Christopher Nolan is one of the most interesting filmmakers of the past decade. His work is considered by some to be among some of the greatest films of the last ten years, but at the same time he’s focused on largely making films that general audiences can watch and understand. Even MEMENTO isn’t a difficult film; it’s a film that regular people often cite as one of their favorites. I was in that group, and it wasn’t until I spent more time in the world of cinema that I felt differently. While Nolan is a damn fine filmmaker, he’s not making films with grand ideas or complex themes.

That is, until he made INCEPTION.

As a note, this review will contain SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen INCEPTION, go see the movie. If you’re reading this review with the intent to reveal whether or not you should see the movie, don’t continue reading.

Yes, you should definitely see this movie. Odds are, if you don’t see a lot of foreign or independent films, this will be the best movie you’ve seen all year.

Directoral debuts are fickle beings. This year has generally been a success for new directors looking to break into filmmaking. Early on we’ve seen Marc Webb unite hipster kids everywhere with (500) Days of Summer and Duncan Jones breathe new air into the science fiction genre with Moon. Then, critics and audiences, even if I was personally skeptical, became enthralled with Neil Blomkamps debut feature, District 9. Now the latest newbie to the stage, Tom Ford, presents his work, A Single Man, to the world.

It seems like 2009 got a bad rap. On the night of December 31st, Twitter was filled to the brim with tweets to the tune of “2009 sucks, and 2010 will be great”. Not to say that I don’t think 2010 will be great, but it’s important to recognize the good parts of 2009.  It was a year for newcomers. Budding directors such as Tom Ford and Marc Webb made their way on to the directorial scene. For others, it was a year for continuation of good things. Directors the Coen Brothers, Pixar Animation Studios, Hayao Miyazakiand Quentin Tarantino delivered various portions of brilliance, as per what we as cinema junkies have come to expect. This isn’t even mentioning the wonderful performances from actors and actresses alike. 2009 was a fantastic year, at least for me and the millions of others that were treated to the films below. Let’s see if 2010 can beat it.

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Keeping up-to-date on all the latest releases in cinema can have many pluses and minuses.  After a while, going to see a movie becomes a ritualistic experience. Each time I go to a movie I grab my popcorn and my Sprite at the concessions, find the “sweet spot” in the middle of the theatre, and throw my jacket on the seat in front of me to trick people out of sitting in it. The downside of the ritual comes from the movies themselves. Having seen all the major releases as they come out it becomes increasingly apparent that most “big” movies stick to similar plot conventions, which becomes more annoying each time I see them played out on screen.  The box-office appeal of these “status quo” movies has opened the gates to a safe-ground for directors to play around in without  the threat of having to get too creative.

Someone forgot to tell Lars von Trier where this place is.

Often times, I find that my theater going experience differs from many. This is because of the simple fact that I’m not a big reader. When going to see the new Harry Potter film, (or any film that came from a book) I’m able to take the film at face value, instead of comparing it to what I see in my head when I read. I prefer TV and film to paperback mediums, but that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the book. Many of the greatest movies of all time come from books. For example, Fellini’s 8 1/2 first came from a book, not to mention such Cohen classics as No Country for Old Men and O, Brother Where Art Thou? (if you consider “The Odyssey” by Homer to be a book). And although I’m not aware of any television series that were inspired by books, I’m sure at least one of the major characters in my favorite series reads. Again, though I am not a reader, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes definitely makes me appreciate the written form of story telling.

Regardless of how you feel about Jason Reitman’s previous films, its hard to deny that he is one of the biggest up and coming directors in Hollywood. His first film, Thank You for Smoking, took pot shots at the lobbying industry while still exposing the warmheart that exists within the, supposed, cold bastards.Juno, his next film, made high school love seem much more tangible and possible than any film before it. Already making his third film in four years, Reitman has pulled in a massive cast full of huge stars in order to make his newest project, Up In the Air, get off the ground.