Three is a number... Leopold Brothers Brewery (523 S. Main) presents a night of local art & music, featuring Kuz, Skim Milf and the Tractor Kings. 8 p.m. michigandaily.com /arts ARRTS 4 FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2001 8S Gritty 'Memento' keeps you guessing Hollywood a mixed , bag for 'Memento' star By Lyle Henretty Daily Film Editor "Memento" is a film that unfolds around the viewer. Each subsequent shot introduces another aspect of a character's life that not only affects the following scenes, but also those that came before. The storyline Memento Grade: A At Showcase and Michigan Theater makes you feel as if you are one step ahead of the film, only to realize you are two behind. Yet despite this, the film is never hard to follow, even as you question every- thing about it. This is the beauty that is "Memento," wants revenge. Leonard Shelby ("LA. Confidential"'s Guy Pearce) has acquired antegrade amnesia ever since he witnessed his wife's death. He remembers everything that happened in his life before the incident, but can only retain new memories for about fifteen minutes. That is, he will literally have no idea how a long conversation began, or even who he's talking to. So the viewer can better appreciate Shel- by's plight, Director Christopher Nolan structures his film back- wards, beginning with the very revenge most revenge movies save as a payoff. Yet knowing what hap- pens takes nothing away from the tension and intrigue, and the ending (beginning) is *more shocking than the climax. Shelby's only desire is to kill the man who murdered his wife and left him in such a convoluted state. He tattoos important facts onto his body (such as the license plate num- ber of his car) and relies on a multi- tude of Polaroid pictures to guide him on his quest. He is either being aided or hindered by the shady Teddy ("The Matrix's" Joe Panto- liano). On the back of a Polaroid bearing his face, Shelby simply scrawled "Teddy: Don't Believe His Lies." Carrie Ann Moss ("Choco- courtesy of New Market "Dude, where's my car?" -- Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) in "Memento." arguably the finest crime drama this side of "The Usual Suspects." Like "Suspects," it is gritty and almost addictive to watch, yet "Memento" does the older film one better. In "Suspects" you could not trust the protagonist because he may have been lying. Here, even the protago- nist doesn't know where he's going or where he's been, only that he lat," "Matrix") floats in and out of the picture, clearly battered and suf- fering, but the only real help Shelby has. Or is she? This is the most information one can give without giving away any of the delicious twists and turns the film takes throughout. The script is simply amazing, and any plot hole is easily covered by Nolan's confi- dent Noir-pastiche framing. The actors embody the quiet confusion or over-blown sleaze of Noir with- out falling into caricature. Aussie Pearce underplays Shelby, creating a man so broken that only his machine-like need for revenge keeps him from utter destruction. Pantoliano is slippery and untrust- worthy with false teeth and spiked hair, yet the viewer clings to him as Shelby does, knowing he plays an important role, but not sure of his intentions. Moss is in turn both meek and fierce, and she passes easily between the roles. With his first film, Nolan has cre- ated a living, breathing entity. A film that could easily be an early contender for next years Oscars (assuming it does not get lost in the popcorn shuffle of summer films), "Memento" is the most intelligent, enjoyable film released in years. Keyser Soze himself would have been astonished by this flick. By Christopher Cousino Daily Arts Writer Spoiler note: this interview reveals crucial information about the plot and characters of "Memento," which opens today. Joe Pantoliano. A veteran character actor with more than 20 years in the business and 70 films to his credit. Born and raised in Hoboken, NJ. A member on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild. Francis Fratelli in "Goonies." Cypher in "The Matrix." And he's not fond of the Academy Awards. "It's all bullshit. It's all politics. It's like watching the fucking senate. And they're not entertaining," Pantoliano said. "You know what, come up, tell me the fucking guy who won, girl who won, have 'em make their speech because that's why I watch. I want to see what their reaction is. I don't wanna see the fucking Rockettes doing a scene from "Godfather II" Laughing aside, Pantoliano's latest film "Memento," in which he plays the strange confidant Teddy, already has a large amount of buzz surrounding it (the film was a hit at this year's Sun- dance Film Festival). "That's when everyone started getting confidence again," Pantoliano said. "Then the reviews started coming out and every- body just breathed a sigh of relief." Since the middle of March, "Memento" has played to sell out crowds in New York and Los Ange- les. "This movie's already been suc- cessful," Pantoliano said, as "Memento" cost relatively little to make (it's budget was about $5 mil- lion). "Everybody made sacrifices. The actors worked for less, producers didn't take fees or took very little fee. We all worked for less." Working on a cheap budget, the entire production dealt with a quick shooting schedule. "25 days. 24 days and one pick-up day," Pantoliano said. "I think we had like four days of rehearsal. We didn't have a lot of time and we knew that if we didn't get it, we wouldn't get it. If we didn't get our day, we weren't coming back to get it tomorrow." In the end, the time constraints may have added to "Memento"'s lively feel. "Filmmaking is really more of a pragmatic experience and I think sometimes when you have less, you get more done than when you have more," Pantoliano said. "I thinlk peo- ple get spoiled by money." The power of money is a concern for Pantoliano as an