Back in 2008, Gran Torino was one of those movies where my Dad went to see it and I couldn't because it was rated R. He came back with a smile on his face, saying "There was a great story about overcoming race, but when it came down to it, I asked "Can Clint be Clint?"..........yup." After finally be able to watch the movie, I can see why my dad said this-and I full heartily agree.
Gran Torino finds Clint Eastwood (the master of cinema) back in the director's chair, producers seat, in front of the camera and even as the film's co-music composer. Here he plays Walt Kowalski, an aging Korean vet who despises his own family and, unwillingly, seeks love and understanding in the Korean family who recently moved in next door after the family's "man of the house" Thao tries to steal his prized Gran Torino.
This is a movie that proves you can make a fantastic film with a great story. Clint Eastwood obviously saw that, as when he finished Million Dollar Baby, he let everyone know he was uninterested in acting again, but would still love to direct. Nick Schenk, the screenwriter, must have felt a grand joy in his heart when Eastwood went up to him and said he loved it so much that he wanted to act as the main star on top of directing and producing. Boy, was he spot-on. After seeing him in many movies, this is one of his best. He and this great story make this movie one of the best I have seen in a long time.
The casting ensemble outside of Clint does a great job as well. I hope Bee Vang gets more work soon, as he was unbelievably believable as Thao, the young man Walt takes under his wing. Anhey Her is great as Sue, the girl who introduces Walt to her family, and it's also important to mention Christopher Carley, who plays a marvelous helpful priest. The casting was picked very well on this film.
But what elevates this movie is the story. How racism is tossed around and though of, but never quite spoken to directly, is beautifully done. I love how Walt changes perspectives by the end of the movie. The problem of gang violence is also shown realistically. However, the star is Walt. His character is so bitter, yet understandable, that is was nice to see him connect with people he could relate to on some level. The ending (without spoilers) was unpredictable for me, but perfect for the film. It truly shows how Walt cares for the family and how the audience cares for Walt.
This is why I love Clint Eastwood. He can do so much and spend so much time working on a movie and it comes out beautifully. There are scenes where there's no music or wild special effects. It's just Clint's acting and you can feel the tenseness in that. It was also fun to see him play a character similar to Dirty Harry, yet given so much more depth. Dad, you are right. Clint is still Clint. I hope everyone else sees that as well.
Grade: A
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The Shining (1980) Review
After a few of my friends gave a few dirty looks when I said "I have never seen The Shining", I went out and bought a cheap DVD of the movie to watch it, and I am glad I did. This was one of the creepiest and strangest movie experiences I have ever have-and it was so cool and chilling to watch.
Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, the new caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. He and his family are there for the whole winter until May, which is fine for Jack, as he wants to get some writing done-at first. His young son, Danny, is revealed to have a special power to see past and future images, dubbed the "shining", and throughout, Danny sense something wrong and Jack descends into madness.
I call myself a casual Stanley Kubrick fan. I think he is a great director, but I have only seen two other films of his before this one (Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey) and thought both of them were masterpieces. Kubrick's direction here is once again masterfully done. He really created a creepy unease even at times when nothing scary or threatening was happening. The music score by Wendy Carlos was placed perfectly at times. There were also no real special CGI effects in the movie-just good old set-up and acting.
Jack Nicholson was brilliant to watch. It was so creepy and fun to see him descend into the madness he gets to throughout the movie. He was the perfect choice for this role, but what was even more perfect was Danny Lloyd as Danny, Jack's son (How is it that the actors names are the same names as the characters?). I am very impressed with this kid. He was calm when he needed to be, scary when he needed to be, and "Tony" when he needed to be. I can not believe an actor that young could pull off something like Tony. That voice was something I would never expect an actor that young to nail down. Shelley Duvall is also well-cast and provides for the common person watching the movie. She was thinking what I was thinking-"get the hell out of there!"
The plot was really fascinating to me, even though I was at a disadvantage. I am a big Simpsons fan, and I know their Shining spoof by heart, so when certain parts of the film were on, my mind went back to that spoof. However, the plot still had some things I did not see coming and I did really enjoy it. Seeing Danny be told of his power really added to the creepy and supernatural vibe the film gives off. Stephen King wrote the novel this was based off of, but I have been told it strays far from it. Even so, Kubrick picked an excellent ending and a great plot to show some suspense, but I do wish some things were explained better, or at all. Seeing Jack interact with the past was a joy, and the scene in Room 247 was nice to watch at first, but then changes to be creepy as hell. Not many plots can show that well.
