i just got back from watching Inception, and to recap this experience in 4 simple words — i was blown away.

Inception is one of those rare screen gems — a movie that you can enjoy in many levels, and one that makes you think. it also leaves you to conclude for yourself which is real (reality) and which isn’t (dream).

and just when you think you’ve arrived at a suitable conclusion, you begin to realize things aren’t as clear-cut (relatively speaking) as they seem. so you begin retracing your steps, and the whole process begins again. some critics advise multiple viewings, and i plan to do just that. i suppose it would be fun to watch this in iMax.

offhand, i’d say Inception, which stars Leo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy), reminds me of Mission Impossible and The Matrix, only with better actors. great cast, awesome director (Chris Nolan), mind-boggling story, fantastic SFX — a winning combination

anyway, i advise to you waste no time. go see it. there are 3 or good movies that i’ve missed (which leaves me unmoved for some reason), but Inception is in a different league.

wow. if you have seen clips of episode 22 of 24 (1:00–2:00 PM), you would know that old jack’s bent on a full-blown destructive mode and the body count is stacking up. wayyyy up. wait, and there is also this highly anticipated kick-ass encounter with slimy ex-pres. charles logan (which, as far as i’m concerned, could have been worth an episode all by itself).

this particular scene — where jack bauer (keifer sutherland) relentlessly and efficiently cuts off (through a phalanx of top-notch security personnel) and corners his prey, and then proceed to do what he does best — has prompted fans to dub him Iron Man, Darth Vader, Batman, Death Personified, etc. and i think it’s right on the money.

i have purposely kept myself from watching any episode (in its entirety) so i could watch the whole season without interruption later (really, my fingers are already twitching from the anticipation). and although it’s disheartening to know that 24 will be folding its wings completely (at least on TV) a couple of days from now, i console myself with the fact that we will be seeing jack bauer in the silver screen in maybe a couple of years. a couple of Emmy trophies later wouldn’t hurt either. what do you think?

the only thing that would make this season perfect for me is an appearance by Secret Service agent aaron pierce. i don’t care if it’s just a fleeting cameo. i just want him to be there.

after having said that, i’d like to name several characters that made me love this series. this is a long list, but on the side of good guys my favorite will always be bill buchanan (james morrison), chloe o’brian (mary lynn rajskub), aaron pierce (glenn morshower) and david palmer (dennis haysbert). among the baddies: charles logan (gregory itzin), victor drazen (dennis hopper), megan matheson (skye mccole bartusiak), sherry palmer (penny johnson jerald) and nina myers (sarah clarke).

despite my erratic waking hours last weekend, i managed to watch Iron Man 2. i’d been meaning to put it off until next weekend but after reading several widely diverse reviews (some hated it, some raved over it, a few were somewhere in between), i couldn’t wait to see for myself if it was really that good or bad.

in short, i was baffled why some critics were more than ready to thrash the film — which i attribute to the fact that it didn’t measure up to their high expectations or because it was slightly different than Iron Man 1 — and why others gave it glowing reviews.

my verdict? i guess some grousers may have grounds for their gripes but i basically i didn’t find anything glaringly dreadful about the movie. Iron Man 2 may lack the verve and the “springiness” of its predecessor, but all in all still succeeds in many areas. and yes, i liked it.

Iron Man 2’s good points include: (1) the guy himself, robert downey (i think i will always think of him as Tony Sparks now) who deftly and effortlessly manages to hold the whole thing together; (2) his palpable onscreen rapport with gwyneth paltrow, who brings grace and smarts into her role as pepper potts; sam rockwell, who simply rocks as the oily corporate scoundrel justin hammer; the support cast, particularly jon favreau as happy hogan (my fondness for this character is growing); and the special effects (can’t ignore ‘em). and scarlett johansson rocks in her scenes — i’m not too hung up on her thespian skills but as the lethal and sexy black widow, she was great.

a few things that didn’t go well with me (although they’re rather minor) are: (1) the villains lacked real menace (except for sam rockwell, of course, but it’s a different kind of menace); (2) plotwise, Iron Man 1 gelled better; (3) the screenplay is uneven at times (i wish they would concentrate less on other Marvel characters/storyline at this stage; they don’t really mesh well with the main storyline and they’re kind of distracting).

go. just go and watch it. Iron Man 2 will make your day.

the word’s out — Dreamworks has just greenlighted a sequel for How to Train Your Dragon, and it’s set to hit the theaters by 2013 (yayy!).

uhh, 2013? it’s a bit of stretch to imagine that far right now, but considering that this series (featuring Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his charmingly named pals and their draconian pets) comprises 8 books (thus far), i suppose Dreamworks can take its time. with a potentially lucrative franchise in its hands, the studio is in a happy place right now. hopefully, it will nurture this series well and maintain its deft touch.

anyways, here’s a funny clip featuring various sporting events in the isle of Berk, involving both burly Vikings and playful dragons…

The series includes the following books: How to Train Your Dragon (2003), How to Be a Pirate (2004), How to Speak Dragonese (2005), How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse (2006), How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale (2007), A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons (2008), How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm (2008), and How to Break a Dragon’s Heart (2009). This series is authored by Cressida Cowell.