Inception

Inception Review

by Priya

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Science Fiction

Released: July 13, 2010

Director: Christopher Nolan

Inception centers around a failed architect, Dom Cobb, who has resorted to illegal measures to try and fix his enormously complicated and dark past. His partner, Arthur helps him conduct corporate espionage using highly advanced technology that enables them to travel into the subconscious of subjects, and steal secrets, thoughts, and memories inside of their minds. Most of the movie takes place inside dreams, and almost none of it takes place in the reality.

Dom and Arthur try to steal from a rich businessman named Saito, and make him believe that they are trying to help him. Also, while performing the mission, Mal, Dom's deceased wife from his own mind arrives and messes everything up.

In actuality, Saito had been testing the two men, and wanted them to infiltrate the mind of business heir Robert Fisher, as his dying father Maurice Fisher's large company was engulfing Saito's smaller company. He wanted inception, the act of inserting an idea into someone's mind while they rest.

Influenced from the idea of clearing his name, Cobb and Arthur take the challenge, and gather their team for the job. In Paris, he recruits young architecture student Ariadne to structure the worlds and mazes inside of the dreams. He also gathers Eames, a conman, and Yusuf, a chemist, and together, they do the impossible.

Afterthoughts....

When I first saw this movie, I was astounded. I didn't really understand it, but it amazed me. Everything about it was so intriguing, and the events of the story were more chaotic and real than they actually were.

I decided to watch it again, and try and figure out the details I either missed or forgot from the first time I saw it. I was able to grasp the plot and most of the details, as well as the fast-paced action and swift, yet deranged characters.

The whole movie itself was demented, but not necessarily in the way one might think.

After seeing this movie, I immediately recognized how well the movie was played out. Every corner was covered, and everything came together in the cliffhanger ending. It was not only a science fiction film, but an emotional drama that dealt with the importance of family, and the dark secrets of Dom's mind explained just why he acted the way he did. Mal, Dom's deceased wife, played an important part in the movie; she was the real reason the movie had a purpose. Even though he never saw her alive in the movie, he saw her as his own interpretation of her; it was only what he remembered about her. However, because he couldn't let her out of his mind, she began to work against him, and made everyone's job increasingly more difficult.

The actors did a splendid job, in my opinion. The main cast included Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, Ken Watanabe as Saito, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Ellen Page as Ariadne, Tom Hardy as Eames, Dileep Rao as Yusuf, and Marion Cotillard as Mal.

The actors and actresses captured the suspenseful moments, the dramatic moments, the sad ones, as well as the comedic ones. The movie's computer-generated effects were astounding as well; the effects made the movie feel so real, and the music added more liveliness.

Overall, this is a must-watch. It's unlike any movie you will ever see, and it's so increasingly difficult to explain that it's easier if one watches it. A warning, though. You may find yourself wanting more after the credits start to roll out, but there is no sequel!

Inception earns a 5 out of 5 from Priya Ray.

Spelling Bee

Yesterday was my middle school spelling bee.

I had been preparing for it, and gone over the word list millions of times.

On Wednesday, I got to school a little early, and had to go to the bleachers and sit with the other kids. Normally I would go to band at that time, but since I was participating in the spelling bee I didn't go. I had my friend test me on my words a few more times.

When I got to homeroom, I stayed at my usual desk and studied until they announced that it was time for the spelling bee to start.

I grabbed my books and walked out of the room, and up the four flights of stairs to the third floor
to the classroom where the bee was held.


The bee began, and an eighth-grader went first, and spelled her word incorrectly. She was asked to leave. A few more kids went, and then it was my turn.

One of my words was, "genetic," and I spelled it correctly!

By the second round, there were only four of us left. They were hard words, but I was prepared.

The boy ahead of me got his word right, but so did I. The two boys that went after me both got their word wrong, however.

Then it was just me and the other boy. One of us would be champion, and the other would be runner-up. I knew what I would be.

The boy was asked to spell, "lucrative."

He spelled it wrong.

My word was, "sedentary." If I spelled that word right, I would be champion.

And so I did.

"S - E - D - E - N - T - A - R - Y," I said.

I won.





So I was the winner of the School Spelling Bee. I'm advancing to the regional bee in March.

After the regional bee comes the Scripps Spelling Bee.


WISH ME LUCK!!

Monday

Today I woke up, and began to moan because I knew I had to go to school for another 9 hours. Then I remembered that I had a doctor's appointment before school. I relaxed, and went back to sleep.

Since the doctor's appointment was at 8:30, we woke up later than usual and left the house in the pouring rain. My mom had planned to take me to school after the appointment, but that never happened.

Traffic was horrendous for an unknown reason, but that was a minor occurrence. We got to the podiatrist's office, and my mom had a heart attack when she realized her flat tire. The appointment went smoothly, but my mother had to call roadside assistance while I stayed in the waiting room and watched the horrible weather forecast for the US.

Unfortunately, the lug nut on the tire had cracked in half. The mechanic put the donut tire on, and my mother drove slowly to Mozda, where we sat in the waiting room for 3 hours watching Rachel Ray while they put on an entirely new wheel.

It was expensive.

For some strange reason, that morning, I knew I most likely wasn't going to school. It wasn't for the reason I thought, which was the appointment extending for longer, and then getting stuck in traffic.

If a child is not in school by 11:30, they are not allowed to participate in any after-school activities, which means that if by some chance my mother had taken me to school afterwards, It would really have been for nothing.



Today was actually really good. I had some McDonald's hash browns, a Crunch bar, and a salad and fries from Wendy's. And of course, I got to skip school.

I owe it all to the cheap and inexperienced mechanics that put the original tire on!