MEMENTO
Released: March 16, 2001
The first movie of 2001 to actually break some new ground was "Memento", directed by Christopher Nolan. A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife's killer. What could have been a standard who-dunnit mystery movie was transformed into a captivating wallowing through fear and paranoia through the eyes of Leonard Shelby, played brilliantly by Aussie Guy Pearce (from "L.A. Confidential"). Told in a film style that breaks all traditional Hollywood rules, "Memento" recalls pieces of the story as Leonard does - in little chunks. Since he can only remember what he can write down or photograph, we as viewers are given the same vantage point and are never one step ahead of him. In effect, we are in the same boat as him. This is a film that requires you to pay attention and clearly a second viewing would be as entertaining just to pick up on the various things you missed first time around.
123 Minutes
New Market