Media blitz

Movies, books, TV . . . I love 'em all. But I hate wasting my time on sub-par media.
Lately, though, I've been fortunate enough to hit the jackpot, so I figured I'd share my good fortune with you.
MOVIES: INCEPTION
If you enjoy having your mind blown, go see Inception. Simple as that.
It's been more than a week since I watched Inception, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. What I am sure of is, I loved it. It's two and a half hours long, but it feels like half that. It's one of thos movies where you walk out of the theatre in a daze.
The basic premise of the film is that the technology exists to infiltrate people's dreams. Leonardo DiCaprio's character is the leader of a team that does just that. That's as much as I'll reveal in terms of plot. I will say, the ending was awesome.
DiCaprio aside, the real star of this movie is writer/director Christopher Nolan. He's most famous for reviving the Batman franchise, and anyone who hasn't seen The Dark Knight at this point simply doesn't enjoy movies. Inception, for me, was most reminiscent of Memento, the flick that put Nolan on the map a decade ago. Like Memento, Inception is a complex psychological thriller. But where Memento was minimalist, Inception is sprawling, with epic action scenes set in multiple universes. If that makes any sense.
(A quick aside: I honestly haven't seen a Nolan movie I haven't enjoyed. Insomnia, with Al Pacino and Robin Williams, and The Prestige with Christopher Bale, are also worth two hours of your time).
In Inception, Nolan riffs on the sources of inspiration, the power of dreams, and the very nature of our perceived reality. Excellent movie.

BOOKS: DOWNTOWN OWL
For a guy with a blog called "The Hipster Doofus," it's inexplicable that I hadn't read a Chuck Klosterman book until last week. So when I stumbled upon Klosterman's 2008 novel "Downtown Owl" during a recent trip to the library (retro, I know), I figured I had to pick it up.
Prior to reading Downtown Owl, I was aware Klosterman was a big sports fan (he occasionally co-authors columns with ESPN.com's Bill Simmons), and had a penchant for sprinkling his writing with pop culture references. On both those counts, Downtown Owl lived up to my preconceived notions. Klosterman's writing voice is so unique, it's hard to explain. But viewing the world through his eyes is simply fascinating.
Downtown Owl, a dark comedy set in 1983, is a three-pronged story chronicling the lives of residents of a middle-of-nowhere town in North Dakota. Klosterman's tale is tightly written, and somehow witty and profound at the same time. I don't read a lot of books, but I devoured this one in less than a week; it will not be my last encounter with Klosterman.

TV: MAD MEN
My favourite TV show these days is Mad Men, the brilliant AMC series about the troubled cast of characters at an ad agency in the 1960s.
Thus, I was pretty stoked about the season premiere last Sunday evening, and I was not disappointed. The show has a different feel for the fourth season - the central characters have established a brand-new ad agency, and with that comes a fresh new set that lends the show a brighter look. The characters are likewise dymanic. Don Draper's rage is closer to the surface. Peggy is more confident - likely a product of having Don beg her to join the new agency in the Season 3 finale. And it's fascinating to watch Betty Draper and the kids adjust to their new family situation.
If you missed the Mad Men bandwagon, I own the first three seasons on DVD. Feel free to borrow them.