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Inception, the Journey Through The Mind

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Inception

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Much can be said, and has been, about Christopher Nolan’s Inception. I may be a little late to the game but I would like to voice my opinion about such an incredible and thought-provoking film. With Inception you are transported to the world of the dream and the concept of entering the dreamt manipulate the person that is dreaming, originally conceived to be a horror movie but Christopher Nolan changed it up before production began. With a premise like that it would have been tough movie to bring to life but Christopher Nolan, who is known for making movie on such a level, is able to elevate the concept of the movie and create something that is an extraordinary movie that makes the audience think and invest their time in a deep thought-provoking way. Not many movies have had the same effect on me like Inception did, it was a well put together film that, during my first viewing, was mind-blowing. After many viewings the realization that there was more to the movie than what I had perceived. Was the entire movie a dream? Did the top fall at the end or was that what we were meant to believe? Like most movies it is totally open to interpretation and not everyone will thin the same as I do, which is what Christopher Nolan set out to do i the first place and I applaud him for making the movie the way that he did and that he has become one  of Hollywood’s best directors working today.

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In the future, the military designs the ability to transport people in the dream space, created as training mechanism. Extractors, otherwise known as thieves, use it to acquire secrets that were otherwise impossible to obtain. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), regarded as the best extractor but is haunted by the death of his wife and was forced to on the run, because the government believes he killed his wife, is hired by Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe) to plant an idea, regarded as inception hence the title, into Robert Michael Fischer (Cillian Murphy) , the son of a wealthy businessman, to break up his vast energy conglomerate so he can have it all to himself, Saito not Fischer. Dom enlists the best architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao), forger Eames (Tom Hardy), and the pointman and close friend Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Everything turns dangerous when things don’t go according to plan, causing the dream to become a difficult venture, and Dom’s haunted past comes back to him and causes their own difficulties along the way.

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When I originally saw this movie in the summer of 2010 I was completely awed by what I saw and just had to see it again and so I did, and since then it has been one of my favorite movies of all time. First off the movie completely redefined the mind-bending movie by connecting it with the heist and science fiction genre, even though science fiction can be mind-bending the majority of the time. Like all good mind bending films, this one makes you question what is reality or imagination, similar to Total Recall, The Matrix, and World on a Wire, and the answer is never clear to the audience, which, makes the think and spend time questioning what is going on. With people the solution is never the same, it all relies on how the person perceived the film, with Christopher Nolan not disclosing any information on the ending what so ever, which is a good thing because it would ruin the integrity of the movie. What Christopher Nolan did is simply incredible, to say the least, he used top-notch special effects to convey the world of the dream and created something that will live on though the genius storytelling and the a plot that never stop turning no matter the situation. It is a movie that needs to be handled with patience, only if you are trying to analysis it, to understand just what route he intended on taking. The ending is one of the most talked about scene of the entire movie, it was a clever way of handling it since it can neither confirm nor deny whether it is a dream or not, and everyone has their own opinions on it and I think that it relies totally on the viewer to decide on what it means but I think that the ending means something completely different from the movie itself.

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The ending can easily be interpreted many ways, did the top stop spinning or did it keep join but, honestly it can go either way. I, think that it is all just a dream because throughout the entire movie there are slight signs that may hint at it being a dream entirely but the ending is more of a character moment than anything, it shows that Cobb doesn’t care if he is dreaming or not, hence him walking away from the top while it is spinning something that he doesn’t do at any other moment in the movie, he finally receives the one thing that he has been striving for, to see his children again and move on from the fact that his wife killed herself and that he has been on the run since then. To the character it doesn’t matter but to the viewer may feel differently, I know I do. Like all good science fiction films that are rooted in philosophy, such as Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, or pretty much anything that has been written by the author Philip K. Dick, who I feel is a big influence to the film and Christopher Nolan. This is where the difference lays, people will many different meanings for the movie and interpret it in many ways, which is all good but there is usually never a right answer, while the ending itself is just the final arch in the development of Dom Cobb, he is happy and has fulfilled his goals, be it a dream or not. Though I have my set beliefs about the film and it’s ending, I think that the ending accomplished what it set out to do, end the story arch of the main protagonist, and it completes the movie in a whole and satisfying way, any other ending I don’t think would have worked on the same level as this one.

