21st Century Evolution: Memento

Not long ago, BBC Culture released a list of the Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century, in an effort to prove that cinema as an art form has not died, like most people say it has, but instead has just evolved. This is a sentiment I completely agree with so in an effort to support the cause, I have created this series, "21st Century Evolution." Over the next 6 months, I will be posting a review of the top 25 on this list, going in order from 25 to 1. I will not be doing all 100, as that may be too much of a burden for now. On queue for today: Christopher Nolan's second feature-length film, Memento.

Memento

"We all lie to ourselves to be happy."

Memento is and was Christopher Nolan's, director of the 2000s Batman trilogy, breakout film. And what a great way to start, indeed. Memento's story is a work of pure genius, an airtight puzzle that's thrilling and intriguing the whole way through. My only quarrel with this movie is occasionally boring cinematography that could've been a bit more creative and a few missed opportunities for really great editing. To start though, let's talk about the story. Memento's plot revolves around Leonard Shelby, nicknamed Lenny by most characters, an ex-claims investigator who suffers from retrograde amnesia, a disease that allows the victim to remember things before the trigger event but does not allow new memories to form. This makes his current endeavor difficult, as trying to find the person who killed and raped your wife would seem to require the creation of new memories. Despite this, Lenny uses a system of photographs, notes, and tattoos to collect and remember clues. If I talk for much more about the story it would spoil it quite a bit, so let's move on to the most interesting part about Memento, how the story is presented. Memento is very unconventional in the sense that the first scene is actually the end of the movie. The scenes are then presented backwards, each one starting where the one after ends and ending where the one before begins. Spliced in between these scenes are black and white scenes that progress chronologically as they should. As a first time viewer, this confused me for the first few minutes until I eventually got the hold of it. Most first time viewers will, but that might mean you have to rewind because you missed out on some information. Now to some who are hearing about this for the first time, this might be dismissed as just a gimmick. But, surprisingly, it works to the story's extreme favor. If you recall, Lenny has retrograde amnesia, meaning new memories can't be formed. Lenny can't remember what he did 5 or 10 minutes ago, let alone where this search for his wife's murderer began. This means that as we watch the movie, we're just as in the dark about the situation as Lenny is. We know nothing and won't have reasonable explanations for the events that just took place until the next scene. This is, in my opinion, a genius idea. Besides, anyone who's watched Memento themselves know that if Memento had been presented from beginning to end like a traditional movie, twists would be expected (yes, another part of this movie's genius is it's ability to work in a "The Usual Suspects" level of wow twist despite starting at the end) or not have as much weight as they should. The character would also be obnoxious and we wouldn't be able to connect to him because of our inability to understand what he's experiencing. Nolan lets us experience that. Now that I'm done praising the movie's genius, allow me to elaborate on the critiques I have for it. First thing I mentioned was the cinematography. While not inappropriate, I feel like a lot more could've been done with how scenes were shot. Most of the shots in Memento consist of a tripod shot of whoever's talking or wherever the action's at. Sometimes there are tracking shots when characters are moving around, but other than that there's not much variation. The editing I won't go over much, as it's almost as good as the story, but I do believe it's worth noting that sometimes cuts between scenes are ill-timed and sometimes they're perfectly timed. Luckily, the timing is generally very good, but when it's not it can stick out like a sore thumb. All in all, I don't have enough complaints about the movie for it's score to be affected much, and the story is too fantastic to lend a bad score. Thus, my final rating for Memento is a solid 8/10.

Double Feature: The Royal Tenenbaums and A Clockwork Orange

Numbers flash, counting down to picture start. Welcome to the Double Feature. Long delayed, though finally here, welcome to the Friday Night Double Feature with me, your humble critic, Conor McDaniel. Previously on Double Feature we reviewed two movies by Wes Anderson, and this time around we have yet another film by him coupled with Stanley Kubrick's 1971 masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange. Let's get into it.

The Royal Tenenbaums

"Of course it's dark, it's a suicide note."

