Memento - Review

“Memento”

Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

Christopher Nolan’s “Memento” is an “Oh my God” movie. It’s so good I coined the term right after I watched the movie while thinking of a good way to describe it. What is an “Oh my God” movie? A great movie where, when the big twist happens, your jaw drops and you say “Oh my God!” or something to that effect.

I didn’t think I could get excited enough for Nolan’s upcoming “The Dark Knight,” but after seeing this movie I have somehow become even more anxious. I’m not going to beat around the bush – “Memento” is one of the two best thrillers I’ve seen, the other being “Se7en.” It’s a psychological thriller with a massive twist and a distinct filming style that sets it apart from other films of the genre. “Memento” tells the story of Leonard, a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia, a form of short-term memory loss. He was injured while fending off a man who was attacking his wife. Leonard cannot form new memories and forgets things after just a few minutes, although he can remember everything that happened before the incident. The central conflict concerns Leonard searching for the man who he thinks killed his wife. How can he do this with no ability to form new memories? Leonard writes himself copious notes, both on paper and tattooed to his body, to keep track of people he knows, places he’s been, and clues while hunting for the killer. This makes for an interesting movie in itself, but it’s the filming style that puts the icing on the cake. The movie is filmed in alternating 5-to-10 minute sequences in color followed by 1-minute or so black-and-white sequences. Here’s the kicker – while the black-and-white sequences, mainly featuring Leonard talking to someone on the phone, go chronologically forward, the colored sequences are filmed in backwards chronology. This essentially leaves the audience as clueless as Leonard as we try to piece together our own puzzle. If this all sounds confusing to you, don’t worry; I thought I would be extremely confused while watching but it turned out I followed the story just fine. The movie makes its way toward a “conclusion” which really happens at the chronological beginning with perfect pacing.

This is not a big-name cast at all but it doesn’t matter. Guy Pearce is perfectly cast and hauntingly good as Leonard in a very difficult role. I’m sure it’s not easy to portray a guy who can’t make new memories, but Pearce is just about perfect here. Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano give nice performances as Natalie and Teddy, respectively. Pantoliano in particular really shines as someone who appears to be Leonard’s friend…but is he really? (Oh, the suspense.) And Nolan is a revelation here in his first major film. “Memento” is similar to one of Nolan’s other films, “The Prestige,” in that once it ends you’ll undoubtedly want to watch it again. It’s a psychological thriller that takes an unconventional route toward its ending, but stands out among the best films of its genre. Don’t miss this one.

A few short things

Yanks/Twins tonight...Johnny Damon is red-hot, hitting .313 against lefties, and is not starting today so Shelley Duncan can play. *bangs head against wall*

Watched Memento last night...WOW. Incredible movie. Will write a review shortly but suffice it to say it's between that and Se7en for the best thriller I've ever seen.

Going to watch Rescue Dawn tonight. Here's hoping for another brilliant performance by Christian Bale.

Second-Guessing a Move that Worked Out

It's certainly not unusual for us New York sports fans to second-guess every wrong decision one of our teams makes. Second-guessing a right one is certainly different, but that's exactly what I'm about to do, so brace yourselves: I disagree with Joe Girardi for bringing in Mariano Rivera last night. That's right, disagree for bringing in the greatest closer of all-time! And here's why: he should have left in Joba Chamberlain for the following reasons:
a) Joba just finished a dominant 1-2-3 8th with 2 swinging strikeouts.
b) Mo threw 2 innings and 31 pitches the day beforehand.
c, and most importantly) Joba was scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches on his quest to become a starter. They finished the remaining 28 or so in the bullpen, but let's be honest: it's just not the same as an in-game experience! Yes, it was simulated, with Joba taking time in between pitches, the catcher giving the signals, etc, but it's just simply not the same. Joba should have stayed out there for the 9th and then finished up in the bullpen if necessary. Would Girardi have brought in Mo if there wasn't a day off today? My guess is that played a part in the decision. Either way it worked out with a scoreless ninth from Rivera but I disagreed and still disagree with the decision.

Just got back from Blockbuster where I am an official Rewards Zone member. Woo hoo. Anyway, I rented Christopher Nolan's "Memento" and the Christian Bale movie "Rescue Dawn" as I have been wanting to see both very badly for a long time. ...and wow, I just noticed the Nolan/Bale (Batman) connection there. And yes, I considered "I'm Not There" (Heath Ledger)...that would have been such a bizarre coincidence as if it isn't already.

