Lawrence movie), it was pretty good, but one of those sort of movies where there are a lot of twists and turns almost for the sake of having twists and turns. However, there is one specific reason you guys should check it out, if you pick up what I'm laying down.
She was part of the fappening, so I'm guessing it's nothing new to me.
Actually, yeah, the way the scene is shot is sort of from an angle. I didn't make that joke on purpose, but yeah.
Dude. JL is overrated, but she's way hotter than AK. Also, GFY.
Oh crap! I don’t see it in Prime or Hulu either.
Who woulda thought that my procrastination would come back to bite me in the arse? That’s never happened before....
@heelz2345 can you mail me that dvd when you’re done?
Well crap. I was going to watch it tonight.
Found a free online version at the following website, which only started streaming after tons of popups and ads for some very NSFW gaming content:
http://123moviesfreez.net/watch/memento-2001-online-free-123movies.html
Found a free online version at the following website, which only started streaming after tons of popups and ads for some very NSFW gaming content:
http://123moviesfreez.net/watch/memento-2001-online-free-123movies.html
No shit? Lucky for you there’s a basketball game to pass your time.
If you don't want to watch it from the site @Raising Heel linked (no judgements, I've watched tv that way), you can rent it on both Amazon and iTunes for $4 if you haven't seen it yet.
Yeah, I was just trying to provide a no-cost option for everyone but recognize it's a pirated stream. It would suck if this movie idea ended up putting OOTBers in jail.
I just finished my viewing of it and I would give it a 95/100. This was the second time I've seen it, and I probably enjoyed it more than the first time, which is a confusing watch and really takes some reflection to fully understand what is going on. Nolan's use of the timeline as a way of putting the viewer in Leonard's headspace is unique but masterfully done. While that could seem gimmicky on a surface level, I really feel it serves the story in a positive way, especially given the reveal at the end (or should I say middle?) of the story. Nolan seems to be really fascinated with time as a storytelling device (Inception and Dunkirk employ similar tools to tell their stories), but I really think it adds to this movie because if this story were told in the traditional sense, you would lose a lot of the suspense and intrigue of it. It's a much more intimate story than a lot of Nolan's other works tend to be with very few characters playing significant roles, but it's very interesting how the characters of Teddy and Natalie use Leonard's condition for their own means and how we are presented these motivations through Leonard's point of view, which is by no means reliable. Nolan remains one of the more inventive directors in Hollywood and it's easy to see why with a movie like this.
I had planned to watch this again since I've only seen it once and it was a long time ago. I guess my review will be a little short since I can't remember all the little details. I'm not a huge fan of the whole "jumping around the timeline" type of movie. I thought as far as those types of movies go, this one was not bad. The tattoo notes just seemed odd to me and not very believable in this type of movie and I thought the ending was a little bit of a let down. The direction and acting were good enough to get this move a solid, but not outstanding, 75 bags of shredded cheese.
I don't know if any of you guys watch the Honest Trailer series on YouTube, but they did one for Memento around the time Dunkirk came out, and they do it backwards to match the movie. It's pretty solid
OK; so my procrastination cost me $3.99, as I had to watch it on Amazon. But I have it in my library for 30 days, so there’s that.
First, let me just say that my wife hated it, and wanted to know what message board I’m on that recommended such a confusing movie. It’s OOTB baby... aw, women just don’t understand.
Anyway, overall I liked it. Even though I was warned, it sorta made my head hurt at first trying to figure out what the hell was happening. But once I got settled in to the concept, it was pretty cool. As heelz(?) said, if the story was told in a traditional chronological order, then the surprises at the end would’ve already been known. The backward story telling worked for this movie due to Lenny’s condition. I’ll probably want to watch it again now that I know how it ends (begins?), and look for the things that I missed the first time through.
On a 5 star scale, I’d give it a solid 4, which equates to 80 dammits on the yet-to-be-named OOTB scale. Good opening selection RH.
ETA: after finishing the movie, writing my review, and then checking the final score of the dook game, I will gladly delete that shit from my DVR without having to get pissed.
First, let me just say that my wife hated it, and wanted to know what message board I’m on that recommended such a confusing movie. It’s OOTB baby... aw, women just don’t understand.
