Inception (2010)

By far the most fun I've had at a Christopher Nolan film since Memento. I wouldn't say Inception was a complete homerun for me but it will definitely be in my top ten of the year. First off, it's so entertaining. Even as the narrative runs away from itself it has the best interiors, a great score, photogenic actors (I'm looking at you, Cotillard), and some truly brilliant, fun setpieces, none better than Joseph Gordon Levitt in the floating hotel room.

I also felt it was basically coherent, even if it was all pretty much hokum (this is, after all, a caper film about stealing secrets from people's dreams). I thought it was relatively easy to follow, but what makes it fun is the different ways one can interpret certain of the scenes. Notably the ending.

There was a lot of talk coming from Nolan that this was his mind-twister version of a Bond film, and it showed. It had an elegant look to it, but I will say that his big snowy commando setpiece, which was obviously modeled on Bond (and specifically on his favorite Bond film (and mine) On Her Majesty's Secret Service), fell very short. It was the part of the film I was most looking forward to, and visually it kind of failed. It was not that sharply filmed, or coherently edited, especially compared to some of the other pieces, like Paris being taken apart and put back together.

Leonardo DiCaprio was okay in this film but nothing special really. It's what I've come to expect from him. He was out-charisma'd by Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy, both pretty good in this. Ellen Page was decent I thought, and Marion Cotillard was stunning as always, plus very good playing an unhinged memory.

Here's some pictures of her, just 'cause: