MOVIE: Inception

Your friends are probably already singing it's praises, (most of) the critics love it, and judging by the box office numbers you have most likely seen it too. Nevertheless, Inception is a must-see this summer on the big screen. Written and directed by the über-talented Christopher Nolan, who creative genius never ceases to amaze (see Momento, Batman Begins, The Dark Night, etc.), the complex story unfolds like an M C Escher piece, with twisting layers that both reveal and hide secrets about the story and the characters within it.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, the troubled head of a team of "dream thieves," people who break into others' subconscious and discover their secrets while they sleep, the film starts strong and never lets up. Ken Watanabe plays a business mogul who wants an idea planted, not stolen, from a competitor, played by Cilian Murphy; in exchange he will give Cobb his life and freedom back, allowing him to return to his children in the United States. The team, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, and the scene-stealing Tom Hardy, venture deep into the dream of Murphy's character, in the process discovering far more than they had intended.

Marion Cotillard shines as Cobb's deceased wife, who shows up in flash-backs and occasionally in his dreams, and the dreams of others, causing added issues for the team. I expect to see her name on some lists come awards season, along with Nolan's. Also popping up in smaller yet important roles are the always welcome Michael Caine and severely underrated Tom Berenger.

One aspect of the film that I loved, other than the special effects which were incredible (Paris folds in on itself!), is the timing aspect of the dream sequences. Most of us have heard that although a dream or nightmare may feel as though it went on all night, in reality, it was only a matter of seconds. Nolan has used this notion to the film's benefit, bending time in the different dream states. Therefore a few seconds in real life might give someone several hour's time in a dream. Now what happens if the person dreaming then dreams that they are dreaming? The possibilities are endless and mind-boggling and Nolan knows this and clearly loves it.

See this movie and you will too.

Sergio del Limónar

MOVIE: District 9

I am usually skeptical when the vast majority of my friends all demand that I "have to see" some new film. In this case, when I pressed for information about the content of said movie and was told it was about aliens living among us in city ghettos, my skepticism didn't lessen any.

That being said, District 9 is unlike any other movie I've ever seen - alien or otherwise. The basic story holds that back in the early 1980's a city-sized spaceship entered Earth's atmosphere and stopped over Johannesburg, South Africa. After several weeks of simply hovering above the city, an government team went up to investigate and found thousands of malnourished shrimp-like alien beings. They brought them back to Earth and sectioned them off in a part of the city - District 9 - which quickly became a slum.

Eventually, after nearly 20 years, the people of Johannesburg have decided that they want these "Prawns," as they are derogatorily referred to, moved else where. A camp of sorts is set up many miles outside of the city and a task force is sent in to evict the aliens. Told in sort of documentary-type style, with lots of interviews and shaky-cam footage, the movie follows this attempted transition.

While the cinematography and special effects are incredible, the most impressive aspect of the film, in my opinion, is the underlying social commentary about how we, as humans, treat and have treated each other through out history over things such as differences in ethnicity, religion, and appearance.

This is definitely a good movie to catch an early showing of, followed by a late dinner. There is plenty to discuss after seeing this very original film.

Sergio del Limónar