This film offers some great suspense and scares that are brought by a masterful direction and wonderful actors. I am just starting to get into horror films and I am glad I saw this. Despite my personal problem with the plot not explaining as much as I would like, this is a film for the ages and one I would recommend.
Grade: A
Also, I hear rumors that they are in production on a prequel to this film and, to be honest, I wouldn't mind! It would be cool to see what went down before Jack got there (for the 1980 time).
Also, what was the deal with the guy in the dog suit giving Grady a blow-job?
Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, the new caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. He and his family are there for the whole winter until May, which is fine for Jack, as he wants to get some writing done-at first. His young son, Danny, is revealed to have a special power to see past and future images, dubbed the "shining", and throughout, Danny sense something wrong and Jack descends into madness.
I call myself a casual Stanley Kubrick fan. I think he is a great director, but I have only seen two other films of his before this one (Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey) and thought both of them were masterpieces. Kubrick's direction here is once again masterfully done. He really created a creepy unease even at times when nothing scary or threatening was happening. The music score by Wendy Carlos was placed perfectly at times. There were also no real special CGI effects in the movie-just good old set-up and acting.
Jack Nicholson was brilliant to watch. It was so creepy and fun to see him descend into the madness he gets to throughout the movie. He was the perfect choice for this role, but what was even more perfect was Danny Lloyd as Danny, Jack's son (How is it that the actors names are the same names as the characters?). I am very impressed with this kid. He was calm when he needed to be, scary when he needed to be, and "Tony" when he needed to be. I can not believe an actor that young could pull off something like Tony. That voice was something I would never expect an actor that young to nail down. Shelley Duvall is also well-cast and provides for the common person watching the movie. She was thinking what I was thinking-"get the hell out of there!"
The plot was really fascinating to me, even though I was at a disadvantage. I am a big Simpsons fan, and I know their Shining spoof by heart, so when certain parts of the film were on, my mind went back to that spoof. However, the plot still had some things I did not see coming and I did really enjoy it. Seeing Danny be told of his power really added to the creepy and supernatural vibe the film gives off. Stephen King wrote the novel this was based off of, but I have been told it strays far from it. Even so, Kubrick picked an excellent ending and a great plot to show some suspense, but I do wish some things were explained better, or at all. Seeing Jack interact with the past was a joy, and the scene in Room 247 was nice to watch at first, but then changes to be creepy as hell. Not many plots can show that well.
This film offers some great suspense and scares that are brought by a masterful direction and wonderful actors. I am just starting to get into horror films and I am glad I saw this. Despite my personal problem with the plot not explaining as much as I would like, this is a film for the ages and one I would recommend.
Grade: A
Also, I hear rumors that they are in production on a prequel to this film and, to be honest, I wouldn't mind! It would be cool to see what went down before Jack got there (for the 1980 time).
Also, what was the deal with the guy in the dog suit giving Grady a blow-job?
Saturday, August 11, 2012
50/50 Review
At long last I finally got to see 50/50, a movie staring Joesph Gordon-Levitt (a favorite actor of mine since 3rd Rock From The Sun), Seth Rogen (a funny guy), and Anna Kendrick (a celebrity crush I have). I missed seeing this in the theater last year and boy, am I regretting it. This was a very good heartfelt movie that had me laughing (hard!) at moments and being moved dramatically at others. I loved this movie.
Joesph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a 27-year-old who doesn't drive, has a nice girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), an overprotective mother (Angelica Huston), and a fun-loving best friend (Rogen). After a trip to the doctor, Adam discovers that he has spinal cancer, a very unexpected development for him. From that moment, he and the people around him (joined by an inexperienced therapist played by Kendrick) try to cheer him up and get through his cancer treatments to help beat his cancer.
Right off the bat, I really liked Adam. I thought he was a relatable character and the way he reacts to his mother overbearing him and his very close but sometimes obnoxious friend was very realistic. They were how I would react with these people. Every step of the way I could understand why he was feeling the way he was and how dramatic it is to deal with something as life threatening as caner. Joesph Gordon-Levitt really proves why he is one of my favorite actors in this movie.
