Saturday, July 17, 2010

Inception


"...it's pure creation."

I'm absolutely obsessed with this movie. It is poetry.
The concept, the brilliance of it, the mysteries, the pain, the letting go.
Dreaming will never be the same again.
An idea is never just an idea.


There's definitely something about dreaming that is completely intriguing. We have no control, and we know so little about why we're dreaming what we're dreaming. We just accept it. And it begs the question, how many of our 'ideas' actually do stem from our dreams? And can that really be coincidental or is our subconscious or something else manipulating our dreams?

[Spoilers starting now..] I saw Inception yesterday and went back to see it again today. Never has a 2 1/2 hour movie gone by so quickly. Usually I can't handle long movies, but, this one is really special. Everything that must be explained is done so extremely well. It doesn't have a lot of unnecessary jargon that you aren't-really-supposed-to-understand-but-still-must-go-along-with. But it doesn't feel dumbed down, either. It also doesn't have a ridiculous amount of overbearing science fiction that gets in the way of the rest of the plot. This movie was very suave in that way. We're able to have this brilliant concept and still remain in a world that we recognize. We're not transported to some future time that we don't completely understand.

Scenes I loved:

1) The anti-gravity fight scenes with Joseph Gordon-Levitt were unbelievable. Blew me away.
2) The first ten minutes. I really wasn't able to fully appreciate them until seeing the movie for a second time. There are a few things that you can't understand until you know what's happening. For instance, when Arthur says, "what's going on up there?" We assume he means upstairs or outside, but he's actually referring to the dream level prior to the one they're in.
3) The hotel room ledge scene was beautiful and so tragic. Cobb's painful reaction.
4) In the room at the chemist's lab where the people come to sleep. What the old man says: "They don't come here to sleep, they come here to wake up...who are you to tell them otherwise?"
5) I love what Cobb says to Mal as he is in Limbo with her for the last time. With all of her complexities and imperfections, this projection he has created of her will never be his real wife and is just a shade. Beautiful.
6) The final homecoming scene. So emotional. Definitely reminded me of Lost.
7) Of course, when Arthur kisses Ariadne. Sigh.

Similarities/Possible References:

A. There are at least 2 connections to Lost.
1) We have the flight from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles. It's necessary that they take this long flight, so it's probably an unintentional reference, but, it's still something.
2) And we have the Totems vs. the Constants. It's beautiful. These small objects that are personal to them and keep their minds connected to reality.

B. The song that is repeated throughout the movie and that is used as a kick is Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf. The actress who plays Mal in Inception, Marion Cotillard, also played Edith Piaf in her bio pic La Vie en Rose. The title of this song also means "No, I regret nothing." It is a meaningful message in this context, as they need to be kicked back from their current dream and let go. No regrets.

C. One of my favorite movies of all time is What Dreams May Come, a movie about the afterlife and eternal love. A man and his journey to the depths of hell to rescue his wife from the underworld. There are so many similarities between WDMC and the scenes with Mal in Inception.


The Acting:

I think everyone did a wonderful job. The casting is rather strange, but it works.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: I've been in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt('s acting) for awhile, and I am so happy for him with this movie. He completely stood on his own. He was witty, smart, and I thought had a lot of chemistry as a sidekick to Leo. While the other films he's been in are really great, he definitely deserves some big-time recognition from this role. Oh, and, talk about a sharp dresser, that Arthur. He is a walking GQ model.

Ellen Page: I'm not a fan of Ellen Page, but she was neutral in this role and was tolerable. I liked her character, she was very important to the understanding, and she played it well.

Leonardo di Caprio: Leonardo di Caprio has never really stood out to me; his roles always seem to be pretty much the same. But in this movie, his acting was wonderful and so heartfelt. The scene on the hotel room ledge just completely broke my heart. And I must say, his makeup artist needs an Oscar, because he doesn't look a day over 30.

Marion Cotillard: I don't have much of an opinion on Marion Cotillard, but she's beautiful and very much fits the part.

The other roles: Saito, Eames, Yusuf, Fischer, etc. They were well-played but unexceptional. I had a difficult time understanding Saito a lot of the time.

The Final Scene:

The ending was filmed to perfection. Cobb's reaction as he is waking up in the airplane is perfect. As far as the very end, I have to believe that it stops spinning. But I love the mystery.

