This is topic MEMENTO in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 04-02-2001, 01:29 PM:
talk about confusing.
i have to see this movie again.
trying to figure out what happens earlier and what happened next is fun.
Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 04-05-2001, 02:41 PM:
Agreed, this is one of the most engrossing engaging movies I have ever seen in my life. I have seen it twice and have dissected it with my friend in two hour long talks and we still have to see it again.
****SPOILERS AHEAD*** (Dont read if you haven't seen the movie)
**************
I was just wonder whats your opinion on Lenny actually being Sammy Jenkins and he is the one that actually killed his wife. She never died in the assault, his memories are just a little bit screwed up. My friend thinks this is the way it happens, but I think sammy jenkins is another person entirely. Thing that really beats my theory is when he pinches his wife on the leg in the flashback, and then they cut to sammy killing his wife with the syringe. Hmph.
Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 04-05-2001, 05:37 PM:
I really dont know.
I followed the movie pretty well until that point.
It was when all the "you are sammy jenkis" "you killed your wife" stuff started happening that i started to lose myself.
ill have to see it again.
and again.
and then buy it and watch it a few more times.
Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 04-13-2001, 08:51 PM:
I found it interesting.I think Sammy is someone else all together.
He said that he could remember things up to the point of the accident. He just couldn't make new memories.
Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 04-14-2001, 03:56 AM:
** SPOILERS **After seeing it three times, I've got my theory. There is no Sammy Jenkis. Lenny actually killed the killer who raped his wife (You know by the picture where he is so happy, AND if you look closely toward the end of the movie, Lenny is lying with his wife and he has a tatoo on his left breast saying "I've done it" just like he told Natalie he would put there when he killed John G.) He then lived his life like Sammy's where his wife couldn't believe it. His wife eventually kills herself by way of the needle from lenny (Just like Sammy's wife). Teddy was an original cop on the case and its closed. But Lenny somehow forgets that he has done all this, and gets his memory mixed up with Sammy. Teddy now tries to use Lenny to kill Jimmy G, Natalies b/f. Lenny does kill him but Teddy does not get the money that Jimmy was carrying. (Remember how several times Teddy tries to get Lenny's car.) Lenny (dressed as Jimmy with his car) now goes to the bar because he finds the cup thing in his pocket. Natalie gets mad at first and can't believe that Lenny could drive up like that with Jimmy's car/stuff on, but realizes that Lenny is messed up, and then uses Lenny to enact revenge on Teddy who tried to get the money Jimmy had. Dodd is just a sort of sidetrack because Lenny killed Jimmy. Natalie finally does get Lenny to kill Teddy (We see it at the very beginning of the movie.) And then the movie I guess sort of finishes, or starts, or something. Its kinda sad because Lenny is always going to be killing John G.'s since he always forgets that he killed one before. Whew, sorry that took so long.
Posted by Kyle Abel (Member # 819) on 06-06-2001, 03:36 AM:
Sorry to bring up this thread again, but wouldn't you love to get a print of this, chop up the clips, and put them back together IN ORDER? Just for S&G's?------------------
Kyle Abel
General Manager
Plano Movies 10
Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 06-06-2001, 03:43 AM:
That's what DVD is for :P
Posted by Jonathan Haglund (Member # 807) on 06-06-2001, 05:02 AM:
The real issue here is wether or not Lenny is psychologically lying about all of this memory business. Let me explain....A person who can not make new memories would not be able to remember a diagnosis telling them they can't make new memories. So how is it that Lenny is always able to tell people he has this condition. He shouldn't be able to know that himself. And his little note about remembering Sammy wouldn't help because it doesn't link Sammy's situation to his own.
I think the confrontation between Lenny and Teddy cured Lenny of his "condition" and from there on was faking it with a little bit of psychological help.
-Jonathan
Posted by John Lasher (Member # 968) on 10-29-2001, 11:34 PM:
According to an article in our local paper the filmmakers wanted it to be a loose end wether or not Lenny is actually Sammy Jankis. 
