Memento!!

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Memento!!

Thanks, I'll have to bookmark the link.

Before I read though, when you say the short story has "the murderer killing his wife," do you mean that is what Lenny thinks or that is what actually happens?

[CMH]

Re: Memento!!

I'm sorry. What I mean is he is hunting for the man that killed his wife.

Been a long while since I seen Memento but if I remember correctly, his wife is killed and he's searching for the killer, right?

Well, same scenario in the short story. It just all happens in different events because in the short story the protagonist is in a mental institution.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Memento!!

I'm sorry. What I mean is he is hunting for the man that killed his wife.

Been a long while since I seen Memento but if I remember correctly, his wife is killed and he's searching for the killer, right?

According to Lenny, yes.

[CMH]

Re: Memento!!

According to Lenny, yes.

Ah, yes. I don't want to post any spoilers but I will assume that you are referring to Teddy's story.

Yea, I'm not talking about what is true and what may be false. I'm only speaking on what the protagonist is trying to do in this particular story.

[marshallfever]

Re: Memento!!

I posted this in the thread i created, however this thread is much bigger has more insight:

Ok i had to watch this movie for my Philosophy class. Were discussing a unit on the World outside of one's self and answering questions like:

What is wrong with Lenny's way of getting at truth, his "system"? What makes his investigation pretty questionable?
How about his "condition" ... can you see any way in which his condition is analogous to the "human condition" in general? Is Lenny a lot like us in some ways? How so?
What do you make of how the ending connects with the rest of the film? How does Lenny manipulate himself in the process of his search for "truth"? Is he really after truth?

I walked away quite stunned. I mean the way the movie plays is unlike any other movie i've seen before. It starts off at the end and plays backwards, but its not you usually story being told from a flashback, the whole movie plays its scenes backward, which is a real trip. A very interesting method of telling a story. So we're in this event not knowing how we got there, and the next scene is the scene to what got us to that event we just saw. The entire movie plays like that except for the Black and White parts.

I'm pretty sure most of you are wondering what the movie is about by now. Its about a Guy who was in an incident that ruined his short term memory. He can't recall what he did 5 mins ago or even the people he spoke to 5 mins before hand. The crazy part is that hes after his wifes killer, so you can imagine how intensive it gets when your after someone and you can barely remember why your after that person or where your at, at that one moment.


Spoilers











What really got me was the scene were the Trinity from the Matrix came in and claimed that guy had beat her up. Yet when we were revealed the scene before that, she came in and had a fight with the main character. She went off calling him a ****** and cursing at him like it was no ones business. Calling his dead wife profanities.

Then he got angry and hit her. Then the most crucial scene of the movie in my opinion happened. She got up and laughed saying in less than 5 mins he would forget this and she would use him to her will. He then began to rush to find a pen and pencil to take down the note that she was crazy. She laughed and left the room, 5 mins later she walks in and hes like what happened, who beat you up? She then claims it was this other guy and she wants the Main character to go beat up this other character.










End Spoilers

Anyone else find that scene incredible? The way it played out was insane. Definitely a scene showing off how his method of keeping track of his surroundings was a complete failure.

I truly recommend this movie to anyone that like a action movie with some seriously thinking parts

[marshallfever]

Re: Memento!!

Has anybody seen Nolan's first film, Following?













SPOILERS









I haven't watched this movie for a couple months, but from the several viewings of it, my assessment is that there is no Sammy at all. I think that becomes pretty obvious as the film progresses, with the quick shot of Lenny "replacing" Sammy in the chair at the mental hospital and then of course Lenny and his wife in the same shots as Sammy and his wife. I think Lenny actually remembers giving his wife the insulin shots and in the back of his head realizes he killed his wife, but he choses to block those memories, instead choosing to "remember" his wife being raped and killed; therefore, he he has something to live for - which is to hunt for his wife's killer. It doesn't matter who they are, so long as he's looking for them. There are several pieces of dialogue that goes along with this. One is a blunt statement Teddy makes: You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth. Another is something Lenny says after Teddy checks his pulse and tells him he is living, to which Lenny replies: Only for revenge.











END SPOILERS

Wait a min, so your telling me the whole idea of his wife being raped and murdered never happned? And that infact Sammy Jenkins is really Lenny? That hes the one that killed his Wife? So where does this whole notation of murder come into play, and where da hell does he meet Teddy then?

I also figured Teddy was telling the truth, even from the beginning of the movie. Teddy told him at the end or the beginning, what ever you want to call it that he helped Lenny get the bums that killed his wife ages ago. Did the bums really kill his wife or did Lenny do so by like his Sammy Jenkins story?

And thinking about it now, why would Natile decide to help him towards the beginning? I mean when they reveal her motives its definietly not cause she likes Lenny. Did she know Teddy was John G?

I guess i never really looked at it as Lenny being Sammy as well as the whole murdering of his wife being false.

Christpher Nolan is truly a genious. His movies rock. Loved the Prestige (except for the whole Clone thing) and Batman Begins was pure greatness

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Memento!!

