Don Jon (2013) - ★★½

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Brie Larson, Glenne Headley, Rob Brown

Watching Don Jon is like watching a more enlightened episode of Jersey Shore. It goes as deep as to say what Jon likes to do, and show us what he does in his private life, but it never delves more than skin-deep. It isn’t boring, but it isn’t entertaining either. Let’s just say that Don is not my kind of person, and his story is about as interesting as an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s. It’s good in the way that it shows what many young-adults are like, through highlighting this generations ever growing obsession with clubs, one-night-stands, and perfect self-image. It’s bad in the way that it never breaks character, making it a repetitive story that shows little depth. I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but Don Jon is a movie that didn’t need to happen.

50/50 (2011) - ★★★★

Director: Jonathan Levine
Writer: Will Reiser
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Philip Baker Hall

I was surprised at how much this movie got to me. 50/50 handles the subject of cancer in a very different way to every other film, which is with light-humour and sincerity. The performances are all flawless, with brilliant and believable chemistry between the people and their relationships. Instead of letting cancer dominate the story, it's the people that highlight what is happening on the screen. Disease becomes secondary to feeling, making this an emotional and terrific film.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - ★

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson

I was thoroughly unimpressed with this movie. It was boring, unoriginal, predictable, and a huge disappointment. I’m a fan of The Dark Knight mainly because of Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. Without him, The Dark Knight Rises was nothing but a stupid comic-book adaptation that took itself too seriously.

Lincoln (2012) - ★★

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book, in part)
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This is a film that was made by one of the greatest film-makers of all time, stars arguably the greatest actor of all time, with a supporting role from one of the greatest actresses of all time. I can hardly believe it was as boring as it was. It's dull, and lacks with the portrayal of who Lincoln was as a person. Although it is far from a bad movie, it could have been captivating. Spielberg had all the resources a film-maker could possibly want, but took a safe chance.

Inception (2010) - ★★★★½

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine

Inception is a film that one has to see more than once to fully understand and appreciate the genius behind the plot. It has some of the best and most challenging visual effects in cinematic history and world class actors playing difficult roles well. Although the story was admittedly hard to follow for me at first, there was more than enough happening on screen to keep me entertained. Dialogue was necessary to keep me in the loop of the story, however this film is one of the few that can be enjoyed simply by watching the screen.

Christopher Nolan's Inception is set in a world where technology is available to invade the minds of people and extract information from their dreams. It beautifully visualises what a sub-conscious world looks like to a person dreaming and how they can manipulate it to change according to their vision. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Cobb, the best dream invader in the world and outlaw in America due to the suspicious death of his wife Mal, played by the wonderful Marion Cotillard. 

In order to see his kids again, he must perform a job for Saito, an intelligent and powerful businessman that promises Cobb that he can clear his name back in the USA. The proposition they have arranged with each other involves the process of planting an idea deep into someone's mind, and making them think that it is their own. This is called inception. What Saito asks of Cobb is to plant a thought in his big business rival's mind, one which would destroy their empire. In order to do this, Cobb assembles a crack team consisting of a creative student, a master thief, an experienced chemist, his best friend and Saito. Together they attempt inception on the mind of the businessmen through creating dreams within his dream.

Inception is a film that I believe will be remembered for many years. It's effects are mind-boggling and breath-taking. They will still be incredible even next to the technology of the future. The acting on all accounts is believable and the stellar cast really completes the film. The ending leaves the viewer to make a choice. Whether the hero made it home and got to see his kids, or whether he is stuck in limbo. It doesn't specify where he ended up, but leaves us hopeful that he made it through all the adversity. From start to finish, I was sucked into this movie. I highly recommend this to anyone, but I warn you. This is not the kind of movie you can leave for 5 minutes and come back to pick it up. You have to watch carefully, or else you may miss a vital piece of information. Remember, this movie is best watched the second time.