actor and an artist. "It's so stupid. When commerce controls art, you're in a lot of fucking trouble. I feel like we're in a lot trouble," Pantoliano said. "I'm tied of all these action flicks and chick flicks, catering to the lowest denominator. For me, it's encouraging when movies like 'Traffic' and 'Requiem for a Dream,' that these movies are break- out movies that get a large audience because then the morons financing these movies (action, chick flicks) start thinking, 'Well, we should sta making more movies like this.'" As cynical as he might sound toward many of the blockbuster films, Pantoliano still holds a positive view toward some of the Hollywood main- stream (though he won't be coming back in "The Matrix" sequels. "They decided I was dead," Pantoliano grinned.) "There's some really fantastic com- mercial films I like. I think there's room out there for high concep1 movies, like "Crouching Tiger, Hid- den Dragon," like "The Matrix," "The Fugitive," "Air Force One,"Pantoliaio said. "The movies I object to are these mindless "Exit Wounds," "Lethal Weapon 4," "American Pie 9,'";any=' thing with that - what's his nane - Freddie Prinze is in. If it's a Freddie Prinzehmovie, you just tell yourkid 'No,' they can't go." A film like "Memento, " howeve* is a treat for Pantoliano. "'Memento' is the kind of movie I like to go see and the kind of movie I dream-of being in," Pantoliano said. Director Christopher Nolan cast Pantoliano on, a recommendation from "Matrix"-co- star Carrie Anne Moss. "He said, 'That's an interesting idea but I think the audience will think he's ' the bad guy right away.' And their.he met me and we liked each other an, he told my agent that," PantQlian F said. "He [Nolan] said, 'I think the audience will think that, because of the kind of parts Joey's played most of the time.' And then my agent said, 'Well, that's the reason why you need to hire him. Because he's not the bad guy. You need them to think thaihe is.' And Chris realized he was right. Lucky for me." Depp, Cruz, cocaine cannot save 'Blow' By Lyle Henretty Daily Film Editor The story is of a guy that wants to be respected and make a lot of money. He turns to a life of glamorous crime and gets a big house and a wife that enjoys the lifestyle yet blames her husband for getting caught. They build a life of extrava- gance in a world of quirky villains, merciless friends and lots of cocaine. Their lives peak and then spiral BlOW downward as their crimes catch up to them and they Grade: C+ are forced to live out their pathetic lives on the govern- At Showcase ment's stingy dollar. The and Quality 16 camera work is fluid, the soundtrack is perfect, and it's Ray Liotta's best film. The movie: "Goodfellas." That is a good place to start because Ted Demme's "Blow" wants to be "Good- fellas" so bad that it's painful. Demme makes no attempt to disguise this, and even uses Scors- esesque voice-overs and freeze-frames. It's a good imitation of Scorsese, but an imitation none-the-less. That is this film's major flaw - that it offers nothing new, yet is packaged like as if it were revelation. It follows the standard bio- pic format (poor boy gets rich goes crazy looses everything), yet it does not flesh out many of its important characters, and other characters come and go for no apparent reason. (Jordi Molla) puts him into contact with Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis), who in turn introduces the protagonist (and all of America) to the world of Columbian Cocaine. Chaos ensues. Depp is, as always, fine and brings subtle depth to the oft-ignorant Jung. As Jung ages and bloats and begins to fall apart, Depp utilizes the make-up but does not rely on it, carrying himself differently as the years supposedly pass. Liotta, who is only eight years older than Depp, plays his kind-hearted, hard-working father as a caring man who has given up on good and evil. It is a deceptively deep performance, leaving behind the crazies that Liotta has so often inhabited, and almost makes you forget his brainless perfor- mance in "Hannibal." Almost. Rachel Griffiths ("Hillary and Jackie"), who is really five years younger than Depp, plays his mother by channel- ing Lorraine Bracco and a shoebox full of uppers. While this has been touted as a comeback film for the erstwhile Pee Wee Herman, Reubens con- stantly over-plays his role as a gay hairdresser- cocaine dealer (remember, this is based on a true story!). It does little to erase his alter ego from the collective mind of the audience, and his pres- ence ends up being more distracting than any- thing else. Penelope Cruz is Jung's wife, who, according to the film, was not only abusive towards him, but actually got him thrown in jail for several years. Cruz is an accomplished actress in Spain, but does not have a tremendous grasp on Eng- lish, and plays her part as little more than a preening drama queen that does not stray far from the second dimension. That being said, this is not an awful movie, and was enjoyable to an extent. The only real com- plaint is that one can go out and rent any number of equal and better films for three dollars, as opposed to paying close to ten for something that they have already seen. . . . . . . . . . . .. ........ Courtesy of New Line Cinema Johnny Depp post-nosebleed in "Blow." Johnny Depp stars in the true story of George Jung, a beach bum who decides to start selling pot with his friend Tuna ("American History X's" Ethan Suplee). Despite knowing nothing about apparently anything, George and Tuna become the most lucrative dealers on the beach, much to the joy of their supplier, Derek Foreal (Paul Reubens, yes, that Paul Reubens). During a stint in prison, Jung's cellmate Joe Pantoliano and Guy Pearce are rollin' with the homies. m~.......... ,yI Iq 20% off CHOPN Nlocurrws All Henle Editions O IJN . A . prl T1i *4~~. I -[ 4 A .. xj~,,~mieaw j~ f T ~ T II i rl I fpv.rtpc ands ct-rfificates in: ""