In Contention

Tag: Inception

  • ‘Inception’: the dream is (too) real

    It seems almost mandatory to begin any discussion of “Inception” with an acknowledgement of its scale of ambition – both aesthetic and intellectual – not least when set against the sights of most other $200 million summer studio pictures.

    So yes, let’s acknowledge it. Christopher Nolan’s latest is an uncommonly heady and intricate tentpole blockbuster, taking on themes of memory, mortality and family that, in conventional Hollywood logic, don’t tend to mesh with noisy, rain-sodden car chases and 007-style explosions in remote Arctic fortresses. I saw it on Monday in pristine IMAX splendor, and took immense pleasure in watching something on that scale that demanded to be kept up with, puzzled out, mentally reassembled, and not merely looked at. And yes, in a season of few mainstream pleasures — and unsurprising ones at best – I’m glad it’s in theaters.

    But it’s easy to praise “Inception” for not being the film it was never intended to be in the first place. Certainly, we can pat Nolan on the back for having crafted an immeasurably brainier and more beautiful summer blockbuster than “Transformers 2,” or even “Iron Man 2,” but to me, it feels glib and condescending to do so: handling with kid gloves a work that asks to be judged by more rigorous standards.

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  • Meet me halfway

    (Yes, more “Inception.” I’ll be writing about it once more today. Certain readers have been warned.)

    One day away from “Inception,” and after a fresh spate of reviews hit the web in the past few days, a familiar “you’re either with us or the terrorists” mentality is starting to emerge. We had a taste of it last month, when critics not on board with “Toy Story 3” were taken to task for daring to sully its Rotten Tomatoes rating — and already, even mild detractors of Christopher Nolan’s latest are being branded “bitter,” “haters” or simply “wrong” by the film’s more enthusiastic online champions.

    Predictably, some are labeling the film a “love it or hate it” deal — a statement that necessitates boxing a number of mixed or conflicted reactions into the “hate it” pile to be true. Todd McCarthy’s indieWIRE review, for example, is a respectful piece that nonetheless states some reservations with the film, but has been conveniently described by Jeff Wells as a “slam.” I’ll detail my own thoughts on “Inception” later today, but I’m already being told in some quarters that I’m against the film because I judged it a flawed-but-respectable “B/B-” effort in my initial Twitter take.

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  • In case you missed the Zimmer/Marr performance

    Eek!  Another “Inception” post?  Hopefully that’s okay for certain…types.  But in case you missed the live stream of Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr’s performance of the “Inception” score after the premiere last night, have a look/listen (with lead-in red carpet interviews to boot):

  • ‘Inception’ prologue comic online

    I was just wondering the other day why Warner Bros. had not taken advantage of a very real opportunity to cross-promote Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” directly to the comic book crowd.  Every other blockbuster film these days seems to have a dubious tie-in book, be it “Transformers” or “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” or “Terminator Salvation,” etc.  Even television frequently embraces it.

    Meanwhile, “Inception” is the kind of thing that would be most interestingly supplemented by a graphic work.  This is a world of high-end caper-type imagery that can go far on the page with smart storytelling behind it.  But I figured it wouldn’t happen.  We didn’t even get a tie-in comic for “The Dark Knight,” the first time that’s happened with a Batman film.

    Well, it looks like a similar plan was in the cards all along.  The studio has released the digital comic “Incetion: The Cobol Job” exclusively at LeonardoDicaprio.com, but it’s also on Yahoo! Movies, so that’s not really “exclusive,” I guess.  It’s not bad, though writer Jordan Greenberg has drastically simplified what is a bit more sophisticated in the film.  But that’s probably a necessity.

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  • Now what?

    With “Inception” very nearly upon us, those of you who have been salivating over Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster for months on end will need to find something else to look forward to. Call it waiting withdrawal, if you will.

