Inception

[Kam]

So not that I want to start hyping up a movie I haven't seen yet, but holy crap I can't wait to see this movie. A friend of mine in the press saw it and said it was the culmination of all of Nolan's "obsessions and inspirations" (and he's tough to please)!

Admittedly I'm a huge fan of Nolan so I'm already partial, but gotta love it when a studio backs a high concept, intelligent, massively budgeted, ORIGINAL sci-fi movie (i.e non-sequel, non-remake, and not based on prior material)

[Worf101]

Smell that boy? Smells like someone's gotta movie crush to me!!! I've sworn off movie crushes for the duration. Last one I had was for "The Wolfman" and we ALL know how dat turned out. Be careful with your heart mine friend.

Worf

PS, Give my egards to off Broadway!!!

[kexodusc]

Hey, as long as it's got lasers in it, I'm good...

[pixelthis]

Hey, as long as it's got lasers in it, I'm good...

Just don't forget your lens cleaner.....
Anyway, checked out PREDATORS, just your typical dumb summer movie,
but quite a bit of fun, if you like that sort of thing.
Comes from troublemaker films, a company that makes "low rent" movies with name talent
and high production values.:1:

[Kam]

well... saw it this past weekend, and if it's any indicator of what I thought, I'll be seeing it again.

highly reccomended and kudos to warner brothers for taking a big risk on a high concept, original, non-sequel, non-comic book movie. People complain about sequels and comic book movies and here's an option that's neither. it's ridiculously intelligent and sharp and very well made.

there's a few things i think might be loopholes, but don't want to discuss as they are all spoilers. If anyone has seen it, post away! and we can discuss with Spoiler Warnings posted.

If you haven't seen it, go! And pay attention, the wonderfully fun maze of this movie makes the maze of Memento look like a straight line.

[Hyfi]

How is Ellen Page's part? She is one of my favorite young actresses.

[Kam]

How is Ellen Page's part? She is one of my favorite young actresses.

what's great is each team member is critical to the entire story, just by the way he has structured everything. she is the conduit forthe audiences' POV, as the outsider being recruited by Leo to join his team, and so is taught the rules of the game, which she catches on to very fast. it's not dumbed down at all as evidenced by how smart Ellen Page's character is, Nolan brings the audience up to speed FAST.

and she does a great job, as does the whole cast. it's a fairly awesome ensemble overall.

And Ken Watanabe has been one of my fav actors since the scene in the throne room in "The Last Samurai" when he gave his sword up to the emperor and stood there waiting, sword uplifted.

[Troy]

I saw it.

It wasn't all that. The media is overpraising it. Like the much worse DiCrapio flick Shutter Island, this movie also manipulates reality, making Leo unsure of what's real. It's loaded with fake science that allows Nolan to do whatever he wants to make the story work, no matter how ridiculous. And these absurd plot devices are piled one on top of the other to drive the story along. By the third act, Nolan has created a house of cards so fragile and tenuous that any "Hey, wait a sec . . ." by the audience causes the whole thing to collapse. For all that, the movie was so rote, so predictable, so corny. Will the good guys prevail? Will Leo resolve the wife issues and get to see his kids again? You're kidding, right?


And then there's the basic premise. Watanabe's billionaire character wants to plant the idea, in his corporate rival, to liquidate his company. The movie feels so important, so James Bondishly "save the world-ian" and it's really just about one rich guy financially destroying another? It makes everyone in the crew a corporate sell out. Totally lame. Ignoble, even.


And about that casting. Ellen Page looks like she's 12. I like her in some things (Juno and the roller derby flick come to mind), but find her totally out of her element here. And Watanabe, I can't understand a word that guy says! In a movie this complex and exposition-driven, having a mush-mouth character in such a pivotal role is a tremendous liability.

I'm no fan of Nolan's movies. He never lets me in, never allows me to suspend disbelief because the films are so loaded with portent and hand-wringing dramatics, that I end up sitting there analyzing them instead of getting swept up by them. They are so pretentious and bloated. So serious and deep, yet based on such flimsy and silly source materials/premises. The tone his movies always take just makes me roll my eyes and think "Oh please, gimme a break already."

I saw lots of iPhones being turned on in the theater during this movie, which leads me to think I wasn't the only one bored by it.

[Kam]

they are thieves for hire, their nobility doesn't come from their profession.

but, then i just liked it and enjoyed the story/premise, so i'm guessing we'd just have to agree to disagree. :)

[bfalls]

I liked the movie and see a lot of potential for sequels. I do agree Ellen Page looks about 12 and seemed out of place. Overall I enjoyed the concept and plan to purchase it. It seems like a movie you need to watch more than once to get the details.

[mixpix20]

I agree the movie can be lost if you aren't paying attention. I thought the acting, production was top notch. The directing is interesting & if you are geared to one concept of watching a film, surely, it will be a frustrating experience. I'm sure the film will be nominated for several categories on Oscar night. The media always over hypes; what they are paid to do....

[thekid]

As I mentioned in another thread I thought it was a solid movie though there are some plot holes. Since seeing it I have been amused by the number of people who confidently say they liked how the movie ended-my stock reply has been that if you think you know how the movie ended then you did not understand the ending.

[Hyfi]

I finally saw it over the weekend.

I liked it but it surely could have been at least a half hour shorter. I think Leo has matured into a pretty good actor, especially after Catch me if You Can. As Troy said above, Ellen Page does not fit the part and is not really convincing in any scene, but I still like her because she is just a plain normal gal without all the issues of most mainstream female actors.

I liked the idea, roughly based on an older move called "The Thirteenth Floor" where there are computer generated alternate worlds/lives.

The movie was hard to follow at times and I will have to watch it again. I liked the ending scene where Leo thinks his father in law is telling him the truth and his kids are real........but the movie ends showing the little top spinning endlessly.