Monday, July 26, 2010

Inception


I was looking forward to Inception for quite a long time. What's not to like? Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy, all directed by Christopher Nolan? C'mon. As expected, the movie was a fantastic one, although it is not without it's flaws. Instead of attempting to interpret the film, which would take many long nights of research, coffee, and multiple viewings, I'm just going to tell you why I liked it.  Once again, Nolan gets a thumb up his originality in storytelling; the "dream within a dream within a dream" sequence just isn't something that has been done before. The final act consists of 45 minutes of screen time, and it never bores you for a second; not only is it nearly non-stop action, there are three different scenes going on at the same time, continuously cutting back and forth, always making sure your eyes are glued to the screen. One of these scenes is a fight in the hallway of a hotel between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a nameless gangster, and being one of the most well shot scenes in the film, it is very mesmerizing to watch. Nolan basically attempts to defy all the laws of physics and give the audience the feel of the lack of gravity, and he is very successful. Also, it finally gives Gordon-Levitt the chance to be a badass.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Mist


I was considerably late to The Mist party, and painfully so because I've heard endless comments on the conclusion of the film, without actually knowing what it is. Whenever I felt I would hear a possible spoiler, I would basically cover my ears with my hands and shamefully sing aloud. Despite this, I wasn't exactly expecting a top-notch film; it always seemed like it would be more comparable to an M. Night Shyamalan film such as The Happening (which if you didn't already know, is a film that you would never want your film being compared to by any means necessary). As in, a very promising cast and story, but for one reason or another it just falls completely flat on its ass and fails to succeed on any level, really. Also, even though I recognize Thomas Jane as a talented actor (whom is the main protagonist of The Mist), my last cinematic experience with him wasn't a very pleasant one. The last film I've seen him star in, The Punisher, was so unexpectedly intolerable that I actually shut it off before the third act, which is something I rarely do. Thankfully, this wasn't the case with The Mist. Frank Darabont directed the film, who is a veteran when it comes to adapting Stephen King novels to the big screen, has also directed movies such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. So my low expectations for this film were nonsensical and stupid, really.