Posts tagged memento

A Memento of Larry Holden

 As I mentioned last year on this date, May 15th would have been my friend, Larry Holden’s birthday had he not past away last year from cancer. 

Larry had been an actor for years but received much more attention after appearing in the Christopher Nolan film, Memento. 

               

(He additionally appeared in other Christopher Nolan films like Insomnia and the blockbuster hit, Batman Begins as D.A. Fisk)   

                         

Larry was also an indie filmmaker and his movies were an interesting series of unconventional visual and emotional quests. Sometimes very challenging and thought provoking — yet never disregarding his artistic intentions over Hollywood narrative structure.  

So over 10 years ago, a second release of the Memento DVD was going into production but this version was to contain multiple extras and a running commentary from Christopher Nolan. 

                                  

Larry told me Chris always had people pointing out what they felt were flaws in Memento’s narrative. They had repeatedly watched the film to solve what THEY felt was actually going on in this creatively backwards narrative mystery. They were always incorrect. 

So, for the hard core fans to discover, Chris put an easter egg shot in the Special Edition Memento DVD featuring Larry Holden to be discovered by some eagle-eyed viewer. 

The thing is, NO ONE has found it after all these years…

So, to honor Larry Holden on what would have been his birthday, I’m going to help point it out to you…but there’s a catch…

In Larry and I’s last conversation, he wanted to make sure that his films still remained available for people to purchase and be seen — to live on even if he wasn’t around to promote them. 

So, please take a few minutes and visit Larry’s website: www.holdenautomotive.com and take a look at the reviews, comments and his series of films for sale.  All purchases go back into the pot of keeping Larry’s dreams of making films alive. I highly recommend Larry’s last film, All Sun And Little White Flowers. I find this to be his most haunting film from the DVD cover to the last frame… it is a solid piece of work. His film, My Father’s House, was a festival favorite, getting the attention of director Martin Scorsese  who contacted Larry for a viewing copy. Without flinching Larry simply directed him to the website shopping cart and Martin bought two copies. (Martin later called Larry congratulating him saying it was one of his favorite indie films that year)

Please check out Larry’s movies and don’t hesitate to pass his website around…

So, onto the Easter Egg…

As I understood it, and Larry points out in his interview in James Mottram’s Making of Memento book, Larry auditioned with a mustache and he joked that that is why he got the part of Jimmy the drug dealer. Before they shot his scenes he posed with Carrie-Anne Moss for photos to be placed as set decorations in her character’s apartment, but they asked him to shave his mustache off. 

So, for the photos there were images of Larry with a mustache and Larry without a mustache (and a couple combinations of other facial hair bingo).  During the shoot, Chris and the crew shot multiple versions of framed photos of Larry with and without the mustache. (Ultimately, they wanted him to grow the mustache back for his filmed scenes so the mustache photo footage was used)

But after so many people trying to unsuccessfully prove a flaw in the narrative of Memento to the director, Chris decided to introduce an actual flaw/mistake… but on purpose… for people to actually find in their quest. 

…But… still no one seems to have found it…

So I’ve helped you out with this clip…

       

                         (I know Larry wouldn’t have pointed this out on his own)



Larry wanted me to make sure that Chris, his wife Emma, and D.P. Wally Phister knew how much he respected them and was truly honored to have been a part of their films.

So, based on what I’ve told you, here it is for you to discover yourself… In honor of actor/filmmaker/friend Larry Holden… enjoy.  www.holdenautomotive.com


One extra point of note. Larry said he had worked out and was in good physical shape for the film. Yet later, the Polaroid of his body that Guy Pearce carries around is not his actual shirtless “GUT” as Larry points out but a stand in’s “GUT”.  So for the record — the exposed gut Polaroid WAS NOT Larry’s gut.  — You’re welcome Golden…

         


Larry Holden 1961-2011

                             

It was 10 years ago that I met Larry Holden…

When I moved to California in 2000, I didn’t know very many people. I worked on a lot of projects for free. Uneventful pilots, so called television shows, and a few really poorly done films. Whatever. Everybody at the time was saying they were a “producer” on their way up and I was too new and broke to realize they were just giving that job title out at the airport. 

Then some mutual friends wanted me to help Larry edit his first feature film, “My Father’s House”.  I was mostly fed up at this point. I said, is it good? They said he had Cameron Diaz and Josh Charles in it. I’m sure I rolled my eyes. Right… but is it good?

