Posts tagged Movies
Elliot Mann's Blog
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Inception: An enjoyable film that will be spoiled by insufferable Lost fans wanting to cling to The Next Smart Movie.
To every Lost-depraved fan who saw “Inception” — those trying to reconstruct the last 15 minutes of a big budget summer film into a greater understanding of the universe — shut up.
You’re ruining a really enjoyable movie.
Every person that tries to deconstruct Inception basically sounds like this (and they are probably wearing those coffee shop-cool, Lisa Loeb, library glasses, too. I can’t wear them, because my facial structure conflicts with the thin lines. But I probably would wear them if I could. ANYWAY):
Friend of neurotic a-hole: So, I’m going to go to the store, will you be here then?
Neurotic a-hole: Will I be here? Will I be here? How do any of us know that we’re really here, anyway? How do we know that we’re not just part of another world’s world? How do we know if any of this MATTERS? … But yeah, I’m not going anywhere.
Really, by taking this “mind-bending” viewpoint, you’re just parroting the favorite Facebook quote from every goth-inspired seventh grader, Aldous Huxley’s “maybe this world is another planet’s hell.”
I went into Inception expecting a complex movie of twists and unknowns, thinking I would need to probably see it more than once to really understand it. But I didn’t. It’s about dreams, moving through one’s semi-conscious and, largely, a heist. It’s a shorter version of Heat, set in someone’s dreams rather than a bank. It isn’t on the same level as The Matrix in questioning one’s reality. And that’s fine. It doesn’t need to be.
When it’s boiled down to a common denominator, Inception is essentially The Italian Job mixed with tinges of Memento. It’s how Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind took the traditional love story and spun it with sci-fi elements.
Is Inception an enjoyable movie? Yes. Leonardo DiCaprio once again proves that he is at the top of the A-List with another great performance. But Inception’s strongest point doesn’t come from making you think. It comes from being an action movie that masks itself as a psychological science-fiction film.
Everyone loves a good old-fashioned heist.
Verdict: Worth watching in theaters, B. (This comes a bit late, but moving and setting up our digs left little time to post.)
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Your favorite comedian’s comedian has a new show and it’s brilliant.
Modern TV is typically awful, but “Louie” on FX, starring comedian Louis CK is the obvious exception. The show follow Louis through his daily life, as presented within his stand-up routines.
Think the first few seasons of “Seinfeld” mixed with the absurdity of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — a smart sitcom told through the vehicle of stand-up, except more profane and over the top.
Each episode has a few minutes of Louie’s brilliant takes on dating, divorce, growing old and the like. Also, the Comedy Cellar in the village gets a shout-out.
(Sidenote: My wife and I went to the Comedy Cellar the day after we got married in NYC — the bus driver in the clip above hosted that night. It was a great show. He found out we had gotten married, then asked “Why the fuck are you here? I know where I would be… Puttin’ it down and flippin’ it over.” Again, it was a hilarious show.)
Anyway, go ahead and forget HBO’s “Lucky Louie,” which never really grasped his spot-on, irreverent sense of humor. Other than that show and his various stand-up shows and specials, Louis has written for Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and the Chris Rock Show. He also belongs to the cannon of comedians who have had their material stolen by others, notably Dane Cook.
“Louie” broadcasts at 11 p.m. EST every Tuesday on FX.
Here are some other clips:
FXLouie Clip Library [FX Clips, via YouTube]
Louis CK - Everything is wonderful [from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, YouTube]
Official site:
http://www.louisck.net/
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/louisck
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Splice - The one where an Academy Award winner has consentual sex with an alien creature
I didn’t think I would ever see a movie with consensual sex between an alien and human.
But thanks to Splice, I’ll be struggling with that scene for the next few days, if not months.
Yeah, a lot of mixed-species body-rocking coming from this one. Not up for it? Then pass on Splice, a horror movie directed by Vincenzo Natali, starring former Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody. (No, there isn’t a spoiler warning because I’m saving you $8.)
The movie starts out with two scientists (Brody and Sarah Polley) who are attempting to create new lifeforms through splicing the DNA of several different animals. After one breakthrough where they create a new organism, they they try to splice human DNA with the animal cocktail. This is predictably where things go awry. Brody’s Clive wants to kill off the experiment, but Polley’s character refuses due to her mommy issues and instead they decide to nurture the devil spawn.