Seth Rogen was also a smart addition to the movie. He was really funny and reacted to Adam well. His character, Kyle, really had me laughing hard at some of his witty dialogue and sense of life. In fact, the writing to this was superb. I was surprised how they were able to take something as serious and non-comedic as cancer and make it realistic and heartfelt through the type of comedy they threw at the audience here. It was also amazing to see it come back to some really heartfelt moments and drama with Adam. You really see him deal with this in very rough manners. Writer Will Reiser really balanced it well.
The rest of the cast was very good. Anna Kendrick was great as his therapist, Kathrine, and I really believed her relationship with Adam. Angelica Huston, one of the best older actresses out there now, was great as Adam's mother and you saw why she was acting the way she was to the whole situation. Bryce Dallas Howard also does well in the role she is given. She is a great young actress.
This was based on a true story, and I would be interested to see how it went from a true story to this film. I am also wondering if Jonathon Levine had some sort of relationship with this story or the man Adam was based off of. Hopefully the DVD extras will tell me something about it. This was truly a great film and a brilliant example of what Independent film can be with the right actors. If you want a movie with everything in it and it all mixes well, don't miss this one!
Grade: A
Also, as a little side note, I found it interesting how the ending to this film was very similar to the ending of another 2011 favorite of mine, Beginners. Both films even have the exact same final lines of dialogue! I think it's a cool coincidence, both are favorites of mine!
Joesph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a 27-year-old who doesn't drive, has a nice girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), an overprotective mother (Angelica Huston), and a fun-loving best friend (Rogen). After a trip to the doctor, Adam discovers that he has spinal cancer, a very unexpected development for him. From that moment, he and the people around him (joined by an inexperienced therapist played by Kendrick) try to cheer him up and get through his cancer treatments to help beat his cancer.
Right off the bat, I really liked Adam. I thought he was a relatable character and the way he reacts to his mother overbearing him and his very close but sometimes obnoxious friend was very realistic. They were how I would react with these people. Every step of the way I could understand why he was feeling the way he was and how dramatic it is to deal with something as life threatening as caner. Joesph Gordon-Levitt really proves why he is one of my favorite actors in this movie.
Seth Rogen was also a smart addition to the movie. He was really funny and reacted to Adam well. His character, Kyle, really had me laughing hard at some of his witty dialogue and sense of life. In fact, the writing to this was superb. I was surprised how they were able to take something as serious and non-comedic as cancer and make it realistic and heartfelt through the type of comedy they threw at the audience here. It was also amazing to see it come back to some really heartfelt moments and drama with Adam. You really see him deal with this in very rough manners. Writer Will Reiser really balanced it well.
The rest of the cast was very good. Anna Kendrick was great as his therapist, Kathrine, and I really believed her relationship with Adam. Angelica Huston, one of the best older actresses out there now, was great as Adam's mother and you saw why she was acting the way she was to the whole situation. Bryce Dallas Howard also does well in the role she is given. She is a great young actress.
This was based on a true story, and I would be interested to see how it went from a true story to this film. I am also wondering if Jonathon Levine had some sort of relationship with this story or the man Adam was based off of. Hopefully the DVD extras will tell me something about it. This was truly a great film and a brilliant example of what Independent film can be with the right actors. If you want a movie with everything in it and it all mixes well, don't miss this one!
Grade: A
Also, as a little side note, I found it interesting how the ending to this film was very similar to the ending of another 2011 favorite of mine, Beginners. Both films even have the exact same final lines of dialogue! I think it's a cool coincidence, both are favorites of mine!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Review
The reason I wanted to see this movie was very simple: I had read the book. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was my summer reading book going into my Senior Honors English class. As school does not begin for another few weeks, I have yet to figure out why my teacher decided to have us read this book. However, I do know that I liked reading it. It had a interesting plot and a different style to writing that I had not seen before. I also liked it far and beyond other books I have had to read for school.
But this is not a book review! After reading the book I borrowed the movie from my local library. I thought it was neat that a movie was made within the same year as when I would need to read this book. Going into it, there were two things about it that stood out for me. One was that Tom Hanks was in the movie, an actor that I adore greatly, and the other was that it was nominated for Best Picture. The second part was bittersweet because anyone I knew at the time of the film's release, who reviews movies online like I do, seemed to really hate that fact. They found it just "Oscar Bait" and could not believe the Academy took a bite. I am saddened by that because I believe if this film was not nominated for Best Picture and my friends saw the movie as a regular movie, they would have liked it more.
