strangelight

From it's reverese-shot opening to it's casual shrug-of-the-shoulders ending, Momento keeps you guessing, gasping, laughing, and most importantly interested.

To describe too much of the story is to deny it it's recipie of disaster. However, I will say how well the lead character - Leonard - is constructed.

The script has a deep sense of Memento mori pumping through it's heart, affording it the twists and dramatic judders underlined with a sense of imminent foreboding.

Some (invaribly those too busy chatting/munching/dialing to get it) will not appreciate this staggeringly refreshing piece of work. They'll say "it dosen't make sense!!!!"

Life dosen't make sense - so why should a piece of art or literature drawn from it!

It's very uncommon that a film, or for that matter any work of art, truly 'touches' everyone. However, I would have to hold up P.T.A's 'Magnolia' as a shining exception to the rule -

The film runs a very tight line from surreal to hyper-real which anybody who has ever 'lived' can at once relate to and enjoy.

The ensemble-cast (Many of whom are P.T.A staple) perform on a level rarely seen (or allowed) in Hollywood fare. We all know these people - maybe they're us?! That's what makes this film so enchanting - it's like staring into a mirror that somehow accentuates the lines and scars we don't want to see. But on closer inspection reveals them as beautiful in their own right.

If you told me you didn't enjoy 'Magnolia' I'd have to assume you were either dead or not human!

If you like your Sci-fi shiny and new then Level 5 will dissapoint - It's computer graphics are executed with a charming clunkiness that affords the story a sturdy grounding in reality.

Many will find the film 'hard going', but it's rare that you will find a film with a sub-plot as potent as the one here, and it's an informative and enriching experience.

Marker has, yet again, made a stunningly intimate and challenging film.

Blade Runner is one of the great lesser-seen visions of the future.

Harrison Ford was a very good choice for the Dekkard character, Ford's 'Couldn't give a shit' attitude affords the film a weight of frightening reality that we can all relate to.

However, this really isn't a character-driven piece. It has an intrinsic kind of brooding to it, that i feel is derived from Crononwith's 'Hard back-light and soft fill' coupled with Vangelis' score and the disturbing droning sound mix.

You could never accuse Andrei Tarkovsky of not giving the viewer breathing space (read: Thinking) within the walls of his films. I have always found Solaris to be a good test of anyone's ability to think, and more importantly, to look at what is being presented to them. Like all the best art, it works on many levels of the subconcious in a sublime fashion.

Solaris, like Kubrick's 2001, is often described about being "...a long film about nothing!" Nothing because the viewer has failed to detect or take anything from the piece. These are people who go to art galleries and spend more time reading the little 'synopsis' cards that accompany the actual paintings rather than 'look' at, or into the work.

So, what am I saying? I'm saying that Solaris requires Thought, Patience and a love of Visualization over explosive set-pieces.

And when you finally 'see' the film: It's magic!