Inception

Inception, Inception, Inception. Where to begin. A lot has been written on this movie already. And I'm not likely to say anything new because, frankly, the movie is as good as everyone says it is.

My review is not going to be complicated, its not going to be long. When a movie this good comes out it speaks for itself and doesn't need anyone, and definitely not me, to ruin it for anyone else.

Inception is a well crafted movie. It's long but the pacing is so exceptional you don't feel it. The acting is great, Joseph-Gordan Levitt and Tom Hardy (The Forger) were my standouts. And I guess seeing how Ellen Page didn't annoy me she did well too. Her character isn't too interesting though, she's just a plot device as we learn about the world through her eyes. But hey she got the cool job in the dream market. Leo to me is the only weak point. He's become a bit typecast of late - man with sordid past (family related generally) has to do something to try win family back or whatever. And at the end of the day his entire motivation for this film is to get past border control so its not that exciting. But hey, its not why he's doing it, its how that makes the film interesting.

Visually, the film is a treat and the soundtrack is amazing. The idea will stimulate you and keep you entertained. I've heard an 1984 film Dreamscape has similarities, see for yourself with the trailer below.



Watch Inception. Sure its got Nolan's gimmicky structure like the Prestige, but I liked it here. And do yourself a favour and watch it on the big screen too, because unlike Avatar it won't come back. Damn Avatar.

Crash

This article is on the David Cronenberg film Crash made in 1996. If you'd like to read a review on the 'hard-hitting' Oscar-winning Crash (2004) in which every character conveniently interweaves with all the others in a full-blown writer's masturbation convention you can find it here.

Cronenberg's Crash (1996) is an interesting film. Its full of characters with a dark fetish for car accidents. These characters get off on scars, crashed cars and having sex with people with scars in crashed cars. There is a lot of sex in this movie, and a lot of sex in cars.


Crash is very intriguing though, for its tone and the performances. Cronenberg has always had sexual tension underlying his films, who could forget the constant penetration in eXistenZ (1999), that is, if anyone saw that movie after it was overshadowed by The Matrix, in which, might I point out, there was very little penetration at all. Except, of course, for Keanu's penetrating stare.

James Spader is quite awesome in the lead role. You honestly believe that he is bored by everything around him, except sex and accidents that is.

The opening credits suck you in. They literally fly towards you and you feel the movie's tone grab hold of you. I was hooked.

Then the ending, so graceful, and loaded. Leaving the audience with something to think about is not Hollywood's best trait, but Crash leaves you wondering what will happen to these characters in the future. Its fucking awesome.

The Twilight Dilemma

After this whole Twilight ordeal is done and dusted and mankind can move on to films of substance, this will be the only thing that remains in the archives of this blunder in modern film history.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

What is up with Up? In the cinema I was watching through my cutting-edge 3D glasses (plastic and all) to be distracted by a light sobbing to my left. I took the glasses off which reduced the screen to the grey fuzzy blur of the truth behind 3D only to see a small child sitting in the seat next to mine. However bright his eyes shone, there was no sign of tears, yet the incessant sobbing continued. My eyes led me to his father, a fat man, receding hairline and a shirt soaked in tears. Awestruck I turned my attention to the entire cinema behind me: through the glasses of the masses I saw every adult in the cinema either crying or holding back tears with the effort of Atlas.

And really that's all that Up did to every adult who saw it - it fucking depressed them. The blurb on the DVD case better read:

''A morbid meditation on death'' - The Times

''Your dreams won't come true'' - Pixar

I wonder if many people are going to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox to scratch their animated itch as an alternative to the Oscar-winning Pixar flick. Sure Wes Andersson's appeal is somewhat limited but what a shame to let this gem of a film go.

It has everything... Espionage, family drama, chickens.

If just to see the wonderful stop-motion animation this film is worth it. It is a Rauld Dahl Story at its core but the characterizations are Andersson's through and through. Each relationship is full of Andersson-esque quirks from Fox's son just wanting to be an athlete to Badger's lacking ability to concentrate.

The voice over acting is sublime with Clooney and Swartsman standing out for me. The soundtrack, maybe not as exciting as some of Andersson's others (see Darjeeling Limited or The Life Aqatic) still has enough charm to compliment the action on screen.

It is amazing how a unique film-making style such as Wes Andersson's can work in perfect harmony with an existing, and popular, story to create something Hollywood hasn't produced in quite a damn long while - something original.

If you don't believe me for some reason watch the trailer for yourself.

Intro

So after spending 4 years studying film I felt like I had to do something with it.

So I present to you...

A place where I can bitch about everything film related... and I suppose you can too.

Please comment, talk about film. I'll try respond as often as I can.