Inception-Explained

It is difficult to come to a rational and logical conclusion about the movie, I personally think that it is all a dream and there are many indicators that it may be a dream that I noticed not to long ago while watching the movie. First of all will be the totems, which are not always as a reliable indicator, as the movie makes them out to be, about the state of the dreamer. It is said during the movie that totems provide the means to indicator whether the dreamer is dreaming or not but you tell or show another dream how the totems works you destroy the integrity of the totem and compromise its power to deduce the state of the dreamer and they may not be able to indicate whether what they are experiencing is a dream or it is real to them. At one point in the movie Dom reveals to Ariadne the purpose of his totem, how in the dream state the top will keep spinning and if the he is in reality the top will fall over, and that it originally didn’t belong to him but instead to his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard). If I am to believe that totems are supposed to work then these two reasons would ruin the ability for him since the totem’s powers were revealed to a fellow dreamer. To me I don’t think this is a reliable indicator to what Dom is actually perceiving. I don’t know if this is a flaw in the film or a device that Chris Nolan set up to make people, such as myself, question what is truly going on, which is another reason I think it is such a great movie because it is constantly deceiving the audience.

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Christopher Nolan has created a spectacle that is completely different from any other blockbuster that has come out in recent years. Everything from the cinematography to the sound is perfect at displaying the spectacle at hand. I went a little overboard with this review but I think that it perfectly encapsulate how I feel about the movie.

10 out of 10

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The Dark Knight Rises Review

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The Dark Knight Rises

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard

It is a sad thing that such a tragedy occurred last night during the screen of The Dark Knight Rises that happened in Colorado. I can’t believe that someone would do such a horrible thing during a movie screen into unsuspecting audience members. The family member of the deceased and the wounded are in my prays and hope that everything is okay. RIP. I did manage to see a midnight screening of this movie and I have to say that it completely lives up to expectations. With a smart screenplay and the action sequences, which the previous movies seemed to lack for the most part, and that Bane was actually a perfect choice for the villain since he is able to go head to head in fighting with Batman. He is completely menacing with a voice that both creeped me out and served a purpose since the mask covered the majority of his face and Tom Hardy was able to convey such emotion and body language while being some what limited with the mask in the way. Christopher Nolan has yet again made an accomplished movie that satisfying end to his trilogy that will not disappoint anyone. Christopher Nolan seems to be able make awesome ending to movie, while Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had some what of cliff hangers, since he made millions of people question what the ending of Inception really meant. The ending of this movie can really be interpreted anyway that someone wants, I’m not going to spoil it but it was a fantastic way of ending the movie.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy concludes with this Warner Brothers release that finds The Dark Knight pitted against Bane, an unstoppable foe possessed of tremendous physical and intellectual strength. Nearly a decade after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s death and disappearing into the darkness, a fugitive Batman (Christian Bale) watches from the shadows as the Dent Act keeps the streets of Gotham City free of crime. Meanwhile, an elusive cat burglar seizes the chance to strike, and a masked anarchist plots a devastating series of attacks designed to lure Bruce Wayne out of the shadows. Determined not to abandon the people who he once risked his life to protect, The Dark Knight emerges from his self-imposed exile ready to fight. But Bane (Tom Hardy) is ready, too, and once Batman is within his grasp, he will do everything in his power to break Gotham City’s shadowy savior.

It is a strange thing to see such a movie series end, like Lord of the Rings, I was glad that they ended it on a good note. So far this is by far Nolan’s best shot film, the visuals are fantastic such as the Bat soaring through the sky with ease and a thousand extras flooding the streets in a massive brawl. I have to say that the cinematography is by far the best that Wally Pfister has shot, next to Inception that is. The best scene that I thought was the first encounter that Batman has with Bane, it takes place in the sewers on top of a bridge. The music cuts out and all you hear is the noises that are made during the fighting, no epic theme or background music which just added to the effect, and the constant monologuing by the menacing villain which made the scene even more intense because it all ties the plot together, and I can’t help but say the fact that he says the line from the comic that made him famous, it all shows that Nolan has taken the comic counter part of Bane serious and valued the comic Knightfall when creating the visually stunning scene. Another fantastic addition to the cast was Anne Hathaway, who I had doubts at the start but changed my opinion of her character drastically. So far Nolan has been criticized for having weak female characters in his film but with his addition of Selena Kyle is by far one of the strongest and most interesting characters of the series and Anne Hathaway complete embodies Selena Kyle and completely steals the show.

