Movies You Love: Memento, Oldboy, and others
Welcome to Movies You Love. A weekly blog about movies recommended by you, watched by me.
Several months back, I eloquently demanded on Facebook, “tell me what movie is ur fav that u ask people to watch all the time but u know they never watch it. b/c I'm gonna watch it.” Art can mean so much to someone, for better or for worse. Films, in particular, can pair with good or bad memories or even stimulate personal growth. Everyone in the World could watch the same film, but have a different interpretation of and emotional connection to it.
We’ve all recommended that ONE movie to our friends over and over. It might be a bit odd, a bit slow, a bit cheesy, deeply dark, or emotionally taxing, but we love it so much we want everyone else to love it as well. That’s what we have here. The people have spoken. These are the films that mean the most to you. The films no one ever watches even when you beg. I’ve watched them, and now I wanna chat. Film: Oldboy (2003) Recommended By: Ryan Slaughter
Oldboy is a Korean action drama based on a comic book. This is the second film in a series, but unrelated to the first (or so I’m told). The protagonist Oh Dae-su is imprisoned for 15 years in a hotel room, and even when he is released, he remains caught in a spiral of conspiracy and lies. With 5 days to find and kill his captor, there are violent interruptions. Oldboy includes some amazing (albeit graphic) fight scenes you need to see.
Ryan: The 2003 Korean film Oldboy holds a place near and dear to my heart. I watched this movie when I was truly discovering that movies were more than just entertainment, that they were art. I was slowly making my way through IMDBs top movies of all-time and I wanted to start with foreign films as there weren’t many on that list at the time. It’s a movie that takes risks. It does things that many movies normally don’t do. The MULTIPLE twists at the end of the film are privy to that, but I don’t want to spoil them. Each twist that happened made sense and lead me deep down a dark path, that I have never seen since. It did so in a way that kept the movie from becoming horror, which was fantastic. I feel like I have to be careful with recommending this film. It’s not a nice film. It makes you feel icky after watching it. And for people like me who like it, there is probably something very wrong with our brains. Being my first foreign film that I went out my way to see, it was an eye-opening experience knowing that fantastic foreign films were out there. They paved the way for me not to judge a movie by its language, but by the film itself.
Also, the 2013 American remake of Oldboy was bad.
Film: Colonia (2015) Recommended by: Cassidy Robishaw
Colonia stars Emma Watson desperately searching for her boyfriend who has been abducted by the Colonia Dignidad. Based on real life events of the Chilean military, this romantic adventure thriller is high paced and highly anxiety-inducing. I promise you’ll see an Emma Watson different from the Harry Potter series when you watch Colonia.
Cassidy: I was originally drawn to this movie because Emma Watson stars in it and I am a fan of her work. I watched this film on Netflix in my bedroom. I remember I finished it late at night and I immediately wanted to suggest it to everyone I know. I am drawn to true story films, because I can research what happened after the movie ended. The story does not end in the theater like a regular movie does. I can follow up with the characters and historical events to find out how they played out. In this case, I learned all about the notorious cult Colonia Dignidad and the Chilean military.
When people do not take my suggestions to watch a true story film, I am not personally offended. Instead, I feel bad for those who are sharing their story in the film, because that means the movie is reaching one less person. For example, with Colonia, I feel like everyone should know the horrors and disturbing events that happened to the people in Colonia Dignidad and how the cult is still active today.
Film: Memento (2000)
Recommended by: Tom Slaughter
The cult classic Memento, directed by famous brainiac filmmaker Christopher Nolan, is a mind-distorting thriller of the early 2000s. The main character, as a result of a past trauma, suffers from anterograde amnesia (the inability to form new memories). His wife is dead, he has no new memories, and he must seek revenge. This film has been notoriously talked about in my family for as long as I can remember, so here is my father on one of his favorite flicks:
Dad: I had an idea that I would help my mom see movies that are not your typical Hallmark movies. You know, the plain vanilla movies with happy lives, then 45 to 60 minutes into the show, tragedy strikes, then they work through tragedy, and then happy ending. So, Memento came out and it was time to take mom to see a one-of-a-kind movie. As usual, we would bring in our snacks and drinks; this time I had either a coffee or bottle of coke, and I remember my mom saying “You can’t bring things into movies, they won’t allow outside food and drink!” Of course I told her not to worry, walking in with confidence, drink in clear sight. Well, karma got me that day, the ticket collector tore our ticket and confiscated my drink, enough said. Mom couldn’t help but laugh, but then wanted to buy me a drink I of course would not accept.
Anyways, memory loss is a real issue for most people and, with dementia, easy to relate to. Memories are just a distortion of reality, and photographs is the factual image of reality. I like the film because of the confusion we are in as viewers; that is opposite of the type of movie my mom likes. But each time I took her to an off-centered movie, she would smile and go for the ride. To her this was another ride to nowhere.
Film means a lot to me because of who I went with; this one also brings the slight concern of someday being in a similar situation with memory loss. It also shows how people can manipulate the handicapped knowing one's weaknesses. I will make sure I have my camera and pen ready for the years ahead.
Confusion is the state we are intended to be in.
Film: The Imposter (2012)
Recommended by: Natalie Chau
The Imposter is a true crime documentary with twists and turns like you’ve never seen before. Nicholas, a preteen in Texas, goes missing and three and a half years later he is found in Spain. A few problems here: he is a 23 year old French man that cons the family and the government for months. Follow the real life story of lies, deceit, and grieving in The Imposter.
Nat: I watched The Imposter for a doc class I took in 2013, when I was first getting into film and when I never would have chosen to watch a documentary over literally anything else. They were boring, mostly about nature/history, their target audience was old people, and main use was to help substitute teachers keep a class busy (napping) for 40 minutes at a time, right? WRONG.The truest testament to this film is that I forgot two things when I first saw it: that I was watching "some documentary" and that I was watching one for class.
The Imposter gave me a real respect for documentaries and taught me that the genre is really, really interesting. Anyone who thinks that documentaries aren't for them should watch this and tell me that documentaries still aren't for them.
PS - What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.
Check back each week to find a new group of films recommended by my friends. And if you have a suggestion, feel free to email me or write in the comments. I’d love to add you to my list.