Memento / Following (2000)

Memento
Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) shine in this absolute stunner of a movie. Memento combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information. Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no clear idea of what's just happened to him. That's where Memento gets really interesting; the story begins at the end, and the movie jumps backward in 10-minute segments. The suspense of the movie lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out why it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backward in time, and it keeps the mind hopping as cause and effect are pieced together. Pearce captures Leonard perfectly, conveying both the tragic romance of his quest and his wry humor in dealing with his condition. He is bolstered by several excellent supporting players, and the movie is all but stolen from him by Pantoliano, who delivers an amazing performance as Teddy, the guy who may or may not be on his side. Memento has an intriguing structure and even meditations on the nature of perception and meaning of life if you go looking for them, but it also functions just as well as a completely absorbing thriller. It's rare to find a movie this exciting with so much intelligence behind it. --Ali Davis

Following
Creepy intimacy, plenty of suspense, and a few surprises enliven this black-and-white treat from the director of Memento. Bill is a struggling writer who fills his time and mind by following random strangers he sees on the street. After breaking his own rule ("never follow the same person twice") he becomes fascinated by Cobb, a voyeur who takes things one step further--actually breaking into people's homes to sift through their things. As you might expect, the relationship soon becomes unhealthy. Writer-director Christopher Nolan already reveals a sure hand in this early neo-noir work. Like Memento, Following toys with timelines, jumping back and forth and carefully dropping bits of information exactly when they're needed. Short and sharp, Following features an intriguing plot line and fine, understated performances by the entire cast. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis Amazon.com

Both are great films

MEMENTO is one of my favorite films. Seeing Chris Nolan's earlier and equally intricate storyline in FOLLOWING is highly enjoyable. That film is definitely worth seeing on its own merits. April 3, 2007

Excellent Movie to Have

It is fun to watch this movie scene by scene backwards: starting from the last scene to the first. November 9, 2006

Two Extremely Good Movies From Director Christopher Nolan

In this package, you will receive both of Christopher Nolan's cult masterpieces. Both are very entertaining and stylistic, impressing the audience on several different levels. They are visually appealing, dramatically appealing, and each has an underlying aura or premise which will draw you in even further.

Memento is the more commonly hailed of these two, and might be classified as "mainstream." Guy Pierce plays a man with a rare disease, which disallows him to form new memories. Since his accident, he has been unable to withold "new" knowledge for more than approximately five minutes. Yeah, it sounds kinda silly and far-fetched, but it's the key to the movie, and a testament to Nolan's genius. Pierce is determined to uncover the mystery behind his wife's death, while dealing with this terribly inconvenient disease. The audience will be fascinated by his shift in lifestyle, which includes having to write continuous notes to himself, many of which are tatooed to his skin. It's also very interesting to bear witness to how easily this character is taken advantage of, and all the strange events which play out as result of his condition. Of course, there is also another nice little touch, which is, of course...The movie is shown in reverse-chronological order. We're shown a scene, and then immediately after, we'll be shown another scene which actually came before the previous scene, chronologically. As one might expect, this can get terribly confusing, but it's also fun and suspenseful. Certainly one of the most notable movies you'll see, with a great ending.

Following is much more subtle than Memento, relying on atmosphere, acting and filming style to propel its obscure plot. Artsier in nature, this one is entirely in black-and-white, and has only three characters majorly involved in the main story. We follow a lonely, slightly insane man as he "follows" various people around the city. One day, he meets up with another "follower," and they come together as a team, robbing houses. Of course, they're not really robbing them for the material sake--they each get an emotional fix out of taking something intimate from someone's household. Naturally, the plot thickens when a female comes into the equation. Up until the last half hour, the movie comes across as simply a poignant, quirky drama about the twisted hobby of two men. However, it turns into something not unlike Memento, when the director plants a few amazing surprises which are bound to leave your mind stimulated. In my opinion, only a hair under the quality of Memento, and still well-worth watching. April 16, 2003

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