Listening to some Black Sabbath right now...just bought Paranoid the other day. Apparently it's a classic album, but outside of Iron Man, Paranoid, and War Pigs I don't love it. I mean, the album has 8 songs, and with those 3 it doesn't take much more to become a classic, but maybe I just need to listen through a few more times.

LaTroy Hawkins is worthless

Not a good night for the Yankees last night...any time you blow not one but TWO four-run leads to the Orioles, take the lead again, and then blow it in the 11th, it's an embarassing loss. There's plenty of blame to go around here, from Derek Jeter who had a terrible game in every aspect of baseball, A-Rod who grounded into a big double play, Ian Kennedy, and the maddeningly inconsistent Ross Ohlendorf. But (shocker!) it's LaTroy Hawkins who did the same thing he's done countless times before with Chicago and Minnesota and others: BLOW THE GAME. Brought in to save a 9-8 game in the bottom of the 11th, Hawkins let up the following with one out:
- Melvin Mora single
- Aubrey Huff RBI double, then took 3rd on an ill-advised Jeter throw to the plate
- Intentional walk to Luke Scott
- Intentional walk to Kevin Millar (stupid idea by Girardi)
- With the bases loaded and one out, looking for a double play, HE HANGS THE FIRST PITCH to Alex Cintron who hits it over Bobby Abreu's head in right field for the game winner.

Girardi's thoughts:
"You're playing the percentages," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You're talking about a guy who doesn't play every day. The other guys are everyday players. You're taking a chance that you'll get a ground ball and get a double play."
Percentages? You want percentages???? Cintron is now 5 for 5 lifetime against Hawkins and 7 for 14 this year. Small sample size? Yes...but why risk walking the slow-footed Millar, who pops out frequently, and giving Hawkins no margin for error? (As if he needs any.) Anyway, LaTroy's ERA now sits at a stellar 6.75 through 20 games. What a great signing that was. I don't care what it costs, Hawkins should be designated for assignment in favor of...anyone, really. He's no use to this team and can't pitch in a big spot.


Tonight, Andy Pettitte hopes to avoid a 3-game sweep for the Yanks, with Joba Chamberlain scheduled to throw about 55 pitches in his continuing journey toward being a starter. At least the Yankees are handling something right with their transition of Joba. Expect his first start to come sooner than later with Ian Kennedy now headed to the DL.

A History of Violence - Review

"A History of Violence"
Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

David Cronenberg's 2002 A History of Violence is one of the most fascinating movies I have ever watched. Viggo Mortensen stars as Tom Stall, a small-town dining owner who kills two armed robbers in self-defense. Stall becomes a local hero overnight; however his sudden celebrity draws the attention of mobsters claiming Stall as someone else. Is it a case of mistaken identity or is Stall really a different man than he claims to be? This sums up the central plot in the movie.

Let me get this out of the way: this is not a movie for kids. There's brutal graphic violence, there are rough sexual scenes...it certainly deserves its R rating, not that it should be a problem for 90% of the people here. However, Cronenberg has constructed a masterpiece here. The movie title not only deals with the (supposed) past of Stall, but with our country's obsession with violence as well. Is Stall really a hero for killing two men? Cronenberg poses this, and other questions which I can't give away unless I reveal more plot, for not only the characters in the movie themselves but for the audience.

As for the acting, it's beyond brilliant. I can't think of how the actors could have been cast better. Mortensen plays the lead role with perfection, while Maria Bello is excellent as his wife. William Hurt also impresses in a later part. However, to me the real star of this movie is Ed Harris, who plays lead mobster Carl Fogerty. Harris makes Fogerty as imposing a presence as possible, while doing it with a typical bad guy smile and charm. Although he doesn't get the screen time Mortensen does as the lead, Harris captivates with the time he is given. How he didn't get a nod for Best Supporting Actor is beyond me, but hey, that's the Oscars for you.

Bottom line: This was one of the most compelling movies I've ever watched and I highly recommend it. I could probably go on and go on but I won't, I'll leave that to you guys to see it if you haven't already.

3:10 To Yuma - Review

"3:10 To Yuma"
Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

"Twenty-two robberies. Over four hundred thousand dollars in losses. More in delays. The Southern Pacific will have Ben Wade convicted in a federal court. Hanged in public. An example made. And we will pay to make it happen."
"Y'all notice he didn't mention any of the lives I've taken."

