Living up to the Hype

JFK once said, 'No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.' Hype, "A fad. A clever marketing strategy which a product is advertized as the thing everyone must have, to the point where people begin to feel they need to consume it."

That definition comes from Urban Dictionary. It not only defines a word but also our culture. From the iPhone to the Superbowl, Lebron James to global warming, the swine flu to triple hops brewed lite beer, everything we see is hype. And how many times does anything live up to the hype. I heard today that if you are holding your iPhone 4 a certain way you are inhibiting your wireless capabilities. What? How does that happen? And what does triple hops brewed mean anyway? Does it make Miller Lite not taste like water?

Very rarely do we witness something that lives up to the hype. Summer movies are the worst. Yet this summer we have one of those rare moments when something lives up to the hype.

If you only go to the movie theater one time this year, please go see Inception.

Everyone loves groudbreaking films. For many of you it may have been Star Wars, others like me it was Jurassic Park, or the Matrix. For this generation it was Avatar. These films did thing no one had done before and with such skill that they will be remebered as the best of their era. But what is the one thing these all had in common great visual films but they lacked in other areas, such as acting or writing or plot development. Avatar was visually the greatest film ever made but the plot was Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves with blue aliens. I feel like a middle school student could have written a better script. Inception on the other hand marries the best of the visually groundbreaking films, with the best of writing, acting and directing. If there is anyone today who can consistantly deliver a better script that Christopher Nolan I haven't found them. The visuals of this film remind me of the Matrix without copying the Matrix. They seem fresh and new. The writing is sharp and quick with wit and emotion. The acting is probably not going to win any awards but no one over acted or left you wanting more. Plenty of twists and layers and all delivered at the right time. At 2 hours 28 minutes it moves along well, a bit slow in parts but even at 2:00 am it didn't seem to drag. It is violent, but no sex, minimal swearing and safe for teenagers. There is no real message to the movie but it does give you pause about what reality actually is and the where does it come from.

5 stars from me. And it is definitely a SEE IT NOW!!!

Inception: My Most Anticipated Summer Movie

From the first time I saw a preview for Christopher Nolan's new film Inception I couldn't wait for 16 July 2010. Nolan is responsible for the newest Batman films, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, and unless you lived under a rock for the past 6 years you know how good those were. Combined that with the fact that Inception is an original screenplay, Nolan's first since Memento and it has the talents of Leo, Michael Cain, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it should be in this reviewer's opinion THE movie of the summer (sorry Twilight fans).

I am excited for several reasons. First of all, I have yet to see a Leonardo DiCaprio film I haven't liked, and most I loved. Second the film has been scored by this generations John Williams, Hans Zimmer (who worked with Nolan on Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, and other great films such as Pirates 2 and 3 and Gladiator). Third it has one of the most original plot lines we have seen since District 9, which was a huge hit last summer. I am trying not to have my expectations too high, but with this cast, director, and musical score it is hard for me not to expect greatness.

So even though the film has not been released, and no I haven't seen a bootlegged copy, I say, See it NOW! (or the weekend of 16 July 2010).

Knight and Day

Knight and Day, staring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz is a fun, entertaining film. It is predictable and the dialog leaves something to be desired. This is a good film to see with older kids mostly because they will find it funny and there is enough action to keep them interested. Parents you can be entertained too, and if not you can catch a good nap. There are no layers to try and dig through; you can basically turn your mind off for about 2 hours and enjoy a semi-spy-thriller with the family.

Catch it on DVD/Blu-Ray.
2.5/5 stars