[Edwood]

Just saw it last night.  Holy crap.  Amazing.  So wonderful to have a smart sci-fi movie with a "real" story. 
 
Inception is definitely Movie of the Year for me.
 
-Ed

 

[tacomn]

I cant remember a top box office hollywood movie that I enjoyed anywere near this movie. Fantastic action movie that is very creative and arty at the same time.

 

[tacomn]

movie of the year? so far yes, any movies that you guys want to see in the future?

 

[fuseboxx]

Whoa 10 replies since I last visited the thread. I see a few more supposed elaborations on the negative criticisms, but all of it is really just a rehash of prior points that have already been addressed with sound arguments that have been conveniently avoided.

 

[chadbang]

And to think all this could have been avoided if movie theaters only gave refunds to unsatisfied viewer. I know I would have been a lot less pissed off if I had't dropped $35 taking the family.

 I think what's also gotten me on a roll is some knuckleheads comparing the film the "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Citizen Kane". Come on! Talk about Flavor of the Month syndrome. Don't @#$% with "2001" around me, that's for sure. Oh well, this will always happen. Just stretch your mind back three months ago when "Avatar" was the second coming for all these kids....
 
 
But "film of the year" I guess we'll see at Oscar time. So far wehave : Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Clash of the Titans, How to Train Your Dragon, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Robin Hood, Shutter Island, Sex and the City 2, Kick-Ass and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Inception, Valentine's Day, Despicable Me, Salt, and The Book of Eli.
 
 
Hm, it has been a pretty crappy year for films, at that. Look at that list, scarcely one film that isn't aimed at the teen set. No wonder a little pseudo-intellectural sci fi popcorn-burner seems like the second coming. I think my vote so far is for Toy Stoy 3, but that gets shuffled off into the animation category. Hence the brilliance of creating that special category...''
 
 
However, the year is young. Coming up to bat:
 
 
 

[*] The Sicilian Girl
     Music Box Films

[*] Cairo Time
     IFC Films

[*] Flipped
     Warner Bros

[*] Middle Men
     Paramount

[*] The Other Guys
     Columbia

[*] Step Up 3D
     Touchstone Pictures

[*] Twelve
     Hannover House

[*] The Wildest Dream
     National Geographic Cinema Ventures

[*] Animal Kingdom
     Sony Classics

[*] Eat, Pray, Love
     Columbia

[*] The Expendables
     Lionsgate

[*] Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
     Universal Pictures

[*] Tales from Earthsea
     Studio Ghibli

[*] The Butcher's Son
     7-57 Releasing

[*] Vampires Suck
     20th Century Fox

[*] The Lottery Ticket
     Warner Bros

[*] Mao's Last Dancer
     Samuel Goldwyn

[*] Nanny McPhee Returns
     Universal Pictures

[*] Piranha 3-D
     Dimension

[*] The Switch
     Miramax Films

[*] Centurion
     Magnet Releasing

[*] Going the Distance
     Warner Bros

[*] The Last Exorcism
     Lionsgate

[*] Takers
     Screen Gems

[*] Mesrine: Killer Instinct
     New American Vision

[*] The American
     Focus Features

[*] Last Train Home
     Zeitgeist Films

[*] Machete
     20th Century Fox

[*] White Wedding
     Dada Films

[*] The Winning Season
     Lionsgate

[*] Legendary
     Samuel Goldwyn

[*] Logan
     Real Bean Entertainment

[*] Lovely, Still
     Monterey Media

[*] Resident Evil: Afterlife
     Screen Gems

[*] Never Let Me Go
     Fox Searchlight

[*] Alpha and Omega
     Lionsgate

[*] Devil
     Universal Pictures

[*] Easy A
     Screen Gems

[*] Jack Goes Boating
     Overture Films

[*] The Town
     Warner Bros

[*] The Wild Hunt
     Hannover House

[*] You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
     Sony Classics

[*] Buried
     Lionsgate

[*] Howl
     Oscilloscope Laboratories

[*] It's Kind of a Funny Story
     Focus Features

[*] Legend of the Guardians
     Warner Bros

[*] Waiting for "Superman"
     Paramount Vantage

[*] Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
     20th Century Fox

[*] You Again
     Walt Disney Pictures

[*] Genius Within: the Inner Life of Glenn Gould
     Lorber Films

[*] Night of the Demons
    

[*] Bagman
     Metropolitan (MTA)

