Memento

Short-term memory loss haunts a man out to avenge his wife's death in this mesmerizing, deconstructionist film noir thinker. Emulating the fact that the main character--played with intense tension and frustration by Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential)--cannot form any new memories and only retains information for a few minutes at a time, the story is told in reverse, beginning with Pearce's brutal murder of a cop named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano). Writer-director Christopher Nolan then takes us back in time a few minutes to learn why he killed Teddy, then back in time again and again, building a mystery out of all the steps that led Pearce from broken-hearted insurance broker to cold-blooded revenge killer. Nothing and no one in this ingenious film is what they seem, and like Fight Club, The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects, the surprises in store once Memento reaches the "beginning" are so intensely mind-warping that wanting to watch all the puzzle pieces fall into place again immediately after the credits roll is almost an involuntary reflex. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: Depending on your penchant for puzzles, you will either find the interface on the "limited edition" double-disc ($27.95) to be loads of fun or a royal pain in the butt (my take). Packaged as a faux psychiatric report on Leonard Shelby's (Pearce) case, the first disc contains the film, with a DTS soundtrack added to the original release's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (although you have to select words embedded in a word chart to set up your viewing options--which might be fun the first time, but…), as well as a rather lethargic director's commentary. The second disc is the killer: here viewers are presented with a screen full of objects which, when clicked, lead to a series of questions in a psychological battery, eventually uncovering the special features (if the final test is answered correctly for each goodie). And what are these gems? What I found was the original short story by Jonathan Nolan, the director's shooting script, the 25-minute Sundance Channel "making of" and some "hidden" features, such as a gallery of props used in the film. But the real reason to upgrade from the initial Memento release on DVD (which includes a "making of" featurette that I wasn't able to find here) is the ability to play the film in chronological order (on disc two select the clock from the third row, click any answer on the following questions until you reach the picture puzzle, and then select the pictures in this order: 3, 4, 1, 2). Unfortunately, you can't skip chapters or use the scan button, but this feature will definitely be welcomed by the film's legion of fans. Highly recommended.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 15, 2011—Lionsgate, 113 min., R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2000's Memento features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Christopher Nolan, an “Anatomy of a Scene” featurette (25 min.), an IFC interview with Nolan (24 min.), a retrospective interview with Nolan (8 min.), the original “Memento Mori” short story by the filmmaker's brother Jonathan Nolan, a gallery of tattoo sketches, “Leonard's Journal” stills, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for one of the first classic films of the 21st century.]