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24. Memento (2001) D: Chris Nolan

Yeah, I know I've been fairly Brian-esque in my lack of blogging. I'm a big lame loser. Now, Memento, is without a doubt, the best "gimmick-movie" of all-time. Normally, I hate gimmicky type productions, for it is often used to distract the viewer from bad writing and acting. Here, however, we find a film in which the gimmick is derived from the situation, rather than a situation derived from a gimmick. (Just used the word gimmick in noun and adjective form way to many times.) It is fairly natural that the movie play itself out backwards, because our man Leonard is living his life that way. He knows where he is, but he doesn't know where he's been. He has a better sense of the future than of the past, and the viewer is constantly reminded of that as the film chugs along its backwards track. What elevates this movie from one-note thriller, and ultimate triumph, is the way in which the supporting characters manipulate Lenny's condition to satisfy their own ends. Carrie-Anne Moss's role is the best example of this. For not only does she use Leonard's amnesia, but she prey's upon his feelings toward her as a woman. Leonard is an infant. A sharp and deadly infant, but he is completely in the hands of the fast-moving world around him. And without fail, that world lets him down.

Performance to Savor: Guy Pearce
Memorable Moment : Sammy Jankis kills wife