Revisiting Inception, on the 10th anniversary of its release

The 10th anniversary of Inception (2010) fell earlier this week on July 16. The movie had a huge impact in my life, after its release, I had so many thoughts that it pushed me to launch this very blog a few months later. At the time, I was working as a compositor in an animation studio. While I loved working in animation, but after some time, I had begun to feel like another cog in a machine. I hoped the blog would be an outlet for my passion for movies, and one thing lead to another that two years after working on the blog, I finally began working on a television show revolving around films. 

Five years after the blog was launched, I was writing about films full-time, a position I'm still grateful for. I love writing about cinema, and while the world right now is uncertain, in the midst of a global pandemic, cinema is still what we turn to for comfort. Therefore, I decided to dust of the old blog after more than year to check, does Inception still hold up, after a decade? The answer: Abso-bloody-lutely!

The film, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is audacious and bold in every aspect of filmmaking. Nolan, coming off a highly successful sequel with the The Dark Knight (2008), presented us with an original high-concept story, with an international cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Opening with the swell of Hans Zimmer's majestic score, and the roar of the seas, Inception drops in the action right away, establishing its inner world with confidence. "What's more resilient than a parasite, or a virus?" asks Dom Cobb. It's an idea! 

Inception is built upon this premise, where thieves infiltrate the world of dreams to steal ideas and secret thoughts, sold to competitors. However, DiCaprio's tortured thief Cobb ends up taking the largest gamble of his life when he takes up an offer from the billionaire Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe), hoping to return to his young children. 

Cobb lives in exile, moving from country to country, as he extracts secrets from dreams. However, one last heist should be enough for him. The mark is young Robert Fisher (Cillian Murphy), heir to a large empire and rival to Saito. The billionaire wants Fishcher, who inherits the business after his father's death, to break it up, and therefore be less of a threat to him.

Cobb and his crew are tasked with infiltrating his mind and planting the seed to do so. A whole enterprise is dangerous and can fall apart at any stage. The intricately layered screenplay makes it so that they very nearly fail, only to emerge victorious at the end, or did they? The beauty of the film is that seed of doubt is planted neatly within it, making us question it, even now. 

What does that ending mean? Cutting away from Cobb's spinning totem, did we leave him in a dream or a reality? We'll never know. There has been no sequel thankfully and it should remain that way. Sometimes we don't need all the answers to the questions we have. 

But back to the film's story, as Nolan lines up his dominoes as Cobb and his team go deep within the subconscious to dream within a dream, for a few layers in. Everything is tied together so precariously, but wonderfully, logic comes into play at every leave. To the ordinary mind, it may seem outrageous, it makes sense all the same.

Cobb, who wallows in his memories, is a tricky character to get behind. Wrapped in his own guilt and grief, he's not very reliable, but we still want to him to get his happy ending. His late wife Mal (Marion Cottillard) swoops in like a mischief-maker to destroy his schemes, or is it his guilt coming in  through waves of his subconscious? Mal, who questions his very reality, becomes the 

To get through to Fisher, Cobb, Saito, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page), Yusuf (Dileep Rao) and Eames (Tom Hardy) navigate through layers of dream worlds - from a rainy nondescript city, a modern hotel, to a highly-guarded fortress on a snowy mountain before emerging on the other side. The trigger for them to return to the real world is Edith Piaf's song 'Non, je ne regret rien", a statement if there was any. 

Nolan is an old-fashioned filmmaker who likes to shoot with film and loves the big spectacle meant for the big screen. Watching it at home is still thrilling but it does not compare to the experience of watching in the theaters. I loved it so much that monsoon season, that I saw three times in the theatre! The first time was always the best - experiencing it with the early morning crowd as they sipped their coffee in silence, allowing the story to unfold on the screen. And remember being dumbfounded on my seat later, wondering about that spinning totem!

Zimmer's gorgeous score is as much as part of the storytelling. He weaves in these emotional cues to remind us of the stakes and consequences of wading and lingering in dreams too long. Inception released in a crowded year along with A King's Speech, Black Swan, Toy Story 3, and The Social Network. It hauled four technical awards for Wally Pfister's solid cinematography, best sound editing, best sound mixing and best visual effects, (which still holds up today IMHO). 