[*] Douchebag
     Paladin

[*] Freakonomics
     Magnolia Pictures

[*] Let Me In
     Overture Films

[*] The Social Network
     Columbia

[*] Chain Letter
     New Films Cinema

[*] Inside Job
     Sony Classics

[*] Life As We Know It
     Warner Bros

[*] Nowhere Boy
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] Secretariat
     Walt Disney Pictures

[*] Stone
     Overture Films

[*] Tamara Drewe
     Sony Classics

[*] Vision
     Zeitgeist Films

[*] Conviction
     Fox Searchlight

[*] Jackass 3D
     Paramount

[*] Red
     Summit Entertainment

[*] The Company Men
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] Hereafter
     Warner Bros

[*] Paranormal Activity 2
     Paramount

[*] The Company Men
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] The Howling: Reborn
    

[*] Monsters
     Magnet Releasing

[*] My Soul to Take
     Rogue Pictures

[*] Saw 3D
     Lionsgate

[*] Due Date
     Warner Bros

[*] Fair Game
     Summit Entertainment

[*] MegaMind
     DreamWorks Animation

[*] Welcome to the Rileys
     Samuel Goldwyn

[*] Wild Target
     Freestyle Releasing

[*] Fair Game
     Summit Entertainment

[*] Morning Glory
     Paramount

[*] Skyline
     Universal Pictures

[*] Tangled
     Walt Disney Pictures

[*] Unstoppable
     20th Century Fox

[*] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
     Warner Bros

[*] Made in Dagenham
     Sony Classics

[*] The Next Three Days
     Lionsgate

[*] Burlesque
     Screen Gems

[*] Faster
     CBS Films

[*] The King's Speech
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] Love and Other Drugs
     20th Century Fox

[*] Red Dawn
     MGM

[*] Tangled
     Walt Disney Pictures

[*] Bruce Lee
    

[*] The Tree of Life
     Apparition

[*] Kids in America
     Universal Pictures

[*] Miral
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader
     20th Century Fox

[*] The Fighter
     Paramount

[*] The Tempest
     Miramax Films

[*] Everything You've Got
     Columbia

[*] TRON: Legacy
     Walt Disney Pictures

[*] Yogi Bear
     Warner Bros

[*] Country Strong
     Screen Gems

[*] Gulliver's Travels
     20th Century Fox

[*] Little Fockers
     Universal Pictures

[*] Somewhere
     Focus Features

[*] The Illusionist
     Sony Classics

[*] True Grit
     Paramount

[*] Another Year
     Sony Classics

[*] The Debt
     Miramax Films

[*] Blue Valentine
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] 127 Hours
     Fox Searchlight

[*] 1981
     Film Movement

[*] Brotherhood
     Phase 4 Films

[*] Carancho
     Strand Releasing

[*] Come Undone
     Film Movement

[*] Conan
     Lionsgate

[*] Dead Man Running
     Phase 4 Films

[*] Frankie and Alice
     Freestyle Releasing

[*] The Hero of Color City
     Magnolia Pictures

[*] Hoodwinked 2: Hood Vs. Evil
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] Horrorscope
    

[*] The Hungry Ghosts
     Virgil Films & Entertainment

[*] I Spit on Your Grave
     Anchor Bay Entertainment

[*] Last Day of Summer
     E1 Entertainment

[*] Leaves of Grass
     First Look Studios

[*] Legacy
     CodeBlack Entertainment

[*] The Matarese Circle
     MGM

[*] Moomins and the Comet Chase
    

[*] Night Catches Us
     Magnolia Pictures

[*] Poetry
     Kino International

[*] Possession
     Yari Film Group (YFG)

[*] The Poughkeepsie Tapes
     MGM

[*] Putty Hill
     Cinema Guild

[*] Quantum Quest: a Cassini Space Project
    

[*] Reign of Assassins
     The Weinstein Co.

