Pulp Fiction (1994) (R)

Pulp Fiction (1994) (R)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis

Daddy Says:

Whereas Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs was a reinvention of the heist picture, one in which the heist in question isn't seen on film, his Pulp Fiction doesn't really draw from one single film-reference source. It seems to draw from several, somehow coalesced into a single whole inside his subconscious, then dumped en masse onto the screen. And I mean that in a good way.

Once again, Tarantino chooses to tell his story in a non-sequential narrative. He's said he's not doing it, just to be doing it, but because it makes the most sense from a narrative point of view. I have to agree, particularly with this film. If it were told in strict chronological order, the middle section of the film, titled "The Gold Watch" would end up last, and while that segment ultimately has what could be called a happy ending to it, a major character gets killed in it, one we would have by this point grown to love, which would have left the audience feeling down. By shuffling the storytelling order, that character is alive when the film ends.

Tarantino's love of dialogue is evident here, front and center. All of his characters love to talk, sometimes too much. But the dialogue itself, while certainly stylized, is never dull. In fact some of it is truly brilliant. Years later, I can still recall whole conversations almost word for word (say "what" again, I dare you, I double dare you, say "what" one more time). Yes, I left out a curse word in that quote. The cursing in this film is, while hard on the ears at times, also brilliant. When Samuel L. Jackson is in the backseat of a blood-soaked car, listen to how he is able to use the same four-syllable word (M.F'er) twice in the same sentence consecutively, and it makes perfect sense in context.

The stories are lurid, tawdry, and exhilarating. These are characters I would never want to be close to in real life, but for a little over two hours I love spending time with them. I was so invested in the lives of these people that ,by the time the film was over, I almost didn't want it to end. This is one of those films where I would love to see more of what happens to the characters after the film ends. Bloody brilliant.

Rating for Pulp Fiction: ****3/4.

Daughter Says:

Guess what? I just watched another Quentin Tarantino movie. I’ve seen Pulp Fiction before when I was about eight, so I really didn’t quite get it. I just knew that I loved the movie. Now, that I’ve seen it for the second time, I like it even more.

I’ve started to notice a pattern in Tarantino movies. They are mostly told out of order. (Which is really a neat way to watch a film.) I think that if Tarantino had shown this film in sequence it might have been a major disappointment. It would have definitely ended on a sad note. Since it’s told out of order you feel more satisfied about the end of the movie. (Which I’m always a big fan of.) Not only telling the story out of order give you a happy ending, it also keeps you on your feet. You got to make sure to pay extreme close attention because if you don’t you’ll have no idea what just happened. I like movies like that, because I’m never bored with watching it.

Another pattern that I noticed was Tarantino likes to use a lot of the same actors in a lot of his movies, but with different main characters. (Pulp Fiction: John Travolta and Samuel Jackson. Inglorious Bastards: Brad Pitt. Reservoir Dogs: Harvey Keitel. Kill Bill I and II: Uma Thurman. etc) But the back up actors are usually the same. I keep seeing Tim Roth, Uma Thurman, and even Steve Buscemi; which is fine with me, because I love all of them. Tim Roth is an amazing actor in my opinion. He does such a great job, but I didn’t fall in love with him in Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. I was in love with him in his semi-new TV show Lie to Me. That’s another great show that will keep your mind working.

Tarantino’s dialogue in this movie will keep your mind working too. Pulp Fiction was fast, witty, and creative. You really have to be well educated in the entertainment genre to get some of the things the characters talked about. Not only do you have to understand them you also have to be a very good listener because they are such fast talkers. I loved how quick and snappy they talked. I wish some people talked like that in real life. Those would be some funny and witty conversations. That’d be so cool. Anyway…

Rating for Pulp Fiction: *****.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) (R)

Reservoir Dogs (1992) (R)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn

Daddy Says:

Finally got around to watching Quentin Tarantino's debut as a director with my daughter. I saw this movie when it first came out and it completely blew me away. So does it still stand up today, some eighteen years later? I'd say it does.

The acting in Reservoir Dogs is superb. The cast is helped immeasurably by the addition of Harvey Keitel as Mr. White. The veteran of so many Martin Scorsese pictures is a natural in his role. In addition to bringing a feeling of history to his part, I love the little bits of business he throws in to his part. When he puts Mr. Orange down on the ramp, and starts combing his hair, he whispers something that makes Mr. Orange laugh, taking his mind off the pain he's in. I've always wondered what it was he whispered. Later in the film when Nice Guy Eddie shows up at the warehouse, the door Eddie enters through doesn't close completely and slowly swings open. Keitel notices it and casually walks to the background to close it. I'm positive that moment wasn't scripted that way, it was just something Keitel noticed wouldn't be left that way by his character if the scene were happening in reality.

