Inception, Nolan's latest film

[hepcat]

Nolan better be careful or he's going to usurp Guillermo del Toro as my favorite, currently working director...

[Blackjack]

Hey, I did in fact find a newspaper site's review that didn't like Inception. The headline was something like "Christopher Nolan's Inception Fails to Get Inside the Viewer's Mind." So at the very least, we can't say "every" critic likes it. Though every critic I bother reading most of the time, including those that hate everything during the summer, seem quite fond of it.

And the Washington Post's "sort of" family critic who reviews movies more to suggest what age child would be comfortable watching something liked it but did mention about the movie having quite a bit of "tedium" amongst the excitement, in part due to its fairly lengthy run-time.

I'm going to see if I can get up early enough to catch a 9 a.m. IMAX show tomorrow. The weather's horribly hot/humid here anyway, so a theater's a nice place to be. 

[kronovan]

There's been a few critics that didn't like it, but I have to say I wasn't very impressed with the complaints/arguments in their reviews. I think anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi Noir is going to really like this movie.

[Blackjack]

I think Nolan's non-Batman movies will make a nice DVD box set (Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, Inception) down the road. I guess I already have all his studio work to date on DVD.

It's interesting though. I criticize M. Night Shymalongadingdong for his insistence on Shock Twist endings (though I didn't see what was Shock Twist about Signs' ending). Nolan's don't bother me that way. They usually seem to grow out of the story a bit rather than being a sort of "BOOM! GOTCHA" (I loved the Sixth Sense's ending, but I felt like M. Night got lost in focusing too much on shock endings over the years).

[Kevin Grey]

It's interesting though. I criticize M. Night Shymalongadingdong for his insistence on Shock Twist endings (though I didn't see what was Shock Twist about Signs' ending). Nolan's don't bother me that way.

Well, I would say only Memento and Prestige even qualify (don't know about Inception yet) so it isn't exactly a crutch at all for him. 

[pr0ner]

Easily the best movie I've seen this year.

[hepcat]

Absolutely fantastic.  I tend to hate films set in a dreamscape because they're usually stupid filler episodes in badly written television dramas, or a cheap excuse to include action that defies the laws of physics in badly written movies, but Nolan manages to make me enjoy my time with the world he's created because he imposes simple rules on it that manage to make it both realistic and full of real consequences (beyond the ubiquitous "you die in your dream, you die in life" rule that most films set in a dreamscape use to add artificial weight to those sequences), while still inspiring a sense of awe at the otherworldly nature of it all.

I found myself less interested in when the next gun fight was going to occur and more curious as to when the next major piece of the story was going to reveal itself.  It's masterful storytelling from a director that has proven quite aptly that he's no one trick pony (M. Night...yeah...I'm lookin' at you, pal).

But if you do want great action scenes, all I can say is "zero g hallway fight".    It's going on my top 10 list of best action sequences ever put on celluloid.

Honestly, this is damn good sci fi.  If Nolan keeps this up, he's going to be this generation's Kubrick.

[Ironrod]

That sounds like my kind of movie.

[Eel Snave]

Yeah, just amazing work.  Just came back from it, and my mind is officially f---ed into submission.

[Blackjack]

*yawn* Why am I up so early on Saturday again? Oh wait. 9 a.m. IMAX Inception. *#$#!  

[LoneStarSpur]

We're going this afternoon. Cannot wait.

[rickfc]

We're going this afternoon. Cannot wait.

Going tonight.  W00t

[Blackjack]

Just got back. Fairly decent size crowd for a 9 a.m. show (if nothing like the Iron Man 2 opening weekend morning show crowds).

While I found it gripping and intriguing, I have to say I spent much of the last 45 minutes chuckling and muttering "I have NO idea what the hell is going on anymore." It's not like I wasn't paying attention, but I eventually couldn't quite keep track of the dream-meter.  

And I guess I'd question why a "dream team" would all be such small-arms/big-arms/martial arts expert Steve Segal/Chuck Norris wannabes who aim handguns and bust into rooms like trained police officers (all seen in the trailers). Maybe they'll explain that in the sequel called Inception: Police Academy.  

As vaguely as I can put it, I found the "personal story" much more affecting and in its way gripping than the corporate level stuff ballyhooed in the trailers so much. It got to me far more than any of the guns, bombs, kablooie stuff.

