# "Memento" getting remake - WTF?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 2, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236 "2015-12-02T19:14:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/1 "2015-12-02T19:14:37Z")
[Info here](http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/entertainment/memento-remake-feat/).
I can’t think of a movie less in need of a remake. It’s not anachronistic, it won’t be done better with a big budget or modern special effects or anything like that. It doesn’t need some sort of spin for the new generation, it isn’t that old. It still holds up in its entirety. I can see no reason to remake this, it’s just bizarre.
Are we just so out of ideas for movies that now we just throw darts at a wall of DVDs and whichever one it lands on, we remake it?
If you haven’t seen the original, go do so. Don’t read up on it first. Just dive in.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/2 "2015-12-02T19:18:11Z")
It’ll work since most of the people involved don’t remember it anyway.
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/3 "2015-12-02T19:24:29Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> [Info here](http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/entertainment/memento-remake-feat/).
>
> I can’t think of a movie less in need of a remake.
I can. [Point Break](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058673/).
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/4 "2015-12-02T19:32:47Z")
Ever article I’ve read about this treats it like some big Hollywood studio doing a big budget remake. But the actually production company does low budget, direct to DVD stuff. They just bought the rights to a bunch of movies so they can churn out cheap remakes.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/5 "2015-12-02T19:44:41Z")
Maybe in the new version the guy is using his Iphone rather than sticky notes.
Changes the whole movie it does.
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### Author:  [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/6 "2015-12-02T19:47:02Z")
What a great idea! :rolleyes:
Most of the of the movie was trying to follow the journey and figure out where it would end up. The big reveal at the end or beginning with Joey Pants, I mean Teddy, and how he was playing Leonard’s memory loss for his own gain was the whole movie. Seeing how it all fell together. Teddy, the girlfriend betrayal, it was all a puzzle that fell into place at the end.
Have you ever sat down to do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle a second time? It just isn’t the same. A waste of time.
But now that it is all out in the open let’s make a remake! Hell, lets make a remake of the Sixth Sense too, with Bruce knowing he is dead the whole time. Wouldn’t that be exciting? Wouldn’t it? No.
I see that these genius’ Andrea and Monica at AMBI Pictures also now own the rights to Donnie Darko and we all know how well S. Darko turned out. You don’t remember S. Darko? Because it was an even bigger box office flop than Donnie was. The only people who still remember S. Darko are the people who are now former actors.
A Memento remake will make sense in another 15 or 20 years after the original has faded away. But not yet, maybe never.
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### Author:  [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/7 "2015-12-02T19:59:45Z")
If they remake Hitchcock movies, as they have done with dire results, then nothing is sacred.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/8 "2015-12-02T20:13:31Z")
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> Maybe in the new version the guy is using his Iphone rather than sticky notes.
>
> Changes the whole movie it does.
That’s what I was thinking. The idea for a remake was probably pitched by an Apple rep.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/9 "2015-12-02T20:48:21Z")
3 or so years ago, I polled a dozen college kids and none had seen Memento, so perhaps it’s not that well known in certain demographics.
> [@UncleRojelio](#):
>
> I can. [Point Break](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058673/).
From Wikipedia: “scheduled to be released in China on December 4, 2015 and in the United States on December 25, 2015 in 3D and RealD Cinema.” That tells me everything I need to know. Hollywood doesn’t care if you think a remake is unnecessary, and doesn’t give a crap that Transformers 7 is considered pointless or gets 5% at Rotten Tomatoes. The billions of yuans are enough.
> [@Jack\_Batty](#):
>
> That’s what I was thinking. The idea for a remake was probably pitched by an Apple rep.
It’s about time for a remake of the atrocious 90s film/Apple advertisement “Blank Check.”
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/10 "2015-12-02T20:55:54Z")
I didn’t care too much for the first one.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/11 "2015-12-02T20:56:11Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#):
>
> I can. [Point Break](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058673/).