    Happily, the good folks of In Review Online have compiled a handy list of their 25 most anticipated films due in the latter half of 2010 (or later, depending on the US distribution situation). Thanks mostly to my festival exploits of the past year, I’ve already seen nine of them, most of them well worth waiting for — and the InRO editors were kind enough to invite me to write up my favorite film of the year thus far, Sylvain Chomet’s “The Illusionist,” for the list:

    If seven years seems like a long time to have waited for a feature-length follow-up to French animator Sylvain Chomet’s cheerfully batty “The Triplets of Belleville,” the intricacy of the hand-drawn imagery on display in “The Illusionist” should put you in a forgiving mood. (Beauty shouldn’t be rushed, as Heidi Montag could well tell you.) It’s been some time since we’ve heard from Jacques Tati, too, though his entirely reasonable excuse is that he’s been dead for 27 years.

    Read the rest, and their thoughts on 24 other films, here. No prizes for guessing their (and everyone else’s) #1.

  • THE LISTS: Top 10 performances in Christopher Nolan films

    The word of the day Friday will most certainly be “Inception,” as casually interested movie-goers and anxious fanboys alike line up to take in Christopher Nolan’s latest effort.

    Now, I have suggested in this space that the film’s ensemble is an organic one, alive and driven.  And that the performances are separately less than their sum impact. It nevertheless seemed a good time to look back over Nolan’s septet of offerings thus far and cherry pick the best portrayals for a return to this semi-regular feature at In Contention.

    Nolan always puts together a great cast. His carefully selected leads tend to ably balance themes of identity, control and psychosis, while highlighted supporting parts always prove to be charming outside-the-box considerations.

    With the latter in mind, I’d have loved to make room for the Steven Tobolowskys, Rutger Hauers, David Bowies, Ritchie Costers and Tom Berengers, but I naturally kept settling on the larger roles when push came to shove.

    So, without further ado…

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  • Yes, but what did you think?

    Speaking of “Inception,” might New York Magazine want to demand a little more out of its chief film critic than cheap shots at early opinions of the film? To wit:

    …out here, in this even more perplexing dream we call “life,” it’s being hailed as a masterpiece on the order of 2001: A Space Odyssey…

    …and:

    …I truly have no idea what so many people are raving about. It’s as if someone went into their heads while they were sleeping and planted the idea that Inception is a visionary masterpiece and—hold on … Whoa! I think I get it. The movie is a metaphor for the power of delusional hype—a metaphor for itself.

    Not to mention stuff like this, which I’d expect to turn up on a two-month-old blogspot before a national outlet with some level of sincerity:

    A team of colorful specialists! Cool! So it’s, like, Mission: Impossible in the Dreamscape-Matrix!

    The obvious lesson: traditional media gets cranky when the whipper-snappers get dibs.

  • Zimmer and Marr to perform ‘Inception’ concert

    The publicity machine is oiled and clicking around Hans Zimmer lately, as well it should be.  The composer seems to be enjoying a hot streak of celebrated creativity as of late, thanks largely to his recent collaborations with director Christopher Nolan.

    Nolan’s much-anticipated film “Inception” will hold its Los Angeles premiere tomorrow night at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.  Following the screening, Zimmer and guitarist Johnny Marr (who contributes guitar accompaniment on the film’s score) will be performing a special concert at a private after-party across the street at the Disney-owned El Capitan Theatre.  They’ll be backed by a 20-piece orchestra.

    But don’t fret.  The party might be private, but them press release notes that the performance will be streamed live on the internet at http://www.ustream.tv/inceptionpremiere.

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  • Nolan on ‘Inception’ IMAX

    I’ve seen “Inception” twice now and will most definitely be going back for a third helping.  And personally, I’m kind of dying to see this thing on IMAX given how much of a truly immersive experience it is.  Coming Soon has an exclusive clip of Nolan discussing his thoughts on as much:

  • Tom Hardy on ‘Inception’ and being Nolan

    In Kris’s thorough rundown of the collected performances in “Inception,” I was both pleased and unsurprised to see rising British star Tom Hardy come in for praise. From the outset, his is the name I’ve been most intrigued by in the film’s formidable ensemble. Hardy has been doing stellar, even stunning, work on stage, TV and on the Britfilm scene — culminating in a British Independent Film Award for “Bronson” last year that should rightfully have been the start of a longer awards trail.

