Inception (2010)

Twenty years ago Jane Wagner asked, through a character played by Lilly Tomlin, "What is reality anyway? Just a collective hunch." In this movie we return to that question. Is reality just an illusion?

Writer and Director Christopher Nolan may well be a cinematic genius. He is certainly one fine story teller. As many others have pointed out, this movie is a beautiful synthesis of new and old movie making. They are done so well together you almost forget the line exists between whats real and what CG. But that is, after all, the point of the movie.

Leonardo DeCaprio continues to impress me. I try very hard to not like him but every movie he does beats that impulse down with great gusto. The rest of the cast are very much in a supporting role here, but the names and their work are equally stunning.

Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, and Cillian Murphy, all young guns with good resumes join as senior cast with huge names; Ken Watanabe, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, and Michael Caine.

No spoilers here, but from the get-go this movie keeps you guessing about which reality is which. You will have to draw your own conclusions.

Watch this movie with someone who has vivid dreams.

La Vie en Rose - La môme (original title)

If you see only one French movie in your life, this should be one to consider. Also known as "The Passionate Life of Edith Piaf", it is the story of Edith (duh) told from a sometimes maddening mix of time-line changes. We see her from childhood to death bed.

Marion Cotillard won a Oscar for her nothing-short-of-genius work in the title role. How often does the lead of a "foreign" film win Best Actress? That answer alone speaks volumes. Watch and see for yourself. The rest of the cast comes and goes and is wonderful in their respective supporting roles.

This movie WILL make you cry, and for various different reasons. I cried for an abused little girl, for a brilliant short scene with Marlene Dietrich played flawlessly by Caroline Sihol, and I wept during the final musical performance. Your results may vary.

Watch this movie with someone who needs to be reminded that they had it pretty good growing up the way they did.

Nine

Nine what? Not big stars, there are only 8. Not musical numbers, there are more than 9. It was, after all, a Tony-winning Broadway play before it was a movie. Not complex relationships, there are only 7 or 8. So why the Nine title? I believe it is all about the magic of being a kid - a 9 year old kid.

Throughout the movie the agonizing protagonist has flashbacks to when he was 9. As a carefree, mischievous boy, Guido, was controlled by his faith and his mother. The adult Guido converses with his dead mother who is still a big influence in his life. Daniel Day Lewis plays the torture son, all grown up, and Sophia Loren is a delight as the mother.

This movie is also about the craziness of making movies. The egos involved, the money, the players, and the process. Hype and Hollywood. Nothing is what it seems. Although the story takes place in 1960's Italy, many similarities still exist.

Marion Cotillard plays the long-suffering wife and Penelope Cruz plays the mistress and muse. Judi Dench plays the costume mistress and closest adviser, and Nicole Kidman plays the bombshell star. Kate Hudson plays a feisty American fashion journalist, and Stacy Ferguson (Fergie) plays the sexy boyhood memory.

Bottom line, it is only when Guido discovers the joy of his youth that he can climb back in the directors chair with success. A great lesson for all of us. If we can find childhood joy in our jobs, we'll never "work" another day in our lives. Or something like that.

Watch this movie with someone who loves a good musical - or Italian style - or movies about making movies.

Public Enemies

If you can ignore the factual and continuity problems with the movie, it is a great ride. If that sort of thing bugs you - reconsider.

Johnny Depp is excellent as the legendary, much "beloved", bank robber John Dillinger. During the Great Depression Dillinger was the terror of Midwest banks and police departments. When the predecessor of the FBI gets involved, J. Edgar Hoover, played smartly by Billy Crudup, turns up the heat with scientific and method. Christian Bale is the tormented Special Agent in charge of the Chicago office tasked with catching Dillinger.

Marion Cotillard and Branka Katic play the lovely women in Dillinger's life.

This highly fictionalized tale of cops and robbers in the 1930s is fast-moving and quite suspenseful. Though the characters are all based on real people the events are less than verifiable. Don't worry though, unless you are a good student of this period of time you won't notice.

Watch this movie with lots of popcorn and all the moxie you can muster.