Logs of War

The publishing of "The War Logs" by Wikileaks [1] has been seen as a seminal moment by many, comparable to the release of the Pentagon Papers. And while I think this is a great leap forward for freedom of information and brings renewed attention to an increasingly futile "war", I suspect that by making the U.S. once again the target of global scorn, this will only draw attention away from countries that should also be brought into the light.

To name a few: China, North Korea, Iran. I take a special interest in China especially - I have read and heard all too many stories of abuses of government officials (see this revealing case [2]).

Transparency, like sunlight, should shine down on everyone.

Inception

Not much superlatives this time. Ah, where do I start.

Firstly, Christopher Nolan has saved the summer. We had the disappointing Iron Man 2, the so-so Robin Hood and the dreadful Prince of Persia. Let's just say The Last Airbender doesn't count. There's Toy Story 3, but unfortunately no decent entertainment for the more sophisticated set (ha).

Until now.

Inception is about dreams. Best description? Imagine The Matrix as a heist film. The whole idea about entering dreams (besides the having fun part) is so that you could steal ideas. In this case, however, our ensemble attempts to plant one. Ah, gone are the days when there was truth serum and low-tech Manchurian candidate mind-control.

The whole concept is very,very interesting. The execution could have been better. Nolan can't have it both ways - a movie set in a dream world, which by definition is wispy and evanescent. Instead he treats us to a world as lucid as The Matrix. It's a slightly complicated story. The framing and editing of the scenes don't help, and I am always unimpressed with films who chop up their chronology in order to look complex.

I confess I am a little disappointed. Come on - you're in a dream world with infinite possibilities for an action sequence and all we get is a generic car and snowmobile chase, the latter much less entertaining than the one found in Modern Warfare 2. There is, however, an outstanding but all too short zero- gravity sequence. Give me more folding cities, please.

Inception is one of those stories that seems to cry out for multiple viewings. I would say that isn't quite necessary - despite it's many layers, it's easily deciphered if you're quick enough. Satisfying and disappointing.