This is Not a Movie Review

So I went to see Inception tonight. Of course, it's been talked to death, so no need to get into that. On a side note - I loved it.

What I am writing about is what happens AFTER the movie is done. As the credits begin, everyone stands up and leaves. Fairly standard protocol for the end of a movie. I myself have always enjoyed watching the credits. It's a fun way to figure out who played that one character, because you saw her in something one time and that bothered you for a whole bunch of the movie and then you can have your aha moment.

Mostly, though, I feel like all of those people put in a lot of hard work into making the movie and it wouldn't be quite as good if Joe the microphone holder let the boom mic fall into the shot. Or if Sue in the editing department hadn't fixed that issue when it did happen. People design the sets, the costumes, they do the make up and create the story. They cast the actors, they help them work on accents or learn other languages. They record the audio, they compose the music, they edit and mix the audio, they edit the film and enhance the colours. They add special effects, they perform stunts, they add the CGI. They are the best boy, the gaffer, the key grip, or any of those other things that leave you wondering exactly what their purpose is.

It is, of course, by no means necessary to do this. No more than is someone obliged to stay for the entire movie, or even attend it in the first place.


(I struggled with whether or not to call this next part a spoiler or not and came to the conclusion that, while being a small mention, it plays a huge role in the perception of the movie. So don't read on if you haven't seen it, or if you do read on, don't get mad at me because I warned you!)


For the first time tonight, I experienced being the only person in the theatre who stayed, and it was strange. Most times people file out, but there are a few other people left who stick around for whatever reasons they may have. This time though, I was left alone with the staff who were waiting to clean up the mess and prepare for the next screening. Well, actually there was a couple in the front who stayed, so I thought I wasn't alone. However, I don't think it counts as it turns out they were only staying because they thought after the credits were over, the spinning top would fall over.