8 followers
55 daily readers
rank of 916
Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:
|
|
|
***SPOILERS*** ***ALERT***
Everyone and their dog wants to see/has seen/ cannot wait to buy Inception. I did not like it; it doesn't measure up to Nolan's other films in any way, nor is it much of a mind ****. The plot twists are too simple and when the final "secret" is revealed (or you figure it out for yourself half way through the film), it is a big let down.
The top is a lie!
Allow me to explain. This entire film is about dreaming, and controlling dreams at its most basic level. Cobb (the lead, played by no-longer-teenage-heat-throb- but-is-still-BA Leonardo DiCaprio) goes through his life in the "usual" way, but it seems very dream-like itself. The first big tip-off is when his dear ex (or late)- wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) confronts him from the ledge opposite their hotel room. Did she jump? Did she rent the other room? Why does the gap seem to widen as the scene goes on? This is the metaphorical separation Cobb felt made physical as if in a dream.
It is possible that Cobb created this dream world where he would not have to cope with Mal's death or her leaving him. Perhaps in the "real" world she is alive, but left him because he could not deal with life outside of dreams.
And the spinning top. We never do see if it falls or not at the very end (leading most people to believe he's "done its again" with suspense), but that is irrelevant. The top was not his, it was Mal's and by using someone else's totem, anything can happen and anything can be a dream.
My argument stands that the entire movie is just this: a dream. It would have been better if the clues had not been so obvious as to tip off the viewers before the film has reached the climax. Usually, Nolan waits until the last possible second to let everyone in on what the movie is about. I waited, and waited, and waited and then found myself sitting in the theatre with a sad, disappointed expression, as if I just found out my beloved childhood pet had really been a stuffed octopus.
How saddening. Nolan's next project is another Batman film, but hopefully he will bounce back from this.
Next week: Top Mind **** Movies
IMDB is basically a godsend for film critics and the spunky, yet eccentric, fan with a bet on whether or not Shilo in Repo! The Genetic Opera really was in Spy Kids (she was, and in fact has a fantastic talent for singing).
Let's see ... I want a movie with recreational drugs in it. What?! Harry Potter?
On the other hand, things can get a little scary. Have you ever done a "Keyword" search? Practically any minor detail in a movie counts as a "keyword" in IMDB-land. For example, if you search the word "thanksgiving," one of the top results is Spider-man. But they do not stop there! The variations continue:
1. thanksgiving-dinner (38 titles - Across the Universe (2007), ...)
2. thanksgiving-day (29 titles - Don't Say a Word (2001), ...)
3. macy's-thanksgiving-day-parade (7 titles - Spider-Man (2002), ...)
4. american-thanksgiving (1 title - "Heroes")
Now you can search for almost anything!
The other day I was searching for films with underwater scenes (for my water-themed program at the library) and came across some interesting suggestions:
7. underwater-sex (16 titles - Sex and Lucia (2001), ...)
14. mouth-to-mouth-air-exchange-u nderwater (3 titles - Waterworld (1995), ...)
34. underwater-ejaculation (1 title - I Know Who You **** Last Summer (1999) (V))
Number 34 is my favorite and the most disturbing. I then decided to search for completely random items and came up with a TOP 7 list of keywords and the movies they accompanied:
1) human-head-on-dog's-body (Mars Attacks! -1996)
2) pretending-to-use-banana-as-t elephone (The Center of the World - 2001)
3) falling-through-a-coffee-table (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - 2005)
4) bolt-upright-after-nightmare (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005)
5) throwing-a-tv-set-out-a-window (Accepted - 2006)
6) learning-that-son-is-not-one' s-biological-son ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Paternity (#9.9)" - 2007)
7) claw-hammer-smashed-into-head (The Vault of Horror - 1973)
Why 7? Why not 5? Or 10? Or 100? I have Harry Potter on the brain, that’s why. Yes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will be out November 19, 2010. This, I am happy to say, is very close to the original Harry Potter release dates. Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets were both released in mid-November and it is good to see another one being released in this same month.
