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The Balanced Body: A Guide to Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular Therapy
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Now in vibrant full color, this fully updated and revised 4th Edition of Scheumann's The Balanced...
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Free Cougar simulator game. The cougar versus mountain forest animals. Become the brown puma or...
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Door Kickers is the unforgiving, award winning SWAT-command quick tactics game from the PC. Includes...
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ & Friends First Words is an adorable preschool learning app for...
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Justin Patchett (42 KP) rated Inception (2010) in Movies
Mar 13, 2019
Masterful visuals, including many practical effects wonders (1 more)
Extraordinary score by Hans Zimmer
Relationships bud in the film, but feel forced (1 more)
A few plot-holes, albeit none thoroughly distracting
Contains spoilers, click to show
With two of the most scathing reviews I’ve written under my belt, I figured it was time to write about my favorite movie of all time, Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”
“Inception” revolves around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a spy who uses military-grade technology and shared dreams to extract information from his marks. He and his team are unwittingly tested by their latest target, Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) for recruitment into a different kind of job: Inception, a type of job using the same skills and technology to implant an idea. In particular, Saito calls on Cobb to plant an idea on his business competitor, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). In spite of his reluctancy about this type of job, Saito’s offer to clear Cobb of a murder charge sways Cobb in favor of taking the job.
Cobb gathers new help, including Ariadne (Ellen Page), an architect he finds capable of creating complex labyrinths. With the help of a deep sedative, the team is able to make Fischer have dreams within dreams within dreams, a method that makes the mark more receptive to the implanted idea. It comes with a cost, though: The dreams become more unstable as they continue going deeper into the dream world, and the sedative itself creates the risk of actual death within the dream.
First of all, let’s talk cast. Already, we’ve got four top-grade talents named, but we also have Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Cobb’s point man, Tom Hardy as Eames, a forger, and additional roles filled by Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine. Nolan did not lack for talent in this one, and by gosh it shows.
Visually, “Inception” excels most with making the impossible as real as cinema can make it. Throughout the film, characters are able to manipulate the rules of the dream world, making for moments where fruit explodes, cities bend, and stairwells become endless. Beyond portraying the impossible, though, the film has to show the real world, too. In those scenes, an aesthetic that can’t exactly be placed takes over. The technology has a slightly retro-futuristic feel to it, while the fashion and settings rely on classic tastes. Even Hans Zimmer’s score, which samples from the work of vocalist Edith Piaf, contributes to the chronological ambiguity of the movie. By not being able to place the film’s setting in any particular year or even decade, it seems prepackaged to become a classic film.
Speaking of Zimmer, he’s is at his best with this score. The complexity of the film reflects in a layered score, and listening to it on its own is its own sort of treat. It’s one of those symphonic recordings that the listener will pick out something they never noticed before every time.
But even above the stellar cast and visuals that have inspired reality-bending sequences in films since, this film’s biggest success is its use of approachable themes and concepts to tell a story within a story. Nearly a decade after its initial release, fans have widely circulated the idea that “Inception” is a film about storytelling. Concepts as basic as nesting stories within stories play out many ways across the plot. It also plays with common experiences in dreams, turning experiences like the feeling of falling into tools for Cobb’s team to exploit. Essentially, if you can dream, you already have a primer in this film’s core principles.
It’s not without flaws, as no film is. Certain moments fail to hold up upon closer inspection. For instance, the relationship between Ariadne and Arthur comes across forced. Those moments aside, from its foreshadowing opening to its meaningfully open-ended ending, “Inception” is an absolute marvel.
“Inception” revolves around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a spy who uses military-grade technology and shared dreams to extract information from his marks. He and his team are unwittingly tested by their latest target, Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) for recruitment into a different kind of job: Inception, a type of job using the same skills and technology to implant an idea. In particular, Saito calls on Cobb to plant an idea on his business competitor, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). In spite of his reluctancy about this type of job, Saito’s offer to clear Cobb of a murder charge sways Cobb in favor of taking the job.
Cobb gathers new help, including Ariadne (Ellen Page), an architect he finds capable of creating complex labyrinths. With the help of a deep sedative, the team is able to make Fischer have dreams within dreams within dreams, a method that makes the mark more receptive to the implanted idea. It comes with a cost, though: The dreams become more unstable as they continue going deeper into the dream world, and the sedative itself creates the risk of actual death within the dream.
First of all, let’s talk cast. Already, we’ve got four top-grade talents named, but we also have Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Cobb’s point man, Tom Hardy as Eames, a forger, and additional roles filled by Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine. Nolan did not lack for talent in this one, and by gosh it shows.
Visually, “Inception” excels most with making the impossible as real as cinema can make it. Throughout the film, characters are able to manipulate the rules of the dream world, making for moments where fruit explodes, cities bend, and stairwells become endless. Beyond portraying the impossible, though, the film has to show the real world, too. In those scenes, an aesthetic that can’t exactly be placed takes over. The technology has a slightly retro-futuristic feel to it, while the fashion and settings rely on classic tastes. Even Hans Zimmer’s score, which samples from the work of vocalist Edith Piaf, contributes to the chronological ambiguity of the movie. By not being able to place the film’s setting in any particular year or even decade, it seems prepackaged to become a classic film.
Speaking of Zimmer, he’s is at his best with this score. The complexity of the film reflects in a layered score, and listening to it on its own is its own sort of treat. It’s one of those symphonic recordings that the listener will pick out something they never noticed before every time.
