Let's Go to the Movies!

          I just watched Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, for the first time this past weekend.  It was a total trip.  Even though I was a few jack and cokes deep, I still managed to understand the plot, which, I've heard, is a great feat for this film.  The whole story is acted out in reverse.  The film starts at the end of the story, and then begins a new scene that takes place earlier in time.  That scene then plays out until it reaches the point in time where the previous scene starts.  So, using a number line as an example, it's sort of like the film starts at 10, new scene at 7 to 10, then new scene at 4 to 7, then new scene at 1 to 4, then new scene at 1.  I appreciate the amount of thought it must have taken the writers to create a cohesive plot with such an unconventional sequence of time.
          Not only was the backwards use of time so creative, the utilization of both black & white and color scenes also added a completely different aspect of comprehension to the plot.  Certain parts of the story, specifically when the main character was exhibiting his "condition," were filmed without color.  When the sequence of events was actually being played out, however, the film ran in full color.  This, I feel, also helped with the understanding of the plot and was a great aesthetic choice on behalf of the creative directors.