Memento (2000)

A man with no short term memory must remember so many things in order to find his wife's killer, the same person responsible for causing his short term memory loss.

Guy Pearce fittingly becomes lost in the emotional role of Leonard, a role filled with confusion, certainty and vehemence. Leonard doesn't know who to trust and has to write notes and snap photos to remember who he thinks people are. But someone may be trying to deceive him, or Leonard may be living a lie. As I've never seen Pearce act before, I was impressed by his performance as the scenes play out of order to mirror Leonard's plight.

The opening shot of the film is played in reverse, as a photograph fades back to white. This is like having a blank canvas on an 'Etch a Sketch.' Some people are good at using them to create decent artwork, others not so much. This is where Memento fails. It crafts 3/4 of an effective and pleasant portrait, but then decides to erase it.

With the sense of humor and reliability of an insolent child, it offers a pretentious and underwhelming twist instead. This twist emerges as a shocking turn for the worst, especially after so much buildup and countless u-turns. Despite my efforts to solve the mystery, and my investment to wait for the nearly 2 hour film to reveal the truth, Memento flatly explained how there was nothing behind the curtain. If that's true, then why was it on the screen to start with? I like teases with hair; not from women or movies. Leave the lame trickery to Scooby-Doo villains.

The Machinist (2004)

In this strange, mysterious, mad hoot (tautly penned by Scott Kosar) that unravels like the crazy twin brother of a Stephen King story, complete with spooky music ripped from the womb of Psycho, Christian Bale (who shed 63 lbs for the role) immerses himself into a brilliantly remarkable performance playing a clueless, emaciated, paranoid and temperamental ghoul with insomnia that flails and wails away in a babbling frenzy.

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female) plays a hollowed-out prostitute, a withered delight to see that becomes a willing partner and cozy distraction during Trevor Reznik's whirling dance of ever-darkening trauma. After the trailer reeled me in, the end result was satisfying.

Overall, this frenetic portrait is a spellbinding joyride that had me laughing and scratching my head in curiosity the entire time. The Machinist (by Brad Anderson) is delivered with an admirable self-respect that truly keeps it above the watery tomb that has claimed so many pseudo-serious imitations. At the core, there is a simple yet intoxicating crisis being strewn.

What Doesn't Kill You (2008)

I thought this was going to be something different, but I was pleasantly surprised by what it turned out to be, and then satisfied by what it became. For once it's nice to see the protagonist not screw it up despite never experiencing a "normal" life in favor of easy money.

There comes a point in the film when Paulie (Ethan Hawke) gets out of prison, ready to re-corrupt his best friend. I was expecting a fight between Brian (Mark Ruffalo), who gives the strongest performance, and Brian's wife Stacy (Amanda Peet), leading him to follow through with an armored car heist, only to condemn his fate by going back to prison. This would've been similar to Carlito's Way. Unlike that film, What Doesn't Kill You avoids being a letdown and escapes the "can't fight nature" hangup so many crime movies fall back on.

There wasn't as much violence, sex and edginess as usual in crime films. I feel torn about this because it can be a refreshing decrease, but there are scenes that seem to be equally underwhelming repetitions of those already past, from scantily clad women who spend their time laying around either before or after or without sex while the boys are busy doing meager stickups. Meanwhile, Ruffalo spends a lot of time doing drugs that could've been better used.

Moreover, it would've been nice for the film to embrace a larger scope to more deeply establish the bonds of friendship and familiarity that would have someone running back to the only life they'd ever known. As a fan of Hawke & Ruffalo, I felt they had nice chemistry together. The smoldering romance between Ruffalo & Peet also felt genuine. Alas, after seeing one powerfully heated argument between them late in the film, I would've loved to see more passion at some point during their relationship. The only saving grace is a fervid lovemaking scene when Ruffalo is released after serving a 5 year sentence.

Overall, there is still enough warmth and believability even if these bonds were built in the background as the film jumps through long periods of time. I think of What Doesn't Kill You as valuable but carefully guarded package that could've been left out in the snow a bit longer.

The Saint (1997)

I was apprehensive about watching a 2 hour film whose misleading trailer seemed to offer a dull plot and gushy romance, but The Saint was a pleasant surprise full of delight, charm and quality.

I liked the plethora of disguises the titular character plays hot potato with, an enigmatic and troubled character brought to life by Val Kilmer, who could've done so much more with Batman as his talents are evident in this film.

No nonsense Russian villains, especially Ilya (Valeri Nikolayev) fuel the suspense while the scenery invites the viewer into a cat-and-mouse caper whose biggest punch comes from the question of "how will 'the saint' outsmart his enemies?" Meanwhile, the dull progress of the villain's endgame is appropriately left in the background.

Elisabeth Shue is delightful as ever in a gentle, fragile and sweet role. The obligatory romance isn't gushy despite being fanciful. It is held together by a subtle focus on emotional yearning that binds the core themes together. Everyone needs to have their needs fulfilled, yet their coy nature seeks to deprive them of it while their lives become something completely different. The film could've gone further down this emotional route, but favored action and feelgood cliches instead.

Overall, it was hasty in some places but nonetheless fine and well worth the duration.

Die Another Day (2002)

Taking plenty of futuristic liberties, Die Another Day is certainly colorful as are the opening credits, despite cool special effects that obscure any explanation for a madman's genius intellect. Nevertheless, a vigorous effort to make Bond splashier than ever before is certainly nice to look at. This weekend adventure for Bond feels sillier than past installments but offers splendid cinematography and set pieces that are packed with nifty creativity.

Halle Berry is a joy to look at. However, the inspired scene that has her splashing out of the water in an orange swimsuit isn't given the best camerawork nor the most fitting color arrangement. A sultry sequence shortly thereafter compensates for it, as do two other scenes that have her wearing a pink dress with poor wind resistance and white undergarments that better showcase her complexion and beauty.

Berry's character is elevated to Mr. Bond's unofficial colleague, avoiding eye candy doom unlike our favorite womanizer's previous acquaintances. While little exploration is taken to her character, it's strange to see someone other than Bond be so nested in the action. By the end of the film, the eye candy role becomes confused but Berry shows tender, vulnerable and cheeky qualities throughout that fortify the role.

Overall, Die Another Day is a fitting title. It lacks the sober attraction of previous outings but better serves itself by favoring frivolity and being more self-assured than the confused Goldeneyes that came before it.