The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 drama/comedy directed by Wes Anderson and written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson, and is, in my opinion, a lot darker than usual. Most critics consider The Life Aquatic to be the black sheep of the bunch, as discussed last time, but this one has always been the odd one out for me. Do I hate it? No. On my first viewing I did enjoy it less than the others, but it has since grown on me to the point of loving it dearly. The story is simple, following the lives of now grown-up child prodigies who's amazing talent has been generally forgotten by the world, but the topics and themes it deals with are a lot more mature than usual. While not his first or only film to deal with the theme of death (The Darjeeling Limited is pretty death centered at times), it is indeed his only film to deal with the topic of suicide, which is odd. Some put it down to Owen Wilson's depression and recent suicide attempt, but the true cause is unknown. Most of the darker themes come later in the movie, following Richie Tenenbaum's suicide attempt. In terms of tonal shift, I found this one to be a little jolting due to the fact that the first half of the movie was as lighthearted as one would usually expect from Wes. This being said, the themes it does deal with are dealt with well and aren't taken to an overly dark extreme, allowing for the movie to still be lighthearted. And in every other sense, the movie still sticks to the recognizable Anderson style with zany characters, incredible set pieces, and deadpan delivery. If you're a Wes Anderson fan and you haven't seen this movie, don't be surprised if you don't take a liking to it at first. A few more open-minded watches will lead you to enjoy it just as much as the rest of his portfolio. With all this in mind, I give it a final rating of 7/10. It's certainly a departure from his usual method of storytelling, but not in a bad way. Definitely worth a watch.

A Clockwork Orange

"It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen."

A Clockwork Orange is the 1971 cinematic masterpiece written and directed by the one and only Stanley Kubrick, an adaptation of the book by Anthony Burgess. The story follows the actions of Alex as he roams the streets of a futuristic England. The movie was released to much controversy over it's depiction of ultra violence and nudity, but has since become a cult classic praised by critics and audiences alike, and with good reason. As with all other Kubrick works, the movie is very surreal and strange, though doesn't leave as much up for interpretation as movies such as Eyes Wide Shut and 2001: A Space Odyssey. That isn't to say it doesn't still have it's fair share of symbolism and allegory. One thing it does have that other Kubrick films don't is the use of a constructed language, Nadsat, the same one from the book. This is something that one can both love or hate about the film. Personally, I loved that he took the time and effort to understand and work in the language of the book because it shows just how dedicated Kubrick is to his craft. But on the flipside, I can also see how it would be annoying. The language is very confusing at times, and can often cause a person to miss out on completely understanding what's happening without a Nadsat dictionary. It's influences and sources are many and is thus relatively understandable. If, of course, you know Russian and Cockney rhyming slang, which is where most of it's influence comes from. Sometimes it's easy to understand, such as with words like guttiwuts or eggiweggs, but most of the time it involves words like devotchka, droog, and cutter, words you'd have to know Russian or, hell, Nadsat itself to understand ("cutter" itself being a word invented by Burgess). This doesn't detract from the film, though, as it is an adaptation, but can lead to slight confusion. As for the movie itself, it's a very odd thing, but in a good way. The opening shot itself can be used to provide a good summary of what you're in for. The first scene shows Alex in a milk bar, this milk being somewhat like the drugs of the era, as that's literally what the milk is infused with. The wall is covered in Nadsat slang and the milk is being dispensed from the bosoms of nude statues of women, all while Alex narrates. This is, more or less, what the movie boils down to. Nadsat, sex, drugs, and violence galore, all while Alex narrates. This combined leads to a drug trip of an experience, but one that will leave you entertained the whole way through. It also showcases Kubrick's ability to evoke emotion and feeling with lighting and camera angles very well, this time around causing intense feelings of unease on par with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and in a way that you can't stop watching. Yet another masterpiece by one of the gods of film himself, Stanley Kubrick. Thus, A Clockwork Orange receives my rating of a 10/10.

Double Feature: Rushmore and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

The lights dim, the projector whirrs, welcome to this week's double feature.

Ah yes, the first of many. Welcome, one and all, to the Double Feature, which will hopefully be a weekly happening every Friday in which I review two movies, because why review just one at a time? On the roster for tonight are two movies from critically-acclaimed and well-awarded director, Wes Anderson. Settle in, grab some popcorn, and roll the footage.

