Inception

I've finally watched probably one of the most hyped films of last year. I'm thrilled to say that it in no way let me down. Christopher Nolan's film follows a team lead by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who work within people's dreams to gain information from them. The film really kicks off when Saito (Ken Watanabe) asks Cobb to plant a thought (to incept) in the mind of an energy tycoon heir Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). However, as the team goes deeper into the subconcious of Fischer, the thoughts of Cobb become ever more entwined.

I don't really want to talk much about the plot, in case there are others who haven't seen Inception either, but I loved the originality of the idea and the fact that you really had to listen; but there was still plenty of action. I'd admit that sometimes watching people explain how the 'dream within a dream' got a little boring, but it was all key to your ultimate understanding of the film. It seems to me quite suprising that Inception got such little recognition from the awards committees-especially in regards to Christopher Nolan not even gaining a nomination at the Academy Awards (I now think him or David Fincher were superior to Tom Hooper's direction), when good direction is why the film never drags, or gets overly complicated.

The performances help this as well. The ensemble cast are uniformly great. Leonardo diCaprio does seem to be bringing an awful lot of his performance in Shutter Island with him to Cobb, but it works. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy both offer strong support, and Ellen Page proves that she can do more than just Juno (although I haven't seen Hard Candy, so I'm sure she's proved it before). Plus, as always, Marion Cottilard is wonderful as Mal.

If you haven't seen Inception yet, I really urge you too. It's a great film, and not as overly complicated as some people have made out (although the ending is a bit...interesting).

Un long dimanche de fiancailles (A Very Long Engagement)

The year is 1920. Mathilde (Audery Tautou) is determined to find out what has happened to her beloved fiancee Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) in World War One, certain that he cannot possibly be dead. Her explorations expose the lives of five men, including Manech, who attempt to wound themselves to escape the horrors of the World War One trenches, who were punished by being thrown into No Man's Land-and whose treatment has been neatly removed from the records.

Mathilde's adventures lead her into a tangled love triangle as the desperate 'Biscotte' Gordes (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) tries to get his wife Elodie (Jodie Foster) to have a child with his friend Bastoche (Jerome Kircher). She also crosses paths with the lover of another man (Dominique Bettenfeld), Tina Lombardi (Marion Cottilard) who is also desperate to find out whether her man has escaped death, yet has a rather different way of going about her search.

The film is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who previously collaborated with Tautou on Amelie, which (much to the suprise of my French teacher) I haven't actually seen. Yet, what I gathered is that Amelie is pretty far removed from Un long dimanche de fiancailles. This film jumps between rural Brittany and the World War One trenches, and the difference scenically is incredible. The farm that Mathilde lives on with her Aunt & Uncle and the surronding countryside is beautiful, open and colourful, whereas the trenches (as anyone who has ever done history knows) are grey and black muddy, watery hells on earth.

Jeunet's depiciation of trench life is brilliant, and appears pretty much spot-on, and the watcher is fully immersed in the horrible surrondings. There's a also a far bit of blood if you like your 15 films like that-mostly showing the self-harm the soldiers put themselves through, and the shelling and shooting between the trenches and in No Man's Land. But, thanks to Tina Lombardi, the blood shed doesn't stop in the 1920s, and if you were even considering getting a ceiling mirror over your bed, you will soon reconsider having seen this.

Tautou turns in a lovely performance as Mathilde, not overplaying her character's slight disability in any way, and motivated by an undying hope for her fiancee's life. Cottilard is again, wonderful, and I'm tempted to track down more French language films with her in. Ulliel doesn't really speak much, he does bear more than a passing resemblance to the lovely Eddie Redmayne, and also doesn't overract in situations which could definitly be seen as prime moments for attention seeking.

I was most suprised by the appearance of Jodie Foster in a French-language film, as I was totally unaware that she was bilingual, the only actress I really knew does that kind of thing regularly is Kristin Scott Thomas. Foster does well, even if her characters main arc is being filmed having sex a lot.

My favourite performance in the film came from Jean-Paul Rouve, who played the postman. Seriously. He added some much needed humour to the film. Interestingly he played Edith Piaf's father in La Vie en Rose which starred Marion Cottilard, and he could not have been more different in that film.

This is the last film that I will watch in French with school and I've really enjoyed them all. I'm hoping to finally see Amelie and Coco Avant Chanel over the holidays as well.

Nine

I'd never pass up a chance to see a musical on film. Yet, I'd only heard bad things about Rob Marshall's star-studded adaptation of Nine, which had huge expectations due to its amazing cast and Marshall's previous success with Chicago in 2002.

A lot of reviewers cited problems with the plot which is somewhat confusing. Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a hugely popular Italian filmmaker, who seems to have hit a creative blockage when it comes to his latest film. Despite the constant questioning from his producer (Ricky Tognazzi) and his wardrobe designer confidante, Lilli (Judi Dench), Guido remains more distracted by his relationships than creating 'Italia', his new film. And boy, does his have women problems. He is married to the lovely and devoted Luisa (Marion Cottilard), but has a mistress in the form of the also married Carla (Penelope Cruz) and his muse is the beautiful Claudia (Nicole Kidman). He is also seduced by the American journalist, Stephanie (Kate Hudson) and clings to the memories of his mother (Sophia Loren) and the woman who provided his sexual awakening, Saraghina (Fergie).

Nine seems to be more about the creation of art, and the difficulty of creating it-when one is under huge pressure and when one's personal life is in a state of disarray. Guido is reliant on the support of his wife, despite his behaviour, and it is her leaving him that finally makes him break away from his film

So although the Arthur Kopit/Michael Tolkin/Anthony Minghella script may be a little confusing for those who like their musicals brass and bold, the performances are all pretty amazing. Daniel Day-Lewis may not be an amazing singer, but he has a nice enough voice, and enough charisma to make it understandable why he would attract so many women. He also makes Guido a sympathetic character, which is difficult considering his actions don't make him particuarly likeable.

Marion Cotillard is, as she was in La Vie en Rose, is brilliant as Luisa. She's sympathetic, sings beautifully, wears lovely clothes, and it seems impossible that Guido would want anyone else. Guido's 'anyone' else is mainly represented in Penelope Cruz as Carla, who has one of the most memorable performances with 'A Call from the Vatican'-whilst her voice isn't necessarily always strong, her dancing seems to come from nowhere and she brings a similar kookiness to her performance that she has in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Judi Dench is a suprise as Lilli, who sings a song lauding the follies, complete with brunette wig, making her look considerably younger than she is. Although he singing isn't entirely unexpected, as she played Sally Bowles in Cabaret in her youth, and also Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. Sophia Loren's cameo as Guido's mother shows her still to look great, at least on camera. Fergie shows off her huge voice, and her performance of 'Be Italian' made my Mum clap, despite it being on film! Even Kate Hudson, who people in musical theatre circles didn't seem to like was good in the new song 'Cinema Italiano'.

I really enjoyed Nine. Again, Marshall's use of staging musical numbers worked-as the stage became representative of Guido's mind, although I would love to see a musical that fully integrates songs into the action. It is Yeston's wonderful score that really makes the show.