tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post7508577251825975173..comments2023-10-05T20:30:21.364-07:00Comments on Things That Don't Suck: Christopher Nolan Blogothon Day 2: MementoBryce Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17040954580033470664noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post-6993474634877751712010-07-13T10:17:56.143-07:002010-07-13T10:17:56.143-07:00Many thanks JD. It was actually a lot of fun revis...Many thanks JD. It was actually a lot of fun revisiting Insomnia and seeing what worked (Williams) and what didn't (Pacino).Bryce Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040954580033470664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post-23085432897526921882010-07-13T06:09:58.561-07:002010-07-13T06:09:58.561-07:00Excellent review! I love this film and like many t...Excellent review! I love this film and like many this was my intro. to Christopher Nolan's work and I've been a fan of his ever since (altho, I will admit that INSOMNIA did nothing for me - the original is much better). He definitely puts a unique spin on the neo-noir and whole thing of having a protagonist with no short-term memory trying to solve a murder is pretty novel.<br /><br />I've been really enjoying this blogathon. Keep up the great work!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post-28934185596230068962010-07-13T02:46:34.066-07:002010-07-13T02:46:34.066-07:00@ Darren: I never have either. I'm almost afra...@ Darren: I never have either. I'm almost afraid to. <br /><br />@ Adam: Gotta disagree with you here Adam. I think you're misinterpetting Nolan's intentions with the device. <br /><br />Its not to preserve narrative surprise. After all, from the first scene running we know Pierce has his "revenge" in one way or another. The device is to communicate Leonard's frame of mind, which is does quite beautifully.<br /><br />Think of the scene where he meets Carrie Moss for the first time (In the film, not chronologically) he's forgotten her. We don't know she exists. When she reaches out for him its a surprise to both of us. <br /><br />Its best used in the Trailer Park scene, both when Leonard can't quite figure out if he's being chased or doing the chasing, both work from the way he juxtaposes his shots. And the scene where Leonard falls asleep in the middle of an "action scene".<br /><br />The effect Nolan's technique has here is the exact opposite of surprise. Its not the jolt of the unexpected that hits, its the "Ah hah" of the context coming together."<br /><br />The ending while far from being an anti climax, deepens and darkens the whole thing. Leonard was a victim alright, but not just of a cruelly random act of violence, but a coldhearted act of prolonged sadism. Its a revenge movie of a different kind. <br /><br />Like I said, the score performances and transitions all thought out quite well. <br /><br />And as for your last point. I would argue that it does. Unless you speak for all of them of course ; )Bryce Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040954580033470664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post-66010711977621720212010-07-13T02:26:44.731-07:002010-07-13T02:26:44.731-07:00Hmm, I don't know. Leonard is most certainly w...Hmm, I don't know. Leonard is most certainly <i>written</i> as a tragic figure, and Pearce's splendid performance definitely suggests it with each scene as well. But at the end of the day, having seen <i>Memento</i> twice in the last five years, it's that questionable structure of the film that still compromises my emotional response. Nolan of course told the film backwards in order to launch unexpected surprise elements on the audience, but I don't think surprise elements should have been the top priority of <i>Memento</i> to begin with. I'd be much more comfortable watching the events unfold in linear fashion, as the characters surrounding Leonard confuse him more and more--until he is driven first to one murder, then another. As it stands, the "ending" of the film has always struck me as an anticlimax.<br /><br />I haven't tried the Easter Egg yet (I don't own the DVD), but I doubt it would instantly make it a better film. Nolan would have to do more than simply reverse the chronological order of the scenes in <i>Memento</i> in order to make it a more tragic film; he would have to totally rethink the way one scene transitions from the next, the musical score, and the performances of the actors themselves. <br /><br />I'm of course glad that <i>Memento</i> has inspired the enthusiasm of so many people who have seen it, but I've always thought that if Nolan had been less experimental and more caring to the story, the film would have aged into a profound piece of work for the moviegoers of today.Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8121497265402071351.post-30162908078914437422010-07-13T00:57:09.257-07:002010-07-13T00:57:09.257-07:00Love this movie. Can you believe I've yet to w...Love this movie. Can you believe I've yet to watch it in chronological order (apparently it's an easter egg on the DVD)? Keep meaning to do that.Darrenhttp://m0vie.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com