Memento: Limited Edition

Trying to have my review up by Fri.

Yeah, I've heard the menus are a bitch...But is the disc still worth picking up?

I'll keep it for the DTS, but the menus have me going off like a man with turrets on speed. I'm sorry I bought the god damn disc, I don't want to have to figure out how to find the extras.

DTS is nice, but it has got to be the most annoying DVD ever.

I killed 5 dogs trying to find a trailer, and I still haven't fucking found it yet.

Definitely one for the fans... and only for the fans. If you are not in love with this movie, you'll hate this disc. Hell, you'll probably hate this disc regardless... but it's so sweet at the same time... I don't know.

I love the hell out of it. The menus are hard and annoying sometimes, but it shows someone out there put some love into this disc to make it different than others. If you like the movie, pick this up. The packaging alone warrants a purchase.

This is one of coolest fucking packagings ever, though. I didn't have any interest in buying this special edition until I went to Best Buy to get Vanilla Sky and I saw this. I haven't popped it in yet, and probably won't for a while.....but it looks damn nice sitting with the rest of my dvd's.

Hey Nick, I know you're still working on the review, but I have a quick idea (one you probably already thought of). Why not review the regular movie (played backwards) AND the chronological edit of the film (found on disc 2), so you review the regular movie, review the chrono-edit, then move on to the rest of the DVD? I watched the chrono-edit the other day and the experience is quite different than the regular film. In fact, it's like a totally different movie. I'd like to know what you thought of it.

With the chrono-edit you can see what an overrated film this is.

I hate to break it to ya, Tony, but some people actually liked this movie. In fact, some people *GASP* loved it.

or understand why the film shouldn't be told chronologically.

And some people think it's a fine film that is given way to much credit. Without its gimmick it's nothing. It's as cold as ice, with no real depth. Nolan made a great movie, with a fine premise but it's not what the hype would make you believe.

Someone might bo well to rip this idea off, so I'm going to claim no copyright on it. It would probably make for a good 8-10 page paper for whatever hoity-toity film school you go to, but if you're in a film studies class, and you have to write a long paper on pretentious criticism of a film you might do well to compare Leonard Shelby to Camus' Sissyphus.

Both are in pursuit of an unatainable goal, who keep plodding along after the same thing, but in both cases they cannot achieve what they are after, no matter what.

Leonard is the perfect model of the existential man, where the pursuit is the goal. I haven't read the Camus piece in a long time, I might do well with a refresher, but I think it will hold.

Had it been told chronoligcally it would have A) turned the film into an overly elaborate ruse perpetrated by Shelby against Teddy. That isn't what the film is about. It's about (I'd argue) how we lie to ourselves, and create obstacle for ourselves because we are more interested in the chase that results. And B) because the film is meant to get us into the mind of Shelby, and with each cut back and forth the film tweaks itself a little so the pieces don't fit as perfectly as they should, which gets us more into the mind of our MC.

My new favorite phrase....I may steal it for everyday use.....

And surely there's a way to turn off the tests for easier menu nav. If not, that's just stupid.

"Without the gimmick..."

I love the way people lump Smellovision and a narrative structure together as a gimmick. The way Memnto is told isn't a gimmick any more than never seeing Mother's face in Psycho was a gimmick. It's a technique in narrative structuring. A gimmick is something that is used to seperate consumer from cash, and has nothing to really do with the story aside from that. 3D goggles are a gimmick. Free popcorn every third ticket is a gimmick. ET eating Reeses Pieces is a gimmick. Brittany Spears is a gimmick.
The way Memento is told is the structural narrative of the movie. Calling that a gimmick is like saying the gimmick of the Sith Sense was the twist at the end, or the gimmick of The shinning was the first use of the Stedicam.

Well shit, there you go making sense and all.

What I mean is that the backword narrative is intresting, but that is where it stops for me. The film as a whole feels sour to me, no real depth or emotional core.

But hey, maybe a 8th viewing is in store, it happend with AI...

Oh, I know. I was just nitpicking the word wink
I can't really say there wasn't an emotional core for me, because A) I'm a short story writer, and this felt like a short lit piece more than a typical movie & B)I'm a little too close to the whole memory loss thing.
In other words, it rang true to me on levels your average viewer wouldn't be expected to ressonate with. Not just the B) catagory up there, but because the joy in the storytelling itself rang deeper for me than it would in a lot of people (this may also be why I appreciated Vanilla Sky more than some...the crafting of the story is traditional, rather than Hollywood, and that may be in part because the original story was spanish, and remolded by someone in Hollywood who loved the original and saw some of the storytelling qualities and built on them...hence, I got more out of the movie that your average person. Same, here.)

Nick-o, I hate to rush you, but I can't wait to read your review. Can you update us on when you might have it up?

On the extras disc, I got to the movie with director's script on/director's script off feature. Anyone know if this is the same as the chrono edit?

Bless you, sir. It's always a disappointment when people see unconventional narrative structure as a gimmick. Not slamming anybody, just sayinf, is all.

TheDigitalBits provides an interesting review plus a link to a booklet you can use to find all the bonus features/easter eggs, etc.

<a href="http://world.std.com/%7Etrystero/Memento_LE.html" target="_blank">http://world.std.com/%7Etrystero/Memento_LE.html</a>

I printed mine.

Is it just my copy or does anyone else find the commentary by Nolan hilarious since it's done backwards? lol I thought it was a unique approach to the DVD as well

 

I believe that there are 4 different endings to the commentary and him speaking backwards is just one of them.  You have to eject the disc and put it back in to get a different commentary ending and they're selected at random.

Oh I didn't know this!  Thank you!!  :)