It's a shame that Nolan's screenplay was denied an Oscar. When people lament over and over the lack of original stories in Hollywood, Nolan continues to deliver. After Inception, he went back to the comic book genre for The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and followed it up with another original Interstellar (2014) and the war film Dunkirk (2017). His latest Tenet (2020), which again reminds us of Inception, is currently in limbo in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. When, not if, it does release in theatres, we all be waiting to watch it, but only when it is safe.

Meanwhile, revisit some old classics while you can, as these films still have the power to thrill and excite you.

New Trailer: Alejandro G. Iñárritu's The Revenant

Leonardo DiCaprio has had the good fortune of working with the best directors in business. In recent years, he's become a trusted collaborator of the legendary Martin Scorsose churning out some of his career's best performances. Despite all of this, the Academy is clearly not impressed. They've awarded him five nominations for his work over the years, but he's never quite broken through to win the big prize.

Nevertheless, DiCaprio keeps at it. His latest project, directed by recent Best Director winner Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, pairs him with his Inception costar Tom Hardy yet again. Based on American frontiersman Hugh Glass' cross-country trek after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions, The Revenant is adapted from Michael Punke's 2003 novel. The film's first trailer gives a perspective of a unique Western with its hero out for revenge and retribution.

With stunning camerawork from Emmanuel Lubezki (will he win his third consecutive Oscar with this film?), The Revenant shows us the harsh lifestyle and unforgiving conditions of the unexplored American wilderness. Costarring Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson, the film releases on Christmas this year.

2014 Golden Globe Award Winners

The 71st Golden Globe awards were held this past Sunday and as usual it did not disappoint.  The show was hosted for the second time in a row by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who in their inimitable style "crushed it", with their jokes (Gravity is "the story of how George Clooney would rather float away in space and die than spend any more time with a woman his own age.") or hijacking the stage as teenager "Randy" and his mom.

The presenters were just as lively with Robert Downey Jr. promising us that no matter what happened that night, he was leaving home a winner or my favorite Emma Thompson who appeared on stage with a martini in one hand and a pair of Louboutins in another.  The red on the shoes, she told us, was her blood.  And she chose the martini over the shoes when it came to presenting the award!

(Photo: Getty Images)

Emma Stone (who's currently working with Woody Allen on the upcoming Magic in the Moonlight) and Diane Keaton (who worked with Allen from Annie Hall to Interiors) presented the Cecil B. DeMille award to an absent Woody Allen, who usually never attends awards functions. 

(Photos: Just Jared/The Hollywood Reporter)

Now, onto the awards, American Hustle won the most with 3 including best comedy/musical, 12 Years a Slave won for best drama, Gravity had the best director and Her had the best screenplay.  The acting awards went out to Dallas Buyers Club, Blue Jasmine, The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle, while Frozen won the best animated feature.

(Photos: E! Online/Getty Images)

Here's the full list of the feature film winners:

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
“12 Years a Slave”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“American Hustle”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Frozen”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Great Beauty” (Italy)


BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Spike Jonze, “Her”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, “American Hustle”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“Ordinary Love,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., Brian Burton
Lyrics by: Bono

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
Alex Ebert, “All Is Lost”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Jennifer Lawrence “American Hustle”

Movie Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

On Wall Street, you have the bulls and the bears. And then there's Jordan Belfort. He needs a whole separate category unto himself that's explained in this grand opus of greed, excess and the single-minded pursuit of riches.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's fifth collaboration together, The Wolf of Wall Street, is yet another example of ambitious moviemaking. I don't think they'd have it any other way.  DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort, a young eager stockbroker ready to do whatever it takes to rise up the corporate ladder.   His first job at a major Wall Street firm with mentor Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey in a too-small role) doesn't last after the epic collapse on Black Monday in 1987. However, young Jordan manages to bounce back quite neatly when he stumbles upon a scheme of selling penny stocks for higher personal profits on Long Island. He's the lone shark amongst the fishes.

Belfort sees and seizes upon the potential the opportunity that has fallen in front of him. Along with his over-enthusiastic neighbor and partner Donnie Azoff (a hysterical Jonah Hill), he recruits these inexperienced suburbanites and turns them and himself into an established company with street-cred on Wall Street.  Behind the scenes, the crazy shenanigans are afoot and gluttony of every manner, sex, drugs, alcohol and hard cash, you name it, Jordan and his cohorts have tried and thrived on them.  I doubt they could survive a single day without them.   

But as they say, the higher you rise, the harder you fall. Belfort has built his company stealing from the poor and the rich and making himself and his partners wealthy.  He has no compunctions about it too which a lot of the audience might be turned off by but if not for Leonardo's superb and fearless lead performance, the film would collapse completely.  And in the hands of a lesser actors, the whole film would be off-putting.

