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Inception, a review by Dragonfire

Inception

I've been wanting to see this one since long before I knew anything about it other than that Christopher Nolan was directing it.  I've really enjoyed his other movies that I've seen and think he is a very creative, talented director.  I wanted to go see this on opening day, but I wasn't able to.  I was finally able to see it yesterday.

I'm going to be more vague than I usually am in discussing this movie because I don't want to spoil things for others.

For once, the trailers have been more ambiguous about the plot instead of sharing everything.  I've seen the trailers before seeing the movie, but I did avoid reviews because I didn't want anything spoiled.  I only knew a very basic idea of what would be going on in the movie, and I think that is best. 

As the movie progresses, things do become more complicated with the addition of more story elements, though the main story isn't as complicated.  This movie requires people to pay attention and it definitely makes you think.  That is one of the strongest aspect of the movie.  I love that Nolan didn't dumb the story down and instead seems to believe that the audience has some intelligence.  Some of what happens is confusing for a while and it does take time for things to be fully explained and set up.  The very things I love about the movie may turn other viewers off though.  A few people did leave when I saw the movie..though they only waited like 15 or 20 minutes, so I don't think they really gave the movie a chance.

The action is very well done, and some of the action scenes are very interesting.  The action feels more...organic to what is going on, like it really serves as purpose for the story instead of just serving as an excuse to have fights or things blow up.  Even the slow motion shots - that normally annoy me - feel like they fit in with the story.  The visuals in the movie are absolutely amazing.  The effects are more subtle and used to enhance the things that Nolan actually filmed instead of being used to create big sections of the movie like seems to be done so much in other movies.  Nolan filmed as much he could on actual sets and locations - sometimes on specially built sets - and that does make things seem more realistic.  There is an awesome fight scene at one point that is just really cool to see.  It is done in a unique way and it works.

The characters are interesting while still retaining some mystery in some cases.  There could have been a little bit more about a few of them shared, but the movie still works very well with how things are handled.  The cast is amazing and they all do good jobs in their parts, even when they only have a few short scenes, like Michael Caine.

Inception is the most original and creative movie I've seen in a very long time.  The movie is amazing in every way.  It definitely should be seen at least once in the theater - though repeat viewings will probably make some things make more sense.  This movie proves that not all creativity is gone from movies.

along with a few 

I did get a review posted on Epinions.  I don't think that review has spoilers either, though I do say a little more than I did here.

Inception

(From Inception - No Spoilers on July 23rd, 2010)

Stealing Christmas, a review by Rich

Title: Stealing Christmas

Runtime:90
Certificate:NR
Year:2003
Genres:Family, Drama

Plot:Tony Danza, Lea Thompson and Betty White star in this modern take on the classic tale Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After bungling his latest heist, bank robber Jack Clayton (Danza) flees the big city and winds up in the small town of Evergreen. There, he's mistaken by Sarah Gibson (Thompson) and her daughter, Noelle, as the Santa Claus they've hired to promote their family Christmas tree farm. Jack plays along with the misunderstanding while casing a local bank job. That is, until his growing affection for Sarah, his encounter with a kindly shopkeeper (White) and his conscience cause him to question his criminal ways in this hilarious, heartwarming holiday tale you'll want to watch again and again!

My Review:
Nearly unpalettable slush, with possibly the worst lead imaginable in the dull & wooden Tony Danza, a film that unsuccessfully tries to cash in on xmas by portraying bad guy turns good storyline, but fails in every way.
Totally unrealistic, obvious from the first 5 minutes, hammily acted, poor cast, amateur direction, pathetic love story, and miserably bad ending that could not have been more sickly if it had tried.
Definately AVOID this pile of poop.
NOTE - Despite what overview says, this bears zero resemblence to The Grinch in any way.


(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 14th, 2009)

Ghost Whisperer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

9. The Curse of the Ninth
A brilliant musician finds himself surrounded by two ghosts: his critical composer father, and his old bandmate who died in a plane crash.

My Thoughts:
A decent... but somewhat standard episode. Even though it is enjoyable... it really didn't impress me that much. Maybe there was just too much music in it for my taste.

10. Giving Up the Ghost
in order to get back at his former coach, whom he holds responsible for his death, the spirit of a baseball player inhabits the body of a team's star pitcher.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode... but once again... nothing really all that special in my opinion. Just a good standard episode.

11. Cat's Claw
Melinda considers telling Professor Payne her secret now that a ghost has followed his colleague back from the jungle, where he was left for dead.

My Thoughts:
This one I really liked... enjoyed every minute of it. We knew it would only be a matter of time before Melinda would have to tell Professor Payne her secret what with how much she was running to him with questions. Just like it is only a matter of time before she will have to tell Delia.

12. Dead to Rights
The spirit of a man in a coma contacts Melinda about the pain he is in, watching his wife in a legal battle with his parents to take him off life support.

My Thoughts:
This is another episode I really liked a lot. I couldn't imagine having to deal with such a situation. When do you say it is time to stop life support for someone... and let nature take it's course?

(From Ghost Whisperer Marathon on August 7th, 2008)