Films From Past Week

Memento - four and a half stars

This is a hands down amazing film. Some people might be more familiar with this director's other films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In this film Christopher Nolan tackles what others might consider impossible. As it was told to me, Nolan came up with this idea while on a family road trip. His brother Johnathan Nolan, which assisted in writing Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was discussing a short story he wanted to write. The story was about a man with a brain condition that made it impossible for him to develop new memories. He developed this condition when his wife was allegedly murdered. Apparently the man walked in while his wife was being rapped, and he was hit over the head. Thus, the physical and mental trauma developed this brain condition. Subsequently, the man tries to find his wife's killer and murder him. Furthermore, the story is told in reverse order. Consequently, the reader would experience something similar to the main character. They would know where he was going, where he was going to end up, but they would have no idea what led him to that place. Again, this was designed to be a short story, and it sounds impossible for the screen. The whole time Johnathan was explaining the story, Christopher kept saying, "I want this to be a movie." So, he made it a movie even before his brother finished the story.

There is one quote in the film the captures it's entire purpose, and I somewhat used it already. In the beginning of the film Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), the man with the condition, explains to Burt (Mark Boone Junior), the man at the motel front desk, that he has a condition where he can not generate new memories. Burt explains that he has already told him about it. Then Burt says, "It's like you know where you're going, but you don't know where you've been." The movie is then filmed to model this. It starts with the last image of the story. Then it shows the immediately previous memory. In the beginning the memories are maybe ten to fifteen minutes long, but as the film progresses the memories become shorter.

By the end of the film, which is the beginning of the story, it is revealed a local cop named John "Teddy" Gammell (Joe Pantoliano) who has been helping Lenny has actually been lying to him for years. In the beginning of the film, the end of the story, Lenny is shown shooting Teddy in the face. Thus, leaving the audience to wonder, "Why would he shoot the cop who is helping him?" The obvious assumption is that Lenny's condition has made him incredibly confused. Teddy actually states this before he is about to be shot. However, Teddy has been lying to Lenny. Apparently, Teddy helped Lenny kill his wife's murderer - a certain John G. - years ago. However, Lenny did not remember it; therefore, he started searching for another John G. Teddy then started selecting John G.'s that were criminals in order to satisfy Lenny, while getting bad guys off the streets. However, what is even more disturbing is that Lenny's wife may not have been murdered. Because of Lenny's condition he may have given his wife too much medication. Teddy reveals all of this to Lenny, but says it does not matter because Lenny will not remember. However, Lenny keeps notes, lots of clever notes and pictures to remind himself. He realizes Teddy's real name is John Gammel like the John G. he has been looking for. Consequently, Lenny scribbles another note to himself saying that John G.'s license plate is Teddy's license plate. He also writes on Teddy's picture that he is a liar and not to be trusted. Thus, it is revealed why Teddy is killed.

Honestly, I have some philosophical problems with this film. Lenny and Teddy are going around the country murdering people. Teddy, of course, receives punishment, and rightly so because he has essentially been orchestrating all these murders. Furthermore, once Teddy is dead Lenny may not have the ability to seek out anymore John G.'s. However, I would prefer to see Lenny receive some kind of punishment or separation from society. However, what is also disturbing is that Lenny could have killed Teddy right when he told him the truth. Instead, Lenny sets up another little chase for himself. Either he is admitting that Teddy should not be killed, or that he would like to play detective again. Regardless of these problems I maintain that Memento gets four and a half stars because of the amazing accomplishment presented in a thrilling engrossing manner. Slowly, I believe I am coming to realize it is fine for a film to be entertaining. It does not make the film art, it does not make it great, but it also does not make the film filth. Memento lacks philosophically, but it is a grand achievement worth praising. The lack of message is not cause enough to cast it aside.

Step Brothers - Two stars

Come on Will Ferrel. What is going on. Anchorman - hilarious. Blades of Glory - hilarious. Talladega Nights - kind of funny. That stupid basketball movie I cannot remember the name of - horrible. Step Brothers - not much better. My cousin gave this movie the perfect description - more misses than hits, but when it hit, it hit well. I would think two grown men acting like fourteen year old would be hilarious. Unfortunately, it got kind of boring. It was the same jokes over and over again. They are teenage boys that like weird toys. They want to stay home and eat Cheeto's, while also starting an enormous entertainment company. They like Chewbacca masks and porno. Their older brother is an asshole. All fine and good the first time around, but then enough is enough. There were plenty of missed opportunities like when Dale (John C. Reilly) first had sex. That should be huge in the mind of a teenager, but it was barely discussed.