The Western has been perhaps the most underused genre of recent film. The days of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are long gone, and not many people seem to want to try and recreate them. Well, thank goodness for James Mangold, whose remake of the 1957 film 3:10 To Yuma is every bit as good as the old Westerns I've seen. It's not your classic Wild West shoot-em-up at every corner movie; make no mistake, there's gunfire in this movie and lots of it, but it's much more than that.

It's tough to go wrong when your two lead actors are Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and both are excellent here. Crowe is Ben Wade, a notorious outlaw, whose gang loots an armored stagecoach, only to have Bale's rancher Dan Evans come across the mess. Problem here: Wade used Evans' cattle as a blockade for the raid. But no harm done, and the two men ride off their separate ways. However, Evans stumbles across a few railroad men and reveals to them Wade caused the raid, and they head to Bixbee where they arrest him. The goal now: to get Wade on the 3:10 prison train to Yuma in two days. A few men take up the cause, including Evans, who agrees to help in order to gain some much-needed money for his deprived family. However, the gang is closely followed by Wade's band of outlaws, and as the journey continues the stage is set for one final showdown. That's all the plot you'll get out of here.

The most fascinating thing about this movie isn't about the fights and the gunfire and the shoot-em-up pageantry, it's the characters themselves. Wade is a bad man and he knows it, but there's a certain charm about him as well. He seems to be a no-good badass, but paired with the honest, faithful Evans, the two begin to form an interesting dynamic. Calling it a "bond" would be a stretch but the relationship between the two men is vital to the story. It's ironic, because Crowe is facing off against the same type of character he portrays so accurately with Richie Roberts in American Gangster. The comparisons to Roberts there and Evans here are definitely not a stretch. While these two steal the spotlight, credit must be given to the rest of the excellent cast. No big names are here besides the two leads and Peter Fonda, but the acting is superb. In particular, Ben Foster shines as Wade's cocky second-in-command Charlie Prince, and 15-year-old Logan Lerman is very convincing as Evans' son.

The bottom line here; 3:10 To Yuma is not a movie you want to miss. The Western is definitely not dead, and this is a damn good movie that ranks up there with No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood among the best films of 2007. Don't miss it.

21 - Review

"21"
Rating: 1.5 out of 4 stars

Card-playing flicks normally don't do well at the box office, so it was a bit of a surprise to see "21" rake in over $23 million in its first weekend. After seeing this movie, I'm more than a bit surprised. The movie is not particularly terrible, but it's just not good. It's not as entertaining as I expected and just mediocre all around.
"21" is the semi-true-story of Ben Campbell, a student at MIT who's planning to go to Harvard Med. Campbell's actually not a real person, but he's the film representation of Jeff Ma, who's Asian, not English, unlike Jim Sturgess who plays Campbell. Ma is the subject of the book "Bringing Down The House" which he movie is loosely, and I emphasize LOOSELY, based off. Campbell's gotta find a way to pay for Harvard Med and voila!, he gets inducted into a 5-student team that plays blackjack on weekends, headed by Kevin Spacey. Now, I know it's a film, but if the game is as simple as the team makes it seem, I don't know why everyone in the world isn't able to play blackjack. It just seems mind-numbingly simple. Anyway, when Spacey starts talking about how it's not illegal, you KNOW the gang is headed for trouble. Lawrence Fishburne is here, mailing this one in all the way to the bank, as a casino security guard who holds an old vendetta of his own. Campbell has to control his double life as an MIT student by week, Vegas high roller by weekend. This should seem more fascinating to me, but it never really caught my attention in the film.
The script and dialogue of "21" are weak and often predictable. The supposed comic relief from Ben's friends is never really that funny. Not that it's the fault of the actors, but of a bad script. It seems like somebody said "let's make a blackjack movie!" and banged it out in ten minutes. Yes, the story is based off true life, but some of the film is so implausible you know the movie's gone Hollywood. And the ending? Don't even get me STARTED on this ridiculous ending. I just couldn't believe my eyes when...well, I guess I shouldn't spoil it, but the ending sucks anyway.
As for the acting, Sturgess is passable as Ben Campbell. He's not great, but he plays the character fairly well. Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey are solid, but Lawrence Fishburne never really impresses me. It's a decent job by the cast and not their fault the movie sucks. Another thing to complain about here...you'd think a Vegas movie would be visually impressive, right? Somebody tell the creators of "21" to watch Ocean's 13, another recent flick, if you wanna know how to film the city. The card scenes with their rapid fire dealing, Jack of Spades CLOSE UPS, and quick tossing out of chips got irritating after a while.
Bottom line: Don't gamble your 10 bucks away by wasting your time on "21." If you're that interested, just wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it.