Rushmore

"I saved Latin. What did you ever do?"

Rushmore is the second feature length film directed by Wes Anderson. The plot revolves around Max Fischer, an attendee at the prodigious Rushmore Academy. He struggles with his grades, having only gotten a scholarship after writing a hit play in the second grade, and is threatened with being thrown out if he doesn't get his grades up in time. The plot continues from there, and results in all sorts of things happening, most pivotal being his falling in love with a first grade teacher, this being the main driving force behind the movie. The plot is well put together, delightfully ridiculous, and everything that a Wes Anderson fan could possibly want or expect from him and his screenwriting buddy, Owen Wilson. While the movie relies a bit too much on montages in my opinion, the montages themselves are well-paced, well-crafted and well-coordinated. After all, this is the movie that most of his signature style draws origin from. Speaking of style, let's talk about just that. Wes Anderson's style is extremely recognizable, much like his movies (making it a pairing to rival chocolate and peanut butter). Any sound byte or freeze frame from his movie can easily be known as guaranteed, bonafide Anderson. The script, staging, everything works together fantastically. With only eight films in his filmography, "Wes Anderson" may as well be a genre in itself. Every shot is beautiful and wonderfully creative, this also being a result of the set design. While his later movies are, in my opinion, much more visually interesting in their utilization of bold, warm color schemes and contrast, the first two, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, are still just as recognizable. One way to describe a Wes Anderson movie is as a quirky children's storybook. They have a definite charm and simplicity to them that's paired with a bright and colorful atmosphere. Even the music reflects the charm of a child's storybook. Not to mention how quirky everything is. The characters, shot construction, music, everything is adorably quirky. This only serves to add to the comedy, and sometimes the drama, of the movie. All of these key elements are at play in Rushmore and they work together wonderfully, but it's quite evident that at this point his style still has some evolving to do. The soundtrack, as well, is perfect for this movie. The pieces composed by Mark Mothersbaugh are catchy, whimsical, and match the tone fantastically. His work could rival Danny Elfman. Overall, it's a fantastic movie in comparison to others, but not quite his best work. It doesn't have the same color or beauty as his later works and has a few pacing inconsistencies here and there. Thus, Rushmore gets a rating of 7/10.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

"Don't point that gun at him, he's an unpaid intern."

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the fourth feature-length film written and directed by Wes Anderson. For this movie, Wes departed from his usual screenwriting buddy Owen Wilson and teamed up with Noah Baumbach. While not his greatest film and receiving his lowest Rotten Tomatoes score to date, The Life Aquatic is definitely a personal favorite. The Life Aquatic follows Steve Zissou, once a world-renowned oceanographer but has since lost his touch. His newest documentary, "The Jaguar Shark Part 1," in which his long time friend and fellow oceanographer, Esteban, is eaten, is remarked by critics to feel "forced, unnatural, and artificial." Having lost the glory he once could revel in, Steve sets out to show the world the jaguar shark is real, but is interrupted by an unexpected visit from Ned Plimpton, who is supposedly the byproduct of one of Zissou's love affairs. Taking him aboard and along for the ride, Zissou and his crew face pirates, power shortages, asshole peers, and, once more, another passing. Though it's considered to be the black sheep of the "genre" of Wes Anderson upon it's first release and receiving a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's quite apparent to me that this is still a Wes Anderson movie. Deadpan line delivery, a fantastic score by Mothersbaugh, warm color schemes, the color yellow, it's all there. While I'll admit that it's certainly no Grand Budapest Hotel, I still greatly love The Life Aquatic. It's just as Wes Anderson as any of his other movies, along with the added benefit of fantastic stop motion provided by stop motion legend, Henry Selick. Every underwater scene is richly colored, boldly contrasted, and wonderfully animated (minus the actors of course). In conclusion, don't let the seemingly poor score drive you away from this movie. It's not his best work of course, but definitely worth a watch for any film or Anderson buff. With this in mind, The Life Aquatic gets my final score of 8/10.