Memento SE specs:

[a.bunker]

courtesy of www.dvdtalk.com:

We've got some interesting news about the upcoming 2 Disc Memento: Limited Edition (set for release on 5/21). Even though it was rumored, the Memento: LE DVD will NOT allow you to watch the DVD in chronological order. There was much discussion about this feature, but ultimately Director Christopher Nolan decided not to include it. In addition, Memento: LE will be a VERY unique DVD centered entirely around the 'mental health' file of Leonard Shelby, where you will need to do some work to even access the special features. Get the complete details and more on this unique feature.
Here are the confirmed features for Memento: Limited Edition:

Disc 1 • Widescreen 2.35:1 Presentation
• Remastered in HD
• DTS 5.1 Surround
• Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0
• Directors Commentary
• Subtitles English and Spanish

Disc 2
• Anatomy of a scene (From The Sundance Channel)
• Director's shooting script
• Theatrical Trailers
• Original Short Story
• International Campaigns
• Production Stills and Sketches
• Hidden Features and much more...

Now here's the interesting part of the Memento: Limited Edition DVD. The concept of the DVD is the case file for Leonard Shelby. And when you insert the DVD you WON'T be taken directly to the menu to watch the special features or content. Instead you will need to 'pass' a series of psychic evaluation tests to get access to the features. We're sure that this will be VERY frustrating to some of you and we plan to have a cheat sheet as soon as we get the DVD and make our way through the tests.

Why did Christopher Nolan put in tests before the menus? His philosophy of the DVD experience for Memento: Limited Edition is to immerse you into the puzzling world of Leonard Shelby and to basically mess with your mind, the same way the movie messes with it. The jury is still out weather this will be fun or really frustrating. It's possible that the LE will give us more clues about Sammy Jenkins and the connection between his story and that of Leonard Shelby, if nothing more than continue to expose you to the fractured universe of Memento. Pre-Order Memento: Limited Edition Now.

[Rhettmatic]

Hm... that's a neat idea, but I imagine that it's really going to be a pain in the ass. It would be one thing for you to have to pass a little test to access certain bonus features, but just to get to the main menu? I think that'll just be annoying.

[IKEA_boy]

i'm relatively certain that there will be a way to bypass the 'test'. if not, this thing is a very bad idea.

[a.bunker]

I think its just going to come off as gimmicky. I could see if he wanted to add tests to the special features, but to the main menu....

[AnonomusBob15]

Yeah, this doesn't seem like a good idea to me either. As someone said above, it's one thing to have the tests as a special feature, but to have to pass a test to watch a movie is just stupid. Great idea........

[JTrotter]

I'm psyched for this one. This is one of the few occasions where I will gladly pick up the LE even though I own the bare bones.

__________

--JTrotter

[Lenny Nero]

There is always a dumpster full of zombie like idiots who throw money at you for any crap you have, AKA eBay for all your older/dual DVD versions of anything.
I don't want to sound too mean, after all I've just went around my house, gathered all the things and crap I don't want or use and made over $1,600 with about 35 auctions, pretty good eh?
So, sell your old Memento DVD and the new one will only cost you the difference which is usually about 3-5 dollars.

[dvdrcha]

I've been searching in vain for a review of Memento LE for quite a while now. Has anybody read or seen one?

It seems to me a bad idea to sell the current release because the LE doesn't have certain features that the current one does. Only my opinion though.

In any case, it might be a little early for a review of this new disc.

[MrWilliamWallace]

The disk doesn't come out for another couple of weeks, I think 5/21?...Reviews should start popping up within the next week an a half. Im glad I didn't get the current version, the LE looks pretty sweet.

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by dvdrcha
It seems to me a bad idea to sell the current release because the LE doesn't have certain features that the current one does. Only my opinion though.

The LE has every feature that was on the original release.

[dvdrcha]

Originally posted by LBPound23


The LE has every feature that was on the original release.

Really? If that's the case then I'm selling my old one. I have the Canadian version as well, which I think I'm going to hold onto.

[LBPound23]

The new one also has the entire chronological movie on Disc 2. If that's what you're keeping the Canadian version for, I think this is even better.

[DrDetroit]

Oh, boy. I hope that this test pops up before EVERY SINGLE VIEWING of Memento. That is entirely lame. Unless it's only on the special features or something. That wouldn't be so bad because they're not accessed too frequently.

[MrWilliamWallace]

Speak of the Devil, heres the DVDFile review if anyone missed it.

http://www.dvdfile.com/software/revi...emento_le.html

[dvdrcha]

Well, the review was interesting but it really didn't help me decide if I should discard the original release or hold onto it. Not that it matters in any case, this set is a must buy!

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by dvdrcha
Well, the review was interesting but it really didn't help me decide if I should discard the original release or hold onto it. Not that it matters in any case, this set is a must buy!

The Chronological cut of the film is an easter egg on Disc 2, according to DVD Talk. Looks like File's review missed it.

[dvdrcha]

LBPound23, you seem to have all the answers regarding Memento LE. I was going to ask you how you got a hold of all this juicy information, but now I know your secret - DVD Talk.com

I shall now go to that site and bookmark it before I forget.

