RonVitale

Inception

I finally made time to go see Inception. With two kids and a whole list of responsibilities that I'd bore people with, I'm just happy that I had a chance to see the film in the theater.

I had heard several friends talk about the film and thankfully my brother and I hadn't talked about the movie. (He loves ruining the endings of movies to people. Not on purpose, but he'll just say something like: "Yeah, Bruce Willis was dead the whole time.") So, what did I think about Inception? In a nutshell, I enjoyed the layers upon layers of the film. The complexity of the plot and the sheer brilliance in pushing the envelope of challenging the audience was refreshing. How wonderful to sit back and lose track of reality in the film. Was I within the characters in a dream, within a sub-dream or had I missed another layer--and then to realize that I was watching fiction on the screen tickled me pink. The multi-layered complexities played out well.

My main complaint was Ellen Page's character in the movie. She acted as the audience's guide to the world, turning to other characters and reminding them of the rules of the dream world or asking questions that the audience would want answered. I understand the need for her dialogue, but it did become annoying at times. On a personal note, I also had a difficult time separating her from Juno and her character in the film. I have her typecast as playing a certain type of woman in a film--granted, that's my issue, but I did find this detracting at times.

But what about the movie itself? I can safely say that if Christopher Nolan is going to direct a film, I'll pay special attention to it and he's not led me wrong yet--Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight. He's a solid director. Very solid. In the opening scene, I loved his direction and how the eye of the camera captures the light of Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, creating a rich-textured world for the viewer to take in, and how he interjects the other worlds in an organic way. The audience isn't spoonfed the rules of the world nor are we given the details of what we're actually seeing. We're thrown right into the plot and the movie never stops.

I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to have a director treat me like an adult and challenge me to think, to wonder and question. Question not only what is real, but how my subconscious might affect those around me. Being a believer in Jungian psychology, I often dream and then interpret my dream experience by imaging parts of my psyche as the pieces of the dream. For example, if you dream of being in school and someone piling lots of books on the desk in front of you, imagine that you're the desk and are feeling overloaded with all the books on your back. It's a simple example but as Jung believed in the individuation process in which people strive toward self-actualization by embracing their persona, shadow, anima/animus and self. In Inception, you can have a field day analyzing Cobb's personality. His regret and guilt over his wife Mal and his longing to get back to his children is spread throughout the film, open and raw. He's complex, guarded and yet accepting that he has problems and willing to accept some help.

Whereas The Matrix might have a similar plot, Inception is about the individual and not saving the human race. The grand scope of the The Matrix, so embraced in its time, crashed and burned after the first film as the Wachowski brothers hit a wall and did not know where to go with the film. Nolan keeps exploring memory and the depth of emotional feelings in his films. Watch Memento and then Inception and compare the two husbands trying to overcome their guilt about their marriages. There is a progression there as Cobb is offered a choice: Will he let go of his guilt and embrace self-actualization or remain stuck, unable to let his wife go?

Inception is not a film for everyone and for those looking for a nice tidy ending might be disappointed. But having grown up watching French films in seeing such heartbreaking endings, I was pleased to see some ambiguity in the film's ending. As Cobb's totem (well, Mal's totem, but you get the point) spins on the table and he heads off, you will ask yourself: What does the ending mean? Not wanting to ruin the film for those who haven't seen it, I'll simply say that as with any great art how you answer the meaning of the ending will help you learn more about yourself. For me, Cobb leaves the totem and heads off with his children is symbolic. His positive action clearly shows that he's moved on, leaving behind his guilt and choosing to embrace his children. The nuances of the ending (and those who have seen the film know what I'm talking about): Do they truly matter? Maybe we are all just the dream of God, in a universe that we'll never truly understand. Yet, with what is within our control, what we can embrace today, and more importantly, why don't we?

