I saw Inception last week with a bunch of friends. Consensus opinion was that it was a solid “good.” I think it made me think; that is, it wasn’t the sort of action movie where you can just sit back and be absorbed in wave after wave of mechanical noises and CGI. If you care about the plot, you must actively keep track of various elements and rules, which is surprising given my estimation of the average American moviegoers patience (=low). However, for all this movie’s cleverness (it makes Memento look like a film school project), it is utterly unmoving. The acting performance are just frigid, except for Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s given some terrible lines and can only do his “furrowed scowl” face while hissing urgently. Everyone else, Ellen Page included, acts like they just had a wet towel wrung over them. Still, it’s more thoughtful and interesting than most summer blockbusters. Plus, there’s one fight scene that has to seen in theaters, and, as a bonus, it doesn’t make you as nauseous as District 9!