They eventually convinced me the project was worthy and the filmmaker was a good honest guy. I agreed to meet him. 

The next day, in walked Larry Holden. He seemed so spent at that point. He had poured his heart into his movie and everyone seemed to just be taking advantage of him because he didn’t know a lot about the mechanics or necessary evils of finishing movies. 

As I write this having known Larry for years, I can’t honestly believe that he let me watch his film in a rough version at this point. He never let anyone see anything unfinished. Ever! - But on this day, at this time, he gave me a take home VHS cassette to watch. 

I spent 2 hours early the next morning watching it. 6 minutes into it, I’ll admit, it was a challenge. I said, what are you doing here? Are you going to take me somewhere? Do you know what you’re doing?

But…

 …I still kept on watching all the way through the credits to the very last one - which was like a well placed period at the end of a poetic sentence. From beginning to end he was working off a solid, complete thought. 

And since it wasn’t even finished yet, it was interesting that Larry had included an entire credit sequence on the rough cut of a film.  They unfortunately hadn’t mastered a rolling credit technique yet so each credit was a single name static card sequence that ran for a total of 17 minutes.  Today we graze through film credits basically ignoring them. I remember sitting in our local small town theater watching Empire Strikes Back and me and my friends would watch all the credits as they rolled by as almost a salute to all the filmmakers.  As I watched Larry’s credits, I again sat through, reading each and every one… down to the the very last, most special final card. Larry told me later he almost wanted to remove that card and I begged of him not to. 


                                          

Although I never made or expected a nickel from that movie, Larry did his best to pay it back. He got me into meetings. He took me to all the festivals the film got into. He was also my friend. Perhaps the only one I would truly call a friend that I had met in this brand new place.  Although our interests and tastes were at times vastly different we met up in our talks about being human and creating art. 

And it wasn’t just me. Larry was important to many people. That guy could make people think. He’d walk into a room and no one would ever forget his name. He was someone people admired and could look up to - and someone who would politely argue with you for thinking that way. 

Much like John Cassevettes, Larry chose to work as actor as a means to make his own films/art… which is something I need to learn about editing. One’s outlet for artistic expression shouldn’t be your actual paying job…  

In life, Larry has been a friend and a brother for 10 years.



On February 13th, my friend and a friend to many suddenly passed away from cancer.  



This Sunday…May 15th 2011 would have been Larry’s birthday.



Yesterday, I pulled a book out that Larry had given me the week we met. He had written a message to me inside and at that time I’d never seen that done before then. 

        

Everyday there are little heroes that change peoples lives and in the grand scheme of things, they are unknown. I and many others had Larry in our lives through an oddity of circumstances and I’m sure he’ll never completely leave. Fragments and fingerprints of him will filter down through us for years to come.  


                                         

                                                 You are missed, Larry… 


If you’re interested knowing more about Larry… he would probably say… watch my films…

Larry Holden’s films are available from his website at http://www.holdenautomotive.com

http://www.holdenautomotive.com/store.html

http://www.holdenautomotive.com/review_mfh.html



Here are some Larry interviews from the internet.

http://www.batman-on-film.com/interview_larryholden.html

http://www.christophernolan.net/interviews_holden.php

http://www.roguecinema.com/article-788—0-0.html



A review of his first film, My Father’s House:

“What a gift! What a joy! Just when the cinematic landscape feels like a vast, boring desert of sameness, along comes a triumph of low budget brilliance like Larry Holden’s My Father’s House — a beautiful, delicate study of men’s lives and relationships. The film was so good I could hardly believe it. I held my breath as I watched it, waiting for a false note, a weak line delivery, or a sentimental moment. But there was none. Holden probes his central characters’ emotions without a single misstep. Watch carefully because this film is as subtle as our most interesting interactions in life. Holden understands that with men in particular, everything or almost everything emotional is hidden under the surface, between the lines, in the depths — and the miracle (and this film is miraculous) is that he finds a way to take us down there into the emotional depths of his characters’ lives to help us to see what is going on inside them. The succession of scenes may at first seem random or haphazard, but shot by shot Holden wonderfully weaves the strands together to tell the story of a life. One of the truest, subtlest, best films I’ve seen in years.”

— Ray Carney
Author of Cassavetes on Cassavetes
Quoted from a review published at www.cassavetes.com



Here is a scene of Larry in a movie called DOWNTIME by Rob Tiffin.  He’s so interesting in this scene…

                  

A SCENE FROM DOWNTIME from rob tiffin on Vimeo.