I could go on about Michael Madsen's great portrayal of the psychopathic Mr. Blonde, or Steve Buscemi's role as the jittery Mr. Pink, but the role that most impresses me is Tim Roth as Mr. Orange. I had never seen him before this film, and I've seen him many times since (lately on the TV series Lie to Me). His part may be the most difficult of all the roles to play, since he is in constant pain for the first half of the film, and in emotional turmoil for the second half. His is the character the audience identifies with the most. The people I was watching with mentioned that if he had just not told Mr. White his secret near the end of the film, things would have turned out differently for him. But the truth is, he had to tell him. Mr. White was his protector throughout the entire movie, the only one who believed in him. He owed it to him to tell him the truth. It's a deeply moving moment.

I haven't talked much about Tarantino's direction, but if you need to know, it's as good as any film he's ever made and has all the trademarks of his films we've come to know over the years: the quirky pop dialogue, the long take, the shot looking up from inside the trunk, etc. Reservoir Dogs is one of the most assured film debuts ever made by a director, and is arguably the best independent film ever made.

Rating for Reservoir Dogs: ****3/4.

Daughter Says:

I officially only have one Quentin Tarantino movie left on my list to see now. (Jackie Brown) I’ve been dying to see this movie since I’ve heard about it. There are so many things about Reservoir Dogs that I like. I love many of the actors in it, it’s got a great story line, and IT’S A QUENTIN TARANTINO MOVIE!

There are so many great things to say about this movie, I don’t know where to begin. I guess I’ll start with the beginning. I loved the opening conversation. It was about Madonna’s Like a Virgin. The whole thing made complete sense. It had nothing to do with the movie, but the conversation itself made complete sense. (Quentin Tarantino is a genius!) Then the conversation after that was great too. (Mr. Pink: “I don’t tip.” Nice Guy Eddie: “You don’t tip?” “Nah, I don’t believe in it.” “You don’t believe in tipping?”) You can see where that conversation is heading. Every bit of dialogue was genius in this film. It was all sharp, quick, and witty. I just loved it.

I also loved the story line. Of course the story line was told out of order, which is no surprise. (It’s a Quentin Tarantino movie after all.) But that makes this story just that much better. I loved how every section of the movie told the story of a different guy, so I got to know each of the characters that much more. I didn’t feel rushed for information, which is always a nice touch, and it flowed smoothly. I was with all the guys in this movie when they were desperate to find out who the snitch was. Then I was blown away when I found out who the snitch ended up being. And at the end I was really shocked, because I didn’t know who survived and who died. There was just so much in your face. I was just stunned.

My last point for this movie is, of course, that this is a Quentin Tarantino movie. I mean holy cow this movie was amazing. I must say I’ve become a major fan. (If you haven’t already figured it out.) So if you love Tarantino movies as much as I do then you should definitely watch this movie.

Rating for Reservoir Dogs: *****.

Constantine (2005) (R)

Constantine (2005) (R)

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou

Daddy Says:

There are some movies I just can't stop myself from watching whenever they're on. Constantine is one of those movies. It's like a car wreck that I have to watch even though I know there are better things I should be doing. I just can't help myself.

Let's start with the good things about it. It's a very good looking film. I've not read the graphic novel it's based on, but it does indeed look like it could have been a graphic novel at one time. Some of the acting is good. I enjoyed Tilda Swinton as the androgynous half-breed Gabriel. And Djimon Hounsou is also very good as Papa Midnight, the supernatural owner of a nightclub that serves as neutral ground for the half-breeds. Constantine also has some interesting spiritual concepts that I like, such as the wager between God and the Devil over mankind. I do wish some of it had been made clearer, though.

Which leads us to the not-so-good: the rest of the acting ranges from average to awful. Rachel Weisz does her usual job of looking bored at all times. Keanu Reeves doesn't show very much emotion. I know that's pretty standard when you're talking about Reeves' work, but I still felt a connection to him in Speed that I didn't get here. But believe it or not, his is not the worst performance in the film. No, that honor goes to Shia LaBeouf, whose acting may not even rise to the level of Keanu Reeves. Whenever he's on the screen I tune out.