After the events of 9/11, a young boy named Oskar Schell is dealing with the loss of his father. Upon entering the closet of his dad's bedroom for the first time, he finds a key with the name "Black" on it. As his father used to provide little games and searches for his to participate in order to teach him life lessons, Oskar sees this as his final game and decides to go around New York City to anyone named Black and see if he can find his father's final message. Through this, he meets a variety of people and a man who does not speak, who may or may not have a strong connection to him.
I found this to be a good film, but a weird book adaptation. Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar, was pretty well-fit for the role. He was what I imagined Oskar to be when I read the book. Sandra Bullock plays his mother sweetly and his role in the story develops stronger as the film goes on. Tom Hanks does a great job as Oskar's dad, but unfortunately because of his character, he does not get that much screen time. However, by far the best part of the movie for me was Max von Sydow as the man who does not speak. He was exactly what the book described and gave a powerhouse performance even when he does not say one word.
The plot was good, yet after reading the book, I think it could have been developed much better, which is surprising as Eric Roth, who wrote Forrst Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button wrote the screenplay. There are things we see of Oskar that are well-fleshed out in the book, yet are only mentioned and shown in passing in the movie. The biggest disappointment for me was how the man who does not speak's backstory, which is my favorite part of the book and pretty much half of the book, was barely mentioned in this movie. That could have been a great movie on its own!
However, when not comparing it to the book, I find this as a fine stand-alone movie. The plot works, it isn't too quick for most of the time and it was never slow. I found myself caring for Oskar's journey (though, again, not quite as much as the book did) and the ending was fine for the movie. All the people he meets are very interesting and likable and I don't think I would have predicted the ending had I not read the book. Max von Sydow definitely deserved an Oscar nod for his performance, but for the movie to be nominated for Best Picture? I feel as though if the movie followed the book more it would have been great and The Artist would have had some serious competition, but as is, it's a good movie. I am glad I saw it and if someone asked me "Should I watch this movie?" I would say yes-but I would also say you also should read the book.
Grade: B
But this is not a book review! After reading the book I borrowed the movie from my local library. I thought it was neat that a movie was made within the same year as when I would need to read this book. Going into it, there were two things about it that stood out for me. One was that Tom Hanks was in the movie, an actor that I adore greatly, and the other was that it was nominated for Best Picture. The second part was bittersweet because anyone I knew at the time of the film's release, who reviews movies online like I do, seemed to really hate that fact. They found it just "Oscar Bait" and could not believe the Academy took a bite. I am saddened by that because I believe if this film was not nominated for Best Picture and my friends saw the movie as a regular movie, they would have liked it more.
After the events of 9/11, a young boy named Oskar Schell is dealing with the loss of his father. Upon entering the closet of his dad's bedroom for the first time, he finds a key with the name "Black" on it. As his father used to provide little games and searches for his to participate in order to teach him life lessons, Oskar sees this as his final game and decides to go around New York City to anyone named Black and see if he can find his father's final message. Through this, he meets a variety of people and a man who does not speak, who may or may not have a strong connection to him.
I found this to be a good film, but a weird book adaptation. Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar, was pretty well-fit for the role. He was what I imagined Oskar to be when I read the book. Sandra Bullock plays his mother sweetly and his role in the story develops stronger as the film goes on. Tom Hanks does a great job as Oskar's dad, but unfortunately because of his character, he does not get that much screen time. However, by far the best part of the movie for me was Max von Sydow as the man who does not speak. He was exactly what the book described and gave a powerhouse performance even when he does not say one word.
The plot was good, yet after reading the book, I think it could have been developed much better, which is surprising as Eric Roth, who wrote Forrst Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button wrote the screenplay. There are things we see of Oskar that are well-fleshed out in the book, yet are only mentioned and shown in passing in the movie. The biggest disappointment for me was how the man who does not speak's backstory, which is my favorite part of the book and pretty much half of the book, was barely mentioned in this movie. That could have been a great movie on its own!
However, when not comparing it to the book, I find this as a fine stand-alone movie. The plot works, it isn't too quick for most of the time and it was never slow. I found myself caring for Oskar's journey (though, again, not quite as much as the book did) and the ending was fine for the movie. All the people he meets are very interesting and likable and I don't think I would have predicted the ending had I not read the book. Max von Sydow definitely deserved an Oscar nod for his performance, but for the movie to be nominated for Best Picture? I feel as though if the movie followed the book more it would have been great and The Artist would have had some serious competition, but as is, it's a good movie. I am glad I saw it and if someone asked me "Should I watch this movie?" I would say yes-but I would also say you also should read the book.
