Memento (2000)
Memento is a 2000 American neo-noir psychological thriller
film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, and produced by Suzanne and
Jennifer Todd. The plot revolves around a man named Leonard who has anterograde
amnesia (a loss of the ability to create new memories after the event that
caused the amnesia.) he searches for the attackers who attacked him and
murdered his wife, using a system of polaroid photographs and tattoos to track
information he cannot remember. Memento is presented as two different sequences
of scenes interspersed during the film: a series in black-and-white that is
shown chronologically, and a series of colour sequences shown in reverse order.
The reason I chose this film was because I liked the idea of
the two sequences, one showing the complete truth and the other bending the
sequences, asking the audience to question what is real and what isn’t. I would
like to use an idea similar to this, creating sets of memories to form one
whole story but with the twist that some of these memories are fictional. The
final story would then come together in the end, with all the fake memories cut
out either haunting the main character or giving him a sense of relief.
American Psycho (2000)
American Psycho is a 2000 American black comedy-horror film
co-written and directed by Mary Harron. The plot is based on Patrick Bateman.
Patrick Bateman is young, white, beautiful, Ivy League, and indistinguishable
from his Wall Street colleagues. Shielded by conformity, privilege, and wealth,
Bateman is also the ultimate serial killer, roaming freely and fearlessly. His
murderous impulses are fuelled by zealous materialism and piercing envy when he
discovers someone else has acquired more than he has. After a colleague
presents a business card superior in ink and paper to his, Bateman's blood
thirst sharpens, and he steps up his homicidal activities to a frenzied pitch.
Hatchets fly, butcher knives chop, chainsaws rip, and surgical instruments
mutilate-how far will Bateman go? How much can he get away with?
Although this movie is a black horror comedy, I did like the
idea of an ambiguous ending to keep the audience intrigued and guessing even
after the movie has finished. The actor/actresses choices are also welcoming as
everyone casted fits the role perfectly.
The Shining (1980)
Frustrated writer Jack Torrance takes a job as the winter
caretaker at the ominous, mountain-locked Overlook Hotel so that he can write
in peace. When he arrives there with his wife and son, they learn that the
previous caretaker had gone mad. Slowly Jack becomes possessed by the evil,
demonic presence in the hotel.
The only similarity I would like to take from The Shining is
the camerawork. Stanley Kubrick is a talented director who has a unique
trademark. One of his trademarks is the use of an unedited tracking shot and a
good example of this is The Shining. Kubrick uses tracking shots to create an
unsettling mood in the film, such as the shot of the boy riding his big wheels
through the empty hallways. I would like to integrate this signature shot in
order not only to pay homage to the late director, but to set the mood and
create suspense.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole's supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.
The reason I choose the sixth sense as a similar product to my film is because there will also be a twist ending which will throw the audience. The idea of our film is that we want to leave the audience in suspense, from the moment they enter the film to when they are leaving.