Selma, Listen to Your Heart

A friend of mine from work lent me the film "Dancer in the Dark" and I made time to watch it last night. I have been meaning to see this film since it came out back in 2001 as I am a Björk fan but just never made time. I knew what the story was about, understood that it was a Lars Von Trier film, and just didn't want my heart to be stomped on. But over conversation the other day, this film came up and, as luck would have it, my friend and her fiance owned the film. I watched it last night and then had a dream. In my dream, I was to get up, go to the computer and looking for Beethoven's 9th symphony and send that out on Twitter. So, before I go on, I'm going to do that now. For your viewing/listening pleasure, jump to 2 minutes and 42 seconds in and listen from there as it's my favorite part:

Does that set the mood for you as to what my mindset is? So getting back to the movie, I watched the end of the film (no, I'm not going to give anything away. I'm not like that) and was touched by these lines: "They say it's the last song. They don't know us, you see. It's only the last song if we let it be." I have always been fascinated by the power of the human mind. There have been times in my life in which I am under tremendous stress and have been unable to find ways to see the solution to a problem, but if I allow my mind to be free there are no chains to hold me down. If you are free in your mind and in your heart, then everything else will just pass through you. Maybe some might call this denial but that's not what I am trying to get at.

I have limitations on the amount of time I have to accomplish my goals and my desires. I want to write and am working on a large project but have not made time to do this work as I've been focusing on my family life, my career and on training for a half-marathon. Anyone who knows me sees that I am not lazy and that I am put my all into my work and in what I believe in. I am genuine and true though flawed.

I slept last night, had the dream about Beethoven and then went on a 4.5 mile run this morning. It was 36 degrees outside, cold and still dark. The sun had not yet risen. Thoughts of the movie kept running through my head and a line kept popping up: "Selma, listen to your heart." That's a critical line in the film as earlier, Björk, who plays Selma tells her friend Kathy: "I must listen to my heart." How funny it is that this is a key phrase that speaks deeply and secretly to me. One of my favorite sayings is: "The Heart has its reasons which Reason knows not" (Blaise Pascal). I've always liked this phrase and although following my heart often can be confusing because it's hard for people to understand my motivations. I have no master plan. I don't have my life all color coded and mapped. It's not how I live nor would I want to live that way, but I do wish to be alive and to take time to stop and listen--especially during the difficult times in life.

I ran to my halfway point, turned around and I could hear, like Selma in the film, music around me. I could see the sky brightening as the sun was rising and saw red robins flying by on the way to their nests. The chill in the air touched me and the heat inside me from my running conditioned me to a flow of the trees, the air and the noises around me. I had those moments of quiet in which I could just be. It was a quiet, personal moment. So why share it? It's my goal to listen to my heart (as corny as that might sound) and to be true. When I interact with you, you know that I'm genuine and I'm not pulling your leg. I am not trying to pull one over you. That's not how I operate. Those closest to me know me for who I am and I suspect that they love me for that with my flaws and quirks. But today is a day that I simply wanted to share this experience and to quote my family: "Rome wasn't built in a day." I am training for a half-marathon and the training is going well. I am working on a big writing project and made time to write five pages yesterday. It's slow going but progress is continuing. I am walking along a road that's twisting and crooked and has pitfalls but I am not giving up. I am a quiet fighter--well, that's not fully true. I bitch a lot when I've something on my mind, but then I set to the grind stone and work hard. It doesn't matter how difficult your path is, it doesn't matter how much work it is, none of that matters. If you believe that you can do it, even if it takes a lifetime, then you can do it.

Many ask me how I accomplish all that I do and that's how. Today is today. I ran 4.5 miles. It's on my training program. I wrote this. I am moving, slowly, oh so slowly, forward. Momentum. Energy. Listening to my heart. To just be. You'll see a sly smile on my face if you look hard at me. Because I'm happy. Tired, but committed and damn happy. Je t'aime.

The Blind Side: Review

My wife and I saw "The Blind Side" last night. Let me say this: Best picture? Are you kidding me? Look, I really went in to seeing this with an open mind. I like Sandra Bullock as an actress but I didn't think see did anything special here at all. What I want to know is: If you're black and you watch this film do you wonder if all the white people in America are crazy? This film is so heavy-handed with the hot, white Christian mom who saves the poor, unable to communicate well, black boy that I kept shaking my head. Really? I mean really?

There's a scene in which Sandra Bullock confronts some boys in the hood, threatening them, ending it with that she's a member of the NRA and is always packing. Okay, let me get this straight: Sandra Bullock's character goes to the projects, confronts several bad black dudes on their home turf and they don't even get up to confront her?