Jonah Hill, who for the second year in row, has turned a stellar supporting performance (those pearly whites are startling, you won't be able to take your eyes off them!) with his portrayal of Belfort's right hand man.  The rest of the cast is just as good with Rob Reiner in his first acting job in 10 years, Margot Robbie as Jordan's second wife, Kyle Chandler as his nemesis from the FBI and a splendid cameo by director Spike Jonze (see if you can spot him!).

As usual, ace director Scorsese and his editor Thelma Schoonmaker continue to surprise us with their vivacity with each new film (Scorsese is 71 and Schoonmaker is 74).  I especially loved the soundtrack choices and editing cuts.  As I mentioned before, the content of the film might be off-putting or just too much for many but I suggest you watch The Wolf of Wall Street primarily for Leonardo DiCaprio, this is his one performance where everything is just laid out on the table, warts and all. Don't look away. 

Directed by Martin Scorsese; Screenplay by Terence Winter; Based on the book by Jordan Belfort; Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto; Editing by Thelma Schoonmaker

Additional cast: Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean DuJardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti

Rating:

10 Actors Who Have Yet To Win An Oscar

The 85^th Oscars are so last month.  We have clearly moved on and ahead to next year.  And while there are already potential Oscar contender names being bandied about (Grace of Monaco, August: Osage County, Inside Llewyn Davies, Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave, Saving Mr. Banks to name a few), I wanted to look at some actors who have yet to nab that elusive Oscar.  Every year, we see some of the same actors (Daniel Day-Lewis, Christoph Waltz) win yet another Oscar and some actors who receive their very first (Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway).  When will this highly acclaimed bunch of actors make to the podium to finally make their victory speech? Very, very soon, one can only hope…

 

 1) Amy Adams

4 nominations for Junebug (2005), Doubt (2008), The Fighter (2010) and The Master (2012). 

Amy Adams leads this list with 4 nominations in the past 8 years. She is in the Kate Winslet category, meaning she has to really earn her eventual Oscar. Winslet was nominated for years and years before she won her Oscar for The Reader (2008), which actually was actually a supporting role and ignored for her real leading turn in the devastating Revolutionary Road. Either way, she got that Oscar monkey off her back after 6 nominations.  I think I've figured out what she needs to do to win, get nominated in an odd number year to finally win.  She's working with director David O. Russell again so that's great sign and she also has a Janis Joplin biopic in the pipeline.  The Academy does love its biopics.

(Rest of the actors after the cut)

3 New Trailers: Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained and Hitchcock

The competition at next year's Oscars is going to be fierce.  Just look at the movies that will be going up against each other.  Among them is Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, a behind-the-scenes look at the top secret stealth mission to capture (at any cost) Osama Bin Laden that shocked the world.  The movie features actors Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Chris Pratt and Edgar Ramirez.  Will Bigelow be able to recapture the success of her last film, The Hurt Locker?  Judging by the second trailer released, it looks like extremely interesting with a solid cast of very good actors.  The curiosity factor about the mission might just get the film nominated.  The film is out December 19th in the US just in time for the nominations announcement in early January.

The second trailer of Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated Django Unchained shows more of the partnership between Django (Jamie Foxx) and the bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and them going up against Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) who has Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). After a long time, DiCaprio is in an anti-hero role.  Could this possibly get him the Oscar after being nominated for it thrice already? He'll face competition from his own cast which also features Samuel L Jackson, Jonah Hill and Don Johnson. Django Unchained opens on Christmas day in the USA and around the rest of the world in January.

And finally, we have Hitchcock, the film about a man "obsessed with murder.'  With a pair of Oscar winners, Anthony Hopkins (virtually unrecognizable) and Helen Mirren play the legendary director and his wife Alma during the making of one of his most famous films, Psycho. I feel this could be hit or miss at the Oscar, it might have a shot at the acting awards but I don't whether it can be nominated for Best Picture against all the other heavyweights which are also due to release in December, like The Hobbit, Lincoln, etc. But it all depends on what number of films ends being nominated for Best Picture. Hitchcock releases late November in USA. 

