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Showing posts from June, 2021

Great Films of the 21st Century: Inception (2010)

  Inception  Director: Christopher Nolan.  Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard.  Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action throughout).  Running time: 2:28.  Cinema has angered me, moved me to tears, made me laugh until it hurt. It has enthralled, exhilarated me and physically drained me at times. But I have not seen anything quite like “Inception;” a film that left me shaking my head at how creative it is. I cannot recall a time when I finished watching a film and was awed by its accomplishment. And mind you, this is an exhibition of creativity within a rather conventional framework. It uses characters we’ve perhaps seen before, a story that is also quite familiar to us. Yet Nolan’s work still comes across as new and exciting, which is perhaps his most subtle yet most significant accomplishment here. It’s just one of many within the film. Here, Nolan goes back to familiar territ

Great Films of the 21st Century: The King's Speech (2010)

We haven't quite gotten to the point yet where movie theaters are fully open. But we're getting closer. For those of you who will still stream movies at home for the time being, the films I've reviewed for "Great Films of the 21st Century" are certainly worth your time. The King’s Speech Director: Tom Hooper Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon. Rated: R (for some language) Running time: 1:58 Some have greatness thrust upon them. “The King’s Speech” opens with the man who would become King George VI of England attempting to speak publicly at the opening of the British Empire Exhibition in the mid-1920s. He stands before a massive crowd that has fallen dead silent so they can hear every word. Under the intense pressure and scrutiny, with the eyes of thousands upon him and a menacing-looking red light indicating the microphone is live, he can’t get the words out. He stutters uncontrollably.