Most Recent Movie You've Seen

slashsfro

Just watched Memento for the 5th time tonight. Incredible movie, the best of the 21st Century so far in my opinion and it's in my top 5 all-time (behind Godfather 1, Godfather 2, Citizen Kane, and 12 Angry Men). Memento just keeps getting better with each subsequent viewing for me. I normally can tear a film to shreds with repeat viewings, but not this one.

Interesting. I saw this when it came out in 2001 and always wanted to rewatch it. In your opinion, does the subsequent viewings of the film improve because you don't focus on the plot as much. Also, would you recommend getting the 2 disc special edition that came out in 2002 or the blu ray edition? I'm going to assume you own the film since you've seen it several times.

Neemo

yeah momento is insane! love that movie

i saw revenge of the sith again it gets better every time, the obi-wan/anakin duel is an amazing peice of cinematography

Axl S

Top Gun. That volleyball scene is two minutes. An unfortunatly long two minutes.

tejastech08

slashsfro wrote:

Just watched Memento for the 5th time tonight. Incredible movie, the best of the 21st Century so far in my opinion and it's in my top 5 all-time (behind Godfather 1, Godfather 2, Citizen Kane, and 12 Angry Men). Memento just keeps getting better with each subsequent viewing for me. I normally can tear a film to shreds with repeat viewings, but not this one.
Interesting. I saw this when it came out in 2001 and always wanted to rewatch it. In your opinion, does the subsequent viewings of the film improve because you don't focus on the plot as much. Also, would you recommend getting the 2 disc special edition that came out in 2002 or the blu ray edition? I'm going to assume you own the film since you've seen it several times.

I only have the single disc DVD. From what I have read, the Blu-ray does NOT have all of the special features that come on the 2-disc DVD. And it is an earlier Blu-ray release that was done with the MPEG2 codec. I'm sure it looks better than DVD, but it's not going to be anywhere near as good as it COULD have been if Sony had used the AVC codec (which is what they have been using for a while now). AVC is a far more advanced codec than MPEG2. MPEG2 is the standard codec for DVD, but it's simply "old hat" so to speak. Here's a couple reviews of the Blu-ray:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/38/memento.html

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.ph … how=review

The second one has around 20 screenshots for you to look at if you want.

As for your question on repeat viewings, it is good to already know the plot. But the thing that's great about it is that you realize how much work went into writing the script and editing it while you watch it unfold knowing exactly what's coming. The level of detail involved in the film is amazing and repeat viewings allow you to focus on all the little things. And Guy Pearce. What a fuckin' performance. It's just a kickass movie that demands repeat viewings in my opinion.

slashsfro

I only have the single disc DVD. From what I have read, the Blu-ray does NOT have all of the special features that come on the 2-disc DVD. And it is an earlier Blu-ray release that was done with the MPEG2 codec. I'm sure it looks better than DVD, but it's not going to be anywhere near as good as it COULD have been if Sony had used the AVC codec (which is what they have been using for a while now). AVC is a far more advanced codec than MPEG2. MPEG2 is the standard codec for DVD, but it's simply "old hat" so to speak. Here's a couple reviews of the Blu-ray:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/38/memento.html
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.ph … how=review
The second one has around 20 screenshots for you to look at if you want.
As for your question on repeat viewings, it is good to already know the plot. But the thing that's great about it is that you realize how much work went into writing the script and editing it while you watch it unfold knowing exactly what's coming. The level of detail involved in the film is amazing and repeat viewings allow you to focus on all the little things. And Guy Pearce. What a fuckin' performance. It's just a kickass movie that demands repeat viewings in my opinion.

