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wyrder42
Reviews
Memento (2000)
Very Great Film (warning: no content SPOILER, but plot structure trick revealed)
I don't know why I bother with the warning, probably every other commentor has already revealed this: This movie starts at the ending. At first they're quite literally playing the scene backwards, but don't worry they don't keep doing that.
But it's a really neat deal that the movie plays backwards (reverse chronological), starting with a scene at the end of the story and working its way towards the beginning. The main character has a (real) disorder where his hippocampus doesn't work right so he's unable to form new long term memories. Having the movie play from end to start allows us to appreciate *his* perspective on the events of his life as they unfold. I.e., we the viewers are just as in the dark about what he's just done or what's just happened as he is.
This is a really, really incredibly great film. It's got action and suspense, pathos and all that, plus it was just a whole lotta fun to watch. I should mention that it's not the *happiest* story ever told. If you're looking for sugary sweet stories, go elsewhere.
IMHO, Memento has a lot to tell us about how we think, how know, and how much we can trust our memories.
Time Walker (1982)
Being a Boring, Bad Film
This movie is also a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. This makes sense.
There are some IMDb users that have said this is a *good* movie. I try, but I fail to comprehend this. See, I agree that there are *some* movies that, although bad, could actually be sort of interesting to watch if you take away Joel and the bots.
But this film isn't one of them. Perhaps it's that I watch Doctor Who and these people don't. Even a really *bad* Doctor Who episode is better than this film.
Summary: This is a really, *really* bad movie. The worst aspects of this movie are: the acting, the manner in which they attempt to create suspense and tension (but only achieve boredom and apathy), and the incidental music.
Close after in "badness" are the special effects and the plot. To my knowledge, there are *no* really good aspects to this film...
Oh wait, I got one: the "TV's Frank Home Shopping Network" at the end of the Mystie episode wouldn't have been possible if it had not been inspired by the artifact in the movie.