If I consider this anything it is a story about Bruce Wayne and not Batman, he has to learn how to overcome his shortcomings and take his place back as the Batman, trying to get the mindset back after 8 years in seclusion and Christian Bale does the best performance so far as the billion dollar philanthropist. Outside of that it is about social injustice and social anarchy when presented with a difficult position during the times of suffering. Bane brings in an army and creates a revolution  for Gotham’s lesser citizens to rise up and take control of the city from the rich, sounds a bit like the Occupy Wall Street protest. With all those subtext and themes it makes it a much more realistic story and really represents what we have gone through in the last few months and is another reason it sets itself apart from the rest of the comic book movies of this summer, which are all well and fun but lack that certain something that makes these Batman films such excellent film and something that makes people return for more. Like I said about the other films Nolan knows how to both create entertaining movie and yet keep them thought provoking and excellent filmmaking from one of the best working directors of today.

This is the movie that I have most excited for since the first trailer back in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It is what a comic book movie should be entertaining yet fascinating. I’m glad at how much it ties into the first film and how it close out the trilogy. The little character reveal at the end really didn’t surprise me all that much, I called it hours before I walked into the theaters. The movie is what a Batman movie should be and the inclusion of Bane, a not so known character that has always gotten a bad rap since his appearance in Batman & Robin, but Tom Hardy makes up for that by creating a character that is both menacing and a brilliant tactician, just like the comic book. It may not be as great as The Dark Knight but the expectation are way to high regarding the fact that it was going to be difficult in the first place to exceed that movie in general. So far it is my second favorite of the series but with such a good series it is hard to choose just which one is the best, for me it is The Dark Knight, and this is a movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen. Receives my highest recommendation

10 out of 10

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The Dark Knight Review

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The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal

After the much publicized death of Heath Ledger after production ended on the Dark Knight it became a very popular topic and a very sought after film. Once I saw the film I see why, Heath Ledger give a performance that completely changed everything about the Batman movie, it showed how committed he was to making a performance that was equally haunt and yet fascinating and tragic and yet compelling, this performance is by far the best and most committed performance of the last decade. Sitting at number 3 on my favorite movies list, right after Star Wars A New Hope and Raiders of the Lost Ark, it has become one of the greatest movie of all time that shows just how far people will go to survive. Joker is the polar opposite of Batman, he has no morals and he is not afraid to waste away people to accomplish his set out goals, Batman is humble and has one rule don’t kill, constantly the tests Batman and on a grand scale knows that he can’t break these rules which gives the Joker the upper hand.  This is what makes Joker such a fascinating villain and character is because he has no rules and proceeds with his plans regardless of how it effects anyone, it is also why he is Batman arch-nemesis. After watching this movie I knew that no  one is going to be able to outperform Heath Ledger in the role and I knew that this is what a true villain is, not some who is only out to destroy the world like most villains in any superhero movie as of late, he tests the hero and pushes him to the limits of his ability and tries to outwit the hero at every turn and that is why the Joker succeeds where other comic book villains do not and that is one reason this movie is as good as it is because it is not afraid to show a truly menacing villain.

The Dark Knight

With just one year having passed after taking out Ra’s Al Ghul’s plan to have Gotham eliminated and the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA the Scarecrow, and after the city was nearly plundered with his toxins, Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego the Batman, continue the seemingly endless effort to bring order to Gotham, with the help of Lt. James Gordon and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent. But a new threat has now emerged into the streets. The Dark Knight faces a rising psychopathic criminal called The Joker, whose eerie grin, laughter, and inhuman morality makes him as dangerous than what he has yet to unleash. It becomes an agenda to Batman to stop the mysterious Joker at all costs, knowing that both of them are in an opposite line. One has no method at all and seeks to see the world plunge into the fire he has yet to light. One represents the symbol of hope and uses his own shadow to bring the peace and order he has yet to accomplish doing.

The Dark Knight

There is a lot to be admired about this movie, from the sheer scope of the mythology to the performance, The Dark Knight barely misses a note. I think the inclusion of Harvey Dent was a fantastic idea because it is a story about him and how he starts off as the good guy, who would eventually take Batman’s place as Gotham’s defender, to the villain Two-Face who was completely different from what he originally stood for. Essentially it is a self contained story of Dent’s rise to power and then fall to power after begin manipulated by the Joker into seeking revenge after the death of his loved one and Aaron Eckhart played the role perfectly bring layers to the character that Tommy Lee Jones’s interpretation ever had. The most interesting and intriguing scene in the entire movie is the integration scene, it both shows Joker’s true nature and his beliefs of Batman and how they aren’t different from one another. It also shows just how far Batman is pushed in the scene nearly breaking his rules and becoming just like Joker. It is an incredibly intense scene and shows just how great the performance from Heath Ledger is. It is a breathtaking scene that shows just how accomplished the movie really is. The next best scene was the flipping of the tractor trailer, it is a nice visual image and shows that nice scene can be achieved with out the use of CGI. What this movie has accomplished is simply amazing from critic love, to a posthumous Oscar (which he rightfully deserved) and it also shows just how Christopher Nolan can create a spectacle movie that both has substance and action without compromising either.

