Following
Creepy intimacy, plenty of suspense, and a few surprises enliven this black-and-white treat from the director of Memento. Bill is a struggling writer who fills his time and mind by following random strangers he sees on the street. After breaking his own rule ("never follow the same person twice") he becomes fascinated by Cobb, a voyeur who takes things one step further--actually breaking into people's homes to sift through their things. As you might expect, the relationship soon becomes unhealthy. Writer-director Christopher Nolan already reveals a sure hand in this early neo-noir work. Like Memento, Following toys with timelines, jumping back and forth and carefully dropping bits of information exactly when they're needed. Short and sharp, Following features an intriguing plot line and fine, understated performances by the entire cast. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis

Memento is the more commonly hailed of these two, and might be classified as "mainstream." Guy Pierce plays a man with a rare disease, which disallows him to form new memories. Since his accident, he has been unable to withold "new" knowledge for more than approximately five minutes. Yeah, it sounds kinda silly and far-fetched, but it's the key to the movie, and a testament to Nolan's genius. Pierce is determined to uncover the mystery behind his wife's death, while dealing with this terribly inconvenient disease. The audience will be fascinated by his shift in lifestyle, which includes having to write continuous notes to himself, many of which are tatooed to his skin. It's also very interesting to bear witness to how easily this character is taken advantage of, and all the strange events which play out as result of his condition. Of course, there is also another nice little touch, which is, of course...The movie is shown in reverse-chronological order. We're shown a scene, and then immediately after, we'll be shown another scene which actually came before the previous scene, chronologically. As one might expect, this can get terribly confusing, but it's also fun and suspenseful. Certainly one of the most notable movies you'll see, with a great ending.

Following is much more subtle than Memento, relying on atmosphere, acting and filming style to propel its obscure plot. Artsier in nature, this one is entirely in black-and-white, and has only three characters majorly involved in the main story. We follow a lonely, slightly insane man as he "follows" various people around the city. One day, he meets up with another "follower," and they come together as a team, robbing houses. Of course, they're not really robbing them for the material sake--they each get an emotional fix out of taking something intimate from someone's household. Naturally, the plot thickens when a female comes into the equation. Up until the last half hour, the movie comes across as simply a poignant, quirky drama about the twisted hobby of two men. However, it turns into something not unlike Memento, when the director plants a few amazing surprises which are bound to leave your mind stimulated. In my opinion, only a hair under the quality of Memento, and still well-worth watching.