Something interesting
In the black and white scene where we see Sammy in the mental institution, there is an orderly(?) pushing a cart past where Sammy is sitting. Look very closely in this scene and for a split second you will see a color image of Lenny sitting in the same spot.
Also try this. Go to the film's web site www.otnemem.com and click on "HTML version, a news article pops up which states that Lenny was committed to a mental hospital from which he escaped.
It was a very smart idea to scramble the movie up like that for 2 reasons:
1) It creates a very memorable film which you want to see over and over to try and figure out how the damn thing goes. (MAN! I wish I'd made that movie)
2) On the first viewing you begin each scene knowing no more than Lenny knows about what has just happened.
Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 10-30-2001, 12:42 AM:
you know, i tried to rearrange the chapters to watch it in order, which would of course have the black and white scenes played first in the order they were shown and then the rest of it in reverse order, but the chapter stops dont allow for this.
i was hoping theyd separate them all.
too bad i guess.
Posted by Daniel Boisson (Member # 1027) on 10-30-2001, 01:52 PM:
i bought the dvd, and after watching it many times, i'm starting to understand everything. I think this is gonna be one of those films that 'movie' people will still talk about as far as being unique.------------------
...My brain's always wrapped...
Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 11-10-2001, 02:29 AM:
I just saw the movie today. And I agree with Aldo's theory, for the most part. The only part I'm not sure on is if Lenny IS Sammy, but that's the point of the movie isn't it? To keep you guessing...and guessing...and guessing...
Posted by Mitchell Cope (Member # 32) on 01-28-2002, 11:01 PM:
Raising this movie back up to the top in case anybody has short term memory problems when the Oscar votes are cast. Though a mental exercise to watch, one of the most innovative films in recent memory. 24,000 voters put this up in the top 10 of the best films ever made (IMDb). Worthy of some Oscar consideration wouldn't you think?
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 02-04-2002, 10:14 AM:
Plenty of Spoilers....
Just saw this film on DVD. I love this kind of thing. It kept my attention for every second. I think Aldo's interpretation is acurate. I do believe there was a Sammy, but was in know way connected like Lenny had him connected. Maybe he was a shrink? I think that Lenny and his wife did survive and that Lenny did kill her with the injections. The odds of there being two people with that same extremely rare disease are to great for it to have played the way Lenny had it "remembered".
Good movie
By the way, Costco has this for sale currently------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut http://www.muellersatomics.com/
Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 05-10-2002, 06:16 PM:
I loved it! I wonder if it will really hold up to subsequent viewings..?BTW, I am told that a forthcoming "Ultimate Edition DVD" will offer an option to watch the movie in chronological order.
I find it odd that this did not occur to them in the first place. Frankly, I am getting tired of buying DVD's and then having to buy them all over again when the next super-duper version comes along. It's gotten to where I fear that the studios are deliberately trying to sell a movie twice.
(This RANT! is continued in Yak...Please see "So Nice! Buy It Twice!")
------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.
~Manny.
Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 03-21-2004, 05:25 PM:
A friend of mine brought this movie over last night and me and 7 friends watched it. Wow! This is one of the more interesting movies I've seen lately. One thing is for sure. You can't get everything on the first viewing, and you have to pay attention through the entire movie.
When I saw the picture "undeveloping" in the opening scene, I knew the events in the movie were going to be presented backwards.
It's a neat way to tell a story.
Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 03-22-2004, 03:45 PM:
this is probably old news, but...
The chronological order of the movie can be seen in the special edition DVD (the one cased in the blue medical folder):
--Insert Disc two from the Limited Edition set, then select the clock.
--Select answer "c" 5 times (The actual answers have nothing to do with the navigation)
--When you reach the question where you put the pictures in order of the woman fixing her tire, put them in REVERSE order (3, 4, 1, 2), rather than the correct order, and you will be taken to the Chronological version of the film, complete with backwards credits and the opening scene in forward motion.
From what I remember, you can't skip chapters, or pause the movie in this mode, but it's been awhile.
-adam