No, I think Lenny's wife was raped, but she survived. Lenny obviously survived too, but was traumatized by the whole thing, possibly not remembering any of it immediately after. This is where the "remember Sammy Jankiss" story comes into play, because if you replace that story with Lenny and his wife, Lenny would be the one to actually kill her. I think Lenny conditioned himself into not remembering his wife being alive, much less killing her himself, after the rape and conditioned himself into thinking that she was raped and murdered. This lifted the guilt off of him and gave him something to live for and a life of meaning, even if he didn't "remember it." It didn't matter to Lenny who killed his wife, but he just wanted somebody to die.

I think Teddy actually told Lenny that he had helped him get the guys that raped his wife, I don't think he said anything about killing her. And like Teddy says, he gave Lenny the police report and it was complete - no blackouts at all.

Its been a month or so since I've watched this, but I think Teddy had something to do with Natalie's boyfriend, which turned out bad for the boyfriend, so she obviously wanted revenge and was simply manipulating Lenny. I don't think she was being nice to Lenny just to be nice, but because she wanted him to kill Teddy at the end of the movie.

But like I said in your thread from yesterday, a lot of the crucial "evidence" is in the off-the-cuff remarks that, if you don't pay attention, will be completely swept under the rug as the movie progresses.

[marshallfever]

Re: Memento!!

No, I think Lenny's wife was raped, but she survived. Lenny obviously survived too, but was traumatized by the whole thing, possibly not remembering any of it immediately after. This is where the "remember Sammy Jankiss" story comes into play, because if you replace that story with Lenny and his wife, Lenny would be the one to actually kill her. I think Lenny conditioned himself into not remembering his wife being alive, much less killing her himself, after the rape and conditioned himself into thinking that she was raped and murdered. This lifted the guilt off of him and gave him something to live for and a life of meaning, even if he didn't "remember it." It didn't matter to Lenny who killed his wife, but he just wanted somebody to die.

I think Teddy actually told Lenny that he had helped him get the guys that raped his wife, I don't think he said anything about killing her. And like Teddy says, he gave Lenny the police report and it was complete - no blackouts at all.

Its been a month or so since I've watched this, but I think Teddy had something to do with Natalie's boyfriend, which turned out bad for the boyfriend, so she obviously wanted revenge and was simply manipulating Lenny. I don't think she was being nice to Lenny just to be nice, but because she wanted him to kill Teddy at the end of the movie.

But like I said in your thread from yesterday, a lot of the crucial "evidence" is in the off-the-cuff remarks that, if you don't pay attention, will be completely swept under the rug as the movie progresses.

He hints to Lenny that Lenny killed his wife. Cause in the Sammy Jankins story, Sammy killed his wife by overdosing her insulant. Teddy said something about Lenny really being Sammy and that the real Sammy was a faker and didn't have a wife.

Now its hinted that Lenny's wife is the one that tried what Sammy Jankin's wife tried on Sammy. Not sure how to explain it, but i'm pretty sure he killed his wife, but not on purpose, like the Sammy story.

[Village Idiot]

Re: Memento!!

My first Blu-ray movie was this one. One the best 100 or 200 films ever, imo.

[mgoblue]

Re: Memento!!

My first Blu-ray movie was this one. One the best 100 or 200 films ever, imo.

My first Blu-ray purchase (got Spiderman 3 free), and just watched it...had been years since I last saw it, and still great and trips me out...

I'm gonna have to watch it again and really try and look deeply, makes you think! I think he really was Sammy Jenkis though, and everything else was made up....Natalie just used him because she knew he killed Jimmy.

[marshallfever]

Re: Memento!!

No, I think Lenny's wife was raped, but she survived. Lenny obviously survived too, but was traumatized by the whole thing, possibly not remembering any of it immediately after. This is where the "remember Sammy Jankiss" story comes into play, because if you replace that story with Lenny and his wife, Lenny would be the one to actually kill her. I think Lenny conditioned himself into not remembering his wife being alive, much less killing her himself, after the rape and conditioned himself into thinking that she was raped and murdered. This lifted the guilt off of him and gave him something to live for and a life of meaning, even if he didn't "remember it." It didn't matter to Lenny who killed his wife, but he just wanted somebody to die.

I think Teddy actually told Lenny that he had helped him get the guys that raped his wife, I don't think he said anything about killing her. And like Teddy says, he gave Lenny the police report and it was complete - no blackouts at all.

Its been a month or so since I've watched this, but I think Teddy had something to do with Natalie's boyfriend, which turned out bad for the boyfriend, so she obviously wanted revenge and was simply manipulating Lenny. I don't think she was being nice to Lenny just to be nice, but because she wanted him to kill Teddy at the end of the movie.

But like I said in your thread from yesterday, a lot of the crucial "evidence" is in the off-the-cuff remarks that, if you don't pay attention, will be completely swept under the rug as the movie progresses.

I forgot about this thread, well after discussing the movie in class earlier this year, you were right.

His wife didn't die during the time she was raped; and thats also where he got his trauma "incident" from. However if were to believe Teddy and also the Sammy Jenkins story then Lenny definitely killed his wife with the insolent by accident.

The story was so well weaved that the whole entire ride was a true roller coaster. Theres so much that can be discussed here. Can memories be altered, is there a real sense of truth, or is truth anything you make of it?

I recommended the movie to my friend as well as my cousin and they loved it. Whats good about it, is that its entertaining on a certain level and also challenging at the same time. Takes some thought and laved things opened up for suggestion.

Christopher Nolan is a terrific director.