New Looks: The Bling Ring, Les Miserables, and Django Unchained

Emma Watson (center) in The Bling Ring
(Photo: EW)

Entertainment Weekly premieres the first look at Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, based on the real life crime spree by 'The Burglar Bunch' who robbed celebrity homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and many more in the Hollywood area for nearly a year before being caught.  They managed to get away with more than $3 million in stolen designer goods.  Coppola's cast is lead by Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Gavin Rossdale and Kirsten Dunst.   The film will release next year.

Javert (Russell Crowe) and Valjean (Hugh Jackman)

Anne Hathaway as Fantine

Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean

Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) with Marius (Eddie Redmayne)
Photos: USA TODAY

USA Today has new photos of the big screen adaptation of Les Miserables directed by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech).  We get our first look at Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe against each other as Jean Valjean and Javert respectively.  But they aren't the only big names in the film, the cast also features Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anne Hathaway (for which she cut her hair), Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks as Eponine.  I'm curious to see how the film will turn out but I doubt it can match the power of Les Miserables on the stage.  It's a real treat to watch it live and if you get the opportunity, don't miss it.  Les Miserables opens in the US on December 14, 2012.

Jamie Foxx as Django

Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz as bounty hunters.

Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio face off.

Django Unchained
Photos: Empire

And finally, Empire has some great photos and behind the scenes looks at Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.  The much-anticipated Christmas release features Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie (going bad for this film) who steals the wife (Kerry Washington) of bounty hunter Django (Jamie Foxx).  The film is about his journey to get her back.  The first teaser trailer should be arriving soon too along with the release of Prometheus.  

The Great Gatsby Trailer

The first trailer for The Great Gatsby hit the web today and it certainly is interesting. I have a strange feeling about this film, in that, I'm either going to love it or hate it. Every scene in the trailer seems to scream 'Look at me, I'm being made in 3D!' to me and I hope it doesn't get too distracting from the actual content of the film. I was really looking forward to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio reunite with his Romeo + Juliet director Baz Luhrmann until they announced the film was being made in 3D. If it is used as well as it was in Hugo, then Luhrmann would be vindicated for shooting in 3D but until I see it, I've got a bad feeling about the 3D.

The film stars Leo as Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in the movie adaptation of the great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also starring in the movie are Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton along with a special appearance by Indian legend Amitabh Bachchan in his Hollywood debut. The film will release this Christmas in the US.

What I've Been Up to: Not Blogging! But still watching movies...

These end of the year holidays have seriously made me so lazy.  I seem to want to do absolutely nothing...except watch movies that is.  I had a marathon session of movie watching yesterday which was so much fun.  Nothing but back to back movies.  It was in order of movies watched I Could Never Be Your Woman, Memento, Revolutionary Road, Julie & Julia and Dinner for Schmucks.  Yeah, it's an eclectic bunch of films.  It was nice to watch it with a fellow film fan and colleague of mine who watched the films with perfect concentration and attention to detail.  Brava!  Why can't I find more people like her in theater when I go to watch films?  The big downside to theaters usually is the audience.

Anyways, back to the movies, watching Memento after all these years was still exhilarating.  And after seeing so many Christopher Nolan films, it's nice to see the same touches present in his first big film.  He does seem to feature husbands fixated with the memory of their dead wife a lot, no?  First Memento, Prestige and of course, Inception.  I still love the backwards storytelling device.  Still innovative, still deeply layered.  Wouldn't expect anything else from the Nolan brothers.

Revolutionary Road was downright depressing (in a good way) even though I could help but think "Kate and Leo" over and over throughout the movie.  It was so good to see them together after Titanic.  And what fine actors they are, their performances are devastating.  Their last fight was really hard to watch.  I know moaned on about this on Twitter already but I'm really ready to see both Kate and Leo together in a film that has a happy ending this time.  We fans are totally ready for it.  Please? Pretty please?

Finally, I wish I could have ended the movie marathon with just Julie & Julia.  Although I had seen it before, Meryl Streep's joyful performance as Julia Childs is hard to resist.  After that, I ended the day with Dinner for Schmucks a very unfunny remake of a French film, The Dinner Game.  This was one of the first French comedies I seen in college when I was learning French and I loved it.  I could actually understand a few of the jokes without relying on the subtitles all the time.  I hated what the American version did to the original premise.  This was the second mediocre Paul Rudd movie of the day and I didn't like it.  I think I'll have to watch I Love You Man again.  The material simply didn't suit him.  If you get a chance, watch the original French version.  You won't regret it.

Even though, the movie marathon day fizzled at the end of the day.  I had great fun in just devoting a day to only watching movies and definitely plan on doing it again.  Have you done that recently? What movies would you watch?