[*] Rough Hustle
    

[*] This Man
    

[*] The Three Stooges
     MGM

[*] Untitled Rafael Edholm Project
    

[*] William S. Burroughs: a Man Within
     Oscilloscope Laboratories

[*] The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
    
 
 

[*]  
Frankly, I'm waiting for the Cohen Brothers remake of "True Grit" with Jeff Bridges...
   
 
 
 
 
 

 

[AmanGeorge]

Quote:

Just saw it last night.  Holy crap.  Amazing.  So wonderful to have a smart sci-fi movie with a "real" story. 
 
Inception is definitely Movie of the Year for me.
 
-Ed

 
 
x2

 

[Radio_head]

Saw it during opening week.  Only downside to me was the predictability of some of the twists.  But overall I loved it.  Just went to see it again last night at the imax at navy pier in chicago.  Wow.  definitely best of the year.  I know it may be FOTM, but I know a lot of people rearranging their "favorite movies" list to incorporate this.  Me included.

 

[tacomn]

I really enjoyed it but it def. had faults, as do all movies. Nothing is perfect. To me it was a tad to long in that it was lingering a little bit. If it was shaved down 20 minutes less it still would of reached the same purpose as the director intended. Another grip is how it seems nolan is bad with dealing with woman in his movie, memento as well as batman. As a result, the core of the plot, the love story between dicaprio and his wife didnt work. I just didnt really care about it.
 
Also would of enjoyed if there was more abstractiveness due to how thats how dreams are, there pretty crazy. For instance I think it would of fit in well if there was random things and  people popping up and the character have to hide them from cilian murphys character to prevent a blown cover. Like when they go into the hotel room there happens to be a naked old fat woman laughing in the other room and quickly they have to dispose of here so fischer subconscious doesnt get alerted. 
 
But dont get me wrong, thought it was a great action movie and yet was arty as well as quite clever. Very refreshing to see a top boxoffice action movie that isn't a assault on ones senses as well as there intelligence. 

 

[Uncle Erik]

fuseboxx, "Jackass 3D" ought to have a livlier script and better character development than "Inception."

Conveniently avoiding arguments? I don't think you were paying attention. Go read some classic books, watch some classic movies and watch "Inception" again in about ten years. You'll wonder what you were thinking.

 

[tacomn]

well I have read and seen many great books/movies . I understand the importance of character development. Beside from the woman in the movie (not being sexist, nolan cant seem to do womans characters right0z) , I kinda cared for the characters. There was character development, but was done in a different way. I give you it wasnt done in a deeply matter as you get a sense of the character on assumptions, there actions, and witty lines. But this isnt citizen cane here. I think you have so much against this movie due to its immense popularity. I would be interested in how your perceive it in 10 years when you watch it again 

.

 

[fuseboxx]

 
Quote:

fuseboxx, "Jackass 3D" ought to have a livlier script and better character development than "Inception."

Conveniently avoiding arguments? I don't think you were paying attention. Go read some classic books, watch some classic movies and watch "Inception" again in about ten years. You'll wonder what you were thinking.

This shows that you were the one who was clearly not paying attention since I've already said previously that I've seen tons of classic movies. Maybe even more than you since it looks like you're concentrated only on the AFI list... IDK.
 
Jackass 3D? LOL. Now that's just trolling. For shame.

 
A couple of things you conveniently stepped over were these:
 
 
Quote:

How can you say that you don't know anything about Cobb? He has a wife that died because of something he did and he's trapped with this guilt. He has two children that he desperately wants to see; so desperate to the point that he's willing to sacrifice the well-being of his teammates because he's so obsessed to clear his name and reunite with his kids. And throughout the film, he does this juggling act between what is real and what is not... but at the end accepts the reality he's presented with regardless if he's in reality or he's in a dream.

Quote:

Why do some people think that great films have to explore great themes and give insight into life? At the very minimum, Inception at least deals with our perception of truth and dealing with reality. It is so important for us to grasp what is real, even if the dream is so much better? Would Mal and Cobb have been better off growing old in limbo instead of being kicked back to a grim reality? Does it matter in the end if you're in reality or in a dream if you're genuinely happy?

 
 
In your reply all you said was: 1) The plot was flimsy and boring; 2) How Inception was different from Star Wars and Alien (another convenient argument, btw, but I'll let it slide); 3) It will not be a classic. Nothing that directly addresses the points I make above.
 
