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Memento - Page 2

post #51 of 62
6/25/10 at 6:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by therewillbezodiac View Post
I think it'd be wrong to describe Nolan as a director for hire. While I understand where you are coming from, I think much of the success of The Dark Knight was in the way Nolan turned a "Hollywood Popcorn Flick" into something that resembled a more personal style of filmmaking. Regardless of opinions on quality, it is quite different then the average Superhero movie and explores many themes that pop up again and again Nolan's films. In many ways The Dark Knight is just as much a neo noir (only with Bat ears!) as Memento is. Batman Begins, on the other hand, is pretty much a well constructed piece of Hollywood Entertainment. Only REALLY SERIOUS.

While his best work (so far) is definitley Memento, I believe that you can see the beginning filmography of a great auteur in his work. The Prestige is also a work that I don't think should be dismissed - the twists and turns could easily be gimmicks but Nolan made that a movie about character, not plot. It's why it holds up so well on repeating viewings.
As mentioned before in this thread, you do see themes and things he's trying to expound on shared between Memento and movies like Dark Knight. One fixation prominent in his filmography is an obsession with lies and whether it can be seen as a good. It's grappled with in Insomnia, touched on in Dark Knight, and horrifyingly left unanswered in Memento.

Another thing about Memento. I thought it was a cool touch to suggest that Leonard's obvious ability in dealing violence, his nonchalance and expertise in killing people, might also be a trained reaction. At least that's what I got.
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post #52 of 62
6/25/10 at 6:33am
That's an interesting thought to go with Teddy's line:

"Stop it Lenny, you're NOT a killer. That's why you're so good at it!"
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post #53 of 62
6/25/10 at 8:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcnooj82 View Post
I'm not convinced that YOU'RE real! (runs off crying)

When it comes to this movie, I really take the stance that if you buy one thing you gotta buy the whole set. Heheh.
But the flashes and such are memories from Loenard's perception. The tattoo is his subconscious trying to tell him the truth IMO. There's no evidence either way whether the "I did it" tattoo is real. But to me you really have to work to come up with the conclusion that he got a tattoo and then had it removed. Whereas there is plenty of evidence that Leonard doesn't trust his memory too much, especially when we the same scene multiple times with different flourishes.
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post #54 of 62
6/25/10 at 8:15pm
Interesting. Your theory about Leonard's subconscious trying to tell him the truth makes sense with the glimpse we see of Leonard sitting in the mental institution.

I feel that both approaches work. I don't have much problem thinking that Leonard would treat his tattoos the way he treats his big box of evidence. Details that aren't agreeable are crossed off or erased.
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post #55 of 62
6/25/10 at 8:27pm
But again, there's plenty of evidence that he adds tattoos, but none suggesting he erases. It's too much of a stretch for me.
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post #56 of 62
6/25/10 at 8:42pm
There is evidence that he can change his mind about certain things, like when he scratched out the words on the back of that picture and wrote new words. However, it seems to me that he only inks himself when he has (what he believes to be) hard proof.
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post #57 of 62
6/25/10 at 10:11pm
Right. He erases things on photos and police reports. Not tattoos on his body.

In any case, in the scene where Leonard has the tattoo he's in bed with his wife, right? Why would he have that tattoo while his wife is still alive? It's not real.
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post #58 of 62
6/26/10 at 11:50am
Here is a question: I have the notebook looking special edition, is it worth watching the movie "forward"? I know there is away to do it, has anyone else watched it that way and thought it held up?
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post #59 of 62
6/26/10 at 2:00pm
I have that edition and have not watched the forward version. Whether or not it holds up isn't the question for me. It seems like it would be way too boring. The most interesting thing about the movie is its narrative structure.
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post #60 of 62
6/26/10 at 4:00pm
I did try watching it. And it's only interesting as a 'what if' experiment. You already know the story, so you can't watch with with the mindset of wondering if it holds up as a film. And in any case, it really SHOULDN'T hold up. Memento was told a very specific way.

Yeah, it's a cool idea. But it's boring.
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post #61 of 62
7/6/10 at 12:12am
I watched this again recently and I amazed by how tight the screenplay was. The structure of it is not only brilliant thematically but I realized it would be near impossible to tell a story about someone with short term memory any other way. If you were to do it chronologically it would be aggravating to audience members to have a protagonist who doesn't remember the previous events. As an audience member you have to be as in the dark as Leonard is for it to work.

Also, the structure must of put Nolan in a corner because it doesn't leave any room for fat. Audience members are constantly critiquing every scene asking about the causation. Typically I believe on first viewing we just go along for the ride, but Memento requires you to always be alert.
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post #62 of 62
8/3/11 at 4:04am

Did a search and found several threads, lots of discussion.

 

Not much more to say here except I watched this for the first time in years and loved it.

 

What I will say is that I'd forgotten how much of an asshole Guy Pearce's Leonard is. Even before the twist at the end (beginning), even before the brain damage, he's a judgmental jerk. Meanwhile, I've reevaluating my feelings on Natalie. She may use Leonard, but presumably she suspects him of having murdered Jimmy (there's the line about "you have a lot of nerve walking in here dressed like that"), and she shows him sympathy later in the movie. A complicated character.

 

Still wonder about "I did it".

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