What I'm Thankful for: Movies Edition

There are many things in life I'm grateful for but I'm always grateful for good movies and great cinema.  It's got the power to cheer you up when you're down and distract you from life's everyday problems and transport you to someplace special.

A little late but still nevertheless, here's what I give thanks for this past year:

• Christopher Nolan and Inception: One of the finest directors working today, Nolan has moved into the auteur category.  He can open a big movie with his name alone, despite having big Hollywood actors in it. This summer's biggest blockbuster, Inception, proved that he is in a league of his own, demanding complete control of his film from Warner Brothers and for having an original script in a sea of sequels and remakes.  Inception was on everyone's lips this summer, how did they do that? How is that possible? Is that real? And how do I get my own totem? (Yeah, that was all me.) Inception is that rare film that keeps you wondering long after you've left the theater.  For my new movie obsession and favorite director, I'm grateful.  Up next, Batman 3 and the Superman reboot, we can't wait.

• How to Train Your Dragon: Why do I love this animated film so? Mainly because it's about two leads, a one-of-kind dragon named Toothless with behavioral issues and a young Viking apprentice named Hiccup with daddy issues.  This unlikely pair become the pride of the Viking village, Berk, and how they do it is the reason why How to Train Your Dragon is my favorite animated film this year.  This movie has what was lacking in previous DreamWorks films, heart!  And it is this fierce heart and an attitude that being different is not necessarily bad that makes this a top movie for kids to watch and enjoy.  Bonus: The soundtrack composed by John Powell is one of the best of year behind only to Inception. 

• Kathryn Bigelow: She broke the glass ceiling and how! Going up against the big juggernaut that was Avatar, the studio system and director, James Cameron, who was also her ex-husband, Bigelow took a gritty independent war movie called The Hurt Locker and turned it into the movie that Hollywood was talking about.  The winner of almost every major directing award (what were you thinking, Golden Globes?), Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar and an Director's Guild of America (DGA) award.  For all the little girls who grow up wanting to be behind the cameras rather than in front of it, that's an amazing achievement to look up to.

• Robert Downey Jr: Now this is some comeback story.  A decade ago, Robert Downey Jr. headlining his own True Hollywood Story about his very public addiction problems.  But today, he is a highly respected and sought after actor for so many projects.  There is no genre he can't do.  Comedy (Tropic Thunder, Due Date) to drama (Zodiac, The Soloist) to becoming the ultimate hero Iron Man and leading The Avengers and rebooting how many imagined Sherlock Holmes to be, this is an actor we should be thankful for.  More please!

• Clint Eastwood: He makes us all ashamed to be young and idle.  At 70, he is churning out film upon film per year as an actor, a director, a producer, and composer too.  His past few films have all been Oscar and award contenders and they keep showing us again and again, that his best is yet to come.  Simply amazing!  

• Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio: It's no secret that Leonardo is my favorite actor.  But when he pairs up with his favorite director, he pulls out a performance that's extraordinary.  Shutter Island, the most recent collaboration of Scorsese and Leo, was a masterful film of suspense and thrills.  It shows us once again why Scorsese is America's most legendary directors and why the pair of them always produce movie magic.   

Daily News Update: Snow White and Leo's next project

• Leonardo's next project maybe?  Leonardo DiCaprio has gotten the book rights for The Devil in the White City to produce and star in the story of America's first serial killer.  Yet another dark movie with demons to purge for Leo.  
• Tiny minuscule progress on the Arrested Development movie.  No script yet but they do have a story in mind, says David Cross (aka Tobias Funke).  Has it really been 4 years since we saw the Bluths?  Time to re-visit them and soon.  
• Official confirmation of Tarsem Singh as director for Snow White.  It's going to be all in 3D but dark, twisty and comedic?  Didn't see this one coming.  This will be interesting for sure as this is one of three big film coming out that feature Snow White.  It will be either Tom Hardy or Johnny Depp both of whom might be interested in Snow White and the Huntsman focusing on the huntsman hired by the Evil Queen to kill Snow White but instead lets her live and teaches her to fight back.  Meanwhile, at Disney, Snow and the Seven is about a young British girl in Hong Kong who learns to fight off evil with the help of, what else, seven Shaolin monks.  What do you want to bet they all release around the same time too?
• Baz Luhrmann is looking for an actress to play Daisy in The Great Gatsy.  Who should it be?  Rebecca Hall has already read for the role.  The list is long.