Memento

Since I first got wind of the premise of Memento, I've been obsessed. But because I live in the shady state of Iowa, things weren't looking good for a Memento sighting. But as I was driving by the future site of Best Buy in Waterloo, IA (yes, I'm obsessed), I noticed that the theater nearby was advertising Memento. I nearly drove the Grand Am into a median, I was marking out like white trash at Nitro when Goldberg goes for the spear.

So this entire week, I've been trying to con my girlfriend into attending Memento...and last night I succeeded. We drove an hour for this flick, and damnit I was expecting greatness. Did I get what I was hoping for? HELL GYEAH, THAT AND THEN SOME.

But before I ramble on and on like a smitten teenager, let me enlighten you to the plot of my new love:

Memento revolves around the unsolved rape and murder of Leonard Shelby(Guy Pearce)'s wife and the condition which it has put him in. It seems that after the murder, Leonard developed a condition in which he lost his short term memory. He can remember everything prior to the murder, but he can't gain any new memories. Everything he experiences, just seems to fade away. Leonard is obsessed with getting revenge for his wife's death, but his condition has made that nearly impossible. Without him able to remember even the things that took place mere minutes ago, Leonard was forced to develop a system. The system involves him photographing everyone he comes across, making notes about everything that takes place, and even tattooing important clues all over his body.

But now you would assume that Memento would follow Leonard as he wakes up from his wife's murder and follows him as he tries to find the killer, but that is what a normal movie would do. Memento is not a normal movie. No, Memento starts with Leonard murdering a man...getting his revenge. From there, the movie goes in reverse order, showing scenes that take place right before the next. You follow Leonard's thinking and thought process and see how he picked out the murderer, and eventually you find out if Leonard did in fact get his revenge...or was there even revenge to get?

Memento is a mystery from beginning to end, and for the entire two hours I was on the edge of my seat taking in every last word. I wanted to understand this movie, I wanted to put all the pieces together. This my sound like a chore, but that's so far from the truth. To me and you setting up the stage for a Tim McGraw concert may sound like a bunch of bullshit, but to some hick it's a labor of love. I think of Memento in the same way. If you want to think, you're going to love this movie. But if you prefer to have everything handed to you, I suggest you leave after the previews.

Watching Memento is just like going through what Leonard goes through everyday. With the movie going in reverse you too have no memory of what just happened. You experience (as closely as possible) the same things he would experience. And when the movie is over, his words ring true. He says that memory can deceive you, and memory changes. Your memory of certain plot points will be different than those of your friends. You'll see the movie differently, depending on the way you remember the things. You can't say that about just ANY movie.

Memento is one of those movies that produces discussion. Mummy Returns, Gladiator...sure these are great movies but you're not going to be up all night discussing the intricacies of their plots. American Psycho, Fight Club these are movies with substance that require extra viewings to extract all that they offer. Just as you can argue/fight/punch each's nuts over your theory on the existence of Tyler Durden or the sanity of Patrick Bateman, you will do the same over every single scene of Memento.

In closing, Memento is one of those movies that comes along once every few years. It doesn't dominate the box office, it doesn't win awards at the Oscars but it stays in your mind for years. It will be a measuring stick that you compare other movies to. In my opinion, Memento ranks up there with the best movies of our generation, right alongside The Fight Clubs's, Matrix's, and Pi's. And because of that, I have no choice but to give it not 4, but 4 1/2 stars. I'm not trying to top the reviews that have come before this one, but I've seen alot of 4 stars movies in my time and this is much more than that. Don't forget, write this down! Find out where Memento is playing in your state, drive there, watch this movie...NOW!
Rating:

1/2 out of four.

-Now that you've read something, he's written. Wouldn't you like to find out more about Goc? Here you go.