Memento released in theaters

Memento Released: March 16, 2001 Studio: Summit Entertainment, Team Todd, Newmarket Genre: mystery/film noir Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 25.54 Worldwide: 39.72 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Christopher Nolan Screenwriting: Christopher Nolan Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior Review: Once in awhile a movie comes along that reinvents the possibilities of what can be done with film. Memento, a neo-noir psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is one such film. Nolan would go on to fascinate audiences with Inception, deliver what some what call the ultimate super-hero film with The Dark Knight, and win a Best Director Oscar for the biopic Oppenheimer. However, it was Memento, his second film, that put him on the map. Based on the short story “Memento Mori” by his brother Jonathan Nolan, Memento studies the life of Leonard Shelby (Pearce) and how he deals with anterograde amnesia, which causes short-term memory loss and leaves him unable to form new memories. In an effort to track down the man who raped and murdered his wife, he relies on photographs, tattoos, and notes to himself to try and keep track of details he would otherwise forget. To put the viewer in the same state of confusion as Leonard, one of the film’s narratives is shown in reverse order, leaving the viewer always wondering what happened to lead up to those circumstances. The movie “was acclaimed by critics, who praised its nonlinear structure and themes of memory, perception, grief, and self-deception.” WK Memento is a “stylish, well-produced and beautifully photographed film” IC that challenges the audience “to paint the picture.” IC Films such as this “require an investment by the audience.” IC “It’s a courageous idea that works brilliantly.” IC It Sources: IC TheIndependentCritic.com review WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Eras: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 2: Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing Lists: Hall of Fames: Genre Lists: First posted 3/5/2025.

The Matrix, the revolutionary special effects film, is released

The Matrix Released: March 31, 1999 Studio: Warner Bros. Genre: sci-fi/action Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 171.50 Worldwide: 463.50 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 304.14 Worldwide: 821.70

Directing: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Screenwriting: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantaliano Review: Thomas Anderson, aka Neo (Reeves), is a “cyber messiah” AFI07 hacker and computer tech programmer contacted by “the mysterious, vinyl-clad heroine Trinity (Moss) and the super-cool, messianic space-ship captain Morpheus (Fishburne).” EM’18 They tell Neo he is the chosen one to save the world from “a malevolent, sentient machine race” EM’18 which has trapped “all of humanity…inside a computer simulation (The Matrix) dreamworld and tricked them into believing that the simulation is reality.” EM’18 “Neo soon learns to take advantage of the Matrix, bending the malleable laws of physics to his will, such as impossible feats of physicality (such as running up walls or leaping impossibly high) and altering his perception so dramatically that he sees bullets in flight in order to dodge them.” EM’18 This was a “popular, imaginative, visually-stunning science-fiction action film” AFI07 largely because “the Wachowski Brothers blew the lid off technology” AFI07 with “airborne kung fu, 3-D freeze frame effects with a rotating or pivoting camera, and bullet-dodging.” EM’18 In the midst of all these special effects, the Wachowskis also managed to fashion a film “making everyone examine some fundamental philosophical questions about reality.” EM’18 Sources: AFI07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” EM’18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Oscars: Wins: 4 – including Best Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects Nominations: 4 Other Awards: Other Lists/Honors: First posted 5/28/2023; last updated 6/3/2023.