Grade: B
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Total Recall (1990) Review
I've decided to use this BlogSpot as a way to write my thoughts on films I see at home that I personally wanted to see. These will be very random and go across different genres. With that said, let's take a look at the original Total Recall!
With the Total Recall remake out last weekend, I had two choices: 1. Spend $10 to see the remake in the theater or 2. Spend 25 cents at my library's book store on a VHS copy of the original. I chose the second choice, as I had not see the original before and was wondering why this Sci-Fi Schwarzenegger movie was getting the Remake treatment.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Quaid (or does he?), a regular man living in the not-so-regular world of 2084. Fed up with his life, he goes to a place called "Rekall", where for a fee, you can get implanted memories of vacations and exciting lives. Quaid chooses to go to Mars as a Secret Agent as he has multiple dreams of Mars. From this, it is discovered that he mind was all ready wiped and he used to be an agent of Mars, who found out a secret that would destroy the mastermind who sells air on Mars. Sound Confusing? Well, it kinda is, but only for a few minutes.
The plot had many twists and turns that I did not see coming and some great action to go with it. Seeing Arnold do his thing is always entertaining to watch, but what impressed me was the story was actually intelligent and sophisticated. Questions like "Is he him or is he someone else?" really kept me going throughout the film. This was written by the 2 guys who wrote Alien and based on a story by Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the basis for Blade Runner. That shows in the plot, yet it is a bit overshadowed by the fact that is is a Schwarzenegger action film.
The effects I thought were good-for the time. Seeing things like the mask he wears to disguise himself and "Kuato" are effective, yet dated. The whole world also made me smile for those reasons-it's cool to see what people thought the world was going to be like in the future, but due to recent things like IPod's and how our computers work, they are never going to happen. Still, I thought some of the mutant effects looked pretty good even compared to today and when they were on Mars, I bought it enough. Also, the three-boobed chick was......interesting. There were tons of things like that to make fun of and for the film to have breathers.
Sharon Stone did a fine job and Arnold's "wife" and Rachel Ticotin as Melina was a good supporting character. There was even a Black Guy sidekick who, let's be honest, you are only going to remember as the black guy. Still, he was a fun character and I laughed at some of the things he said.
Overall, this movie wasn't half bad. In fact, I can see why people like it. It was an interesting plot, cool world and it keeps you guessing. I feel I could watch this again and pick up on new things. I think filmmakers today may have watched this movie growing up, especially Christopher Nolan. Like Inception, there is an ending that is left open to interpretation and throughout the film, you don't know what is Fantasy and what is Real. But at the front of the movie before all this science-fiction stuff is an Arnold action film. If you like Arnold, you will like this movie. He is awesome at fighting and running around and things like that. This isn't the best Sci-Fi film I have seen, nor the best Schwarzenegger film I have seen (the best Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi film would be Terminator 2), but it was certainly good enough for me to recommend. Check it out if you can!
Grade: B+
PS Also, if anyone has seen the remake-how is it Colin Farrell doesn't go to Mars?
With the Total Recall remake out last weekend, I had two choices: 1. Spend $10 to see the remake in the theater or 2. Spend 25 cents at my library's book store on a VHS copy of the original. I chose the second choice, as I had not see the original before and was wondering why this Sci-Fi Schwarzenegger movie was getting the Remake treatment.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Quaid (or does he?), a regular man living in the not-so-regular world of 2084. Fed up with his life, he goes to a place called "Rekall", where for a fee, you can get implanted memories of vacations and exciting lives. Quaid chooses to go to Mars as a Secret Agent as he has multiple dreams of Mars. From this, it is discovered that he mind was all ready wiped and he used to be an agent of Mars, who found out a secret that would destroy the mastermind who sells air on Mars. Sound Confusing? Well, it kinda is, but only for a few minutes.
The plot had many twists and turns that I did not see coming and some great action to go with it. Seeing Arnold do his thing is always entertaining to watch, but what impressed me was the story was actually intelligent and sophisticated. Questions like "Is he him or is he someone else?" really kept me going throughout the film. This was written by the 2 guys who wrote Alien and based on a story by Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the basis for Blade Runner. That shows in the plot, yet it is a bit overshadowed by the fact that is is a Schwarzenegger action film.
