Inception

2010, Rated PG-13, 148 minutes, Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan, Produced by Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, Cinematography by Wally Pfister, Original Music by Hans Zimmer

With: Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur), Ellen Page (Ariadne), Tom Hardy (Eames), Ken Watanabe (Saito), Dileep Rao (Yusuf), Cillian Murphy (Robert Fischer Jr.), Tom Berenger (Browning), Marion Cotillard (Mal)

My head was still reeling with excitement and wonderment as I exited the theater.  It had been a long time since I had so much tense energy built up  after a movie. I almost could not contain myself (I will say I was talking quiet loudly on the way out of the theater). Inception takes place in a world that we quite literally only dream of. Christopher Nolan finally got his chance to build a dream world onscreen and his tight direction and storytelling soared amidst the chaotic world of the dreaming human mind.

Body of Lies

2008, Rated R, 128 minutes, Directed by Ridley Scott, Produced by Ridley Scott, Written by William Monahan, based on the novel by David Ignatius, Cinematography by Alexander Witt, Original Music by Marc Streinfeld

With: Leonardo DiCaprio (Roger Ferris), Russell Crowe (Ed Hoffman), Mark Strong (Hani) Golshifteh Farahani (Aisha), Oscar Isaac (Bassam)

Many, myself included, will always be interested in the inner workings of the CIA and its operatives. We have so many questions that can never be officially answered and so we are left to answer them with our imagination and of course Hollywood. Body of Lies dives deep into a post 9/11 world and explores the working relationship between an operative on the ground in the Middle East and his figurative and literal overseer glued to giant screens at home. Ridley Scott does an excellent job of creating a grand scale spy thriller with an intensity that keeps you glued up to the credits.