And this week’s (August 2-8) winner is… Inception!

And this week’s winner is……. Inception! “I’m like Inception, I play with your brain.” Oh, Pitbull. That masterful poet who just a few lines later gives us, “Now, now pump-pump-pump-pum-pum-pump-pump it up and back it up like a Tonka truck!” and, of course, the Ric Flair-esque, “Whooooo!” But he references a great movie, one that people who watched instantly talked about two things: 1) whether or not it would win (not be nominated–WIN!) best picture at the Oscars and 2) how the plot and details of that plot were so mind-blowing. Maybe this wasn’t a surprise seeing as this movie gets an 8.8 on IMDb’s list of greatest movies (the highest being 9.2). That and the fact that it stars Leo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Michael Cain, the kid-now-a-man from Third Rock from the Sun, and… those other ones. AND it is brought to us by Christopher Nolan, who gave us Man of Steel, Memento, and The Dark Knight. This movie makes takes you on a thinking journey. You are thinking about the complexities of the story-line, the relationships between the characters–even some characters who are virtually non-existent, and whether or not what you are seeing is “real” or “just a dream.”

When I saw this movie in 2010, I walked out of the theatre knowing I had just witnessed something great. Even though all of the above are good reasons for why Inception is loved so much by so many people, I believe there is one ingredient that makes it stand out: an original story. Many of the movies we see have very similar plots, character types, action sequences, problems and climaxes. We’ve all seen the hero who seems to be losing an impossible battle, but strives forward in the face of despair and never gives up on hope. We’ve also all experienced the rags-to-riches stories, the quest stories, the couple who remain in love despite the obstacles.

Have you ever had someone tell you “When you think about it, Avatar and Pocahontas are the same story!” Yeah I did too. I still like both movies, though. Sometimes this gets old, but for the most part it is something we accept. Most of the Disney princesses have a father but no mother, unless she is a step-mother and is evil. But we’re not too upset about it. Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker are both orphans who have very old mentors, discover their special magic powers and use them to defeat a very dark enemy. But do we care? Inception has a plot that few can be compared to. Funny how out of the three of this week’s nominees, this is the one that did NOT win an Academy Award for best picture.

Congratulations Inception. This is your week.

Kudos to both The King’s Speech and The Artist. Obviously The Artist was the dark horse for this week’s selection. It didn’t garner a single vote, but I would like to give it some recognition. It was a gutsy move to write and produce a movie like this. It’s one of those movies where you watch in a kind of awe-inspired trance. The black-and-white cinematography that almost seems clearer than coloured reality. The great dance moves and fantastic expressions. Very deserving of its best picture win. As for the King’s Speech, I think we all love movies based on actual events in history. Geoffrey Rush–truly one of film’s all time greats, and not just for his work in Mystery Men–and Colin Farrell work so well together that this movie literally makes you both laugh out loud and tear up.

And the winning quote of the week: inspired again by my movie-loving friend David, this week’s quote comes from The Artist: “ ” (Remember that part??)

And the Oscar goes to: Actress: Even though Helena Bonham Carter shows up again in our movie picks, Ellen Page gets the recognition this time. She rocks as an actress, and she’s Canadian. Scratch that–she’s ATLANTIC Canadian! And, yes, that makes her best actress. Actor: Geoffrey Rush. His character is lovable already, but he makes the “doctor” all the more with his wit, honest expressions, and mix of strong self-confidence and subtle vulnerability.

So that concludes another great week of movies. I think Alfred Hitchcock, who’s 114th birthday is in 11 days, would have been happy with the selection.