    But “Inception” — a minor role in 2001’s “Black Hawk Down” notwithstanding — really marks the actor’s arrival in mainstream Hollywood, and he’s obviously made it an auspicious one. Call it groundwork for his bid for superstardom in George Miller’s revival of the “Mad Max” franchise: he’s an inspired choice to fill Mel Gibson’s shoes, so here’s hoping the rest of the reboot is similarly adventurous.

    It’d be exciting to see Hardy become a star, and not merely because he’s a fine actor. His sullen model’s features and inked-up boxer’s physique don’t quite fit Hollywood’s leading-man mold; nor does his messy (and gladly disclosed) backstory of early alcoholism and addiction.

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  • On the performances of ‘Inception’

    As a number of people have pointed by asking, my review of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” doesn’t offer much perspective on the performances in the film.  The reason is probably a combination of a few things.

    For starters, I wanted to be as careful as possible to write a spoiler-free review that could be enjoyed by those who haven’t seen the film, and whenever I would find myself considering this or that performance, I felt detailed commentary on plot seeping in.  So I pulled back.  But more importantly, and this is no swipe at the talent on screen, the real star of the film is Nolan and his imagination.

    That sounds like a cop out, but it’s not.  I really and truly didn’t get a whole lot out of the performances.  My favorite is perhaps the least emotional turn of the piece, a steely, confident, at times physically demanding piece of work from an actor I admit rarely does it for me: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  He lays claim to the character you’d probably trust sooner than the rest if you found yourself in these mind-bending circumstances and does it without histrionic swagger.  I dug that.

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  • So, is ‘Inception’ a go for Oscar?

    Now that the review embargo walls have crashed on “Inception” (though most of what’s out there is web-based media as we’ll wait a while for print reactions), I guess it’s fair to dive into the awards implications of the film.  I preferred to stay away from that kind of talk in my review.

    The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the history of Best Picture nominees is the fact that, on some level, they are fairly undemanding efforts.  There’s a pattern of simplicity of narrative, regardless of genre.  Now, most seem to think the general positive assessment Nolan’s film has received should be enough to get it into a field of 10 nominees, but I’m a touch skeptical.

    “Inception” is anything but undemanding.  It’s a cerebral exercise that will have some recalling Robert Downey Jr.’s swipe at “The Dark Knight” a few years ago: “I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.”  We all remember Nolan’s superhero epic did not make the cut with five slots.  And the thought process for some is, well, it’s time for AMPAS to kiss and make up.  Except that’s not the typical AMPAS thought process, and certainly not for a still youngish talent like Nolan.

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  • REVIEW: “Inception” (***1/2)

    In reviewing 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” I wrote that director Christopher Nolan “has made a brief career of exploring characters built upon their somber, in some instances twisted pasts, however distant or immediate.” The theme continues with “Inception,” a film like nothing you have ever seen before that plays out like a two-hour therapy session, wrapped in the accoutrement of a heist film and bathed in the panache of an entirely immersive cinematic experience.

    The hero is Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man trying to find his way home, to paraphrase the filmmaker. But is home just a dream, some fantasy trapped in the “what if” corridors of his mind? Or is it possible that maybe through one final job of contrived gobbledygook he might find his way to the life he was forced to flee years before?

    Cobb’s black market profession is “extraction,” a type of mind theft dependent on dream manifestation technology developed by military intelligence for training purposes. If you want someone’s secrets, Cobb’s your man. For a price, he and his crew will go into the individual’s subconscious and bring it to you on a silver platter. But it’s a dangerous job, given the complexities of the process, not to mention the complexities of dealing with the kind of people who’d pay for such a thing.

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  • A toast to ambition

    It’s fascinating to me, the similarities between Leonardo DiCaprio’s two 2010 endeavors, Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” (which I will review in short time).  The themes and considerations in both have the same blood pumping through their veins.