I also think MGM oughta sell the James Bond rights to Warner Brothers, and see if Nolan wants to take a crack at it.  Sometimes Inception felt like a James Bond film to me.

[LoneStarSpur]

Just back...very, very good movie. Loved it. Great music. Excellent acting all the way around.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Loved the ending. Wifey and I are still talking about it (well, not right this second since I'm typing this, but you get the idea). Not incredibly surprising, but very cool he went with it.

[Crawley]

Definitely loved the film. My only (minor) complaint was the architect team member contributions seemed under utilized. I figured with as much time as they spent with that character they would use some of those maze/optical illusion like talents. I can only recall two instances where their talent came in to play. I was anticipating some crazy crap going on but I guess there was plenty of strange things going on to throw even more in there.

BTW saw this at a Muvico theater which was an interesting experience. Muvico is this upscale movie theater. It has a VIP balcony where you can reserve seats. You pay a premium for it but get some benefits along with it. The main benefit being are these oversized "love seats". They are the most comfortable movie theater seats I've sat in ever. It basically sits two people with some room to spare . There's also a nice gap between seats so your not too aware of anyone else near you - other than your loved one. It almost made it seem like a private showing. As mentioned you pay a premium for it ($16 a ticket) but damn if it wasn't well worth it for this film.

If you have one of these theaters near you its worth checking at out least once.

[rickfc]

Just got back from watching this.  Mind = blown.  What an amazing movie experience.

I only had one moment where I had a hard time, and that was:

Spoiler for Hiden:

When Robert Fischer's father dies.  That scene was way too reminiscent of how my own father passed, down to where Cillian Murphy was in relation to where I stood when he passed.  I cried a lot during that scene.

So my gripe isn't with the movie itself, but rather how I related to a specific scene.

Other than that moment, I put this movie in my top 10 of all time, if not top 5.

[rickfc]

Also, I will add that the hallway scene that's briefly shown in the trailers is breathtaking.

[Destructor]

Absolutely utterly amazing film. Go see it. NOW.

Don't look up anything on the 'net about it. Go into the movie completely blind and unforwarned. All you need to know is that it was directed by the same guy who directed The Dark Knight. That alone should be enough to get you to the theater.

And man, you should've seen the crowd's reaction (on a nearly full theater too) when:

Spoiler for Hiden:

the movie ended.

Which brings up a good question about it:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Was it real or was it a dream?

I personally say the ending bit was real. I've spun enough things while bored at work (don't ask), and they make the exact same noise when they're spinning down.

[Purge]

I just got back from it, and I can say I loved it.

Here's what I thought about it:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The movie reminded me of a more action-heavy modern version of Blade Runner (right down to Mal reminding me of Sean Young).

There are two big questions, was it all real, or is Mal right, and secondly, did they actually make it to the surface, or are they in Mal's dream (as it was her subconscious mind that kept the top spinning).

The ending has no answer, but the point was that the protagonist accomplished his goal, and was happy. It makes you think, but you're not going to strain yourself like Mulholland Drive.

[rickfc]

Agree with Destructor and Purge.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Nolan left the ending to interpretation whether or not it was a dream.  While the top was still spinning, it wasn't a perfect spin, and the top looked as it were going to eventually topple.  When the screen faded to black, the entire audience went, "AWWWWW!!".

The more I think about the movie, the more I am amazed at how good it was.  Go see this movie.  You will not be disappointed.

[Louis Cypher]

I thought it was great, I love when Hollywood doesn't spoon feed. A few gripes though. Ken wanananananatabe's accent is a little think, it was hard for me to follow. I also felt some of the scenes jumped a bit (non dream parts) which I think had to do more with the editing. That said, A+ and it reminded me of

Spoiler for Hiden:

Total Recall! You decide if the whole thing is a dream or not.

[Blackjack]

btw, the Gaming Trend forums aren't real, they're...

Spoiler for Hiden:

... a dream Ron Burke had, but that's a dream within a dream that CeeKay had while eating Taco Bell bean burritos in 1997.  

Also btw, when I thought I was finishing downloading the beta client of World of Tanks, I got a Vista warning that "the file you tried to save could not be saved because it does not exist."   Sounds like the movie...