Anyway, overall I liked it. Even though I was warned, it sorta made my head hurt at first trying to figure out what the hell was happening. But once I got settled in to the concept, it was pretty cool. As heelz(?) said, if the story was told in a traditional chronological order, then the surprises at the end would’ve already been known. The backward story telling worked for this movie due to Lenny’s condition. I’ll probably want to watch it again now that I know how it ends (begins?), and look for the things that I missed the first time through.
On a 5 star scale, I’d give it a solid 4, which equates to 80 dammits on the yet-to-be-named OOTB scale. Good opening selection RH.
ETA: after finishing the movie, writing my review, and then checking the final score of the dook game, I will gladly delete that shit from my DVR without having to get pissed.
Actually LOL'd when he described Christopher Nolan as "the Michael Bay for people who have read a book in their life."
When I first saw this movie in the theater, most of my mental energy was spent trying to figure out what the heck was going on because of the confusing chronology. Upon a third viewing yesterday, I think I have that part down.* Instead, I found myself focused on the characters and their motivations. I could probably ramble on for hours about my thoughts on the film so I'll just mention one takeaway.
Leonard is obviously an unreliable narrator and not just because of his condition. We actually see him get so angry at Teddy that he knowingly sets himself up to believe Teddy was his wife's killer. We also learn that Leonard is aware of his questionable motivations when he asks whether he lies to himself to make himself happy. So while we know his short-term memory is faulty, this also calls into question the accuracy of his long-term memories as well. The movie makes several suggestions that the circumstances of his wife's death and the Sammy Jankins case are not what he believes. Those are supposed to be the truths that viewers can cling to, so instead we're left questioning everything.
Anyway, I love the movie's ambiguity and its unusual method of storytelling. I'll rate it 87 out of 100.
* For anyone interested, I found a re-telling of the story in chronological order. It might help you piece together any sequences you found difficult to follow. Will poast below.
Here's what happens in real-world chronology. While things may seem confusing when you first watch the film, Nolan has been very careful to make sure that, when reassembled, everything in the main part of the film -- everyone's behavior and motivations -- makes perfect sense.
Leonard has been sitting around room 21 at the Discount Inn, poring over police files, trying to locate his wife's killer. He's talking on the phone, explaining his condition to someone on the phone. He relates the story of Sammy Jankis. Then he gets paranoid and hangs up the phone. But the person on the phone is persistent, even slipping notes under his door. The motel clerk finally tells him there's a guy, a cop, waiting in the lobby for him. Leonard relents and goes out to meet him. It's Teddy. We now understand that this is all a routine that Teddy has undergone with Leonard many times before.
Teddy's in the midst of a manipulative plan to have Leonard kill Jimmy Grantz, a local drug dealer. He gives Leonard the address of an abandoned building where Jimmy, who Teddy claims is the murderer Leonard is looking for, is due to arrive. Leonard, wearing blue jeans and driving a pickup, drives off, with Teddy following a few minutes behind.
At the building, Leonard kills Jimmy. He switches into Jimmy's clothes and takes his car keys. Teddy arrives and throws water on Leonard's triumph: You've already tracked down your wife's killers, he tells him; you just forgot. There's no such person as Sammy Jankis. Leonard's a mental case, Teddy tells him frankly. Teddy wants the $200,000 that he knows is in Jimmy's trunk.
The pissed-off Leonard decides to manipulate himself, setting up Teddy as his next suspect; he writes himself a note, identifying Teddy's license-plate number as belonging to his wife's killer. Leonard drives to the nearest tattoo parlor to get the number tattooed on his thigh. Teddy follows him there and tries to get Jimmy's car keys from him. (He wants that two hundred grand in the trunk.)
Leonard sneaks away, still wearing Jimmy's threads; by now he has no idea when or where he got these clothes or this spiffy car. But he finds a note in Jimmy's pocket and, assuming it's meant for him, he heads for Ferdy's bar to meet Jimmy's girlfriend, Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss). Natalie sees the car pull up and is surprised that the driver isn't Jimmy. Leonard enters the bar. Natalie's heard of a guy with Leonard's condition hanging around. After testing his disability, in an unappetizing fashion, she's persuaded that he's is on the level, and takes him to her house.
