inception in bruges

I saw Inception Saturday night and was slightly underwhelmed. It’s a good movie with an original story that’s simultaneously disorientating and mystifying, but it didn’t hit me as did Christopher Nolan’s earlier masterpieces Memento and The Prestige, which are two personal favorites. Inception might be the first film I’ve ever seen in which analyzing it afterward is just as enjoyable, if not more so, than the actual viewing process. Perhaps this is the point. Thinking about that strange dream you had last night slips into a totally different skin when you’ve had time to step away and rethink it; your subconscious fills in those missing gaps, and acting like a glue, it pulls everything together and forms something… something very bizarre. The end product is a strange panorama of events that fails to make sense, and the more effort expended attempting to materialize a reason, a logic behind it, the more things fall apart. For me, Inception isn’t about piecing the pieces together (like wondering if Cobb’s wobbling top will fall or remain spinning); it’s about letting your subconscious project light into those dark areas – the pain, the regret, the sadness – those things that don’t, or won’t, make sense and rearranging the colors into something not just meaningful, but better. Four stars out of five, although I might bump it up to five – the more I discuss Inception, the better it gets.

(Interesting article to read: Everything You Wanted to Know About Inception)

I also watched In Bruges, a dark comedy that came out in 2008. This one was surprisingly good. Two hit men, Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson), are sent by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to Bruges, Belgium, to hang out and wait for the next hit. While there, Ray and Ken confront past mistakes and decide to get out of the murdering business, but Harry has other plans. In Bruges is a very British film – razor sharp dialogue; dry, black comedy; and skilled actors. If you’re in the mood for a Brit crime drama-comedy, check it out. Four stars out of five.

xx