tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post3807281420319609766..comments2023-10-24T01:19:24.492-04:00Comments on Little Worlds : Reflections on InceptionRichard Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-87325347951703727752010-07-24T21:35:17.469-04:002010-07-24T21:35:17.469-04:00Jason - Thanks for the praise. As for a second vie...Jason - Thanks for the praise. As for a second viewing, I think it's worth it and it seemed to play faster than first viewing - and, as I said, there was time to be gripped. <br /><br />Another thing that bothered me about the van is that the bad guys kept shooting out windows - more windows than it seemed to have. It would have been fine if Yusuf had had a few breaks driving down streets without being pursued. <br /><br />Again, it's not a perfect film - but it has drama, an interesting story, and lots to talk about. Yet the way this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (which rated it a B+) seems to be blowing it up as the greatest thing since <i>2001</i> is a reflection on the serious dearth of decent films that are worth talking about.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-50317896441554750032010-07-24T16:43:34.005-04:002010-07-24T16:43:34.005-04:00Terrific review, Hokahey. This is very well said:
...Terrific review, Hokahey. This is very well said:<br /><br />"But watching Inception I was having trouble connecting with it on the kind of emotionally gripping level that Hitchcock creates in his classic thriller. As much as I was intrigued by the premise and the journey into three dream levels, I felt there was too much information to take in. I was too busy listening - and Watannabe and Hardy's accents didn't help the situation. There seemed to be no time to connect emotionally with a story that I objectively found fascinating."<br /><br />Indeed, the intricacies of the plot overwhelms everything else.<br /><br />Also, in addition to agreeing with Daniel (and you) about all the shooting, I think it could be argued that the jostling of the van could easily provide the "kick" to bring them back toward reality. Maybe Nolan thought he was creating suspense there ("will they wake up?") or maybe he thought he was showing just how deeply they were in dreamland. Instead those images make us question our understanding of the laws of the dream world.<br /><br />I'm somewhat compelled to see this film a second time, just for the moment at the end with Murphy. But here's where the overlong problem comes into play. At just 2 hours, I'm back for another ride. At Nolan's running time, I dunno. It's a lot of time to invest to have everything explained to me again, which felt uninspiring the first time around.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-48169327015083167352010-07-19T22:49:56.188-04:002010-07-19T22:49:56.188-04:00You raise some good questions. I wondered why the ...You raise some good questions. I wondered why the rolling van wouldn't provide the kick... ah, I know - it's because the kick has to come after the music signal, which is a Pavlovian signal to the extractors. You hear the music; then you drool. Uh, no, sorry, you hear the music, then you know to expect THE kick. I think. Or they needed a stronger kick than that to get them out of multiple levels.<br /><br /> Yes - with all those bullets flying around... and yet we as viewers so easily accept the scenario of the good guys evading tons of bullets while the bad guys get knocked over like ducks in a shooting gallery - and especially in the snowy fortress sequence, they went down just as easy as that.<br /><br />In my opinion, the film's biggest failing is all the shooting. There was just too much shooting altogether - too much shooting that did nothing for suspense - and nothing for logic. <br /><br />Yeah, Cobb's just lying there... maybe he thought no one would dare intrude on his dream. Ariadne was ballsy to do that. <br /><br />All these questions are valid - but often things like Cobb just dreaming out in the open are a contrivance to move the plot. When you think of it - all of film is a contrivance - some more artful and logical than others.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-71341771950228854382010-07-19T21:54:47.095-04:002010-07-19T21:54:47.095-04:00Truth be told I think I'm still confused as to...Truth be told I think I'm still confused as to exactly what traits (i.e., gun skill) pass from the real world to the dream world. Meaning, can't you just make yourself better and badder in the dream world, like what's his name "imagines" a bigger gun? That's a good one, though.<br /><br />Others include:<br />*Why did it take SO many seconds for the van to hit the water? I swear, even in compounded time and super slo-mo that was still way too long.<br /><br />*Why would Cobb have been sitting in the warehouse dreaming his intimate little dream and given no consideration to the fact that somebody - in this case Ariadne - would link in and see his secret world? Just didn't seem like he was very private about that. For that matter, didn't Arthur also know about Mal? Why did Ariadne have such leverage?<br /><br />*When the van is rolling, would that not have kicked them all out of the dream?<br /><br />*Maybe I'm an idiot, what was the situation with the gun accuracy? I know the good guys never get shot in movies, but they were dodging so many HUNDREDS of bullets here - without even trying - that I became convinced there was some dream immunity from being shot. Yet that obviously wasn't the case. Can anyone explain away how nobody except Saito got shot or even grazed by a bullet in every level?Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-34451032847054115572010-07-19T19:50:08.821-04:002010-07-19T19:50:08.821-04:00Thanks, Daniel. Your comment here was part of my p...Thanks, Daniel. Your comment here was part of my problem on first viewing: <i>but the weak emotional heart of the story/lack of character development is a problem for me. Not because I wanted a tear-jerker, but because I think it would have made me care more about what was real and what happened at the end.</i> <br /><br />With all movies, that's a big factor for me - the ending means nothing to me if I don't care about the characters. In addition to being confused by the overload of information about how the whole premise works, I did not feel connected at all.<br /><br />On second viewing, with the confusing plot elements out of the way, I felt more of a connection with the characters. Yes, Cobb is not developed very well. We learn more about Mal - and yet Cobb's the main character. But I felt for him in his predicament. He is drawn to Mal out of passion, but she is also "mal" for him because she wants to draw him back into oblivion.<br /><br />As for the film's logic flaws, my son (who has also seen it twice) and I have been helping each other through particular confusions that we think might be logic flaws - and yet we've come up with logical explanations most of the time. I'm sure we'll come up with some, and you are welcome to list some flaws here. I know you love those logic flaws!<br /><br />The one that bugs me is that when they're in the first level in the warehouse, one of them states that they've never had to deal with heavily armed subconscious projections before. So why are they all (including Eames who doesn't seem like the militant type) so good with guns?Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-86298987972697880112010-07-19T18:34:52.800-04:002010-07-19T18:34:52.800-04:00Great thoughts, though I would have preferred a mo...Great thoughts, though I would have preferred a more considered look at all the potential flaws in logic. ;-P<br /><br />Forgive me for copying a comment here about the emotional resonance that I just made elsewhere: "...I enjoyed it in the moment and am encouraged by all the debate today (if only because movies so infrequently produce real debates or discussions these days that aren’t rooted in subjectivity, like whether or not something was “funny”), but the weak emotional heart of the story/lack of character development is a problem for me. Not because I wanted a tear-jerker, but because I think it would have made me care more about what was real and what happened at the end. But I didn’t know anything about these people (even DiCaprio, outside of his marriage), so in the end I can just throw up my hands and say, “that was fun, was it real? Eh, anyway it was still fun.” I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Fischer relationship is what others connected to – those were by far the most well developed characters.<br /><br />Maybe it’s just me, but if Cobb were a more flushed-out character (What was HIS relationship like with his dad? What’s his moral center? How did he meet Mal?), would you care more about figuring all of this out?"<br /><br />And regarding the train, maybe I'm thinking too densely for your question, FilmDr, but if you're referring to the one in traffic, isn't that just a representation of Mal disrupting the proceedings as she is invading Cobb's subconscious, as happens with Saito in the opening scene and Fischer later on? I just assumed she <i>was</i> the train, the only significance being that a train was their suicidal preference in limbo. But maybe I missed something else.<br /><br />Oh, and excellent point about the editing, Hokahey. I was retroactively stressed out by the crazy rioters in the first scene only after I learned who they were.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-48302638808380349962010-07-18T22:12:59.288-04:002010-07-18T22:12:59.288-04:00MORE
1. We say a big NO - because we were disappo...MORE<br /><br />1. We say a big NO - because we were disappointed with the surprise ending of <i>Shutter Island</i> and we want his happy ending to be REAL! We observed that the top wobbles before the cut - and it never wobbles in the dream world. When a top wobbles, it means it's going to stop. Final! The top only wobbles in the weal world. (Couldn't resist that.)<br />2. Well, of course, the train "killed" Dom and Mal to release them from Limbo. The meaning? Rush hour on a rainy day is like being tailgated by a diesel train? The Juggernaut of fate?<br />3. Cuz it's like <i>2001</i>? We've kind of seen it before in that movie that came out last year early - <i>Push</i>. For me, here, it was cool because JG-L was kicking butt.<br />4. I loved that! It must have been fun to edit that!<br />5. The mind can be even more complicated than a maze. <br /><br />Thanks for all the comments!Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-56069711470355724922010-07-18T22:12:30.133-04:002010-07-18T22:12:30.133-04:00Simon - Thanks for the response. As I said, I enjo...Simon - Thanks for the response. As I said, I enjoyed it much more the second time.<br /><br />Jake - Glad you like Gordon-Levitt. He was awesome in <i>Brick</i> and he's so cool here. He is one of the film's consistently solid factors.<br /><br />Craig - Yes, I was pretty serious about wanting more CGI - or more imagination. Great minds - I nearly added a reference to <i>Eternal Sunshine</i> in my opening paragraph in regards to memorable dream worlds.