INCEPTION
Oh! My! God, Becky!!!…what a wild ride!
Christopher Nolan wrote and directed this masterpiece with the skill of a surgeon and the soul of an artist all rolled into one. Most of the effects are real life and not green screen and CGI and let me tell you, it makes a difference. I think with all of the computer generated effects we’ve come to expect, we’ve forgotten how brick and mortar stunts can pull the audience into the scene with the actors.
Nolan’s pacing is stellar, making every moment count. It’s slow and fast, it builds, ebbs, and then takes the action to crescendo upon crescendo, all in a way that makes sense. He has a penchant for surrounding himself with wicked talent as well. The cinematography is breathtaking, costumes on point, and the score with hues of hope, despair, guilt, anger, fear, pretty much every emotion imaginable, envelopes the audience. As I said – a masterpiece!
Ok, so here’s the quick and dirty. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an extractor who makes his living by inserting himself into shared dreams in order to steal ideas. He is hired however by Saito (Ken Watanabe, AMAZING) who wants him to insert an idea into the mind of Robert Fischer, Jr., a multimillion dollar oil company heir (Cillian Murphy), this process is inception. Cobb puts together a team to help him with the task: Arthur – the Researcher who gathers all possible info on the target (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and man has he grown up!), Ariadne – the Architect who builds the shared dream (Ellen Page), Eames – the Forger who can imitate anyone (Tom Hardy ) and Yusuf – the Chemist who concocts the sedative that keeps everyone asleep (Dileep Rao). They proceed to take the subject into a dream within a dream within a dream…at least that’s how it seems. The question is, “What is really real?”
Don’t worry there won’t be any spoilers here because I simply don’t know. Actually, I’m not completely sure what I experienced. First, I think, ” Ok…it’s that!” Then I blink and I’m like, “Oh, no, wait it’s this!!!” What I do know is this movie is SICK! That’s what. Mind blowing bending altering SICK!!!!! Yeah, I know, way too many exclamation points! And enough with the capitalization already! But I just can’t help myself. Frankly, I don’t know how to get across how fucktasmagorically amazing this movie is. I believe it is not out of the realm of possibility that it is absolutely the best movie I have seen in a very long time.
Every second of the 148 minutes is a roller coaster ride of thought provoking twists, turns, action, and fun, and I don’t even like roller coasters! I actually found myself holding my breath.
Leo DiCaprio. Can I just say it? One of the most underrated actors of our time! Yeah…I’m gushing but I just can’t help myself. He grounds the movie while pushing the limits of reality. Ellen Page. Engaging, mature, thoughtful…WOW (pay attention Lindsay Lohan, this is how to be a young star in Hollywood). And Tom Berenger. Finally, reaches that tricky summit of “aging gracefully.” Gordon-Levitt. Well, he just pulses with quiet strength. Great cast…
And the concept. Who hasn’t had a wild and wooley dream? Think about it, what if someone was sharing your dreams with you? Crazy! And what if that someone could steal your ideas by manipulating your dreams? Take it a step further and what if the real goal was to insert an idea in your head by manipulating those dreams? Terrifying? And what if the really real goal was to…what?!…I don’t know…what could possibly come next? All I can say is “HOLY SHIT!” That would be one paranoia-inducing world and with the “straight out of the nuthouse” dreams I’ve been having lately…I’m starting to wonder…
Can’t wait to see it again and again and again and…
Some People’s Kids: Deceitful. Manipulative. Dangerous. Not as they seem…
