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A couple of weeks after its release, Inception continues to be the movie story of the moment. The absurdly complex plot of Christopher Nolan’s latest project has caused ample cinematic debate regarding not just the immediate quality of the feature but also its lasting appeal. After engaging in spirited email discussions with no fewer than seven writers of BOP over the past ten days, I decided to take this opportunity to write my first unsolicited movie discussion in quite some time. Independent of where you stand on the subject of Inception’s quality, I believe that you would agree it is the rare title that merits any and all deliberation.

I should start by making the same notation previously mentioned in a recent edition of Monday Morning Quarterback. I am not predisposed to love the work of Christopher Nolan. The auteur’s popularity in the 18-49 male demographic is one I fully understand. He is the creator of what many consider to be the perfect action blockbuster, The Dark Knight. He is also the man responsible for one of the most inventive cinematic eccentricities of the past quarter century, Memento. As a lifetime lover of film, I am in awe of what he accomplished in those two titles, yet neither one moves me the way it does many if not most people.

As I have previously stated, I enjoyed the straightforward storytelling of Iron Man, my favorite title of 2008, much more than I did the fractured, too-forced twists of The Dark Knight. The latter film’s final half hour undoes a lot of the majesty of the performances of Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart up until that moment. Whether Nolan was taking a page from the recent Brother Eye/OMAC story in the Batman comic or not, I find a lot of the special effects at the end of The Dark Knight needless and distracting. This frustrates me in that there is so much genius in the film prior to that point.

I am in awe of how well implemented The Joker is from his introduction in the opening sequence all the way up until his destruction of the hospital. The next time you watch the film, please take a moment to appreciate that he is still driving the same bus he used as a getaway vehicle during the opening bank heist. Of course a character as malevolent and nihilist as The Joker would enjoy this bus for its pragmatism and utility as well as his subversion of its intrinsic purpose as a cornerstone of the educational system. How many directors can you name that you believe would offer such tremendous character consistency in such subtle ways?

This is exactly why I have been so frustrated with Nolan in the past. His promise for me as a movie lover exceeds his works to date with one notable exception.Returning to Memento for a moment, I am lost in admiration for the conceit upon which this movie hinges, the reversal of events that reveal the history of a victim of memory loss. While I find innumerable moments of brilliance in the film, I am one of those people who is disappointed that the ultimate explanation of Memento’s suffering lead, Leonard, and his quest for vengeance is one of nihilism. The movie promises so much more before ultimately revealing itself to be almost a mocking laugh from its uber-talented director toward the viewer.

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