Gordon-Levitt's resemblance to Heath Ledger is uncanny (he's just a year younger than Ledger would be now) sometimes although you can pick out the differences in a side-by-side:

Although I've seen some fan scuttlebutt about Gordon-Levitt making a good Riddler or other Batman villain, I actually think his semblance to Ledger would be too distracting. It's true Nolan likes to work with actors often if he likes them (Bale, Cane, Cillian Murphy come to mind), but he's also worked with plenty of fairly high profile actors (Guy Pearce, Al Pacino, Hillary Swank, Hugh Jackman, etc.) once and then not again.
-----------------------
I was going to warn people that complained Nolan's Batman films zoom into combat too much, blur too much and make it hard to see what's going on (I assume it's his way of immersing you in the action and feeling the impact, but it can be hard to pick out what's going on), that, well, there's a lot of that in Inception too. It's just how he does those kinds of scenes and clearly he's probably not going to change in that regard.

[Asharak]

I also felt some of the scenes jumped a bit (non dream parts) which I think had to do more with the editing.

I don't think that was sloppy editing. I think it was very intentional and ties into what you put in your spoiler:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The easiest way to test yourself is to ask if you remember how you got here.

[pr0ner]

I was going to warn people that complained Nolan's Batman films zoom into combat too much, blur too much and make it hard to see what's going on (I assume it's his way of immersing you in the action and feeling the impact, but it can be hard to pick out what's going on), that, well, there's a lot of that in Inception too. It's just how he does those kinds of scenes and clearly he's probably not going to change in that regard.

I have to disagree.  I didn't think Nolan zoomed into the action in this movie to any extreme degree.

[hepcat]

I just got back from it, and I can say I loved it.

Here's what I thought about it:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The movie reminded me of a more action-heavy modern version of Blade Runner (right down to Mal reminding me of Sean Young).

Spoiler for Hiden:

I had the same thought after the movie ended. The ending was what made my mind leap to Blade Runner, though.

[LoneStarSpur]

It made 60 million over the weekend. This pleases me. Hopefully word of mouth will keep it going. Lord knows we need more non-garbage movies.

Spoiler for Hiden:

My wife made an interesting point in favor of "It was all a dream": Mal was constantly trying to sabotage Cobb's jobs (say that fast 3 times). Maybe she was trying to get him killed so he would wake up. I think it was all a dream, but agree with Purge that in the end it doesn't really matter.

Even though it was 2.5 hours long, I bet he left a whole ton of stuff on the cutting room floor. Hoping for a director's cut.

[Thin_J]

Excellent movie. I love that they don't spoonfeed everything to you. Any movie that treats viewers like they're able to keep up with a story without constant help is already one up in my book.

And as has been mentioned in many other places, some of the filmmaking is incredible from a technical standpoint. Some of the things done with practical effects in this movie are mindblowing. Great performances, great action, interesting story, it's just all there.

I'll be seeing it again.

[Louis Cypher]

I also felt some of the scenes jumped a bit (non dream parts) which I think had to do more with the editing.

I don't think that was sloppy editing. I think it was very intentional and ties into what you put in your spoiler:

Spoiler for Hiden:

The easiest way to test yourself is to ask if you remember how you got here.

Honestly I think you are right 

[Louis Cypher]

I forgot to mention, I wonder if Nolan is a fan of Firefly; Cobb and Mal 

[pr0ner]

I forgot to mention, I wonder if Nolan is a fan of Firefly; Cobb and Mal 

He started writing the script 10 years ago, so I'm guessing that's only a coincidence.

[Louis Cypher]

I forgot to mention, I wonder if Nolan is a fan of Firefly; Cobb and Mal 

He started writing the script 10 years ago, so I'm guessing that's only a coincidence.

Doesn't mean he didn't change the names in the 10 years he was working on it.

[Orgull]

I was having trouble believing the hype, but I just got back from seeing it.

Inception in a masterpiece. Easily one of the best films produced in my lifetime, if not the best so far. I so need to see it again ASAP.

[Purge]

I'm trying to remember how I got here on GT.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm in the it was a dream camp. For one thing, his kids had the exact same clothes and were in the exact same position as they were in all his dreams. That said, the whole thing couldn't have been a dream as Mal suggested; there was at least one scene where the top stopped spinning on it's own.