But even above the stellar cast and visuals that have inspired reality-bending sequences in films since, this film’s biggest success is its use of approachable themes and concepts to tell a story within a story. Nearly a decade after its initial release, fans have widely circulated the idea that “Inception” is a film about storytelling. Concepts as basic as nesting stories within stories play out many ways across the plot. It also plays with common experiences in dreams, turning experiences like the feeling of falling into tools for Cobb’s team to exploit. Essentially, if you can dream, you already have a primer in this film’s core principles.
It’s not without flaws, as no film is. Certain moments fail to hold up upon closer inspection. For instance, the relationship between Ariadne and Arthur comes across forced. Those moments aside, from its foreshadowing opening to its meaningfully open-ended ending, “Inception” is an absolute marvel.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Looking Glass (The Looking Glass, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I read the blurb to this book, I didn't really know what to expect. I liked that it dealt with mirrors and ghosts. That's what drew me in. Luckily, I found this book to be super interesting!
I do like the title of this book. It pays homage to Lewis Carroll, and even some scenes in the book do the same.
I'm not a big fan of the cover although it does have to do with the story. I would've liked to see something spooky on the cover such as Elizabeth Blackwell staring out from the mirror or something similar, but that is just a personal opinion.
I did enjoy the world building and found it to be believable. However, I was a bit confused as to why and how Alice always ended up at the hotel's swimming pool at midnight for just an hour every night. Perhaps that could've been explained better. I was also a little big confused about the fog and how it differed for the witch and for Alice, but I won't go into details as I don't want to give away any spoilers. I do like how Alice's version of the hotel is different from the actual hotel and how she sees the real world through mirrors.
The pacing was brilliant in The Looking Glass! I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting this book to instantly catch my attention from the very first page, but it did just that. From the first sentence, I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next to Alice.
I enjoyed the plot very much, and I felt it was fairly original. (Don't worry, the next few sentences aren't spoilers). Alice dives into the hotel swimming pool and hits her head. She almost drowns and ends up in a coma. However, her spirit is stuck at the hotel where she must figure out the mystery of Elizabeth Blackwell if she's to reunite her body with her spirit. While I didn't feel that there were any major plot twists in the story, I still really enjoyed it. Oh, and don't worry. There's no cliff hangars either.
I found the characters to be very well written and likable. Alice is a very down to Earth, normal teenage girl. She was easy to relate to and had a likable personality. She is a very curious about everything, but that ultimately comes to her advantage. I also really liked Tony and how he was so willing to help Alice. He came across as a real sweetheart and a very brave person. George is another character who I wasn't really sure of to begin with but ended up liking.
I enjoyed the dialogue and felt it was appropriate for a young adult book. It flowed smoothly and never once felt forced. My favorite bits of dialogue were when Alice was thinking to herself. There's no swearing in this book, but there is some minor violence.
Overall, The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold is a highly interesting read. The plot will keep readers very much immersed in the book. The world building is very detailed albeit some minor confusing details.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 13+ who are after a book that's a little bit scary but not too much and for those who are after a book with a brilliant story line.
<b>I'd give The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold a 4.5 out of 5.</b>
(I received an free ebook of this title from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
When I read the blurb to this book, I didn't really know what to expect. I liked that it dealt with mirrors and ghosts. That's what drew me in. Luckily, I found this book to be super interesting!
I do like the title of this book. It pays homage to Lewis Carroll, and even some scenes in the book do the same.
I'm not a big fan of the cover although it does have to do with the story. I would've liked to see something spooky on the cover such as Elizabeth Blackwell staring out from the mirror or something similar, but that is just a personal opinion.
I did enjoy the world building and found it to be believable. However, I was a bit confused as to why and how Alice always ended up at the hotel's swimming pool at midnight for just an hour every night. Perhaps that could've been explained better. I was also a little big confused about the fog and how it differed for the witch and for Alice, but I won't go into details as I don't want to give away any spoilers. I do like how Alice's version of the hotel is different from the actual hotel and how she sees the real world through mirrors.
The pacing was brilliant in The Looking Glass! I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting this book to instantly catch my attention from the very first page, but it did just that. From the first sentence, I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next to Alice.
I enjoyed the plot very much, and I felt it was fairly original. (Don't worry, the next few sentences aren't spoilers). Alice dives into the hotel swimming pool and hits her head. She almost drowns and ends up in a coma. However, her spirit is stuck at the hotel where she must figure out the mystery of Elizabeth Blackwell if she's to reunite her body with her spirit. While I didn't feel that there were any major plot twists in the story, I still really enjoyed it. Oh, and don't worry. There's no cliff hangars either.
I found the characters to be very well written and likable. Alice is a very down to Earth, normal teenage girl. She was easy to relate to and had a likable personality. She is a very curious about everything, but that ultimately comes to her advantage. I also really liked Tony and how he was so willing to help Alice. He came across as a real sweetheart and a very brave person. George is another character who I wasn't really sure of to begin with but ended up liking.
I enjoyed the dialogue and felt it was appropriate for a young adult book. It flowed smoothly and never once felt forced. My favorite bits of dialogue were when Alice was thinking to herself. There's no swearing in this book, but there is some minor violence.
Overall, The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold is a highly interesting read. The plot will keep readers very much immersed in the book. The world building is very detailed albeit some minor confusing details.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 13+ who are after a book that's a little bit scary but not too much and for those who are after a book with a brilliant story line.
<b>I'd give The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold a 4.5 out of 5.</b>
(I received an free ebook of this title from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).