Memento

This movie... I actually rather enjoyed it, even though it broke my brain multiple times. I really liked the idea of keeping the viewer just as clueless as Lenny by moving backwards through the events.

Oddly enough, the plot struck me as linear in a very strange, very convoluted way. It starts at the end of the chain of events. A dead guy, Lenny standing over him with the gun, photo in hand. I suppose the best way to describe the way the story moves is by saying that it "ratchets" back through the timeline, overlapping events slightly and slowly -- very slowly -- revealing the events leading up to each incident. By the time we reach the end -- or the beginning, as the case may be -- we find that Lenny isn't as innocent as he may appear.

To be honest, it's never quite certain just how guilty anybody was, aside from the fact that Lenny is obviously a dangerous man who used his disorder to trick himself into killing Teddy. None of the information we recieve can really be trusted. Was Teddy lying during his whole explanation in the end (or beginning)? Did Lenny kill John G already? Did he kill his wife? Was Sammy Jenkins real? Or was he a figment of Lenny's imagination, made to reassure Lenny and convince him that it was Sammy, not Lenny, who killed their wife with insulin?

This array of uncertainties mirror the human memory; over time, memories become warped and may distort facts to assure the person that they are in the right. The entire movie demonstrates the uncertainties of human memory, the most obvious example being the main character himself.
Moreover, the movie seems to be designed to confuse the viewer, leaving them unsure of what to think. The backward movement of the plot is not only meant to mirror Lenny's uncertainty about past events, but to leave the viewer disoriented. The question of whether Lenny is the protagonist or merely the main character is another tool to confuse the viewer. The sudden knowledge that Lenny planted the information that led to Teddy's death leads the viewer to further confusion over the morals of each character.

Over all, an extremely well-crafted and fascinating movie, but I'm not sure that I would want to watch it again -- my head hurts too much already.

Dark City

We just started watching it today, and already I find that I'm completely fascinated -- if a bit creeped out -- by it. The quick-cutting camera, strange lighting and camera angles, and just the fact that you have no idea what's going on all create a very unnerving, disorienting effect. I think the best way to describe my reaction at the moment is that my mind has been blown.

Also, I noticed something in the list of victims... Whether it actually means something or I'm just analyzing too obsessively (I honestly don't think the latter is very likely) I suppose we'll find later. Anyway, the first letter in the first name of each victim spelled out "MASKSB." "Masks" might add to the idea of things being hidden or concealed, while I'm not sure what the "B" means (yet).

Overall, even just from the ten or so minutes we saw, this movie is very, very interesting.

The Asphalt Jungle

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the Film Noir genre. I tend not to like the dark themes, and I can't stand being able to see the trainwreck approaching (it's inevitable, after all, that they'll all most likely get caught or die by the end). Even so, I've found that I am quite enjoying this movie.

What I find truly fascinating is that there are no true 'good guys' or 'bad guys'. Everybody is a shade of gray, and even most of the criminals have a very human side to them. Louis, with his beloved family; Dix and his desire to go back to his ranch and be with the horses; they each have something that makes them more than just cardboard-cutout mobster-types.

Although I freely admit to liking the cliched good-versus-evil fantasy or sci-fi type stuff (usually with a happy ending), I find that the most interesting stories involve characters that you can never quite figure out. I like the cliched fantasy stuff for when I just want to watch something for fun, and don't want to have to think about it, but I still do love movies like The Asphalt Jungle for when I want something that will make me think and that has a more in-depth, interesting plot. This movie involves various shades of gray to match with the black-and-white film. You're actually made to care about each character, and to feel for them when they're caught.

Of course, there are a few that you don't care so much about. Emmerich, for instance, seems to be a greedy, selfish man. Of course, he's desperate because he's broke, but there are many things that make him less than likeable. Cheating on his wife, for instance, and plotting to steal all of the jewels. He almost feels like Charles Kane; the powerful but heartless, scheming man.
Also, I find Doc Riedenschneider (try saying that three times fast) to be quite repulsive. A brilliant man, but selfish and creepy. There are some nice things about him (helping out in the jail library) but overall I get the impression of a guy who's something of a creeper. The way he was mesmerized by the girl as she danced to the music skeeved me out. Of course, it's probably meant to.

This has been a very intriguing movie, and I once more find myself very glad I decided to take this class. This is the second or third film that I've seen and very much liked, which I would never have seen otherwise.

Unforgiven

Unforgiven -- both a very interesting movie and what I should probably be for neglecting my blog for so long.

This movie reminded me in several ways of Runaway Train. However, I found that I just didn't like this film quite as much as Runaway Train. It may just be that I loved Runaway Train so much that I was thinking "Eh, not good enough." Don't get me wrong, I did still quite like Unforgiven.

Opinions aside, Unforgiven is a very intriguing movie, with many themes running through it. It was a Western, but it also took each stereotype of a Western movie and turned it on its head. The first thing I noticed is that, unlike most Westerns, killings aren't just forgotten in favor of focusing on the heroic gun-slinging, horseback-riding action. When people are killed in this movie, it's actually dwelt on somewhat. The two cowboys aren't just killed and BAM, that's it. The Schofield Kid is traumatized by the fact that he killed a man, realizing that it's not as glorious as it seems. This ties in to the theme of exaggeration that is prevalent throughout the movie. Delilah had her face cut up by the cowboy, but she honestly didn't look that bad at all. And yet the event is blown up to huge proportions -- the Schofield Kid tells Munny that the cowboy cut her fingers and breasts and all sorts of things that didn't actually happen.
Finally, the realistic approach to the Western genre. No fancy, impractical swinging saloon doors. Considering that it's raining in many of the scenes involving the saloon, that would be awfully messy. Also, in the final scene, Munny fires six shots from a six-shooter. I have seen some other Westerns that have the hero shooting left-and right -- always with excellent accuracy -- and never running out of bullets.

A final note -- when Munny takes a drink from the whiskey bottle, I honestly didn't even notice that he had done it until after he put the cap on. I think that's the best way it possibly could have been done, as it reflects how little it took for Munny to revert to his old ways, even briefly.