After he watches TV and consults his notes for a few hours, Natalie returns. She surreptitiously hides all the pens and pencils in the room and then starts insulting Leonard, provoking him until he punches her. While Leonard desperately searches for some way to write a note to himself about what has just happened, Natalie goes outside, sits in her car and smirks. After a few minutes, she slams the car door, knocking Leonard's concentration off track, and reenters, crying about how someone named Dodd has beaten her up.
Moved, Leonard agrees to defend her from this supposed batterer. She writes a description of Dodd for him. He gets in the car to go after Dodd, but is immediately distracted: Teddy is waiting for him in the car. Teddy tells him not to trust Natalie and suggests that he stay elsewhere. He recommends the Discount Inn. Leonard has now forgotten about the Dodd business and, more amusingly, has also forgotten that he's already checked in at the Discount Inn, in room 21. Friendly, greedy desk clerk Burt gladly rents him room 304 as well.
Leonard sets up shop in 304 and calls an escort service for a hooker. He has her try to re-create the scene from the night he and his wife were attacked. He discharges her and drives to a trashy construction site, where he ruminates about his marriage and burns some of his wife's belongings. He stays there all night. As he leaves the construction site in the morning, Jimmy's car is spotted by Dodd -- a drug dealer who was Jimmy's boss. Wanting to know what's become of Jimmy -- and the money he was carrying -- Dodd gives chase.
Leonard slips away and goes to Dodd's motel room -- Natalie had given him the address -- and waits for Dodd to arrive. But he forgets where he is and why, assuming it's his own motel room. When Dodd shows up, Leonard mistakes him for an intruder and beats him up and tosses him in a closet. Desperate, he calls the only phone number he can find -- Teddy's. Teddy comes over and together they send Dodd packing. Teddy again makes efforts to get access to the keys to Jimmy's car.
Knowing from his notes that his run-in with Dodd had something to do with Natalie, the agitated Leonard goes back to her place, demanding an explanation. She placates him, agrees to help him identify the owner of the license-plate number on his thigh and takes him to bed. The next morning, they agree to meet for lunch, after Natalie has had a chance to look up the license number. Leonard forgets to take his motel key and leaves, but Teddy is waiting for him. They go have lunch, after which Leonard returns to the Discount Inn. Realizing he doesn't have a key, he asks Burt to let him in. Burt takes him to room 21 instead of room 304, and Leonard realizes he's being ripped off. But before Leonard returns to 304, he finds his note about having lunch with Natalie and dashes off to see what info she has for him. After some banter, Natalie gives him the DMV information, fingering Teddy as the killer -- just as Leonard had planned.
He goes back to his room and calls Teddy, telling him to come right over. At the front desk he tells Burt to let him know if Teddy shows up, but Teddy gets there while they're talking. Leonard drives Teddy out to the same location where he killed Jimmy -- having gotten the address from Natalie -- takes him inside the building and shoots him. It's the same shooting that we saw in reverse during the opening credits.
Nope. We haven't heard from @BillyL, @TarHeelNation11, @strummingram, or @coolwaterunc.
Also, not sure what do to with these ratings:
Did you guys actually watch the movie in the last two weeks or are you just working from memory? In the words of our good friend Leonard, "Memory's not perfect. It's not even that good."
Gonna need a judges decision whether you get to provide a rating if the viewing wasn't recent.
If you signed up to play, I feel like you should watch it during the 2 week window*.
*maybe we could say it’s acceptable if you’ve watched it in the last 2-3 months but if it’s been years, then a rewatch is required.
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I’m gonna send this to the wife; maybe then she won’t hate the movie as much. LOL.
But we're using a 100-point scale.
Okay...
I'll go with 7/10 for the mind-fvckery aspect. It had the obvious Fight Club/Matrix-y sorta mysterious-you-didn't-expect-that outcome. I don't really like watching these kinds of films.
I'll go with 7/10 for the mind-fvckery aspect. It had the obvious Fight Club/Matrix-y sorta mysterious-you-didn't-expect-that outcome. I don't really like watching these kinds of films.