The effects I thought were good-for the time. Seeing things like the mask he wears to disguise himself and "Kuato" are effective, yet dated. The whole world also made me smile for those reasons-it's cool to see what people thought the world was going to be like in the future, but due to recent things like IPod's and how our computers work, they are never going to happen. Still, I thought some of the mutant effects looked pretty good even compared to today and when they were on Mars, I bought it enough. Also, the three-boobed chick was......interesting. There were tons of things like that to make fun of and for the film to have breathers.
Sharon Stone did a fine job and Arnold's "wife" and Rachel Ticotin as Melina was a good supporting character. There was even a Black Guy sidekick who, let's be honest, you are only going to remember as the black guy. Still, he was a fun character and I laughed at some of the things he said.
Overall, this movie wasn't half bad. In fact, I can see why people like it. It was an interesting plot, cool world and it keeps you guessing. I feel I could watch this again and pick up on new things. I think filmmakers today may have watched this movie growing up, especially Christopher Nolan. Like Inception, there is an ending that is left open to interpretation and throughout the film, you don't know what is Fantasy and what is Real. But at the front of the movie before all this science-fiction stuff is an Arnold action film. If you like Arnold, you will like this movie. He is awesome at fighting and running around and things like that. This isn't the best Sci-Fi film I have seen, nor the best Schwarzenegger film I have seen (the best Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi film would be Terminator 2), but it was certainly good enough for me to recommend. Check it out if you can!
Grade: B+
PS Also, if anyone has seen the remake-how is it Colin Farrell doesn't go to Mars?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Inception Review
Here is an old review of mine from when I first saw Inception. Enjoy!
A dream within a dream within a dream. This is the setting to Christopher Nolan's mind thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joesph Gorden-Levitt, and Ellen Page. Makes sense, right? They portray a team of mind searchers who have just received a new job from an once-enemy businessman (Ken Watanabe)-to do the impossible. They must plant a new idea inside the mind of an owner of an energy company-Inception. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Cobb,or "The Extractor", a man with a troubled past who sees this as a way out. Joesph Gorden-Levitt portrays Arthur, "The Point Man", a man good friends with Cobb, and is very intelligent and all about business. Ellen Page plays Ariadne, the new "Architect", who is just learning how to be a part of this team-and of Cobb's secrets. These three lead a team of 6 who plan and excert this impossibility. What follows is pure brilliance.
If you have read my "top 20 favorite films", then you may already know that I am a Christopher Nolan fan. I really enjoyed "The Presitge", and, of course, I absolutely loved his Batman films. According to the director, he spent 10 years developing Inception, and it shows. The plot is so engaging, that you find it hard no to pay attention and not be interested. There are so many layers of story that you will not get everything out of it in one showing, something that DEFINES a good film. As the story unravels itself, you are caught up in this universe, waiting for the next door to take you places you've never imagined going in this movie. The plot keeps active until the end, when you are astonished and exillerated, wanting to see it again. It will be the quickest 2 and a half hours ever spent in a movie theater. The characters were astonishing. The actors did a really good job making you feel for the characters and be willing to go on this journey. Leonardo DiCaprio was pretty good and the main character whom we are not sure if we can trust, and Joesph Gorden-Levitt (one of my favorite upcoming actors) added a nice touch as the man who knows it all. Ellen Page probably had the hardest job because the audience see's the main character through her eyes, so whatever she felt about him, we felt about him. She was very good in this role. Other actors also worked quite nicely. Ken Watanabe was great, and Tom Hardy (Eames) was, I must say, very good in his role as the "cool comic relief" guy. This was a great combination of direction, story, and acting. Christopher Nolan is the real star here for showing his idea in an Oscar-worthy extravaganza.
The special effects blew me away. Whoa. It is very rare for me to wonder about special effects now because I know everything's just done on computers. But there were a couple of scenes (particularly one in a certain hotel) that made me gasp and think "How did they do that??!!!" With some research, I am happy to report very little CGI was used in this film. This movie deserves a merit there for it's mind-bending effects that, unlike every other film, make you wonder.
This was a great film and THE summer blockbuster to see. If you haven't seen it already, I would strongly recommend it to anyone willing to see it, or anyone who likes either action films, mystery films, or both. This isn't a perfect film, but I can't think of anything really wrong with it, except that it may have been confusing at times. Christopher Nolan once again gets my approval for this magnificent festival of film. This was a brilliant job.
My grade: A-
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