And as for the script, it's all a bit muddled. I understand that Lucifer himself wants to collect Constantine's soul himself, but why does he want to stop his own son from coming through to our plane of existence? He wants so badly to stop that scenario from happening that he feels he owes a debt of gratitude to Constantine for warning him in time. It must have been explained in the film at some point because the characters in the film seem to understand why, but I confess I'm lost. Still, why let a muddled plot stand in the way of a good time. All faults aside, I'll watch this wreck of a film every time it's on.

Rating for Constantine: **1/4.

By the way, I just counted them up and this is our 100th movie review here at The Daddy/Daughter Movie Review. Quite the milestone for us, especially my daughter. Thank you very much for coming here and reading our reviews. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoy writing them!

Daughter Says:

I just want to start out by saying that I love Keanu Reeves. He has always been one of my favorite actors. So when I heard that he was in Constantine I was all for watching it. I had seen a part of it on TV but it was really creepy to me. It looks really scary, but once you get past the gross parts Constantine was really a good movie. I enjoyed watching every minute of it.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. It had amazing effects to it. It also had many actors that I liked in it. (Keanu Reeves, Tilda Swinton, and Shia LaBeouf.) I’ve also become a new fan of Gavin Rossdale. He played such a great villain in Constantine. I was really impressed with his work. I do agree with Dad on the part where Rachel Weisz looks a little bored or maybe even doped up, but that doesn’t stop me from loving this movie. He has his train wrecks and I have mine. So he can just hush and go watch Tommy while I sit and watch Constantine.

Even if you didn’t like the movie in general, you have to admit that the special effects are gorgeous. I loved the angels’ wings. They were so breathtaking. This movie made me want to have wings. I also love Gabriel. I know he is actually played by a she, but Tilda Swinton pulls off a gorgeous guy. I mean I’d date her if she were a he. (Just saying). I also loved some of the special effects in certain scenes such as when Constantine is going to save the girl and he has to get through a large group of demons. He sets the sprinklers off, which kills all the lights, and all you see is him shooting at these demons that are charging at him. That was really cool and, I also really enjoyed when Constantine blew Rossdale’s face off and it was lying on the table in two halves. When he started talking both sides of his face moved in sync. I really thought that that was neat.

Rating for Constantine: ****1/2.

Sunset Blvd. (1950) (Not Rated)

Sunset Blvd. (1950) (Not Rated)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Starring: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson

Daddy Says:

When people think of great film directors lots of names will pop up: Hitchcock, Spielberg, Kubrick, Ford, Welles. But most will not remember the name of Billy Wilder. Yet, he is responsible for some of Hollywood's most beloved movies: Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot and The Apartment just to name a few. But I think his masterpiece may have been this one.

Sunset Blvd. is a story told in flashback by a dead man. We see him lying face down in the pool of a mansion as he tells us this in voiceover. The rest of the film details how he came to be in this predicament. William Holden plays our narrator, a struggling screenwriter named Joe Gillis. He's on the run from car creditors who want to repossess his only valuable possession, when a blowout leads him to turn into the driveway of what appears to be a deserted house. It's not, of course, but it's occupants are certainly not ordinary.

We meet former silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and her butler/driver/caretaker Max (film director Erich von Stroheim) as they are preparing for a funeral for a monkey. When Joe finds out that Norma has a script she needs rewritten, he smells an opportunity to get some quick cash to save his precious automobile. But as we saw at the film's beginning, this is probably not going to end well for him.

Sunset Blvd. is one of the best movies made about the making of movies. It's a movie made in Hollywood, that simultaneously glamorizes itself and skewers itself. Many famous actors and directors appear as themselves in the film. They could have cast an actor to play famous film director Cecil B. DeMille, but why do that when you can just get the director to play himself? When the scandal breaks at the mansion, it's only natural that gossip columnist Hedda Hopper would be there covering it for the tabloids. Even silent film star Buster Keaton shows up as one of the "waxworks" that Norma invites over to play bridge with her. By casting real actors and directors as themselves, it lends an amount of authenticity to the surroundings.

As I've mentioned before, I love film noir, and Sunset Blvd. is one of the best. If you've somehow missed out watching this classic film, don't hesitate to screen it as soon as you can.

Rating for Sunset Blvd.: *****.

