Just a couple of films to pass the time

I discovered a couple of days ago, after waking up with a swollen jaw and thinking that I'd had an allergic reaction to something - catching the bus to a walk-in clinic, sitting in a waiting room full of people for an hour - and after finally seeing a doctor; that I have the mumps.

What is this, like sixteenth century England? Excuse me for being a little naive but I thought we didn't get that anymore thanks to the MMR?

Well anyway, as I'm bed ridden and avoiding all possible human contact for the next week, there really isn't any better way to spend my time than catching up on 'those' films that somehow complete your life. (I sound a little cynical, I'm just feeling sorry for myself).

I remember seeing 'Sherlock Holmes' a month or so ago and thinking how unlike Guy Ritchie the nature of it was, but I had made that assumption having never seen 'Snatch' (which I finally watched today).

Well obviously I was blown away. I know people have been talking about it for years, but I'd just never got round to seeing it. The cinematics directed by Tim Maurice-Jones are inspiring, I think he's working on that new 'Kick-Ass' superhero film by Matthew Vaughn. The entire look of 'Snatch' is so glossy. I wouldn't say that it glorifies crime but it certainly makes it funny. It still keeps it quite chilling. I actually came out of it feeling quite uplifted, and wanting to spend the rest of my life with Bullet Tooth Tony. Marry me please?

'Memento' on the other hand... I was not so impressed with. I remember discussing our shorts and deciding that even though they were only shorts the audience doesn't want to feel cheated. They want to feel like they can take something away from it. Well Christopher Nolan, I would like all the 109 minutes of my life back please.

I don't understand it, because the concept was great. It was such a good idea, and the way it was put together... the whole repetition thing, I thought that was really clever. It reflected his character's condition perfectly. But the ending is just such a cop-out. Whatever happened to Natalie? Did I miss something massive there, because I'm sure she was just forgotten about. He killed her boyfriend, we presume that she has figured that out since he's driving her boyfriend's car and wearing his clothes. Yet she starts sleeping with him because it's gonna mess him about? Seriously love? He has a 5 minute memory... he doesn't care.

I got really wrapped up in the 'who can you trust' element, but I was then let down at the finish line. We knew all along why he killed JG so we had no sympathy for the character... it was never created in his make-up anyway. I was just left feeling hugely disappointed, and I would love to know if anybody else felt the same, because the people who recommended it to me raved about it.