Day 100- Movie 100. Inception (2010)

Before I even start talking about this movie, I have a few things to say first- 1. Somehow, I managed to do it. I successfully watched 100 movies in 100 days. If I had to describe my emotions at this moment, I can only describe it as "relief." 2. I'm going to write a longer entry tomorrow (it will be my last) to reflect a bit on this challenge, as well as the fact that I managed to watch 2,000 different movies in exactly 10 years. So, I'm saving some of the good stuff for tomorrow.

On another note, I was driving back home today (about a 1.5 hour drive), and the whole time, I kept thinking to myself- If I get into a car accident and have to go to the hospital, I'm going to be so pissed I didn't get to finish that last movie. Luckily, I made it home safe, and I was able to conclude this long endeavor.

I thought quite a bit about what movie should be my 100th (and 2,000th). I thought about going for a classic, or an unexpected one, but I ultimately chose Inception for a few reasons. Mainly, because this was my favorite movie of 2010 (I admit I've only seen about 65 films released in 2010, so there's always a chance something could top this). I thought this was an innovative, intelligent, thought-provoking, game-changing movie. I saw it in theaters, but I never got it into my "official" count.

The main reason I loved this movie was because Christopher Nolan managed to create an intelligent, original movie that managed to break out in a big way. So many "blockbusters" rely on the lowest common denominator- trying to appeal to the widest possible audience while not offending or frustrating anyone. That's a cowardly way to make a movie. Nolan took a concept that was extremely complex and created a movie with the belief that the audience was intelligent enough to follow along and not get lost. He didn't pander or simplify the film for the sake of "stupid" American audiences. I love that he did that. Movies can be entertaining while still challenging us, and Inception does a fantastic job of proving that point.

The movie blends that amazing initial premise with an incredible cast and some of the most impressive scenes I've seen in a long, long time. I'll never forget that long, slow-motion fall of the van into the river. The gravity-defying fight scenes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt are among my favorite scenes of all time. They were stunning. The ice fortress battle sequences were amazing in a very James Bond-ish way. And of course, the controversial, brilliant ending. This movie blew me away.

For those reasons, I decided to choose this as my 100th movie. Hollywood is a business that copies success. The copies are rarely even close to the original, but they try it anyway. I sincerely hope Inception inspires Hollywood to take more chances on challenging, complex, unconventional films. Playing it safe creates movies like Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. Movies shouldn't be safe- they should push the boundaries of our thinking. Inception represents why I love going to the movies. I would give this film an 8.5/10.

While I'm going to write much more tomorrow, I do want to spend a few minutes today discussing this whole thing. It was significantly more difficult than I expected. I'm completely relieved this is over. It was fun (and stressful), but I'm looking forward to going back to watching movies ONLY when I feel like it. They say that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and apparently, that is true for movies, too. Okay, I'm probably going to be a bit long-winded tomorrow, so I don't want to tire you out today. Check back here tomorrow for my FINAL post (and don't worry, after that, I'm done clogging up your facebook news feeds!)