<br /><br />FilmDr - Yes, the film has interesting puzzles - and that's what I enjoyed from the first. And, yes, few films this year have made us think! My son 18-year-old son, who has learned (I'll take the credit) to be a very discriminating film viewer, came home last night late and woke me up to tell me that he thought <i>Inception</i> was "amazing." He loves a movie that takes you to different levels of reality and makes you think. He's also a big DiCaprio fan. Since my second viewing today, we have discussed the puzzles and questions, some of which you pose here.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-58011097887000382472010-07-18T22:11:11.202-04:002010-07-18T22:11:11.202-04:00Simon - Thanks for the response. As I said, I enjo...Simon - Thanks for the response. As I said, I enjoyed it much more the second time.<br /><br />Jake - Glad you like Gordon-Levitt. He was awesome in <i>Brick</i> and he's so cool here. He is one of the film's consistently solid factors.<br /><br />Craig - Yes, I was pretty serious about wanting more CGI - or more imagination. Great minds - I nearly added a reference to <i>Eternal Sunshine</i> in my opening paragraph in regards to memorable dream worlds.<br /><br />FilmDr - Yes, the film has interesting puzzles - and that's what I enjoyed from the first. And, yes, few films this year have made us think! My son 18-year-old son, who has learned (I'll take the credit) to be a very discriminating film viewer, came home last night late and woke me up to tell me that he thought <i>Inception</i> was "amazing." He loves a movie that takes you to different levels of reality and makes you think. He's also a big DiCaprio fan. Since my second viewing today, we have discussed the puzzles and questions, some of which you pose here:<br /><br />1. We say a big NO - because we were disappointed with the surprise ending of <i>Shutter Island</i> and we want his happy ending to be REAL! We observed that the top wobbles before the cut - and it never wobbles in the dream world. When a top wobbles, it means it's going to stop. Final! The top only wobbles in the weal world. (Couldn't resist that.)<br />2. Well, of course, the train "killed" Dom and Mal to release them from Limbo. The meaning? Rush hour on a rainy day is like being tailgated by a diesel train? The Juggernaut of fate?<br />3. Cuz it's like <i>2001</i>? We've kind of seen it before in that movie that came out last year early - <i>Push</i>. For me, here, it was cool because JG-L was kicking butt.<br />4. I loved that! It must have been fun to edit that!<br />5. The mind can be even more complicated than a maze. <br /><br />Thanks for all the comments!Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-61842962733787383542010-07-18T21:23:15.369-04:002010-07-18T21:23:15.369-04:00I would have liked more JGL too, but then I'm ...I would have liked more JGL too, but then I'm a big Gordon-Levitt pusher anyway. He looked downright perfect for the part: he's got the Thin White Duke frame and the high cheekbones to make a great <i>presence</i> in a mystery/thriller even though he's doing a dandy enough job so far acting the hell out of whatever he's in.<br /><br />And as for Caine, isn't it crazy how Nolan has given him three of his best performances in a row, and Caine barely has any lines in any of them? I've got big issues with Nolan as a director despite my fairly unabashed love for him, but his working relationship with Caine may stake a better claim for viewing the director as a genius of economic filmmaking FAR more than his visuals do.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-12208949551259431182010-07-18T20:37:39.219-04:002010-07-18T20:37:39.219-04:00I liked it, despite its (sometimes glaring) flaws....I liked it, despite its (sometimes glaring) flaws.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08085105568601878075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-60333992464406711882010-07-18T20:31:38.110-04:002010-07-18T20:31:38.110-04:00Ahhhh no, Hokahey! Stick to your guns! You hated i...Ahhhh no, Hokahey! Stick to your guns! You hated it -- bring on the hate!<br /><br />Nah, I jest. I think it's admirable that you were willing to see it again, give it another chance. I feel no such compulsion. But, I think your only-half-joking point about wanting "more CGI" is interesting, because I almost felt the same way. On one hand, I was glad not to feel bludgeoned (for once) by a lot of fancy effects. On the other hand, the dreamworld Nolan concocts is terribly dull. I read somewhere that Nolan's not a fan of CGI, and more power to him. But plenty of directors have created vivid dreams or mindscapes on miniscule budgets ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" springs forth as a fairly recent example). I think his problem is simply a failure of imagination -- an unimaginative statement, I know.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-89079770208051708032010-07-18T19:32:33.445-04:002010-07-18T19:32:33.445-04:00Thoughtful work. I found myself not even remember...Thoughtful work. I found myself not even remembering the beginning of the film, as if I needed the expository scenes about dream logic and mazes (with Ariadne paying attention) before allowing things to snap into focus. Your critical points are all valid, but I tend to give the weaknesses of the film a pass because a) the film is way better than most anything released recently, and b) because the movie has thought-provoking puzzles, such as:<br /><br />1) Is Dom dreaming at the end? If he is, the whole movie changes.<br />2) What is the significance of all the train imagery?<br />3) Why is all that zero gravity fighting and body-in-the-elevator stuff so memorable?<br />4) the different time speeds running simultaneously<br />5) the significance of the mazes<br /><br />And so on. I like any film that resonates on so many levels. Have we ever had a blockbuster-type film like it?The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.com