OT: Inception

[pixburgher66]

okay, i'm in one of those "OHHHH MY GOSH I JUST SAW THE BEST THING EVER" modes. you know, the ones RIGHT after you've seen a movie/play/heard a song. the real excited phase. well...i just got back from inception, and i can honestly say it's in my top 3 movies already, after ONE viewing. if you happen to be traveling to the theater, and are in need of a suggestion, I HIGHLY recommend this one. incredible. Leo DeCaprio with another awesome performance...the guy had a lull there, but he's back with a vengeance.

 

[IPostedWhat]

I would see the movie, but Leo's in it.

Oh well.

 

[pixburgher66]

there once was a time i also hated leo...but he's played some darn fine roles. Shutter Island was pretty epic as well...the credit in both goes to the phenomenal writing however, not as much the acting. seriously, the concept behind the movie is completely mind-boggling.

 

[puckhead]

already climbed up to #3 on imdb's top movies list
IMDb Top 250

 

[anderwho2513]

Christopher Nolan is by far the smartest man to hit Hollywood in a long time. His brother is a freaking genius too. The ideas for Memento and Inception are mind-blowing, and the themes and structure of Batman Begins, Insomnia, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige are terrific. He is without a doubt the only must-see writer/director out there.

I can't wait to see the new Superman he is writing.

 

[Darkstone42]

When Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are involved, you know you're going to get a quality film, and one that makes you think. They're a fantastic producer/director tandem. And they cast very well. Also, DiCaprio is usually pretty good in things that aren't Shakespeare, and I don't remember this being a Shakespeare play, so he was allowed to act well. The rest of the cast was good, too, as I'm a fan of both Michael Caine (who isn't?) and Ellen Page.

But what it really comes down to is that I just really like movies that make me think. Inception accomplished that.

 

[dare2be]

Ellen Page is what caught my attention to this movie in the first place.

 

[Dacks]

Spoiler

Great, now let's get to discussing the multi-dreamlevel heist at the end, because I've got some questions about things that didn't quite make sense.

 

[Jimmy_the_Tongue]

What's wrong with Leo?....wasn't really a big fan of his either but I thought he was great in The Departed...

 

[The Croz Man Cometh]

already climbed up to #3 on imdb's top movies list
IMDb Top 250

It also has Toy Story 3 up there in 8th place. Don't believe what the masses say. Nowadays, it is all about "Hey, I just saw that, it was the best movie ever." At least until the next movie they see.

I guess I am a bit of a movie snob (as my friends have called me) because I am really harsh on a lot of movies. At least imdb got the number 1 movie right though.

 

[Comeds]

Christopher Nolan is by far the smartest man to hit Hollywood in a long time. His brother is a freaking genius too. The ideas for Memento and Inception are mind-blowing, and the themes and structure of Batman Begins, Insomnia, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige are terrific. He is without a doubt the only must-see writer/director out there.

I can't wait to see the new Superman he is writing.

I like Nolan, but I think he is hit or miss.
Loved Momento.
To me the Dark Night was good but not great (I preferred Iron Man that summer and I prefer Eckhardt's performance to Ledger's) and The Prestige was OK, though its just like the book which I wasn't that fond of.
I don't like Batman Begins a lot, its got a whole wasted part where Bruce becomes a jedi which I think is awful. Once it gets to Gotham its decent.
I think Insomnia is a bad movie.

I do think Inception looks very good and plan to see it. While Leonardo looks like a pretty boy, he has won me over with a lot of his roles. I think he is a damn fine actor. Joseph Gordon Levitt is really good and underrated IMO (see Brick a great and odd high school noir movie).

 

[pixburgher66]

croz, toy story 3 was great...i wouldn't put it that high, but it was an amazing way to close out a series i've loved since my childhood.

dacks...who DOESNT have questions. what is yours though? speaking of the very end? because i thought it was an awesome way to end it...i mean, it could be said that he did get stuck in limbo, and that's the world he created...it could say that his wife was right the whole time and he needed to wake up again...but, i think the greatest message is that our reality is relevant to only us. reality is what we make it...so, if he accepts that realm as his reality, it IS reality.

also i <3 ellen page. she is THE BOMB.

 

[pixburgher66]

I like Nolan, but I think he is hit or miss.
Loved Momento.
To me the Dark Night was good but not great (I preferred Iron Man that summer and I prefer Eckhardt's performance to Ledger's) and The Prestige was OK, though its just like the book which I wasn't that fond of.
I don't like Batman Begins a lot, its got a whole wasted part where Bruce becomes a jedi which I think is awful. Once it gets to Gotham its decent.
I think Insomnia is a bad movie.

I do think Inception looks very good and plan to see it. While Leonardo looks like a pretty boy, he has won me over with a lot of his roles. I think he is a damn fine actor. Joseph Gordon Levitt is really good and underrated IMO (see Brick a great and odd high school noir movie).

i think leo has become an amazing actor. seriously...thinking back to his most recent roles, he's been a part of great movies. i think i was always hesitant because his career has been defined by titanic and the chick flick roles he played in his youth. seriously, go see this one as quickly as possible. and Levitt is VERY underrated, 500 Days of Summer was great.