Harry Potter fact #1: Part one of The Deathly Hallows is said to be a build up to the epic battle, all of which will take place in the majority of Part two.
But I digress.
As evidenced by this hilarious list, if you want it, you can have it. Sometimes you simply must find a film that contains "Pig And Chicken Explode Into Ham And Eggs” and you know you can turn to A Feud There Was (1938 short).
Thank you for your attention and look for more Harry Potter trivia (or ignore it, depending on your preference).
I'm not joking. We are such pyromaniacs. It could be a metaphor for our strong-headedness or maybe an allusion to ancient traditions and the cleansing presence of fire. Or everyone is just insane and blowing things up makes us smile (yeah, that's probably it).
I love the smell of fire in the morning. Smells like ... insanity.
I don't just mean those action movies like Avatar (2009) or Lord of the Rings (2001-2003); so many films contain the basic principle of fire and destruction it is enough to endorse a good eye-rolling or a nod of approval, depending on your style.
For example: Twilight (2008). A film our children will look at and laugh at in the same way we laugh at The Blob today. Not exactly the gem of our generation, but they have a little vampire bon fire right there at the ending.
It doesn't stop there. Seventeen Again (2009). A movie with surprising virtue and actually gave Zac Efron a role with substance: Learn to be happy with yourself instead of trying to change the past. Aw. Where is the fire? Oops, Alex, in a fit of teenage awkwardness, sets his pants on fire.
Places you never expect a violent fire find their way to the screen. The wholesome Pixar film Up (2009) has an out-of-control fire in the lovable house, reminicent of the barn fire in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).
You could go an play "find the fire" for 2000-2009 movies. Whether it is a calm fire to burn incriminating papers (Orphan 2009) or a car (Crash 2005) or a building (Batman Begins 2005), it's usually there.
Happy hunting! Let's see what's in store for next decade!
In literature, we like to call it foreshadowing. Its function is defined as "to provide clues for the reader to be able to predict what might occur later on in the story." It gives us hints and lets us feel smart when we figure it out before the characters do.
In the case of movies, we always need to kill the bad guy. But how
[ Click here to read more ]
Here we are again, continuing the decades series into the 80s where everyone needed something to run/drive recklessly/skip in a hurried fashion after. Yes, they are guilty. These chase scenes, unlike many of today's films, included little dialogue or character development (ex. In the recent Date Night, Steve Carell and Tina Fey still found time to work on their relationship).
You could almost call these chase scenes "fillers," where the directors were simply trying to suck as many minutes from your life as possible
[ Click here to read more ]
Thus begins a short series of the decades. Ever notice how movies cater to the desires of its audience no matter what the plot, director, or anything else? That is what they are supposed to do of course because everyone needs to pay the mortgage.
In the 1970s, it would appear that everyone and their brother had to appear in their birthday suit to sell tickets. Full frontal nudity, not the weak stuff you see nowadays where you see them casually slip off a robe from behind (ex. Red Dragon) or they have those special L-shaped sheets for couples after a roll in the hay which cover up to the under arms of women but only up to the waist of a man. Nope, they went all out and were casual about it
[ Click here to read more ]
The stars and the moon
With Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland still going strong in theatres, I thought it was time for a tribute to the older versions as well as review this new one
[ Click here to read more ]
Two long years after the release of Iron Man, the long-anticipated sequel will finally hit theatres this Friday. Oh the suspense! Will it be as good? Better? Terrible?
Long ago, I lost my faith in Hollywood sequels. They are money-grabbing schemes designed to build up the original fan basis into a frenzy only to let them down with a weak plot, recycled characters, and bad puns
[ Click here to read more ]
Bloody wonderful. He could take down Edward Scissorhands without flinching.*
As some of you may know the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street with Jackie Earle Haley as the new Freddy Kreuger is slated for release on April 30, 2010 . . . only five days away! The original was, hmmm, different
[ Click here to read more ]
More Posts
61 Posts dating from March 2008
Email Subscription
Receive e-mail notifications of new posts on this blog:
|
|
|
Zebraspots
Add Comments
Read More
Comments (2)