    I’m talking about ideas of repressed trauma, avoidance of reality, the impact of children on a psychology, the kinds of things you don’t often see handled delicately, if at all, in blockbuster entertainment.  It’s a profound coincidence, really, one that further reveals an ambition in DiCaprio’s career choices that shouldn’t go without commendation.

    I think his work in “Shutter Island” is more powerful, more complete, more assured.  And despite ignorant jabs accusing the actor of being “stuck in a Scorsese rut” as of late, he and the 40-year veteran have managed to make each collaboration unique and fresh.  And by the way, he’s very much up to the task under Nolan’s helm as well.

    So mark this as an appreciation.  DiCaprio has always been a forward thinker, never content to rest on laurels or take an easy paycheck.  He doesn’t get enough credit for that.

  • Preview Zimmer’s ‘Inception’ score

    Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is 13 days away, though the bulk of reviews will be dropping in 51 hours.  How’s that for a countdown?

    The score from Hans Zimmer is exciting the same people behind the scenes who saw greatness and potential awards success in his work on “Sherlock Holmes.” It’s already available for pre-order at Amazon, but even though the album doesn’t release until July 13, you can listen to excerpts from the ominous work.

    The guys at Nevermind Pop Film went to the trouble of collecting a nifty sampler widget from the tracks available in part at Amazon.  It’s a dense work, very unique to Zimmer’s experiences collaborating with Nolan, but I wonder if it will have the same staying power in the awards season as the delightful melodies of “Sherlock Holmes.” Which would speak nothing to quality, mind you.

    Have a listen after the jump and judge for yourself.

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  • ‘Inception’ character featurette

    More and more, the drop zone date of July 16 feels like an oasis out there somewhere in the middle of the summer. “Inception” has screened to some long-lead press and will be shown to more Thursday night. I don’t think there’s anyone who isn’t actively anticipating this thing, so how about another trailer/featurette to pass the time?  And we finally get a good look at Tom Hardy!  MSN has the exclusive, so click the image below to have a look, or check out the embed after the jump.

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  • OFF THE CARPET: One for the toys

    Despite a precious few naysayers, Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” which hit theaters this weekend to an all-time high opening number for the studio, has become an odds-on awards season favorite.  Nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and, of course, Best Animated Feature seem like no-brainers.

    Additionally, though some might make arguments for this indie title or that, I think the threequel is one of only two films to have already hit multiplexes in 2010 that have a water-holding argument for placement in “the 10.”  The other, ironically enough, is fellow animated endeavor “How to Train Your Dragon.” But as we reach the half-way point of the year, “Toy Story 3” has become the first release that could conceivably take the whole enchilada.

    It’s surprising to note that this, one of the most creatively and financially successful franchises in film history, has not one competitive Oscar to its credit.  John Lasseter received Special Achievement honors for the first installment 15 years ago, but that was it.  Something else was worth noting in 1995, however.  The first film was also the one to break a certain barrier of legitimacy for animated features in the Oscar race.

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  • Combing through the first-half contenders

    With the year nearly at its midway point, the Hollywood Reporter’s Gregg Kilday has taken on the rather fruitless task of sussing out potential Oscar contenders from the last six months of releases. As you will no doubt be shocked to hear, he doesn’t find many — declaring “Toy Story 3” the year’s first viable Best Picture nominee (just as Pixar’s “Up” wound up as the earliest release on the 2009 slate).

    Not that this is a particularly new phenomenon. Bar the occasional “Crash,” “Erin Brockovich” or “The Silence of the Lambs” — films that tend to grow into their Oscar-contender status rather than have it thrust upon them — studios tend to save their prestige product for the year’s latter stages. Everyone and their pet lizard knows that.

    But as Kilday points out, considering last year’s expansion of the Best Picture field was a shameless grab for more blockbuster nominees, none of this year’s summer (or spring) behemoths up to now could be deemed credible contenders. (That he even bothers to consider the chances of “Alice in Wonderland” is cause for major shuddering.)

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