The original did not have squirrel suits. And now they can wear Obama and Bush masks whilst robbing banks. This movie demanded a remake.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/12 "2015-12-04T02:14:40Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#):
>
> I can. [Point Break](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2058673/).
Yeah, I came in here to bemoan that one.
From the commericals, it’s apparently just an excuse so they can add in masks of President Bush and Obama, because wow does that look like an utter waste of… .well I guess they don’t actually use celluloid anymore.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/13 "2015-12-04T02:18:07Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#):
>
> What a great idea! :rolleyes:
>
> Most of the of the movie was trying to follow the journey and figure out where it would end up. The big reveal at the end or beginning with Joey Pants, I mean Teddy, and how he was playing Leonard’s memory loss for his own gain was the whole movie. Seeing how it all fell together. Teddy, the girlfriend betrayal, it was all a puzzle that fell into place at the end.
>
> Have you ever sat down to do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle a second time? It just isn’t the same. A waste of time.
>
> But now that it is all out in the open let’s make a remake! Hell, lets make a remake of the Sixth Sense too, with Bruce knowing he is dead the whole time. Wouldn’t that be exciting? Wouldn’t it? No.
>
> I see that these genius’ Andrea and Monica at AMBI Pictures also now own the rights to Donnie Darko and we all know how well S. Darko turned out. You don’t remember S. Darko? Because it was an even bigger box office flop than Donnie was. The only people who still remember S. Darko are the people who are now former actors.
>
> A Memento remake will make sense in another 15 or 20 years after the original has faded away. But not yet, maybe never.
I thought S. Darko was direct to video… Anyway, it was a lot better than the creator’s actual followup, Southland Tales. I bet David Lynch would be confused by that mess.
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### Author:  [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2015, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/14 "2015-12-05T06:10:46Z")
Having the main character use a computer rather than tattoos would make the remake a very short film. He won’t be able to remember his password to log on!
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/15 "2015-12-05T17:37:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> It’ll work since most of the people involved don’t remember it anyway.
😃
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/16 "2015-12-05T18:43:56Z")
It’s not being remade for us old fogies who already saw it. It’ being remade fro the youngsters who wouldn’t think of renting the old version. So, yeah, someone figured they could make a buck by redoing the film. If they actually do a good job (unlikely, but possible) that will be icing on the cake.
They could make the main character one of the Kartrashians, and she wouldn’t even have to have the memory defect to be totally lost in the world.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/17 "2015-12-05T18:50:04Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#):
>
> > [@billfish678](#):
> >
> > Maybe in the new version the guy is using his Iphone rather than sticky notes.
> >
> > Changes the whole movie it does.
>
> That’s what I was thinking. The idea for a remake was probably pitched by an Apple rep.
> [@billfish678](#):
>
> Changes the whole movie it does.
Or Yoda.
I do like the idea from a direct-to-video or writing prompt POV. How would things be different if Leonard could at least remember to check in with his digital life?
_ **refriend Sammy Jenkins** _
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/18 "2015-12-05T19:26:55Z")
Well, I hope they don’t get all stupidly science-fictiony about how he has a limited supply of viable short-term memory which he taxes when under stress.
Of course, if they _want_ to call it “Memento: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank”, I won’t mind too much.
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### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memento-getting-remake-wtf/739236/19 "2015-12-06T01:30:26Z")
> [@alfonzos](#):
>
> Having the main character use a computer rather than tattoos would make the remake a very short film. He won’t be able to remember his password to log on!
So I guess the password will be his one tattoo. (Along with “this is a password, genius!”)
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> It’s not being remade for us old fogies who already saw it. It’ being remade fro the youngsters who wouldn’t think of renting the old version.
Well, part of the original IS in black-and-white. And the youngsters are notorious for dismissing all black-and-white films as being “too old.”
(Gad, I bet that actually _was_ a talking point when the remake was being pitched…:smack:)