The Dark Knight

There is a lot you can say about this movie, mostly about how political it can be at sometimes which I know is present but I don’t think is a statement at all about the government itself. I have deep love for this movie and how it represents how superhero movies can be made to great movies, sure there are good superhero movies out there but nothing on the same level as Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of Batman. Nolan has created one of the best movies of all time with this one, something that the Academy realized after the fact and that is why they increased the nominations to 10 so that brilliant movies like this one have a chance at the recognition that it deserves.

10 out of 10

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Batman Begins Review

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Batman Begins

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson

After the bad taste left in the mouths of every Batman fan after the extremely painful, from my experience with, Batman & Robin. After that the studios tried everything to reboot the franchise and make a movie that both satisfies the fan base and connects well with the audience. Enter Christopher Nolan, a man who directed such noir films as The Following, Memento, and Insomnia but who had yet made a name for himself blockbuster wise, a man perfectly suited to tackle the Batman franchise making him a haunted, dark, and chilling character who is still tormented by the fact that he witnessed his parents death. Putting the character in the noir genre or style for which the director and the studio made the wisest decision to do so. When the movie was finally released and I had finally saw it, it completely changed how I viewed film and afterwards I started watching much darker movie and opened up my eyes to a much different style of film that I was use to, at the time I was only 13 and only just started to expand on my horizons into films that I have never seen before. Batman Begins changed me and I experienced a new kind of film that to this day remember the experience in the movie theater, something I can’t say for Harry Potter or Transformers.

Screen shot from Batman Begins

As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra’s Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organized crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armored suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong – he becomes, Batman. In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer Jonathan ‘The Scarecrow’ Crane, and a mysterious third party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to strike when the time is right.

Screen shot from Batman Begins

Everything about this movie I really enjoyed. The original Batman never featured an origin story, which really bugged me because I wanted to know how he became who he is. I think one of the biggest strengths of this movie is the fact that they included Ras al Ghul as the primary villain and also mentor, he has never gotten the chance to shine on screen till now and Liam Neeson was the perfect choice for the character. Christian Bale was another good choice to portray Bruce Wayne, I never knew who he was until this movie, and he brings layers to the character that where never present in any of the other movies. Including Scarecrow was another good idea because he was always an interesting character in the comics that never got shine on the big screen, and at first I thought he would be the primary villain but he instead used as a pawn, which is good because physically he can’t do much against Batman. Gary Oldman is able to make Jim Gordon his own, which he always does because he is just that great an actor, and made him a very human character that has to struggle like the rest of us but is not corrupt but more humble than some of the other characters. The only real weak part of the cast is Katie Holmes who is not convincing or at all interesting in the role, she feels like she is forced to the role and had no fun at all in the part. There is a lot to be said about this movie, such as themes and what not but I already posted an article about that and I will post a link below because I don’t feel like getting to deep into that in this review.

https://thevisionaryfilmfanatic.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/712/

All in all this is by far one of the greatest superhero films of all time and is definitely a step up from what Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher put out. It is dark, tragic, and definitely more cynical than any other superhero franchise out there and that is what makes this movie what it is and shows that it is possible to have superheroes exist in real life, even though it is highly unlikely.

10 out of 10

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As I have been wondering how they would connect the trilogy as a whole, outside of the story but more along the lines of a theme. All good movie have a theme to it whether it is political or a philosophy of oneself it has always made movie more interesting and thought provoking for me, it represents how I wonder and speculate what I would do in such a situation. With the theme of it being a simple symbol that inspires people to become better and strive to change and help cause change which has always been fascinating in this film series because it does bring into reality and make it seem like a possible situation, I know it is not but still. This article provides some very interesting thought and opinion on the subject that really opened my eyes more to the movies as a trilogy. With Batman being a symbol I can imagine the ending the trilogy being the death of Bruce Wayne but the Batman still exists because some else can take up the mantle and still stand for what Bruce Wayne sought after doing in Batman Begins. With that being a possibility it sets itself apart from other superheroes, Peter Parker is Spider-Man and changing that old really effect the character. I feel that if Christopher Nolan takes that route it can be a satifying conclusion to his already brilliant Batman trilogy.

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