The one place Step Brothers is earning stars is theme. Unfortunately, it comes late in the film, which appears to be the standard with these frat pack comedies. The message is that people should be who they are, and it is perfectly captured when Brennan (Ferrel) and Dale become productive members of society that no longer like singing, drumming, shark week, boats, or hos. The father (Richard Jenkins) can not stand the sight of his son and stepson being destroyed, so he tells the story about how he wanted to be a dinosaur and his father told him not to be. Brennan and Dale then embrace their true identities, which really means they do what they want to do, the like and do what makes them happy. In turn, they actually become successful. Their world wide entertainment business does not get that large, but they open karaoke lounges across the state. Success is the realization of one's values, meaning success is being happy, and that is exactly what happened to Brennan and Dale.

Mystic River - four stars

What starts as a film concerning another police case develops into a story of small town organized crime. The majority of the story focuses on the police investigation of the murder of Katie Markum (Emmy Rossum), and whether or not a strange acting Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) committed the murder. The whole event reunites three childhood friends, Dave Boyle, James Markum (Sean Penn), and Sean Devin (Kevin Bacon). James is obviously the father of the victim, and Sean is the state police detective investigating the case. Over time it becomes clearer and clearer that Dave probably murdered Katie. He saw her in the last bar she was in on the night in question. On that night he returns home late with someone else's blood on him and a cut across his torso. He acts strangely and seems to descend into insanity talking about werewolves and vampires. When it appears clear to James that Dave is the culprit the unknown organized crime angle is revealed. James has some of his local partners in crime get Dave drunk at the beach where he then murders him at night fall. However, at the very same time Sean captures Katie's true murderers. Apparently, Dave did not murder Katie or the mugger he suggested but a known pedophile. Consequently, Sean is now looking for Dave. James then reveals he murdered Dave, but Sean does nothing. Annabeth Markum (Laura Linny) James' wife then thanks him for killing Dave even though he was innocent because it shows what he will do for his family. She then gives an excellent Lady MacBeth-esque speech about how he could be king of the town. The final seen shows Sean on one side of the street and James on the other side while at a parade. Sean then aims his finger like a gun and pulls the trigger. James only holds up his hands as if to say, "What do you want."

Usually, I find that these crime thrillers meet par maybe three to three and half stars. However, there is something else going on in this film. The whole development of James as the father of a victim to crime thug is interesting. There is only the slightest hint of his nature at the beginning when he is depicted as an eight year old talking back to an alleged cop. The story line concerning whether or not Dave is the murder is also somewhat thrilling; however, it relies on the fact that the movie does not show you one scene. It only shows you the scene as a flashback when Dave is about to be murdered. I would rather see this alibi scene in chronological order. Then the film might evoke a different feeling. Instead of a thrilling suspicion of Dave a hatred for all the other characters who suspect him with limited evidence. This theme concerning the need for evidence in punishing criminals, a theme of presumed innocent until proven guilty, is already in the film. The ending, of course, is all about this. Additionally, there is a fantastic scene where Sean's partner Whitey Powers (Luarence Fishburn) impounds Dave's car as if it were stolen. Basically, he steals the car with police force and ingenuity. He then processes the car finding multiple blood types. One belongs to Dave and the other is the same blood type as Katie. However, it is also the same blood type as the pedophile Dave killed. Powers asks Dave about this blood in the trunk, but Dave outsmarts his plan. He points out that the car was allegedly stolen; therefore, the people who stole the car must have done something because he knows nothing about it. Circumventing police procedures that protect liberty does not pay in the end.

The element I thought could use more development is the relation of the beginning to the rest of the story. As a child Dave is abducted by someone posing to be a police officer. This is what makes him act strange. All the physical and mental trauma damaged him for life. This does provide some motivation for killing the pedophile, for he was sexually abused during the abduction. However, the pedophile story is only revealed at the end of the movie. The event also casts suspicion on Dave. Being a victim of child molestation makes him more likely to sexually abuse and murder others. Another connection between the early childhood event and the rest of the movie is that all three characters were together when Dave is abducted. After that they do not remain friends. There is only the casual hello around the neighborhood. However, Katie's murder brings are three individuals back into the same story line. These are all the dots I see in relation to that scene and the whole storyline, but I do not see how they connect. Maybe I am missing something. I am sure to watch the movie again at some later point. Laura Linny's Lady MacBeth, Sean Penn's attire when he murder's Dave, and the ending parade scene are enough motivation for me alone. Maybe at that point I will understand why the story is about Dave's abduction.