Inception (2010)

It's a fact that dream analysis and interpretation has fascinated people for centuries. The purpose of dreams and the meanings behind them have been thoroughly studied, researched, and recorded throughout history--from the Bible to Stephen King. Yet, there is still little explanation for what causes dreams and what they signify. It's a fact that dreams are still not fully understood.

It's my opinion that a movie such as Inception appeals to so great an audience because it takes the ancient and mysterious concept of a dream and puts a new spin on it. In the world of Inception, dreams are understood, and can be manipulated using futuristic technology. Realistic worlds can be designed and a person within the dream is free as they cannot be in reality. This opens up new possibilities for mankind, but also invites a new age of crime and corruption.

Sound familiar? This reminds me a bit of the dawn of the internet; new and effortless means of communication making our lives easier, but at what cost? The internet has also brought us cyber crime and super hackers. Thus, mankind's manipulation of dreams opened the door to those with dark motives in this film.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dominic Cobb in Inception, an Extractor who works for whomever will pay him top dollar to steal secrets from people's subconscious minds as they dream. He must tread carefully on his missions, however, for not only does the subconscious of his victim fight to protect what he is seeking, but with increasing unpredictability Marion Cotillard (Mal) shows up to distract him, despite the fact that she has been dead for some years.

As the film matures from its tangled beginnings, where we, the viewer have begun to wonder if we are ever going to understand what is going on, Cobb receives an offer from Ken Watanabe (Saito), which he accepts in the hope that it will be his final job. Saito's desire is for his corporate rival (Killian Murphy as Robert Fischer) to abandon his business, thus allowing Saito's own to become a super power. Through a meticulously crafted plan, Cobb and his group of accomplices (Ellen Page as Ariadne, Joseph Gorden-Levitt as Arthur, Tom Hardy as Eames, and Dileep Rao as Yusef) plot to trick Fischer in his dream world into thinking his late father did not wish for him to continue with the business. The planting of this idea becomes known as Inception.

This film contains exotic locales, thrilling chase and fight sequences, surreal imagery and clever ideas uncommon in the usual summer blockbuster. At this film's heart there is also true emotion, and the inner struggle Cobb faces with his grief and guilt over Mal's death, both very nearly keeping reality from his grasp, even as he delves deeper and deeper into the dangerous nature of his work.

Rated PG-13, this film is not for small children, but can be enjoyed by mature young adults able to handle its violence and dark subject matter.

See Inception on the big screen if you see anything this summer; it has all of the mind-blowing special effects and breathless action to keep you on the edge of your seat, but also the depth and complexity of plot to exercise your mind while you sit munching that popcorn. It took director and writer Christopher Nolan 7 years to bring us this gem of a movie, so enjoy! It's an amazing experience, and gives us so many things to weigh and consider at its end.

"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules." ~ Dominic Cobb

I truly hope Inception gives a great many people some new ideas about how modern films can and should be made. This one is pure brilliance.

Our overall rating: 10/10

- Dani and Lindsay

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

This movie was definitely not what I anticipated, but then again, I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting. Weirdness? Yes. And Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland includes weird aspects and strange encounters without a doubt. A remake of the family-friendly animated Disney classic? Perhaps. And while this film does contain some elements similar to those seen in Disney's 1951 animated classic, Tim Burton expands on those previous childlike themes. A combination of both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass? No. But this film was based on and incorporated characteristics of both stories.

Instead of portraying Alice as a young girl which audiences are generally more familiar with, Alice is now a 19-year-old young woman. While attending a party, she is unexpectedly proposed to by a wealthy aristocrat. Needing a minute to ponder over her decision, she runs away and stumbles into a rabbit hole where once again she is transported to Wonderland. Although she has no memory of her previous visit, inhabitants of Wonderland have been waiting for her return to help them overthrow the Red Queen, who has driven Wonderland to despair.

A mixture of themes, characters, and events from both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are seen throughout the film, which, in my opinion, made it difficult to follow at times. For example, The Jabberwocky is only present in Through the Looking Glass, as are Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the White Queen. The Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen are used interchangeably throughout the film along with their deck of cards and chess motifs, even though they are two separate Queens in two separate stories. The confusion of combining the two left me frustrated.

I thoroughly enjoy Johnny Depp's portrayal of The Mad Hatter, however. I noticed that a handful of his past characters seemed to emerge through The Mad Hatter's mannerisms, including Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd. Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway were also notable as the Red and White Queens, and Mia Wasikowska's portrayal of Alice was also enjoyable.

