Inception

[nonionay]

Went and saw Inception yesterday, because I'll see anything Christopher Nolan does. It was exactly what I hoped it would be. Complex, psychological... and OMG the Second Level fight scenes are like nothing I've ever seen.
The ending was perfect. Perfectly perfect.

My only criticisms are that Nolan's characters all talk in the Same. Profound. Voice. But everything going on is pretty profound, so whatever. (Nolan uses themes and tricks that in lesser hands, would be utterly stupid. See: the ending of this movie.) Also, I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but I don't think he pulls off slick and stony as well as other things. Still, I'm glad to see his career take off.

Comments

[phewfighter.livejournal.com]

A. Slick and stony Joseph Gordon-Levitate: have you seen Brick? I thought had nailed the tough-as-nails couldn't-care-less bleeding heart noir detective.

B. As to Nolan's characters: I'm somewhat bummed that in a movie that probably puts the final kibosh on Neuromancer ever being adapted for cinema--being pretty much it, in a way--barely any of the crew feel like fully-fleshed characters with flaws, motives, emotions, desires... basically, human.

C. And what's with Nolan and dead wives? Granted, I enjoyed Marion Cotillard's Mal far more than Leo's last dead wife (Michelle Williams in Shutter Island) and she was a much richer character than the one in Memento, but it may just be starting to get to me the way Tarantino's daddy issues have.

[criada.livejournal.com]

A) I haven't yet, though I hear it's good.

B) Actually, that particular aspect didn't bug me. The side characters weren't developed, but I don't think they felt flat. I think a lot of the dissatisfaction with Inception comes from how focused it is. A lot of critics pointed out things that bugged me (like the almost unrelenting somber tone) but ultimately, I don't hold them against the movie too much, because that's not the story Nolan was trying to tell. Granted, he probably could have traded some action scene time for something else, but I appreciated that the story was focused on Cobb. I may want a movie to push all my buttons, but I can't expect it.

C) Definitely! I started giggling in the movie when that occurred to me.

I'll Definitely Check It Out, and I'd Like to Recommend...

[patlandness.livejournal.com]

Sidney Lumet's "Network" from 1976. WOW! This is one hell of a satire of modern society with incredible dialogue and spiritual insight. Hell, it makes "Thank You For Smoking" trite and light-hearted (and I like that movie, too).

Just thought you'd like a cinematic head's up!