In that case, I'll just pick up the 2 disc set when there's very little difference between quality. I remember Carrie Anne Moss's doing a good job in the film too. Thanks for the detailed recommendation.

tejastech08

slashsfro wrote:

I only have the single disc DVD. From what I have read, the Blu-ray does NOT have all of the special features that come on the 2-disc DVD. And it is an earlier Blu-ray release that was done with the MPEG2 codec. I'm sure it looks better than DVD, but it's not going to be anywhere near as good as it COULD have been if Sony had used the AVC codec (which is what they have been using for a while now). AVC is a far more advanced codec than MPEG2. MPEG2 is the standard codec for DVD, but it's simply "old hat" so to speak. Here's a couple reviews of the Blu-ray:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/38/memento.html
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.ph … how=review
The second one has around 20 screenshots for you to look at if you want.
As for your question on repeat viewings, it is good to already know the plot. But the thing that's great about it is that you realize how much work went into writing the script and editing it while you watch it unfold knowing exactly what's coming. The level of detail involved in the film is amazing and repeat viewings allow you to focus on all the little things. And Guy Pearce. What a fuckin' performance. It's just a kickass movie that demands repeat viewings in my opinion.
In that case, I'll just pick up the 2 disc set when there's very little difference between quality. I remember Carrie Anne Moss's doing a good job in the film too. Thanks for the detailed recommendation.

Moss did a great job and so did Joe Pantoliano, who was recommended to Nolan by Moss. The two of them starred in the Matrix together shortly before Memento. Those kind of connections are always interesting and it seems like a common thing in Hollywood. Speaking of which, the guy who plays Flass in Batman Begins (fat corrupt cop) is in Memento.

I will warn you about that Memento 2-disc DVD. I haven't played around with it myself, but I've heard it's pretty confusing to navigate it. Huge mindfuck from what I've read. Basically you have to pass a test or something just to even be able to get into the features. And there is an Easter Egg feature that allows you to watch the film in chronological order. I think you can probably find the code if you Google it. smile

tejastech08

russtcb wrote:

I've always read that about the special edition of Memento as well. Some people says it's the worst menu of any dvd ever.

LOL, worst because they're not smart enough to figure it out. I'm sure the people who figured it out thought it was brilliant.

The second disc of the Batman Begins special edition DVD from 2005 was a similar mindfuck. The features were laid out in a comic book and you had to find where to click in order to play the next feature.

tejastech08

From my understanding the Blu-ray came with only two of the features from the 2-disc DVD: "Anatomy of a Scene," and a commentary for the film with Nolan. Nolan has only ever done two commentaries, one for Insomnia and one for the Memento 2-disc DVD. The single disc DVD actually includes an interesting interview with Nolan from the IFC TV channel. I'm not sure if that interview was included on the 2-disc DVD. Here is an interesting breakdown of the 2-disc mindfuck menu. LOL.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/eggs/read.php?ID=24

Furbush

i saw memento and loved it...
however... maybe i'm retarded, or i am overthinking it... but can someone just explain the movie for me.... it was remarkably entertaining... but i just can't fully wrap my head around what is REALLY going on...
yes... i'm THAT guy

tejastech08

tylerdurden wrote:

i saw memento and loved it...
however... maybe i'm retarded, or i am overthinking it... but can someone just explain the movie for me.... it was remarkably entertaining... but i just can't fully wrap my head around what is REALLY going on...
yes... i'm THAT guy

Here is the chronological plot from Wikipedia. Highlight to read:

Hidden Text:

Memento is presented in two alternating sequences of scenes; one set of scenes, filmed in black and white, progresses forward, while the second set of scenes are in color and presented in reverse order; the two sequences "meet" at the end of the film, thus overall describing one common story.
The main character of the story is Leonard Shelby, a man that suffers from anterograde amnesia, causing him to lose his memories of recent events, unable to form new memories for himself. As the black-and-white narrative opens, he finds himself in a hotel room with instructions from himself to shave a portion of his body and tattoo information onto it, similar to numerous other tattoos he has. As he does this, he receives a phone call, and proceeds to tell the caller of what he remembers. Leonard was an insurance claims investigator, and was assigned the case of Sammy Jankis, a man who seemed to be suffering from anterograde amnesia. Leonard explains how Sammy's inability to even learn via conditioning makes him unable to allow Sammy to get compensation, expressing how he felt Sammy's condition could not be physical in nature, suggested his condition was simply psychological. Out of a mixture of grief and desire to know if her husband's condition was sincere, one day, Sammy's wife asked him for a shot of insulin every few minutes, pretending each one was her first. If her husband's condition were real, he would continue to give her insulin even though it would kill her. The overdose was fatal. Later, Leonard and his wife are attacked by an unknown assailant, causing his wife to die from a fatal wound while Leonard becomes afflicted with anterograde amnesia. Keeping Sammy's case close in mind, Leonard has tried to discover his wife's attacker, using a system of Polaroid photographs and tattoos on his body to retain information that he needs, such as the attacker being known as "John G.", and allowing him to overcome his amnesia.
During the call, Leonard realizes that his tattoos have told him never to answer the phone, and quickly tries to hang up; the caller, insists that he is a cop and that he needs to meet with Leonard. Leonard meets Officer Gammell in the lobby, though Gammell insists that Leonard calls him Teddy since he is undercover. Teddy reveals that a man named Jimmy Grantz is the second attacker and sends Leonard to a desolate buidling to meet and there Leonard kills Jimmy on Teddy's word, taking a photo of the scene. At this point, the two separate sequences in the movie overlap, as the photo of dead Jimmy develops. As Leonard leaves, Teddy tries to convince Leonard that he has conditioned himself to continue his quest for vengeance. Teddy also insists that Leonard is confusing elements of Sammy's story with his own, Sammy having been single and a con man trying to fraud the insurance company; Teddy asserts that Leonard's wife survived the attack and that Leonard later himself administered his wife's overdose of insulin after the onset of his amnesia. After hearing what Teddy states Leonard purposely destoys the photos indicating his quest is done, writes down "don't believe his lies" on Teddy's photograph and leaves a note to himself to get a tattoo with Teddy's license plate implicating him as his wife's attacker, even though his voiceover indicates he does not believe Teddy is the second attacker. He then leaves in Jimmy's car. As his amnesia sets in, he comes across a tattoo parlor [which is the end of the film proper, but this is where the film begins to go into reverse scene order] and follows his instructions with regards to Teddy's license plate.
Without other clues to go on, Leonard goes to a bar listed on a coaster in Jimmy's car. At the bar, he meets Natalie, Jimmy's girlfriend, who is initially hostile to Leonard wondering why Leonard is at the bar in Jimmy's car and wearing Jimmy's clothes. However, as Leonard explains his situation, Natalie realizes she can manipulate Leonard, turning him on a man named Dodd that she claims has been trying to harass her in order to get back at Jimmy. Leonard is able to track Dodd down and capture him; with Teddy's help, they force him to leave town. Again, Teddy attempts to warn Leonard of his dangerous quest, but Leonard refuses to listen based on his own comment scrawled on Teddy's photograph. Leonard returns to Natalie, and the two spend the night together, with Natalie promising to retrieve the driver's license of the car that his latest tattoo is registered to. They meet the next afternoon and she provides Leonard with the information as well as a desolate location in order to kill him. Leonard finds the information points to Teddy, whose real name is "John Edward Gammell", matching all the facts of the case based on his tattoos; his own warning on Teddy's picture affirms his suspicions. He lures Teddy to the same desolate building where he killed Jimmy, and proceeds to kill Teddy, taking a picture of dead Teddy just like he took a picture of dead Jimmy. This scene is the opening scene of the movie behind the movie credits, and is the only scene in the movie that played in reverse.

I would consider buying it if I were you ($9.50 for the single disc DVD at Amazon) and re-watch it several times. Like I mentioned, it is one of the few movies I've seen that keeps getting better and better with each viewing. First time around is a total mindfuck but leaves you amazed. The repeat viewings allow you to soak it all in and fully understand WTF's going on while also appreciating aspects that you probably wouldn't notice the first time around because it's so confusing during that initial viewing.

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