Daughter Says:

Sunset Blvd. is a movie of a different kind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. I’ve never heard of anyone being stuck in a house against their will but enjoying it. Joe Gillis did just that, and they made a movie about it.

You’d think a movie about a screenwriter hooking up with a retired actress to make money would sound really boring, but the drama made it so much more interesting. Gloria Swanson pulled off being an insane silent actress so well it shocked me. She really gave me the creeps, and William Holden worked so well with her. Together they made the dangerous and most dramatic couple I have seen since Romeo and Juliet. One wanted the other and the other wanted to just make money and be in love with another woman. How could their relationship ever possibly work out?

I know I complain about black and white movies a lot, and I’m sure you are probably starting to wonder if I even hate them at all. Once again there is another really good black and white to put on my list. The black and white part of this film really helped in my opinion. It gave the whole movie a mysterious look about it that helped make the insanity of the main actress creepier. It also gave me the uncertainty about the house. I never expected any of the things that happened inside the house, or even outside. The whole story was really just bizarre.

So if you like odd and different stories then this movie is for you. It definitely is different. I’ve never seen a film about an insane actress before so it really fascinated me. I’m glad I can say I’ve seen Sunset Blvd. but I don’t know if I’m actually ever going to watch again for a really long time. I’m still digesting what happened.

Rating for Sunset Blvd.: ****.

Chinatown (1974) (R)

Chinatown (1974) (R)

Directed by Roman Polanski

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez

Daddy Says:

I love film noir. The term is French for "black film", and is usually associated with black & white detective/mystery stories from the 40s and 50s. After falling out of style for a couple of decades, director Roman Polanski resurrected the genre, this time in glorious color, and gave us a timeless classic called Chinatown.

It's the story of Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), a private investigator who makes his living by getting photos of cheating spouses, when he is hired by a Mrs. Mulray to catch her husband with his girlfriend. Jake takes the case, but after getting the pictures, he finds out that the Mrs. Mulray who hired him was an imposter, and the real Mrs. Mulray (Faye Dunaway) is mighty upset.

The script by Robert Towne has many twists and turns, but with the sure direction of Polanski the viewers are never lost as to what's going on. We may not know what's going to happen next, but like Jake, we're ready to go along with the ride. Many of the most famous scenes have been absorbed into culture as touchstones. When someone says "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown", you know what they're talking about. I even heard "she's my sister, she's my daughter, she's my sister, she's my daughter" used in a sitcom once when someone couldn't get their story straight.

The cinematography by John A. Alonzo is also particularly brilliant. He makes good use of the widescreen format in his compositions. Most of the outdoor scenes take place during that magic hour when the sun is either just coming up or just about to set, bathing the scenes in that wonderful slanting golden light.

The acting is superb as well. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway have undeniable chemistry on the screen. And the casting of film director John Huston as Dunaway's wealthy father is wonderful. He plays his part with the command of someone who's very used to getting exactly what they want, and they will get it no matter what the cost. He's one of the film's most memorable characters, even though he doesn't appear until nearly halfway through. Watch for a small role by director Roman Polanski as well, as a not very tall knife-wielding thug who doesn't like "nosey" people.

Rating for Chinatown: *****.

Daughter Says:

“Forget it Jake. It’s Chinatown” The quote made Chinatown something special. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie quite like this. Everything about this movie made it one of a kind. It had snappy dialogue, amazing cinematography, and great acting.

Everything said in Chinatown was quick and witty. Which sometimes made it difficult to catch what they were talking about, but you can still catch the basics. Not only was it quick and witty there wasn’t ever anything said that was a waste of time. There wasn’t any dialogue that should have been cut out. Everything went where it should have. The dialogue also helped loosen the mood sometimes (Lt. Escobar: “Isn’t that your phone number?” Jake Gittes: “Is it? I forget. I don’t call myself that often.”), and in other cases make the mood more intense. (Jake Gittes: “Evelyn, put that gun away. Let the police handle this.” Evelyn Mulwray: “He owns the police!”)

Not only did the dialogue give this movie personality, but so did the cinematography. The way John A. Alonzo shot parts of the movie gave the scenes more depth to them. He also made other parts have mystery or an eerie feeling to them. There was a chase scene in a field at one point, and the angles (and such) gave the intensity the scene needed to become perfect.

