It makes a great deal of sense therefore that someone would make a film about it. After all, what would the world be like if we could control our dreams?

Setting Inception against the wonderfully antagonistic and exciting world of corporate espionage is really smart; setting our feet firmly on the ground while our minds are swept away with the story. The notion that large corporations would be busy attempting to steal ideas from one another is as old as wheeling and dealing itself. It’s certainly firmly embedded in the western psyche and lends a sense of familiarity to a film that abounds with absurdity and absurdities.

Without such a mundane, yet mysterious, premise the movie might have faltered. Instead the all too believable conspiracy, greed, and straight up deception, lend almost limitless credibility to an otherwise ridiculous flight of fancy. How else could one appropriately describe a film principally concerned with very normal people going about stealing thoughts fresh out of the minds of the people who think them?

It’s fantastic.

I can’t really remember when I last found it so easy to let go. The Matrix was masterful, but had to work really hard to keep audiences in the alternate reality. The direct tuition from characters throughout the film to ensure viewers were comfortable with the mechanics of what was meant to be happening are readily apparent.

Inception is smarter. The cues and reminders are there but they’re more graceful, more refined, more incorporated.

The quality of computer generated animation leaps forward almost continuously and each new blockbuster strains to redefine what’s possible by the greatest margin imaginable. The frontiers of script writing have expanded and it is now possible to realise almost anything in a convincing and ‘believable’ fashion. New technology tends to lead to excess. Which is why I am pleased to say that Inception definitely feels like a story first effects second type of movie.

It’s all the more worth watching because of that.

Now go. What are you waiting for? Bedtime?

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To my mind, that’s pretty funny. When she finds out this is on-line she may not agree; enjoy it while it lasts.

Season one was something else. Within our circle of friends it was remarkable. We got together and watched the episodes in small groups of three or four. I can’t remember if we split the cost of the boxed set or if one of us had already purchased it. Without the regular advertisements episodes are about 43 to 45 minutes long and they are awesome. Pure awesomeness.

24 is now done with seven seasons. That’s about 125 hours of my life gone forever. Do I mind? No.

Well, perhaps a little. Season four wasn’t any good. While writing this post I’m watching episode nine of season seven. You know what. I think we’re done here.

Word of the day: Isthmus
- noun
1 – a narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger bodies of land.
2 – Anatomy, Zoology. a connecting, usually narrow, part, organ, or passage, esp. when joining structures or cavities larger than itself.
3 – Ichthyology. the narrow fleshy area between the sides of the lower jaw of a fish.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Word of the day: Trichotomy
-noun
1 – Division into three parts, classes, categories, etc
2 – An instance of such a division, as in thought, structure, or object
3 – The three part division of human beings into body, spirit, and soul

Avatar Movie Poster

Wow.

Ok, first, the gripe. 3d glasses make your eyes swim. After about fifteen minutes I felt pretty uncomfortable wearing them. It’s a testament to the movie that I stuck with it for another 168 minutes! I should also admit at this stage that the 3D is very immersive and doesn’t detract from the core functions of the movie. It’s just there, rather like it usually is.

Back to the flick itself. Wow. The plot is really simple. You know roughly what’s going to happen from the very start. I suppose Avatar is broadly allegorical and references on multiple occassions the caucasian exploitation of indigenous peoples through the last few centuries. The most powerful allusions here are with the European and then American exploitation of North American natural resources at the expense of the native american indians. The (evil?) corporation in Avatar is digging for a funky metal whose value is never clearly explained. It’s not important. The simplicity of the plot is the secret to Avatar’s greatness. This is a flight of fancy. You sit back, relax and let someone tell you a great story with a few major characters and a lot of amazing imagery and cultural experiences. Predictable it is, boring it is not.

Let me say a word here about colour. Avatar is beautiful. The near universal use of phosphorescence in the jungle and forest landscapes is awe inspiring. You want to go there yourself. The humans in Avatar make extensive use of choppers and some of the in flight scenes set up some fantastic vistas which support the sense of scale and grandeur throughout. The detailing is tremendous. Even when you are staring at something as utterly ridiculous as say, millions of tonnes of floating rocks held down by tree roots, you can’t help but believe what you are seeing. Something about it just seems right. The closest I can think of is the image of a mountain in the waters of a still loch. You know it’s a reflection but still think you would enjoy climbing those slopes.

Avatar makes extremely extensive use of generated imagery and it works well enough that you forget about it most of the time. There are some slightly cartoony elements which weaken the realism but overall it’s very immersive. This impressed me as very few movies pull this off anywhere near as well.

I knew I was in for a treat when Avatar opens with a man flying for six years away from the Earth to start a new life. His brother is dead and he is shipping out to replace him. The subliminal message is clear. Let go. Let your presumptions and attitudes die, if only for three hours, and leave hold of your sense of what is real and come away with us. Come away to a world populated by ten foot tall betailed humanoids. If you are interested in my advice. Do it. Let go of your life for three hours and just enjoy. After all, as the man says, the pay is good, really good. Any movie smart enough to pitch itself as a form of entertainment which will take you away from the limitations of your real life and let you explore a fantasy is bound to be good in my book!

Finally the trademark moment. When my father and I came away from the cinema we had a life conversation. You know the ones, where you talk about big serious topics in a very general manner. To me, that’s the confirmation that shows that a movie has ticked the two most important boxes in the home (and cinema) entertainment field. 1 – It’s total escapism, 2 – When it’s done it leads you to think seriously about your life in a constructive manner. Now, I am not assuring you that you will come away life affirmed. I am sure some people will pick holes. But if you are looking for an enjoyable jaunt several light years away, take the trip to Pandora. You won’t regret it. It’s nothing like the box.

Now, where’s that book on Custer?