My Homemade Shirts!

I always forget what a process this is up until the point where none of my paints work.

Then I remember my fingers hurt from the x-acto knife.

Then I think maybe I should drop the project.

Then I go, “But this is gonna look so AWESOME!”

Well, spring is around the corner so I’m going to be back into the shirts business. My first project is going to be a Gundam shirt, if any of you know what that is. Template to follow, and suggestions are welcome :-)

DON’T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE.

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

I’ve been listening to the final track from the musical score the entire time I was writing this. You should listen to it while reading this, it’s the only audio post on my tumblr and you’ll see what I mean with all the elements of the music combined with the scene it goes with.

So, today I went and saw Inception for the third time. You all probably think I’m nuts for going 3 times, but it makes sense. The first time I saw it I still had to process and take everything in on the fly. The second time I was able to pay more attention to minor details since I knew the lay of the land, allowing me to better decide what I thought of the ending. The third time was a great experience, because I got to really sit back and enjoy the movie without worrying about taxing my brain making any decisions or figuring anything out. All three viewings were completely worth it.

Clearly I love the movie, but not because it screws with your head like everyone says it does. The fact is, it really doesn’t. There aren’t any mind-bending new concepts or incredible twists that will leave your head reeling. This is simply an incredibly well thought-out, put-together, and executed movie. The team of actors/director created an amazingly believable atmosphere to such a completely out-there concept as shared dreaming, and the plot was engaging and paced well enough that the two and a half hour running time didn’t seem long at all. I wouldn’t change a thing about this movie if given the chance. Not even the ending that everyone is freaking out about. (Which, for all you speculators, the top falls. If you don’t believe me, ask me why.)

Now, aside from the fantastic delivery throughout the entire movie, Inception gave me my favorite scene in any movie I’ve seen to date. Better than the final scene in Enemy of the State, better than the ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, even better than the first time I saw The Sting and the entire scheme fell into place. All those scenes were incredible in their own ways: the fact that Will Smith manipulated both players to kill each other over a misunderstanding; the way that, even though you know the fate of Butch and Sundance, the final picture keeps their legend alive; the way that all the pieces clicked perfectly to create such relief by the viewer after such initial shock at a plan which had seemingly gone horribly wrong. All of these are amazing moments in movies that utilize twists in the best way possible.

Inception added a scene to the top of that list. When all the dreamers are waking up and Zimmer’s music gradually begins, all the way through Cobb’s re-arrival at his home, is in my mind the perfect scene in a movie. What makes it so wonderful though, is the fact that it wraps everything up without ever needing to use twists. There is nothing special about the scene, other than the fact there is nothing special about it and it still manages to bring complete closure to a movie while still leaving the viewer with so many thoughts about it. It is such a multi-faceted moment in time, and I’d really like to go over some of the elements I love about it.

As the camera pans over the characters who had just awoken from their adventure, the expressions on the faces speak volumes about how each had been affected. Arthur’s look of smug satisfaction and accomplishment at the fact he had just done something he thought was impossible at the beginning of the movie. Fischer’s look of quiet contemplation that showed inception truly was possible. Ariadne’s look of relief and joy at surviving her first true endeavor into the dream world, along with helping Cobb to conquer the one thing that had been holding him back. The one that really sticks though is the look on Saito’s face as he wakes up. He conveys the fact that he was such an old soul who had been thrust back into the body of a young man with nothing but the way his eyes look. And then the phone call he makes which wraps it up and guarantees Cobb safety once they land.

Once off the plane, the glances between the characters in the airport are done to absolute perfection. I love that, throughout all this, not a word is spoken. That’s what really stuck with me, even the first time. These people had just gone through so much together, and gotten to know each other so well, and even changed everything about a former stranger, and they can’t say anything about it because they were dreaming. They have to act like everything they had just fought for and won didn’t happen, because in reality, it didn’t. The characters that you learn to love or hate or get attached to throughout the course of the movie aren’t even strictly speaking real. The fact that the director managed to make that work is an amazing feat.

The way the guitar starts on top of Zimmer’s music as Cobb makes his way past his teammates in the airport adds so much more depth to the moment. It perfectly complements the glances and lack of words as he makes his way to his father. When Cobb passes Fischer without even making eye contact, it really brings to the forefront that none of what you just witnessed and cared about was real, and all that was real was the plane flight. It was so real in their minds though, that Fischer is clearly deep in thought about the idea that was planted. It’s amazing to think about.

Then, when Cobb finally sees his kids. The crescendo stops and the quiet piano begins, allowing complete attention to be given to the moment. Cobb finally sees his children’s faces, and everything is right with the world. The fact that the camera pans back to the top is one of the things that most people hated. In honesty, I can’t think of any other way to end the movie. A fade out wouldn’t do any justice, and a simple end screen wouldn’t either. The shot of the top spinning with what seems initially to be perfect balance, but then turns wobbly as the music again crescendos, is truly the only way to end this movie. As much as every viewer will initially hate the apparent lack of closure (as I did), upon further thought it really is the perfect ending.

I’ve never felt so at peace with the ending of such a good movie. Usually it feels like, “Well that was cliche,” or, “Well what now? That guy just walked away,” or something along those lines. There is nothing more I could ask from this ending, and to me, that is movie gold. I wish more movies were like that.

I’ve been listening to the final track from the musical score the entire time I was writing this. You should listen to it while reading this, it’s the only audio post on my tumblr and you’ll see what I mean with all the elements of the music combined with the scene it goes with.

In closing, don’t tell your friends who haven’t seen Inception that it’s “Mind-blowing.” It’s not. It’s just an almost perfectly-made movie in a time where movies like the hangover get all the attention.

Once again I say, we need more movies like this.