Movie Review: Inception

I was very excited to see Inception based on the compelling trailer and because Facebook friends kept saying things like "Amazing" and "Can't stop thinking about it," even "Perfect 10". I thought it was an interesting story line but a little overrated.

Here's what it's about: Dom Cobb leads a highly skilled team, specializing in stealing secrets from people's minds by entering their dreams.When they are hired by a mysterious businessman, Cobb finally has a shot at redemption, but not before achieving the near impossible. Rather than stealing an idea, they must do the complete opposite: Inception. Planting the seed of an idea.

To me, it had a bit of "The Matrix" feel to it because the characters would essentially plug in and be transported to another world, or dream state, while their bodies were still in the actual world. There was no information on how this was possible or why it came about. At least in The Matrix you know that the machines took over, but with Inception there is little about the past and more about the present.

The actors were all relatively young and hard for me to associate with. Especially Ellen Page as "the architect" because I just kept picturing her as a pregnant teen in "Juno." But overall, the movie did grab my attention and had me wanting to see it through to the end. I don't want to give away too much info because it is worth seeing. But maybe rent it.

Movie Review: Grown Ups

I see a lot of movies and thought why not share my thoughts on them with you. Movie of the day: Grown Ups. The $13 price is a little hefty when you can wait to see it on DVD in a few months for less than half the price, but I've realized that a lot of times it's worth it to see a movie before you end up hearing everyone's opinions about it. And it gave me something to do. I actually enjoyed this movie more than I expected. I've noticed recently that most comedies are just so unrealistic that some of the bits that are supposed to be funny end up bugging me because I think "that wouldn't happen" - i.e. when Stu in The Hangover goes into the bathroom with a tiger to hand feed him a steak. Really? I know that the whole movie was basically like this and it was still funny, but what I liked about Grown Ups is that they didn't create unrealistic situations and just stuck to good old fashion comedic bantering and relate-able moments from the writer's/actor's own experiences.

The all-star cast included Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and Chris Rock, plus Selma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph as the less publicized female supporters. Each one hilarious in their own way and when put together have a great chemistry that worked for this movie. The premise is that the guy's are all "grown up" and their elementary school basketball coach dies so they all get together for the funeral followed by a weekend at the lake house they use to enjoy when they were younger. I felt a little nostalgic for my own childhood while watching this movie, especially now that I am "grown up" as well. The movie plays on the fact that nowadays kids don't understand the concept of turning off the TV to enjoy physical activities, and can be extremely spoiled. I thought this was a great premise and hope it hits home for parents and kids today. I recommend seeing it, or at least rent it. And then go outside and play... It's summertime!

Street Sm-art

Yesterday my husband and I went to see the movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop." I had seen a good review on "At the Movies" and heard from a friend recently that it was sold out when she went to go see it, so I was intrigued. I have to say that this was one of my favorite movies so far this year. First of all, this short film is not only insightful and fun to look at, but it's funny, and it's all in an hour and a half. It brings you into the world of underground street artists through a documentary that ends up being a documentary sort of about the making of a documentary.

The film begins with Banksy, a well known British street artists who is also the creator of this film, saying that this was suppose to be a film about him but it ends up being about the guy who was filming him because he's actually more interesting. The film began as the obsession of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, who became fascinated by street art and spent years filming the art and its creators. As Thierry follows various street artists filming days and days of footage, he begins to get involved with making street art himself, even though he has no artistic talent. Now I don't want to ruin the movie for you but I have to say that as it continues there is a twist that has caused a lot of speculation and theories on whether this was a real documentary or a Banksy hoax. I definitely say "See It" and let me know what you decide.