Inception

What better time than the day before final exams to blog?

The other day I had the strangest dream. Unfortunately, it wasn't about me subtly getting exposed to impulses that would eventually cause me to break up my father's empire. I was sitting in an empty breakfast restaurant that for some reason had a bar, and the television screen (I think) was broadcasting part of the cast list for the (real) musical for my school, Beauty and the Beast. However, the names had all changed, and I remember seeing that the beast was now played by "the tough." That's what it said on the cast list, anyway, and I remember that because I was wondering if that was the guy's real name, or if it was his nick name or something. I walked out of that restaurant just as a few nuns and random soccer moms walked in. I went to a nearby grocery market because I was at a strip mall, and then some of the workers there told me to clean a cigar off the ground. I got in a fight because I refused, and then my dad came to pick me up.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up. Everything around me was orangish, as if I was looking through those weird orange glasses. I also noticed that I was wearing my PJ shorts. I took a shower, and then I changed, and I was about to take another shower when I remembered I had just taken one. And then my dad came in and helped me clean my room.

NEXT thing I knew, I was waking up again. This time, everything was bluish. I also noticed that I was wearing my long PJ pants, and then I realized that that last thing was just a dream.

So that's how I got to Inception. According to this phenomenal yet Hollywood-made movie, I may have had a two-level dream, which is so cool. I've been scouring my memory to see if I saw anyone like Leonardo DiCaprio or Ellen Page in there, but I'm sure I would have noticed If I'd seen a foxy forty year old man or a badass hipster girl wandering the aisles, pretending to look for a box of cereal or something. But we all know they were after something more....

You know, I've seen this movie three times, which doesn't occur very often, even for a Leo DiCaprio film. I rarely feel an impulse to watch anything twice let alone three times. Sure, it was a lot to swallow and a lot of the time was spent explaining why this movie makes sense, but if you think about it, it does make sense, and it all seems to sort of work. The soundtrack was absolutely brilliant; Hans Zimmer, the guy who thought of that catchy tune in Pirates of the Carribbean (the only other movies I've seen at least three times; yeah, I know they're stupid), amazes us—well, me, at least—once again, this time with a poignant 4-note piano melody on repeat that somehow never gets old and is just as poignant each time you hear it. Even the actors are ridiculously believable, everyone slightly similar in a realistic way as business partners and good friends tend to be, but different enough that each has his/her own distinct character. Silly jokes slide in here and there, but not enough to take away from the intensity of the plot and the momentum of the movie. Also, despite the fact that it's a Hollywood action film, the deep, meaningful stuff isn't half-assed at all, which is so uncommon and rare nowadays (i.e. Predators, Avatar, The Losers...).

Most of all, that gravity scene just blows my mind. First, it's just that everything is shifting, so the long hallway suddenly becomes a twenty-foot vertical elevator shaft (one guy who was walking down the hallway actually falls to his death, slamming into the wall at the other end of the hall). And then suddenly they're all floating, but not like a Peter Pan, fairy-dust-happiness-and-a-harness type of floating. HOW ON EARTH DID THEY DO THAT??? It just blows my mind.

Well anyway, if you haven't seen this masterpiece, it is definitely worth watching. Subtitles help, of course, but you'll get the gist if you're paying attention. Those of you who have already seen it, you can get your very own spinny top to make sure you're awake. I've got one! It's one of the most effective distractions anyone could ask for—it's just really fun to spin again and again—and I also recommend it if figuring out whether you're dreaming or not is a real issue for you. Get one here.

Now, if you've got a spiffy new iPhone/iTouch, you can also get an Inception app (I've got this one too). This is entirely free, and it takes the sounds around you and twists them to make you feel like you're dreaming. There are many different types of dreams (i.e. Quiet Dream, Traveling Dream, Limbo, Reward Dream, etc), and they all change the noises differently so that you have different dream experiences for each. Some have part of the soundtrack incorporated into them. Unfortunately, this only works with earphones that have the mic because it needs to hear the noises around you, but if you've got one, this app is so very addicting and disorienting and strange.

See you next movie!