I am back in the Midwest after a week out on the east coast. I really enjoyed my time in Massachusetts and look forward to going back. The scenery is beautiful, most people are nice, and the word I kept thinking of to describe it was "peaceful." I think everyone can agree when you go somewhere, peaceful is a good place to start. The flights were all good and I had a week to kick back and relax. Took in some east coast brews (Offshore Ale you are dericious) and traveled to Boston. Boston, like most big cities, has too much to see in six hours, which incidentally was the amount of time I had there. It was enough to follow some of the Freedom Trail, hit Boston harbor, and have a drink at the Cheers replica bar. I had fun in the sun and sand, but am happy to be home. Now on to the important stuff. My review of Inception.
I have spoken in this blog before about how I consider the movie theater to be a sort of semi-sacred space. As Kristi and I walked into the theater and entered the concession line I saw a couple with a young child most likely aged 3-5. I thought nothing of it and said to myself, "That kid is going to enjoy Toy story 3, because I know I did." So we go and sit down in the jam packed theater and not 2 minutes later in strolls the couple with said child. I was angry before the movie even started. The main reason being those parents had no idea about the movie or the audience it was going to attract. The movie is 2 hours and 28 minutes long which a kid could not sit through if they were given a bottle of Jim Beam. It's a movie made by a director who has built his reputation on making "thinking man" movies. You have to pay attention, and its hard when a young child is in the theater. So I was not pleased and because I am the luckiest guy in the world, they sat directly behind us. The movie begins and the child gets rather fussy (Shocker!) And the parents sit there with the child for nearly 45 minutes of him making noise, through no fault of his own. It's what kids do. Thankfully the child was taken out of the theater and I could take in the rest of the film. I said it after I saw a child no older than 8 at Kick-Ass. The ticket taker at the theater should have the ability to deny entry to anyone they deem unfit to go see a movie. Because god knows parents can't make an informed decision by themselves.
But I digress, luckily I didn't miss much because I was intensely focused on the screen the entire time. I have been waiting for Inception for a long while, and it did not disappoint. I am not going to declare where it rests in the pantheon of movies until I see it again. But as of right now it is up there based on sole originality. Say what you want about Christopher Nolan, but color me impressed that he wrote the film and directed it. People who are that talented always impress me. Even if the movie had sucked, I would have said he was ballsy enough to be original and put his heart into it. Visually the movie was fantastic. Wally Pfister once again with fantastic cinematography. And I'm not sure who the film editor was, but they should be engraving their name on the Oscar statuette.
Acting wise, Inception was a collection of awesomeness. DiCaprio was solid as usual and I have been a big proponent of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for a while now. He has made an almost seamless transition from child sit-com star to legitimate dramatic actor. Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe were given more to do, and both were very impressive. Marion Cotillard continues to wow in bit parts of blockbuster movies. She was the only like able part of Michael Mann's Public Enemies, and in my mind, is the most memorable character of Inception. The only quibble I had was with Ellen Page who, in my mind at least, will always be Juno.
Say what you will about the ending or the plot in general, but it is open to interpretation. I formulated my final opinion on what I think happened 16 hours after I saw the film. But the part I enjoyed the most was the 10 minutes Kristi and I spent through the credits discussing the movie. It made us think, gave us our own opinions, and then forced us to have a conversation. The movie may not be the greatest, but when it forces you to have conversations it at least did something right.
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