I kept watching this film, wondering what planet this movie was taking place in. The film is told solely from a safe, white perspective. The white mom who basically gets her way to save a black boy. Sure, that's a great story, but there's no true conflict or emotion in this story. It's so filled with fluff that I kept imaging a lot of middle-aged white folk sitting down feeling better about themselves in watching this flick.

Look, I like the story a lot. It's a rags to rices story. I've no problem with that. In fact, I'd like to hear the real story. Not the watered down version we get in this train wreck of a movie. Trust me, save your money and go see one of the other nominated flicks instead. In fact, go watch "An Education" and you'll see a much better movie. One that's filled with great acting, some serious conflict that's worth checking out. Thinking of seeing "The Blind Side"? Just pass. Trust me.

Movie Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Over the holiday break my friend and I went to go see "An Education" (an amazing little film with a great breakout performance by Carey Mulligan) and before the movie began we saw the trailer for "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." I had forgotten that the movie was coming out soon so I was swept up in the trailer. Just from the minute and a half of footage I could tell that this film would be a feast for the imagination. However, I had heard of some of the problems that Terry Gilliam had in finishing the movie. The most complicated being that Heath Ledger died having completed only 1/3 of his scenes. With that in mind, my wife and I saw the film last night and seeing it was somewhat of a last minute adventure. We had planned on going out on a date to see "3 Idiots" but I convinced my wife to go to a different movie theater as I thought we'd have better dinner choices. And, as luck would have it, we were able to see "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus."

The film is far from perfect suffering from breaks in Heath Ledger's having been unable to film 2/3 of the film, but the solution on solving that problem is brilliant. When you see the film and understand the solution, I think you'll agree that it's nearly seamless. But still, I wonder if the script had to be changed as the editing is good, but the narrative does break down toward the end. I won't give much away but it is what it is (again, I'm being vague on purpose). Yet the film is an imaginative joy to behold. There is depth in vision in this film as it's not only visually stunning, but filled with a sense of purpose and fun. The onscreen duel between Christopher Plummer and Tim Waits is timeless and we are asked to consider what we have sold to the devil in our own lives.

Plummer, as the Doctor Parnassus, is continually betting with the devil, desperately trying to save his daughter, but never quite able. Immortal and often filled with despair, Doctor Parnassus lives life knowing that the universe exists because humans tell their stories whereas the devil disagrees. The wisdom that comes from Parnassus causes us to question: Why are our stories so powerful and why do people keep telling them?

Depending on your willingness to use your imagination and take a leap of faith, I suspect some will love this film while others will ignore it. But isn't that true about life? Terry Gilliam has made a certain type of film. Somewhat arty and quirky with lots of dark humor and a critique about modern society. If you're willing to self-reflect and be whisked off into the world of Doctor Parnassus' imagination, you'll embark on a trip that you'll not regret. The film isn't perfect, but it's refreshing to see such a work on the big screen. And what about Ledger: He's good here, but he does not rise to the amazing work he did as the Joker in the "Dark Knight." If only he could have been around to film the rest of the film...

Yet, in a strange twist, immortality and fame are central themes to the film. Just as the devil tempts, showing a woman several floating flowered boats of famous people (James Dean, Princess Diana, etc.) drift down the dark river Styx, so I imagined Ledger's boat being there, too. Burned out too soon, he made a choice we are all given: Fame, money, power (fill in your own vice here) or true satisfaction and self-actualization. In a moment of pure fun early in the film, a young man runs to a mountain full of steps that lead to the light at the top. Engraved on the steps is: "12 x 12 x 12 Step Program." Looking up, the man sees that the road ahead will be difficult but, in the end, he'll find Nirvana and salvation. Behind him he sees a bar. Shrugging, he turns away from enlightenment and chooses the drink.

And that, in a nutshell, is brilliant. Always fast, easy and immediate gratification: Isn't that what we normally choose? In "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," we're asked to see the bigger picture and are tempted with two paths. As old as the world itself, Good vs. Evil. Ledger's character, Tony, chooses his path, Parnassus makes his own as do others in the film. In the end, our choice frames us for who we are and, if you're open to it, you'll be brought on a fun yet somewhat disturbing ride. If you're not up for that, then pass on this movie as you'll not enjoy it.