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Memento (2000)--> Let's say your wife was murdered. Let's also say that you have no short term memory and you are determined to catch the killer despite your disability. If you can picture this, then you have the plot to this interesting movie by Christopher Nolan. Guy Pierce stars as Leonard Shelby, a man who uses tattoos, polaroids, and notes to retain information he loses from his memory as soon as he sleeps or becomes distracted. A film concept that would drive almost any writer and director insane with its numerous chances for disaster, Christopher Nolan does an excellent job of moving the plot forward and Pierce is stellar in this character role.


Full Spectrum Staff

Requiem for a Dream (2000)--> A Requiem for a Dream (2000) is Darren Aronofsky adaptation of the Herbert Selby's novel of the same name. With movies and books like The Basketball Diaries, Blow, Traffic, and this movie, American culture, since its government's "War on Drugs" policy, has had an obsession with narcotics. Out of all the recent movies, this one is the best. The movie centers on four addicts who are slowly drawn into the underbelly of society when their addictions get the better of them. When the street dries up due to some great work by the DEA, each character's life spirals out of control.

Some of the more disturbing scenes deal with the lead female character Marion Silver. Starting off selling herself for a hit, she enters into some pretty graphic sexual degradation. Harry, her boyfriend, comes to realize what happens if you don't take care of an infection from shooting with dirty needles as his arm is amputated. The scene where he shoots up right into the black ! disgusting infected arm is one of the most spine curdling scenes on film. But Ellen Burstyn's character, Sara Goldfarb is the most poignant and believable in the film. Where we have become accustomed to drugs in film being of the illegal kind, Sara becomes addicted to prescription diet pills that she used to lose some weight to fit into a dress. A biting movie on American drug culture and in some ways its society in general, A Requiem for a Dream is a must see and a great DVD library addition.


Full Spectrum Staff

The Big Bounce (2004)--> Just as The Italian Job (2003), and Ocean's Eleven (2001) did before it, and The Longest Yard (2005) did after it, The Big Bounce remade (or updated) a movie from the past that did nothing to show off its greatness. If you are to copy an earlier film, you would hope that it pays homage by improving on the original. This George Armitage directed Owen Wilson vehicle's only bright point was seeing Sara Foster in a bikini. What also comes to mind is, knowing that the original starring Ryan O'Neil wasn't that great of a movie, why remake it in the first place?


Full Spectrum Staff

The Good Thief (2002)--> From the director of The Crying Game (1992), comes a film starring Nick Nolte (as Bob Montagnet) who plays a drug-addicted, gambling thief that decides to rob a Japanese Casino owner(s) of their rare painting collection. The story is interesting as Montagnet puts out word on the streets that he is planning to rob the casino safe instead of the highly fortified storehouse where the works of art are located. Jordan has a penchant to directing strange and interesting characters and The Good Thief is no exception. You have a 17 year old Lolita character, a Bodybuilding strongman turned woman (from a sex-change operation) who is afraid of spiders, and a set of twins who have an eye on the casino safe themselves. An entertaining watch that is more interesting than Ocean's Eleven, The Good Thief shows Jordan still can direct a good film 10 years after his best movie.


Full Spectrum Staff

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