Memento

Pros: Novel story and story-telling device. Probe into memory loss and morals.
Cons: Story-telling device gets in the way of character development.

---General Review---
The Set-Up
Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce) is a man with a problem. He has no short term memory, so, as he tells everyone he meets over and over, "I can't make new memories."

He does remember his life...

Pros: Clever, interesting thriller that raises more questions than it answers
Cons: Complex plot that is almost impossible to keep completely coherent.

What is truth? Is fact more reliable than experience? Can we rely only on ourselves or must we trust others? How do we know that we are really alive?

Like any really good work of art, Memento is a film that raises many more...

Pros: Guy Pearce shows star power in this brilliantly edited "puzzle movie."
Cons: The movie, like a Robbe-Grillet novel, may rest on a non-existent premise.

Memento: Something that serves to warn or remind -- souvenir. Did you remember that a memento is a warning? Did you forget that? Did you ever know? When William Wordsworth described his poetry as "strong emotion recollected in tranquility," ...

Pros: One of the most original movies I have ever seen.
Cons: You almost need to see it more then once for it to fully make sense.

A Keepsake
This is my favorite movie of the year so far. This movie is unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. This movie works in so many ways that I almost don't want to write about it to give away anything. I will say that this is...

Pros: A DVD package that screws with your mind as much as the movie did
Cons: Flimsy packaging, I'm sure that there are features I haven't found yet and never will

MY SOMEWHAT HIGH-CONCEPT REVIEW OF THE MOVIE PROPER

Those who describe "Memento"s narrative structure simply as one that moves backwards are doing the film a disservice. It's much more complex than that. Sure, part of the narrative...

Pros: Just about everything, and I mean it.
Cons: Will confuse the ignorant. They probably haven't heard of this movie anyway.

There’s one every year. They come out of a film festival victorious, with critics and the public at their feet in adoration. But then something happens. No one wants to buy it. None of the big distributors want to take a gamble and release it. So the...

Pros: Structure is cool, Pearce.
Cons: Moss's acting...

Oddly enough, in writing a review for Memento, a movie which has memory playing into a large part, I can't remember that much of it. I only saw it a few days ago, and with movies that I like, I generally have several fresh images in my head of the ...

Pros: Mind numbingly complex with riddles thrown at you from every turn, film-noir upside down.
Cons: Potential loose ends might exist & they might not, tantalizing or annoying, you decide.

-SPOILER WARNING-
I must begin with a word of warning to those who have yet to see Memento... this review is intended as an extended dissection - an exegesis if you will - of Memento, its themes and its potential meanings....

Pros: Innovative and dynamic.
Cons: It is definitely not for everyone.

Memento – WARNING--You Might Not Like It Augmented 09/08

****Since the majority of readers have only found this review Helpful I have elaborated. (See after original review)****

Memento is recommended...

Pros: Involving structure; outstanding narrative; inventive and incredibly memorable.
Cons: Nothing much; I try not to nitpick masterpieces.

Pros: Nolan has brought us a film not quite like any other.
Cons: There is no true resolution in this film. Anal folks beware!

There is little doubt that for the year 2001, no film has enjoyed a buzz quite like "Memento." From the mind of writer/director Christopher Nolan ("Following"), "Memento" is a tale of murder and revenge turned inside out. After weeks of sellouts in the...

Pros: great picture and sound, wonderful features
Cons: that menu could get old, fast.

Christopher Nolan's Memento is a complex and unforgettable story about Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man with a rare brain injury that prevents him from converting recent experiences into long-term memory. As he searches for his wife's killer, Leonard...

Pros: Great premise, great acting and first class direction.
Cons: Where are the Heroes in this one?

Have you seen Memento? Okay, up until this past weekend I hadn't seen it, but that question is one that was asked of me often in conversation with friends. That was of course followed by either, "that was the weirdest movie ever", or the now...

Pros: It's a weird, murky thriller that toys with your mind.
Cons: The audience is kept as confused as the protagonist.

"Memories are just an interpretation, not a record. Facts are facts." "That's what Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a San Francisco insurance claims investigator, keeps repeating to himself as he recalls discovering his wife sprawled on their bathroom...

Pros: Challenging production, well acted, intriguing, original.
Cons: Can't miss a minute -- maybe watch at home so you can pause.

The first thing you see is a man's hand waving a piece of Polaroid film. You naturally expect that a picture is going to develop, but instead of becoming clear, the image on the film slowly fades and goes blank until there is nothing. Backwards. A little...