Memento - JigSaw Game using Memories, Shutter Island- Mind Trapped

Memento:

Memento means reminder of past events. We also have a  Memento Java Behavioral Design Pattern  which is used in various applications e.g. MS Word where we have the undo , redo operations . The undo redo can also be implemented using a Command Pattern..but the behavior resembles Memento. I am anyways not discussing the techy stuff.. just it cropped up in my mind...thats all. So what does the movie "Memento" focus on ? Exactly what the word means...i.e. this guy who is not able to store any new memories after his wife's death, makes use of a pattern in his life to store the information he wants to know to avenge his wife's killer. Pattern involves a list of tatoos, photos, information cards.. etc etc..

The movie begins with 'the end'. :) yeah...it does.. This guy shoots a person whom he finally thinks of as his wife's killer. What unravels after that, is the series of past events interrelated with the current ones which tells you the whole story of this guy Leonard...

The movie is like  a Jigsaw puzzle , which means it is very very tricky to edit (not even shoot.. you can shoot the scenes in any order..but editing it and making it in such a way as to not confuse the viewer and also to bring out the details of the story ... whew!!!! I am not sure how many times the editor had to watch the scenes to make it fit in the jigsaw puzzle so as to not contort the final image.. have you every played a JigSaw Puzzle game ? unless you put the pieces in a particular order you will get confused.. it is a nice game for the brain.. try it out as a stress buster sometime).. Coming back to the movie.. This movie is really a master piece.. no doubt. I know I am watching this movie very late , but better late than never. It did cost me my sleep yday night..but it was damn worth every second of it..... the movie actually travels in the reverse direction with each scene telling how things happened for the previously shown scene... and then comes back to present time and then again the next scene shows how the previously shown scene happened... கொழப்புதோ? well you have to watch the movie man!!! its amazing... Above all what dumbfounded me was that it ain't confusing... that makes it for a master piece..

There are a few quotes which I really loved.
I dont remember now the place where he says it (may be a coffee shop or something) but he says to Teddy..."Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts." How very true :) This line is proven in a Paint Ad.. I am not sure of which paint it was (Asian Paints or Nippon Paints or whatever...) where தாத்தா ஒண்ணு சொல்வாரு அப்புறம் பாட்டி அதையே சரியா சொல்வாங்க. அந்த தாத்தாவுக்கு முக்கியமா கலர் மறந்துடும் அவரு அதை வேற கலரா ஞாபகம் வச்சிருபாறு  something like that.. It is highly possible to alter your memory to store a scene in a way you want it to be remembered....Have you tried something like that ? :) Its tricky and risky..but interesting..


and this one in the place where he meets Natalie,
"Just because there are things I don't remember doesn't make my actions meaningless. The world doesn't just disappear when you close your eyes, does it?" . When you read the last sentence (the world ...... aren't you reminded of a tamizh proverb ? பூனை கண்ணை மூடினால் உலகம் இருண்டிடாது  ) and various others..

 A word about the ending.... you can never expect that.. that is where I really liked Christopher Nolan :) I was like "Oh My God!!! whats this!!!" You have to watch this movie with all your concentration.. any single scene you miss, you might miss something in the puzzle... You will keep wondering why !!!... For e.g. There is this scene where Natalie is dumping garbage in the bin and she sees a car driving up near her. She addresses the guy in the car without even looking at the person driving, as Jimmy and speaks as if she is speaking to Jimmy.. and then when she realizes that it isnt him..she apologizes and walks away... I was wondering why she would do something like that, is it because she knew someone who had the same kind of car ? ... well I am not going to tell you why she did that...but it comes almost at the end of the movie..

It is these small small knots that are unfastened and the small links that are placed all over the movie that makes it one of the best. I guess I can keep saying more.. but I am sure I will reveal all the important stuff if I do that.. so am going to stop here for now..

This is a definite must watch movie for everyone .. but mind you.. it plays tricks on your mind..So beware :) [Dont tell me later that I didnt tell you..]

Shutter Island:

Why do I have to watch both these movies within a short span of time ? Yday night I saw Memento and just now I completed Shutter Island.. and phew!!! I might go insane anytime now, unless I relax !!! too much of mind games :)

Right from the word Go, Shutter Island gets creepy and as and when the story progresses, it gets creepier... I am updating the same post to add a few words about this movie too.. I didnt want to add the number of posts to my blog ;)

Leonardo Dicaprio has aged well since his Titanic days... and Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley were awesome and scary !!! It is a psychological thriller and it really gives you the chills (not only due to the story) ...but since the place of action is an island, you have water everywhere..and people are either soaked because of getting wet due to rains, storms or just trying to swim to the light house ;). God!! what is with these people and rain and water... its already cold out here in Bangalore and this adds more chillness and makes me more shivering..

Do you know what exactly can be said of this story line... the statement of Leonard in Memento.... Memories can be distorted....and how!! well.. you gotta see this for yourself.. There were some moments when I was really wondering if I should see whatz going on or should I just hear what they speak.... I cannot write anything more..because any single information I give will give away the story itself.. So just one word.. Watch It!!! and watch it @ night , preferably alone... :)