Also really enjoyed watching Jack Nicholson play a semi-good character for the first time. I mean technically he wasn’t a good guy, because he lied and tricked people. He also told other’s secrets for a living, which isn’t really what a good guy should do. Even though he did all those evil things I was still urging him on to find out the truth about Evelyn. Speaking of Evelyn, Faye Dunaway did an amazing job playing a mysterious woman who held a lot of secrets. I really couldn’t guess what was going to happen next, or what she had up her sleeve for Jake.

I had first seen this movie when I was like in sixth grade. When I first saw it I fell in love with it. Watching this movie again, I’ve just fallen in love all over again (if not more in love).

Rating for Chinatown: *****.

Rashomon (1951) (Not Rated)

Rashomon (1951) (Not Rated)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo, Takashi Shimura

Daddy Says:

Marge: You liked Rashomon!

Homer: That's not how I remember it.

When The Simpsons can reference a foreign language film and be pretty sure that their audience will understand the reference, that film has almost assuredly entered the mainstream consciousness.

 Rashomon, a wonderful movie by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa, begins with three men meeting under a gate in a pouring rainstorm. Two of them seem distressed, and depressed, prompting the third to ask what's bothering them. They tell a story, which we see in flashback, of a murder trial. The facts are a man and his bride were travelling through a forest, when they came across the path of a bandit. The bandit lured the husband deeper into the woods with the promise of cheap weapons for sale, but attacks him and binds the husband to a tree. He then brings the bride to see what he has done, and rapes her in front of her husband. Later, the husband is found dead by a woodcutter wandering through the forest.

The rest is unclear because each person tells a different story. The bandit claims to have seduced the bride, who succumbed to his charm, dueled mightily with the husband and killed him after the fight. The bride says the bandit left after raping her, and her husband looked at her with loathing in his eyes. She fainted and awoke to find him dead. Through the use of a medium we are able to hear the dead husband's story, which claims that the bandit fell in love with his wife after the attack. She agreed to go with him, but first he had to kill her husband. The bandit was disgusted by this display, and offered to kill her instead. She ran off with the bandit in pursuit. The husband says he killed himself.

Later, we find out the woodcutter actually saw the whole thing, his story claiming that the wife goaded the two men into fighting over which one she would end up with. They were reluctant to fight, the battle far different from the epic sword fight we see during the bandit's story, but with the same result of the bandit killing the husband. But as we find out, the woodcutter has reason to lie as well.

However, as a viewer we must realize that what we see may not be the truth either. The first level, the men at the gate in the rain, is factual. But the trial is told from their perspectives, so some of it may be distorted or parts left out. Then the scenes we see from the forest during their narratives are the most distorted, because these are being heard by us through two separate filters: the person telling the story in the trial is now being related to us third-hand by the other men at the gate.

Rashomon is a fascinating study on the truth and what it really means. Each person's story is designed to show them in their own best light, leaving out or changing the parts that they don't like, or that show them in a less than admirable area. If you've never seen it before, you've probably already absorbed its meaning through popular culture. You owe it to yourself to see the original.

Rating for Rashomon: *****.

Daughter Says:

You’d think I wouldn’t like this movie because it has so many things I would usually hate about it. It’s a black and white, foreign film without a clear ending. It’s outrageous.

But Rashomon wasn’t that upsetting. It just proves how really screwed up people can get when telling a story. No one really wants to tell the pathetic truth. Instead they would rather tell a huge lie to make themselves look better. It gives the viewer a major reality check.

There are a few things I did have a problem with. I didn’t really get the ending. The baby didn’t make much since other than to show how cruel desperate people can be. But other than that this film was interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that tells that kind of story. The closest movie I’ve seen to this one would have to be Hero, but even that has the truth of the story in it. This one doesn’t have the truth in it at all. They never quite make it clear what really happened that day.

I don’t usually care for black and white movies unless they’re filmed like Citizen Kane or The Third Man or even The 400 Blows because I enjoy watching the details around the characters, which most black and white films don’t accentuate. Even though this film wasn’t very artsy I think the black and white part helped it a lot. I think when the characters are telling their sides of the story it makes sense because a story is usually told in a 2D format. So that part helped, but they probably could have added color in the reality part. It would have made a lot of sense there, or maybe they just didn’t have color back then. But either way the cinematography didn’t really bother me all that much.

Rating for Rashomon: ***1/2.