Overall, the movie moved along quite quickly, and it seemed just the right length. I also loved Alice's different costumes throughout the film as she changed heights..

I feel that the audience market for this movie is tough to hit, and I'm not quite sure of the age of the intended audience. Even though the film is only rated PG, there are still gory images and scenes that might be disturbing for young children. On the other hand, some scenes felt slightly repetitive and childlike, which may be somewhat of a bore for adults. I certainly found the film interesting. Not amazing, but definitely entertaining.

My overall rating: 6.5/10

-Lindsay

The Road (2009)

My apologies first and foremost to our faithful blog readers who have told me they miss our movie picks! From what I hear, Lindsay has been unable to remove her nose from her college textbooks until recently, and I have been planning my 6/5 wedding. I thought though, that I just had far too many opinions of the movie I saw last night to keep all of them to myself!

"The Road" is based on a book by author, Cormac McCarthy. I enjoyed the film "No Country For Old Men", and was looking so forward to seeing Viggo Mortensen, as I am a Lord of the Rings fan! He did not disappoint me, and neither did the boy they cast as his co star.

At first I was a little lost at the film's beginning, as I thought I may have missed something due to the fact that they opened the movie up with a post-apocolyptic setting and no explanation as to how things got that way. We were also struggling to make out the scenes due to our TV's brightness having been dimmed down a little far, and though we had never noticed this to be a problem with any other movie, we realized that "The Road" was no average movie. Needless to say, we had to dial the brightness meter up a bit!

It is dark, both visually and emotionally. It is a quiet movie, with much of the storytelling accomplished through long scenes of our only characters wandering among destruction and a landscape that is gray and bleak. It reminded me a bit of Hayao Miyazaki's animated "Grave of the Fireflies" and also "Legend" starring Will Smith. There is also a foreboding danger to the film, and I found my face nearly touching the TV screen in suspense and dread over the well being of Viggo's character and his character's son! It was truly impossible to not care about them.


The perils they face include the collapse of trees that stand dead from whatever catastrophe laid waste to the country, the constant threat of starvation, and also the threat of the other human survivors who are trying to stave off their own starvation by hunting and killing their fellow men. It is not a film made to portray the end of civilization, but rather of civility. How can we not be reminded of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath by this, or of the recent disaster in Haiti? Of course the death and destruction is tragic, but is it not more tragic to see people prey upon each other and resort to the desperation of basic survival? This, in essense is what the film is about. We are there to watch Viggo's character fight that temptation, for the sake of his own faith in humanity and for the sake of his young son, who he regards as a god-like presense in his life, constantly inspiring him to have hope.


This is not a light film, but it has a surprisingly sweet ending. If you can make it that far without feeling too distressed by the peril, I hope you can agree that it is a film worth seeing. We could all use a dose of deep thought here and there!


Dani

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

I confess, I actually saw this movie twice in theaters--I thought it was THAT good.

Just when we think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes has faded away, being over 20 years since his last U.S. theatrical appearance, the famous detective emerges again in Guy Ritchie's brand-new, original Holmes adventure.

At the start of the film, Holmes and his newly-engaged companion Dr. Watson have successfully closed another case--the "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood has been caught and punished for using his mysterious dark power in an attempt to rule London--or so they think. When Lord Blackwood mysteriously returns and continues his killing spree, Holmes and Watson are back on the case in an endeavor to track down Lord Blackwood and prevent his disastrous scheme from threatening all of England.

While this particular story is not much of a "whodunit," but more of a "howdunit," the excitement of unraveling the mysteries surrounding Lord Blackwood still manages to be thrilling. The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, but not difficult to follow. The flashbacks throughout the movie recap important events and people, and make it incredibly easy to understand the story.

I felt the acting was outstanding--all of the actors played their part immensely well, and Robert Downey Jr. was especially true to the character of Holmes, including the side that is often not portrayed, right down to his violin-plucking and drug-use. While many picture Holmes more along the lines of a serious gentleman, Downey's interpretation of a more rough, yet still sharp and clever Holmes is an enjoyable and interesting approach to this character. Other characters that are found in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's adventures also reappear in this film, including Dr. Watson (Jude Law), Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and even Holmes' arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty. All of these supporting characters were portrayed extremely well, and the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson as a hilarious "bromance" provides comic relief throughout the entire film.

This PG-13 film is reasonably family-friendly, save for some violence and a few scary images. The period setting, fast-paced plot, and superb acting provide a wonderfully entertaining movie experience. I definitely recommend seeing this film. I know I will be watching it a few more times as I wait for the possible sequel.

-Lindsay