Pacey-Con

True confession: in high school, I was a big fan of Dawson's Creek. I bought into the drama of being a teenager at Capeside. I got completely caught up in the lives of Dawson, Joey, Pacey, Jen and Jack. Didn't really watch through college, but, like a good viewer, I did watch the finale, and am still kinda pissed that Joey ended up with Pacey.

Today, I came across this from Funny or Die and laughed out loud.

Pacey-Con with Joshua Jackson from Joshua Jackson

Poor Joshua Jackson. Seriously though, this dude has had an amazing career and created some of the most memorable characters EVER - Charlie Conway, Pacey Whitter and Peter Bishop (I don't watch Fringe, but I hear he (and the show) is quite good). I'd go to Pacey-Con.

Paradox

Without question, the film that I was looking forward to most this summer is Christopher Nolan's Inception. Not a whole lot was known about the film before it's release except that it had an impressive cast, was a sci-fi thriller and had some incredible visual effects. The tagline on the poster, Your mind is the scene of the crime, didn't really help too much either. Nolan is notorious (try saying that 5x fast) for keeping his films top-secret, so why would Inception be any different.

There are few films I feel like I have to see the day they're released, and this was one of them. I knew people would be talking about it, there would be spoilers galore, my twitter feed would blow up with comments/theories and I don't have the self control to stop myself from reading them. It seemed my only option was to see a midnight screening.

I had a wedding to go to in Cleveland (that's a whole 'nother post) over the weekend, so midnight screening it was, but that didn't exactly pan out. Fortunately, I had 5 hours to kill on Saturday after the ceremony before the reception, so I found a movie theater near the hotel and spent the afternoon ready to be wowed. It. Was. Awesome.

Basically, Inception is Ocean's 11 meets The Matrix with a little bit of Alfred Hitchcock thrown in for good measure. The premise is fascinating; the idea that a professional "dream hacker" could break into your dreams and plant ideas into your subconscious that could eventually come to fruition in the real world. Leonardo DiCaprio plays said hacker, and assembles a team (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy) to try and help Korean businessman Saito (Ken Wantanabe) defeat a rival company, headed by Fischer (Cillian Murphy). The group delves into Fischer's subconscious and a thrilling caper ensues.

There were cries that this film is a game-changer and could revolutionize cinema forever (hm..where have we heard that recently?). While I don't necessarily agree with that, because when you get down to it Inception is a glorified heist film, I do think that it's an incredibly well made film. The visuals are amazing, and the sheer originality of the script is borderline brilliant. Yet another marvel? Nolan's direction and Lee Smith's awe-inspiring work editing the film - he basically has the editing Oscar sewn up for simultaneously balancing the multiple levels of the film and keeping it totally coherent. There were a couple times where I could feel my heart beating faster during the more intense sequences, and it's been a while since I've become that involved with a film.

Another reason it's so great? It's inspired INTENSE debate and discussion, and you almost have to see it twice. I did. Initially for the visceral experience, and then again to actually appreciate it and pick up on things you missed the first time. It's a complete mind-bender, I'm sure you'll say (in your best Keanu Reeves voice) "whoa" more than once.

It's my favorite film of the year so far (How to Train Your Dragon is next) and I can easily see it scoring multiple Oscar nominations. Among them Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Visual Effects, Score, and if there is any justice in my world, a Best Supporting Actor nom for Joseph Gordon-Levitt (and maybe one for Marion Cotillard too).

See it. See it twice. See it in IMAX. You won't be disappointed and you'll be talking about it for days.

Coming Attractions...

Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort is released this fall. It was shot in and around Boston. I cannot wait to see this - might even do a midnight screening.