[PR_GMR]

Watched it last night.. and it just blew my mind! Extremely well-executed by Christopher Nolan!! Visually exquisite, very smart, and just thrilling. The way Nolan structured the script, the 'dream-within-dream-within-dream' was outstanding. I'm going to have to go watch it a second time just to see how Nolan put the movie together.. and also, because some of the dialogue flew over my head. The ending in particularly worked for me. I liked that the movie was just not a good caper movie, but that there was a major emotional payoff regarding the main character. Not gonna spoil it.. Just has to be seen!

[Eel Snave]

But did you really see it?  Or did someone only plant the IDEA that you saw it?

(Reaches into pocket for totem)

[kratz]

Just got back, and it's the first Nolan film I can say that I just unequivocably liked. Extremely cool, entertaining, smart (if a bit outlandish at times).

Question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

When they are lying on the train tracks and he says the spiel about the train, what does she say right before it hits?

Also:

Spoiler for Hiden:

RE: The totem. The point of the totem is that it's something that you alone have ever touched... and he got his from his dead wife, breaking that rule... so maybe it was operating in a way he thought was right, but it really wasn't, because his perception of 'right' was wrong... and I like the thought someone voiced in this thread that she could be controlling the top at the end, and the interjections into his subconscious (sub-subconscious?) were her attempts at pulling him out...

Oh, and the theater was basically sold out on a Sunday night.

[MonkeyFinger]

Just got back, and it's the first Nolan film I can say that I just unequivocably liked. Extremely cool, entertaining, smart (if a bit outlandish at times).

Question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

When they are lying on the train tracks and he says the spiel about the train, what does she say right before it hits?

Also:

Spoiler for Hiden:

RE: The totem. The point of the totem is that it's something that you alone have ever touched... and he got his from his dead wife, breaking that rule... so maybe it was operating in a way he thought was right, but it really wasn't, because his perception of 'right' was wrong... and I like the thought someone voiced in this thread that she could be controlling the top at the end, and the interjections into his subconscious (sub-subconscious?) were her attempts at pulling him out...

Oh, and the theater was basically sold out on a Sunday night.

Basically she says the last line (or they do together), from what I recall:

Spoiler for Hiden:

You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You can't be sure where it will take you. But it doesn't matter - because we'll be together.

[Purge]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm in the it was a dream camp. For one thing, his kids had the exact same clothes and were in the exact same position as they were in all his dreams. That said, the whole thing couldn't have been a dream as Mal suggested; there was at least one scene where the top stopped spinning on it's own.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Who said the top was HIS totem? It was Mals, and he obtained it from within her dream. You only ever see it in either the safe or his hands, but remember that the dream could be architected by someone else, and that time has a factor of 1min:12min for every level you go down (5 min = 1 hour), and requires stronger and stronger chemical mixes to stay down.

Also, while we see him in the airport, there is an absence of "normal" moments, like driving up to the house. It would be normal for a top to stop spinning. Perpetual motion would be abnormal, and while the top had a wobble, the inception of the idea that it wasn't real was planted in your brain.

I am only playing devil's advocate because he hasn't chimed in with his thoughts. I am still on the fence- his kids haven't aged, and where was the grandmother etc?? It seems like another construct.

[rickfc]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm in the it was a dream camp. For one thing, his kids had the exact same clothes and were in the exact same position as they were in all his dreams. That said, the whole thing couldn't have been a dream as Mal suggested; there was at least one scene where the top stopped spinning on it's own.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Who said the top was HIS totem? It was Mals, and he obtained it from within her dream. You only ever see it in either the safe or his hands, but remember that the dream could be architected by someone else, and that time has a factor of 1min:12min for every level you go down (5 min = 1 hour), and requires stronger and stronger chemical mixes to stay down.

Also, while we see him in the airport, there is an absence of "normal" moments, like driving up to the house. It would be normal for a top to stop spinning. Perpetual motion would be abnormal, and while the top had a wobble, the inception of the idea that it wasn't real was planted in your brain.

I am only playing devil's advocate because he hasn't chimed in with his thoughts. I am still on the fence- his kids haven't aged, and where was the grandmother etc?? It seems like another construct.

This.

except one thing:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I thought that he left the top spinning in her safe to plant the idea that she was really in a dream?  I don't remember him 'taking' it, though I guess it's just implied as it's the same totem.