And as for chadbang stepping over things in a similiar manner, I was interested in how he'd reply to this since his major gripe was the plausibility of it all:
 
Quote:

It explained and showed as much as what was needed. When watching sci-fi films featuring shuttles in outer space, do you need to know everything about how and why they got there to legitimize the plausibility of it all? Or what the milk-like substance was that Ash was drinking and filled wiith in Alien? Or how Ripley was supposed to survive 57 years in hypersleep for the sequel?? Does an in-depth exploration of the Ludovico technique need to be discussed in order to make its use credible in A Clockwork Orange? Did you need to have a summary of how the components of the DeLorean worked in order to make Back To The Future more enjoyable? Maybe a study of detailed history Androids to heighten the experience of watching Blade Runner? In viewing any sci-fi film, there surely has to be this amount of suspension of disbelief because it's science-fiction ***. Who is even there to say about these things being implausible? We're talking about stories fueled by scientific innovations that are merely imagined. All the writer and director have to do is explain as much as is needed to drive the story. This is one of the things that Inception does exceptionally well and the film goes on to discuss a lot of related elements about dreaming throughout the film.

 

[chadbang]

The reason why all those things don't matter - the "white stuff inside Ash? Android antifreeze?; the "Ludovico technique"? Try watching 30 porn movies and WWII documentaries in a row and you'll know how it works; how Ripley suvives for 57 years. Suspended animation? Sequel Syndrome?; the Delorean - a flux capacitor, silly -- the reason why they don't matter is because the entire films don't hinge on the believeabilty or mechanism of these details. They're little parts of films that are great because of vital elements missing in Inception. Inception had no humor, no characters and a shell of a story, but it had one big concept to sell it: The Mission Impossible team jumps into your brain. I couldn't take that idea seriously in a film that took itself so seriously.. The only scene I bought was when the "architect" slipped into Leonardo DiCaprio's dream where she rode the elevator up and down and found his wife tucked away. There was something surreal about that scene and highly personal that worked. Yes, perhaps I can see one person slipping to into anothers subconscious -- and if they did, it would be a highly emotional, very personal and surreal experience for that other person (again, I'll mention the J-Lo movie "The Cell.")  But I certainly dont' buy a team of commandos leaping into someone's brain like the A-Team en masse to plant an idea in someone's head via this grand (and rather stupid) heist caper.  It was just beyond ridiculous. That's what I mean when I say I never bought the concept. It was so idiotic, how could I?  My 15 year old daughter loves and watches Dr. Who - it's thought-provoking stuff for her.  Sorry but when you get to be my age, that sort of silliness isnt even worth your time -  but I suppose some people will swallow anything once the lights go down.. Start Trek was thought-provoking when I was 12. Now I laugh at it's corny plots.  That's how Inception played to me, sort of, well, stupid and silly. The last 1/3 or the film was just insultingly brainless to me, I was in pain trying to sit through it.. But I suppose at that point I was supposed to be thinking "Oh, cool, look at these guys chasing each other upside down on the ceiling! Awesome!" Instead I was thinking, "Why am I watching this?"

 

[Maxvla]

Voicing my support for Chad and Erik. I too came away from the movie feeling as though I had just taken in a piece of candy, sweet but empty calories.
 
I gave the movie an 8/10 because I did enjoy the experience of watching it. This movie left me with nothing to think about, which is strange considering it's supposed to be a mental thriller. I seriously had more thought provocation from the original Matrix than this movie. I walked out of the door to the theater and felt there was nothing else to consider. I got in my car and forgot all about the movie I'd just watched. I saw The Sorcerer's Apprentice earlier that same day and thought about it on the way home, not so with Inception.

 

[grokit]

So you guys are saying that because Inception took itself too seriously, that you couldn't?
 
BTW, I thought that the original Matrix was extremely thought-provoking. Quite a few books have been written about the philosophical angles of that movie.

 

[hembergler]

I loved the movie. It's certainly not going to go down as an all-time classic, but it was a solid two (and a half) hours of entertainment for me. And entertainment is usually what I aim for when I go to the movies.
 
Definitely a fun flick