Inception

Author: Christopher Nolan

Inception is about dreams – literally and figuratively. The film is about hyper-intelligent thieves who steal memories and secrets, but who are tasked with implanting a thought. They do this by manipulating a sleeping mark, and they're good at it. VERY GOOD. It's also a film about what is possible to do with film. Told using unquestionably vivid images of the world bending to our characters' wills, Inception is telling a story that mirrors what it means to be a filmmaker and have the world of technology at your fingertips. As Leonardo diCaprio's Cobb brings his team about to plant the image in the mind of the man he has been hired to influence, going deeper and further than every before, Christopher Nolan does the exact same thing with the film, bringing visuals that would never been possible before. Every performance in Inception is great, but you can never go wrong with Ken Watanabe and Tom Hardy, who are both so very good in this one. The ending, a source for debate since its release, may be the most maddeningly questionable, and totally appropriate, of all-time. Why it tops the list: A masterpiece of cinematic effects, art direction, acting, and plain old-fashioned heist-y fun!