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‘Memento’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

June 1, 2021 · Memento (2000) · Drama · Mystery · Thriller · 1:05:54

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Bill Simmons▶ 19:06Oscar nominations (Best Screenplay, Best Editing but didn't win), $4.5 million budget made $40 million, Roger Ebert gave 3 out of 4 stars, Ebert's quote about confusion being the intended state
Chris Ryan▶ 13:24Teddy's number is the same number as Marla Singer in Fight Club

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 28:13Christopher Nolan — Nolan
Chris Ryan▶ 28:13Christopher Nolan — Nolan won the movie

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 29:44Brad Pitt — Brad Pitt would have been amazing in this role and wishes he had done it - would have been perfect timing in his career between Fight Club and Ocean's Eleven
Chris Ryan▶ 30:12Brad Pitt — Agrees that Brad Pitt would have been great in the role

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Chris Ryan▶ 34:52Has some possibly unanswerable questions related to the film's era

What's Aged the Worst

Chris Ryan▶ 34:59Nothing has really aged the worst - main issue is difficulty replicating the first-time viewing experience

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 38:05Joe Pantoliano — Joey Pants (automatic winner since he's in the movie), with Stephen Tobolowsky as runner-up
Chris Ryan▶ 38:25Mark Boone Junior — Mark Boone Jr. (who plays Burt, the hotel guy) or Callum James Rennie (who plays Dodd)

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 39:17Guy Pearce — Guy Pearce (yes), Carrie Ann Moss (maybe but agrees with Chris), Georgia Fox (yes - transitioning from ER to CSI), Joey Pants (no - Sopranos a year later was his apex), Christopher Nolan (no), Steven Soderbergh (no), Discount Inn (yes), Anterograde Amnesia (agrees it's apex)
Chris Ryan▶ 39:28Carrie-Anne Moss — Carrie Ann Moss (definitive yes), Anterograde Amnesia (definitive yes), Tan suits (suggests as apex mountain for Guy Pearce's tan suit in the film)

What's Aged the Best

Chris Ryan▶ 54:55Tujunga - the grimy Valley locations where they shot, including Victory Boulevard near Burbank and parts of Pasadena

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:19Mark Boone Junior — Mark Broome Jr. (discount front desk guy)
Chris Ryan▶ 57:18Mark Boone Junior — Bert (front desk guy)

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 58:35Multiple scenes: Lenny kills Teddy opening (first 6 minutes), first Carrie Ann Moss diner scene, finding guy in closet, shootout scene, Carrie Ann Moss flipping out/pen hiding scene, and last 20 minutes with diabetes reveal
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:25Leonard's transition from black and white to color with the killing of Jimmy and then Teddy's reveal

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:45Teddy should have just killed Lenny way earlier because Lenny is so crazy and unpredictable, putting Teddy in danger
Chris Ryan▶ 1:04:19Teddy could have taken the express lane by just killing Leonard and taking the car keys to get to the cash in the Jaguar trunk

Movies Referenced (52)

Fight Club (1999)

8 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 2:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman (1989)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 24:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Following (1998)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 6:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goodfellas (1990)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gosford Park (2001)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 15:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Matrix (1999)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 17:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman Begins (2005)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 11:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boogie Nights (1997)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 2:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dunkirk (2017)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 11:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Groundhog Day (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 38:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Inception (2010)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 11:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blair Witch (2016)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 7:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (9)

Christopher Nolan

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 16:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 5:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Jackson

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for King Kong▶ 15:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Altman

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gosford Park▶ 15:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Lynch

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 15:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Howard

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Beautiful Mind▶ 15:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 12:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Brady

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Hot Chick▶ 42:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (28)

Guy Pearce

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Memento, L.A. Confidential▶ 15:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brad Pitt

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 28:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stephen Tobolowsky

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Groundhog Day, Wild Hogs▶ 16:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christian Bale

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises▶ 16:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Thomas Jane

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Boogie Nights, Deep Blue Sea, The Thin Red Line▶ 28:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Eckhart

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Dark Knight, Rabbit Hole▶ 28:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chuck Klosterman

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Maggie Smith

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Gosford Park▶ 18:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cold War Kids

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 31:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Counting Crows

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Cruel Intentions, Two Weeks Notice▶ 30:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heath Ledger

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale▶ 25:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Helen Mirren

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Gosford Park▶ 18:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

David Auburn

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Proof, The Lake House▶ 37:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harvey Weinstein

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Shakespeare in Love, The Hateful Eight▶ 56:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Nolan

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Interstellar, The Dark Knight▶ 49:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Noah Baumbach

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story▶ 23:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 51:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