If I must complain about two things it would be these:

1) There are many gunfights and people shooting at close-range, but most everyone escapes unscathed. Even the sleeping characters in the van don't get harmed. It makes it pretty difficult to believe. But that's pretty minor and happens in movies a lot.

2) While they're in the third level of the dream, time seems to be a little off between the second and third levels. It seems like an obvious thing to make a mistake about, so maybe I am not understanding something. But there is a point when they have an hour left in the third level, so according to Cobb, Arthur only has three minutes to complete his mission. Then, when they only have twenty minutes in the third level, Cobb says that Arthur still has a couple minutes.

3) Why wasn't Juicy by Biggie used in the film's ending credits? IT WAS ALL A DREAAAM!

I honestly think Inception has just made it into my top 3 favorite movies. It's so difficult to put them in order, but I am completely blown away by the brilliance of this movie. If this doesn't sweep the Oscars, I will be very disappointed. Christopher Nolan, you are a mastermind.


UPDATE: Now that a lot of people have seen it and are talking about it, it really surprises me that people have different reactions to the ending. It was PERFECT. I loved it. And there is NO doubt whatsoever in my mind that the totem toppled, and I cannot believe that others don't believe that it did. It sort of insults the point of his ending in the first place which was to make you gasp a little and then realize the brilliance of letting the shot go to black. It wasn't, in my humble opinion, meant to make the audience question if it fell or not. If the totem kept spinning, then so much of the rest of the movie would be a fallacy. Also, I have heard of another perspective which is that Cobb was the target from the beginning. It's an interesting thought, but, still deceptive. Why would any of the other scenes exist at all? I stand by my opinion.
BUT I would like to see it for a 4th time to make sure of one other possibility, which is that, when he was put under in the chemists "sleeping" room, that the rest of everything was a dream after that. Because we do know that we were unable to see his totem fall after that scene, when he was in the bathroom checking his totem and Saito interrupted him. That would be an interesting development, but still would make me wonder what the point of the rest of the movie was.

Am I a nerd or what?

Sunday, July 4, 2010

4th of July


Happy Independence Day, America!
Darn those Brits, with their powdered wigs and tea and stuff.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Scents & Suds

Time for a silly and pointless blog entry! I'm really not a high-maintenance person, but I LOVE girly scents, lotions, and yummy bath products. And I'm obsessed with body washes. The best thing about yummy smells is that I go through phases of scents and they remind me of different parts of my life. When I smell Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea lotion, I'm immediately transported back to Middle School.

I wanted to make a blog of all the delicious things at the moment that make getting ready fun. :)


1. Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus Spearmint
-This is my all-time favorite scent and has been for years, for lotion, body wash, etc. It is SO relaxing and unique.

2. The Body Shop Rich Plum Shower Gel


-This shower gel smells so good that it's tempting to taste. Plum is a really unique scent and it's so delicious.

3. SoftSoap Body Butter Coconut Scrub



-This stuff is yum-o. I like it best for nighttime showers, and in the wintertime because this stuff is creamy, smells sweet, but feels warm and toasty and makes me want to snuggle up in a lot of blankets. Plus it's a scrub, which I love, but it's still gentle. PLUS it's not at all overly coconut. I'm not big on coconut, but I love this.

4. Victoria's Secret Heavenly / Super Model








-Victoria's Secret Heavenly is probably my favorite lotion. I love the smell and I'm not even really sure what it reminds me of. Super Model doesn't really smell as good, it smells like a lot of things that have tint to them, but it's infused with pretty glitter.






5. Nina Ricci
-Perfume or lotion, this stuff is delicious. She has the apple-shaped bottle (that sued the Twilight perfume people, because they made the same exact bottle) and it smells sweet and slightly fruity.

6. Estee Lauder Pleasures Exotic & Pleasures Intense















-I've loved this perfume for a long time, it reminds me of Hawaii. Smells like flowers and tropics. All Pleasures perfumes are delicious.

7. Michael Kors Very Hollywood
-This perfume is so yummy! It's good for going out at night, it's crisp and fun, and reminds me of melon.

8. Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena foaming body wash

-I LOVE the idea of foaming body wash, it's so fun. It pumps like foaming hand soaps do, and this one smells like delicious key lime pie. So refreshing after a workout.

9. Origins Gloomaway Grapefruit Body Wash/Bubble Bath

-This stuff is to die for. Being both a body wash AND a bubble bath, is incredible. The scent is so fresh and tasty. Definitely chases away the gloom.