August 15, 2010

Inception: Why I Love Christopher Nolan

Justin and I finally got a chance to go and see Inception last weekend. I have been wanting to see it since it came out, and had thought about going on my own a couple of times, but a friend told me I should see it with someone so I'd be able to talk about it afterward.

Going into it, all I really knew was that it had something to do with dreams and somehow stealing something from people through their dreams. I knew it starred Leonardo DiCaprio, but was happy when I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy. It was directed by Christopher Nolan, who also made Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight.

Bottom line, I loved it. I'm not going to say too much because I don't want to spoil it, although I will warn that there may be spoilers in the comments section.

Here's the thing. At this point, so many movies have already been made. So, I'm pretty impressed when I see a movie like this that is so original and different. I watch a LOT of TV and movies, so it's not unusual for me and my husband to figure things out before they're revealed. When I see a movie in which I can't do that? It makes me happy. Memento and The Prestige were both new and original, and Nolan's proven that he has some great ideas. It makes me excited to see what he comes up with next.

One of the great things about this thing that Nolan created is that since much of the movie takes place in dream worlds, it doesn't matter if things don't make sense at times because they don't HAVE to make sense. It also allows for a few pretty cool sequences including a no-gravity fight scene.

The funny thing is that when it ended I sort of thought "of course." But at the same time, I had not considered that ending at all while watching the entire movie. I have also come to really enjoy Leonardo DiCaprio's acting. I sort of went back and forth for a while, but the year that he did The Departed and Blood Diamond, I was definitely won over. He was very good in this. In one scene in particular, there was just a moment. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about, a moment where he was able to emote such raw emotion that in only a few words you could feel his pain and heartbreak.

I have a short list of actors, actresses and directors whose names on the Marquee will pretty much guarantee I'm watching it: Kate Winslet, James McAvoy, John Cusack, Alan Rickman Kevin Smith, and M. Night Shyamalan (yes I'm still sticking with him). With this third hit, Christopher Nolan has definitely earned his place on my list.

Did you see Inception? What did you think?