INCEPTION

If you have not heard the hype surrounding this movie in the last couple of months then you must have been living in a different universe altogether. The buzz around this movie in the last month has been getting continually bigger until the film's release this past  Friday, July 16th. I saw the movie this Saturday, and let me just say-it MORE than lives up to the hype.

Most people, I'm sure, were sold by the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio is the lead in the film. I personally cannot think of one film that I have seen DiCaprio in that did not receive tremendous acclaim, and if I am being perfectly honest, the mere fact that DiCaprio was starring in INCEPTION, sold me at the start.

So you've seen the trailers and you're probably wondering what the hell this movie is even about?! That was definitely my thought after seeing the trailers time after time again. When I stepped foot in the theater on Saturday, I was still pretty damn clueless. I knew the film was about dreams, and somehow entering them, or something of the sort, but that was it. I knew the film would be amazing but I had no idea of the thrill ride I was about to embark on.

The movie takes an in-depth look into our dream world and I don't mean that place where we go in the middle of a boring college lecture to escape or that slump of the work day, around 3pm when the most exciting thing one can think about is getting home to feed their chihuahua and children. I am talking about our real dreams. The things that we have every single night. The things that allow us to fulfill our deepest desires and create the most fantastical of worlds-those dreams. The best stories told in life are those stories that the audience can most relate to. INCEPTION is one of those films. It is said that we dream every single night. Often, we never end up remembering the dream when we wake up, and all we know was that it was either incredibly frightening or incredibly satisfying, and we often wish we could get back to sleep just to relive it. Time is also warped in our dreams. We may have fallen asleep for all but a mere 15 minute nap, but we may have just had a dream where we lived days, maybe years of our lives. These are all things that are familiar to us; things that we have all had experiences with when it comes to our dreams. They are without question a fascinating phenomenon. INCEPTION is so good because it explores a world that we are very familiar with, because it is something we all experience, and share with one another on a day to day basis. Dreams are a commonality amongst every earthly soul.

INCEPTION takes this commonality and explores, and intellectualizes the hell out of it. I cannot lie- the movie is incredible, and it is absolutely something you cannot take your eyes off of while watching, but the film throws an incredible amount of information at its viewers, and in order to fully grasp the entire film, you must pay attention to and remember every detail as you journey throughout the film.

The great thing about the movie is that it's a film that even those that are not movie lovers can enjoy. Lets face it-not all of us are lovers of sparkling vampires. Some people cannot watch cinema for pure entertainment sake and instead, if they are going to see a movie, they want it to have true artistic purpose and some sort of real world/real life connection. INCEPTION has just that. However, I cannot emphasize enough that it is definitely a "smart" movie. If you are not into psychological thrillers or movies that force you to be completely in-tune to the film for the entire 2.5 hour span, the movie probably is not for you. However, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to miss this film. It is truly an event.

No matter what your taste in film, give this movie a chance. You've heard me say this before, but I say emphatically, you DO NOT want to miss out on seeing this movie in theaters. This is not one you want to wait to rent out of your local RedBox in 4 months. I say this without exaggeration- the film was 2.5 hours long, and it felt no longer than an hour. The movie literally takes you on a complete thrill ride from beginning to end. It is action packed from beginning to end. There is twist after twist. Turn after turn. Rarely do you find a film to be both aesthetically and psychologically pleasing. INCEPTION is that film.

SEE IT! Period.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

This is not a film I could pass up writing about immediately, just based on the simple fact that it's Twilight. I saw Eclipse last night at the midnight showing, right here in Charlottesville, VA. In the three years I have been attending college in the City of Charlottesville, it doesn't really seem to be a "movie-goer" place. I bought my tickets on Fandango of course, and I arrived at the theater at 11:45 pm, sure that the theater was not going to be nearly as packed as other theaters in more major cities would be across the country...

I could not have been more wrong. I showed up to the theater, right at 11:45pm and there was literally one parking spot left-one parking spot in a lot that held hundreds upon hundreds of spaces. It was pure insanity. Honestly speaking, I am not the Twilight fanatic that so many millions across the world are. I've never read any of the books. I've heard that they are addicting, but poorly written. I saw the first two movies; the first movie absolutely beat out the second one in terms of content and plot. However, having not read the books, and now seeing Eclipse, I know that New Moon was purely and simply a segue into the incredibility that is part three of the series-Eclipse.

Before I appear to be getting far too carried away, let me clarify that I am in no way saying that this film is Oscar-worthy in terms of acting or plot, or even cinematography. We all know that these movies are commercial, cinematic embodiments of the books, and we also know that the books are not Nobel Prize worthy. They are spectacle and entertainment in its purest form (isn't this obvious in its portrayal of "sparkling" vampires?). Academy Award worthy or not, the films are certainly worth talking about. Isn't that why we go to the movies anyway-to be entertained? To live vicariously through these fantastical characters? To just have fun and feel good? I know that's a huge part of the reason I love the movies so much.

OK so let's get to it. If you're like me, and not an obsessed, crazed Twilight fan, you want to know why you should run to the theaters to see this film. To put it simply, if you're not the psycho-obsessed fan now, after Eclipse, you will be. The movie combines all elements of cinema that we all want to see when we go to the movies, and that is something I definitely cannot say about the first two films. First off, the movie is literally laugh-out-loud hilarious at certain points. I never thought Twilight could be funny before last night. Second, it's sexy as hell. Watching the first two films, I find myself wanting Bella and Edward to just be passionate! The kissing scenes between the two of them in Twilight and New Moon are just weak. These two people are supposed to be so head-over-heels in love with each other, but it's just not obvious in the physical nature between the two of them in the first two films. Trust me, all of that changes in Eclipse. And if you can even fathom such a thing, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) is even hotter, and the sexual tension between he and Bella (Kristen Stewart) definitely comes to a culmination in this movie.

Not only is the movie sexy, but it's romantic. If you're not already, you find yourself really just wanting to be in love after the movie, and if you are in love, you just want to go home to that special person. Corny and cliche right? But trust me, see the movie and you'll understand. So it's funny, sexy, romantic, but what about for you dudes out there that want a little more "meat" out of your films? Eclipse will be a major hit for you as well. The best scenes are between the vampires and werewolves, and you DO NOT want to miss the battle scene at the end of the movie. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. For you film maker's out there that enjoy artistic camera use, the film even has quite a bit of cinematic variation in terms of shot style and special effects, which I was personally pleasantly surprised to see.

Like I said, the rave in this review is coming from someone that is not a member of the Twilight craze. The film obsessed?-Sure. Just see the film . No matter what your type of film may be, I guarantee you will love Eclipse. If you don't, please come back here and comment about it. I'd love to hear what you guys all think-whether you're just as excited as I am or completely disappointed in this film. This blog entry does NOT do the film justice. So right now, I'm giving you permission to leave my blog, go to fandango.com, check the next Eclipse show time in your area, and get the hell out of here, and to the theater...NOW!