Memento

Title: Memento

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

Genre: Crime / Drama

DVD Release: Sept 4, 2001

Plot Summary: A man with no short term memory looks for the man who raped and murdered his wife through a series of Polariods and notes.

Review: I remember this one getting serious acclaim when it came out, but I was only 11 so serious and odd drama didn’t really catch my attention at the time. Now, however, I recognize the awesomeness of this movie. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s shot in reverse. Not the entire movie, but the story is in chunks that are told, in line, backwards. It’s a really innovative way to tell a story. Plus, the story is really really good. I’ve never really seen anything with Guy Pearce in it, but he’s a pretty good actor. Moss and Pantoliano just remind me of The Matrix, but they still put on a great performance for this one. While watching it I decided that it’s definitely one of the most confusing movies I’ve ever seen, but once you see the end (or the beginning really) it all kind of makes sense. There really isn’t a whole lot of criticism for this one. It made a big deal back in it’s day, and it’s easily understandable why. I would definitely suggest everyone who loves ‘thinker’ movies to see it at some point.

Rating: 4.75/5

Everything is Illuminated

Title: Everything is Illuminted

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin

Genre: Drama / Comedy

DVD Release: March 21, 2006

Plot Summary: When his grandmother dies, Jonathan (Wood) travels to Ukraine to find the woman who helped his grandfather escape from the Nazis.

Review: This was another one that I’m not really sure where I heard it. It’s not a typical movie for me, because it’s a bit on the serious side, but it’s definitely a great movie. It’s based on the book by the same title, and now I’m really interested in seeing what the book has to offer to the story. It’s a bit confusing as to what is going on because they’re traveling throughout the Ukraine, and to be honest, it all kind of looks the same. There are also so really odd flashback type scenes that get a little messed up, but they’re not too confusing to understand after a while. Another aspect of this movie that interested me is the fact that it’s the first time I’d heard of Eugene Hutz as an actor. He’s the frontman of the “gypsy punk” band Gogol Bordello, of whom I am a huge fan of. His odd broken English is comical throughout the whole film, but he really can pull off the serious parts as well. I’m not entirely sure who I would recommend this one too. It’s a bit of an indie flick and it’s, again, more serious than I usually like, but it’s still great.

Rating: 4/5

Green Street Hooligans

Title: Green Street Hooligans

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Leo Gregory, Mike Warren, Geoff Bell, Claire Forlani

Genre: Drama / Action

DVD Release: Dec. 1, 2005

Plot Summary: After taking the fall for his roommate and getting expelled from Harvard, Matt (Wood) travels to London to visit his sister and her family. While there he gets caught up in the football mania going on.

Review: I don’t remember when I heard about this movie, but I think it was when Elijah Wood was on Conan promoting something else and just happened to mention it. I’m so glad I got around to it too. It’s a great movie in so many aspects. The story is well played out. It was a little predictable, but there were aspects of the predictability that through me for a loop too. It definitely makes me wonder what it would be like to be involved in all that craziness of football (or, since I’m American, soccer). Now it’s not the regular action flick. There are definitely the trends, but the story seems a little deeper than that of the more common ones. After seeing him be the wimpy, yet persistent little hobbit in Lord of the Rings, it’s a bit odd to see Elijah Wood play such a badass. Though it takes a bit of down note towards the end, the very end leaves you with a smile and a nice fulfillment. It may not be the most commercial movie, but it’s definitely one that I would suggest most of my friends to see. And if you’re not a soccer fan, it’s okay, there’s really only a few parts that actually involve the sport.

Rating: 4.5/5