Film reviews Aug 2010

Its been a while since I blogged so there will a few in the near future. Let's start with movie reviews!

Inception
Whoa what a film. Christopher Nolan again proves himself to be the best action film director in the world with an amazing grasp of both sequencing and thoughtful film making. He gives his actors room to shine too, evident in Leonardo DCaprio's brilliant portrayal of a true man of mystery. As seen in Blood Diamond and The Departed, Leo has a grasp of the complex emotions his characters face as a story progresses. The supporting cast (including several of Nolan's previous collaborators) hold up their roles well enough to trap the audience in the intricate plot. Pay attention to the first twenty or so minutes, failure to do so may leave the rest a mess. Once it is rolling though, the action is consistent enough for it to work well as a popcorn flick. The hotel hallway fight is up there with the best bits of The Matrix trilogy. Overall, this is just great viewing that will leave you debating the nature of reality for days. And lets be honest, good films leave us talking.

And the ending? Well, thats for you to decide. 4.5/5

Toy Story 3
Surprise of the year? Well it shouldn't be. The first two were brilliant but there aren't many that maintain that for a third. Never before has an animated feature been so emotional involving. The final adventure of Woody and Buzz has enough new stuff (especially the great stuff from Barbie and Ken) to be original. In many ways this is the anti-Shrek. While those movies were a clever idea with ultimately simple and obvious execution, Toy Story is a simple idea with some rewarding outcomes. The climax is ridiculously emotional. These are plastic toys that bare ready to accept their death? And yet between music and backstory it completely sucks you in. For children and adults a like the final scene is both touching and actually (surprisingly) free of cheese. Part of the magic is the long delay before the finish, I was a young teen who took my toddler brother and cousin to see the first, and the wait has been worth it. I guess this movie reminds you that it's a shame we have to grow up and lose that innocence and freedom of childhood. A time when even toys have a life of their own.
A perfect film. 5/5