 

[Comeds]

I like Ellen Page and think shes a good actress (and cute) but she scares me since I saw Hard Candy. That and those Cisco ads where she drops by the school.

 

[Darkstone42]

i think leo has become an amazing actor. seriously...thinking back to his most recent roles, he's been a part of great movies. i think i was always hesitant because his career has been defined by titanic and the chick flick roles he played in his youth. seriously, go see this one as quickly as possible. and Levitt is VERY underrated, 500 Days of Summer was great.

DiCaprio only sucks in Shakespeare. Of course, that's the first role in which I saw him, so he's had to grow on me. And he has.

 

[pixburgher66]

DiCaprio only sucks in Shakespeare. Of course, that's the first role in which I saw him, so he's had to grow on me. And he has.

ahh, you saw the modern day crap version of Romeo and Juliet? i hated that movie. too weird. there aren't too many movies i don't like that he's done though...blood diamond was awesome, shutter island was awesome, titanic still holds a happy place in my heart (female...it happens, OKAY! ), Gilbert Grape was a pretty intense/emotional movie. seriously, his last few movies have been Inception, Shutter Island, Revolutionary Road, Body of Lies, Blood Diamond, The Departed, Catch Me if You Can (not the same...but decent IMO), The Aviator, Gangs of New York...that's a nice resume.

 

[Dacks]

The big thing is the "kicks", and the multiple kicks they needed to get out of the various dream levels. The way I understood it, based on the opening scene and the training montages, was that a kick in reality would bring you out of a dream, and a kick in a dream would bring you out of a dream, etc...

So now let's go to the big multi-level dream of the climax. Let's label the levels.

Level 0 (reality): on the plane.
Level 1: The van driven by Yusuf.
Level 2: The hotel.
Level 3: The snow fortress.
Level 4: Cobb's subconcious. (Assume for now it's NOT limbo.)

So to bring Fisher, Juno and Cobb out of Level 4, Eames has to blow up the fortress in level 3. To bring everyone out of level 3, Arthur has to do his simulated kick using the elevator in level 2. To bring everyone out of level 2, the van driven by Yusuf has to hit the water. To bring everyone out of level 1 and back to reality, it's never shown but I assume the sedative wears off and the attendant wakes them up.

In this case, I have two questions:

1) They refer to two kicks in level 1: once when the van goes off the bridge, and once when it hits the water. Most of the characters missed the first kick because they were in level 3, a level too far. But Arthur was in level 2, he should have been woken up by that kick. Is it possible to ignore a kick?

2) Why does Juno throw Fisher off the balcony in level 4, and then jump herself? Wouldn't the kick from level 3 (blowing up the fortress) have been enough to pull her up a level?

If you believe level 4 is limbo, and not just another deeper dream state, then it gives you a possible answer to number 2 but brings up new questions.

Anyway, a great movie. For the record, Leo is great in pretty much all of his non-romantic roles.

 

[pixburgher66]

i think that if you're, say, at level 4 (the self-created world of Leo), then a kick from the level up (snow fortress...was it a hospital? i couldn't tell) would move them up? i think the reason it's so confusing is because of the time differences.or maybe she threw herself off because it killed her, automattically moving her up a level, because blowing up the fortress only moves them up to the hotel level of consciousness. man...i confused myself there.

 

[Dupster]

I'll see the movie eventually, but, as usual, will wait until the crowds die down.

As for Leo, he's a decent actor. Nothing great. Not nearly the worst, though, either. I just think it's kind of funny that most of the "leading men" in our era who sometimes take on tough guy roles are like 5'10 and 170 pounds. Would any hockey player actually be scared of Leo? Or Brad Pitt? Or Johnny Depp? They might have had second thoughts seeing John Wayne or Marlon Brando or Clint Eastwood in their primes.

 

[Dacks]

i think that if you're, say, at level 4 (the self-created world of Leo), then a kick from the level up (snow fortress...was it a hospital? i couldn't tell) would move them up? i think the reason it's so confusing is because of the time differences.or maybe she threw herself off because it killed her, automattically moving her up a level, because blowing up the fortress only moves them up to the hotel level of consciousness. man...i confused myself there.

Hospital and snow fortress are the same level.

Let's start under the assumption that level 4 is limbo. How do you get out? Well I'm assuming a kick isn't enough, because otherwise they wouldn't really be worried about Saito. So I guess we can assume a kick isn't enough to get you out of limbo. The only way out of limbo is death, which would explain why Ariadne and Fisher need to go off the balcony.

But isn't Cobb killed by Mal? I thought she stabbed him. In which case why didn't he move up a level as well? And if the only way out of limbo was death, what was the point of the explosions in level 3? They seem to serve no purpose.

On the other hand, assume that level 4 isn't limbo, but just a deeper level of dreaming. Now the explosions in level 3 make sense. It also explains why Cobb let's Mal kill him; because he needs to go to limbo to find Saito. This returns us to the question; why does Ariadne jump? If she dies, she'll end up in limbo too, which she doesn't want. Does she just know that the explosion in level 3 will occur before she hits the ground?

Lots of questions. I'm sure Nolan will release some explanations with the dvd...