Inception (2010) (PG-13)

Inception (2010) (PG-13)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard

Daughter Says:

Ever since I saw the previews for this movie I’ve wanted to see it. No, I am not a huge Leonard DiCaprio fan. I’m a huge Joseph-Gordon Levitt fan. That and I like Ellen Page, but that’s beside the point. The director of Inception is just down right brilliant. He did an amazing job with both Batman movies, and he did amazing things with this movie.

Now, I know everyone is going to tell you that this movie was horrible. It made you think. If you are one of those types that want to just sit in front of TV screen and turn your brain off for a few hours then this is not the movie for you. Inception might make you have to think, but it is not that hard to follow. What’s so bad about movie’s that make you think any way? The Matrix makes you think, and look at what a huge hit it was. Or even Lost. (And don’t think about lying about that one. Lost was the most complicated TV show I’ve watched.)

Just like The Matrix, this movie was full of hard to believe stuff. Such as breaking into people’s dreams and stealing their secrets. That’s what this movie is about by the way. Leonard DiCaprio breaks into people’s dreams and steals all their top secrets. But he is faced with a very complicated job one day. Instead of stealing ideas, his new client wants him to plant an idea inside someone’s mind. This tactic is called Inception. The movie goes from there. I don’t want to give too much away, although I think the previews are rip offs. They don’t tell you anything. I want to know what this movie is about. The only real reason I went to see this movie was to watch Levitt in another five star movie. I fell in love with him in 500 Days of Summer.

It wasn’t the great acting that made this movie something else. Inception was just straight-out gorgeous. This movie had so many beautiful moments that were so out of this world. Certain parts did make me a little dizzy, but I really didn’t mind. Other moments scared me to death. I jumped many times during that movie. There were a lot of things I didn’t see coming. I won’t tell you what they are so you can go on the same adrenaline ride that I went on. I was on an emotional roller coaster through this whole movie. I felt the intensity in some parts, and leaps of joy in others. I was so strung out after that movie.

I must admit that I had wished there was an intermission in between the hours of this movie. I had to pee so bad when I got out of the movie theater it was awful. I didn’t want to leave during the movie. I was afraid I’d might miss something, and I was right. All the way through Inception my mind was getting filled with new information. Every second (of the 3 hours it took) there was something important happening. If you missed anything, you definitely would be confused the rest of the time.

Long story short, you need to see this movie. If you love either Lost or The Matrix, you will love this movie. Even if you don’t care for this movie you might just love watching all the special effects. Plus it’s not in 3D. That is always a plus. I hate that stupid invention.

Rating for Inception: *****.

Daddy Says:

I've seen all of Christopher Nolan's films (missing only his first, Following, and his third, Insomnia), and each time I've been impressed. I'm a big fan of his take on the Batman franchise, and the first two films in what could be described as his "puzzle" trilogy (Memento and The Prestige) were very fun mysteries to watch. Now comes Inception, a summer blockbuster that had the studio worried that it was "too intelligent" for audiences to enjoy. This is the type of movie that I live for, something different, something that I haven't seen dozens of times before. A movie that's original, instead of a tired remake.

The biggest weakness the film had for me going in was it's lead, Leonardo DiCaprio. I've never been a big fan of his work, to me it seems as if he's playing the same role over and over again. But he carries this film nicely. Ellen Page, as the dream's architect, also does an excellent job with her role as newcomer to the group. Her part is essential to the viewers, since she is required to ask the very questions that are going though our minds at the time, yet not seem like she's just there for exposition purposes.

As for the plot, I'll only say that it involves dreams within dreams within dreams, and when it's over you'll be talking about it for days afterwards trying to figure out what it all means. You can't turn your brain off while watching Nolan's films. He forces you to stay engaged in order to figure out what's going on at the time. I do wish the movie had been a bit shorter, since I needed to go to the restroom about halfway through and didn't dare leave for even a few minutes out of fear that I'd miss something amazing (that's the one thing I miss when I do, on the rare occasion, go out and see a movie in a real theater: a pause button).

And there is so much that is amazing. This is one of the most original movies I've ever seen. Most films I can point out a reference place or two, some piece of film history that's being copied, homaged, or outright stolen. With Inception, I never knew where the movie was going to go next.

I do have many unanswered questions about parts of the movie. But, like the recently ended television series Lost, a series like this film that forces viewers to focus on every detail to get the most out of it, I got the answers to most of the important ones. I'll be very surprised if this isn't taking home the Best Picture award next year at the Oscars.

Rating for Inception: ****1/4.