[a.bunker]

Originally posted by LBPound23


The Chronological cut of the film is an easter egg on Disc 2, according to DVD Talk. Looks like File's review missed it.

That's a pretty big Easter egg. Why not just make it readily available on the second disc?

[tacomantt]

This is straight from DVDtalk.com on how to access the chronological order of the film. It is accessed via the second DVD after answering a quiz:

While paging through the screens and answering psychological questions, you’ll soon come across a quiz that shows four illustrated panels of a woman changing a flat tire on her car. (Depending on the way you answer questions, you’ll get to this quiz from any of the six workable icons.) The quiz asks you to place the panels in chronological order. The trick, of course, is to place the panels in backwards order. After you do so, the film begins playing backwards, and you’re in business. The end credits start rolling downwards, followed by the black-and-white sequences that focus mostly on Sammy Jankis.

Hats off to Jaon Boyberg for his review.

[IKEA_boy]

i wasn't able to get to the dvdtalk.com review. all i found was a review for the old disc

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by tacomantt
The end credits start rolling downwards, followed by the black-and-white sequences that focus mostly on Sammy Jankis.

Hats off to Jaon Boyberg for his review.

So it sounds like it's not a chronological cut of the film at all...just backwards, which wouldn't even equal forwards, because the movie is not in 100% reverse chronological order to begin with.

[Marq]

Originally posted by IKEA_boy
i wasn't able to get to the dvdtalk.com review. all i found was a review for the old disc

Here's DVDTalk's review. It wasn't too hard to find. It was the first listed title on their reviews page :

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=3815

Certainly sounds like an interesting disc. I'm actually leaning towards buying it even though I hate double-dipping....

[tacomantt]

Originally posted by LBPound23


So it sounds like it's not a chronological cut of the film at all...just backwards, which wouldn't even equal forwards, because the movie is not in 100% reverse chronological order to begin with.

I sure hope your wrong about that. Because it would suck.

I want to watch the movie in chronological order. I dont care what other people write about what the director intended. People, have edited the Back to the Future Trilogy into one seemless 6 hour flick...and I WILL watch Memento in chronological order.

There are three R1 versions of this movie available.


The Canadian DVD (seems the best to me even with the New US SE). Yeah, it doesnt have the trailer or interview, but it does have an easter egg that synchronizes 45 chapter stops in to the "correct" order. The minor annoying characteristic is that with this easter egg, after each chapter is finished it takes you back to the hidden menu. Summary: nice to have the egg, but annoying to not be able to seamlessly see the chronological order.

The original US version did not have all the chapter stops to make it easy to view the film in the "right" order. (only 19 chapters). Thus one would have to program thier players manually (e.g. start at 12:04 - 14:57). A trailer and interview are included on this DVD.

This new Memento SE's easter egg is hopefully what I was looking for. It has 2 DVD's and is packed full of information. There are quizes that need answering to access special features. (This pisses me off, but other people love it). There is an easter egg that starts to play play what seems like a chronological version. Someone pointed out that is may be the movie in "backwards" (which is different than chronological). And as another person points out in an earlier posting, there are flashbacks and jumps all over the place. So, hopefully this easter egg on disc-2 is the seamless chronological version.

The review on DVDTalk did leave some hope, but also some confusion. I think we will have a better picture on which version to buy in the near future. (Seems like the Canadian version is the winner currently in my book).

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by tacomantt


I sure hope your wrong about that. Because it would suck.

I want to watch the movie in chronological order. I dont care what other people write about what the director intended. People, have edited the Back to the Future Trilogy into one seemless 6 hour flick...and I WILL watch Memento in chronological order.

I hope so too. From what i heard a few weeks back, the movie is entirely in chronological order, without even repeating the scenes that are repeated in the movie to let the viewer follow.

But why they would begin with the end credits is kind of strange to me.

I really hope it's a true chronological cut. It'd be so easy to put together. If Windows Movie Maker didn't freeze up on me every time I tried to do this, I could do it myself in just a few hours. Hope they did it right!

[Moppy007]

From reading DVDtalk's review, i think it is played in chronological order. The Sammy Jankins stuff that plays after the end credits are all flashback scenes if I remember correctly.

I guess the end credits had to play first because the opening credits are the 'end' of the movie (where he shoots Joe Pantoliano).

The thing I don't really get is, why put the chronological cut of the movie on the second disc? I know putting it on a separate disc probably results in a better presentation of the movie on disc 1, but wouldn't it be easy to just rearrange chapter stops??

Unless the chronological cut is presented differently...

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by Moppy007
Unless the chronological cut is presented differently...

It's not. It is actually EXACTLY as if they just rearranged chapters. They even repeat the moments that are repeated in the movie. If they were going to put the whole movie on Disc 2 in chronological order, they should have at least made it a fluid chronological cut. The way they have it now would work just as fine on Disc 1, AFAIK.

[Jason Bovberg]

Thanks for the comments about my review at DVD Talk. I see that part of the review was misleading, so I've made some edits.

As LBPound said, the movie plays as if the chapters have simply been rearranged in chronological order. Playfully, maybe to get you in the mood, the end credits scroll backward at the start of this version. Then the film begins with the black-and-white sequences of Leonard in the motel room on the phone.