The rest of this post will be an uncharacteristically positive and disorganized piece of fanboy-freakout exegesis, but first, a proposal; I suggest we stage an international search to find all people who block entire parking lot exits by stopping their car to have little chats with passersby, and then force those people to sit through a lifelong screenwriting class with George Lucas. Just a thought. But now, onto what is, quite simply, a big fucking deal. A Savior of Cinema has appeared in our own time, bursting onto the 2010 movie scene to complete the task initiated by Pixar a few weeks ago; to save us from popcorn movie-hell and renew us unto the incomparable joys of a great piece of popular art;
INCEPTION (SPOILER FREE, DEMIT!)
The 25: Cements Chris Nolan as our primary cinematic pop artist.
A lot rode on Inception for me personally, because I knew going in that, if it succeeded, the American cinema could add a new Great Director to its ranks. I suppose I should explain why, in my eyes, I'm only now considering Christopher Nolan eligible for that title despite his consistently impressive filmography. This leads me to myTHREE TIMES THE CHARM RULE (TM), which I tend to use to determine whether a specific member of the filmmaking community can truly be deemed "great" at what they do. As implied by the title, I only declare actors, directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, caterers and other cinematic artists "great" if they produce three great works; one to announce their considerable promise, another to consummate that promise, and a third just to prove that sheer luck's lightning didn't somehow strike twice. While actors have been inducted into the Greatness Club with an exciting frequency this millennia-Clooney, Seymour Hoffman, Winslet, and Swinton to name a few-I haven't really inducted a new director since, oh, Sofia Coppola made Marie Antoinette in '06. I feared that, after Memento and The Dark Knight Nolan would screw me over with numero tres. But I secretly hoped it'd be three strikes for the guy, and, after seeing his latest and best work, it's a wonder I ever doubted him at all!
Trying to explain the astonishing maze of a plot is like trying to teach sight reading to blind people. Suffice to say its about Dom (Leo DiCaprio), whose power to invade dreams gets him wrapped up in a dangerous scheme that requires him and his literal "dream team" (Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page) to invade a very disturbed subconscious. Also involved are two competing businessmen (Ken Wantanabe, Cillian Murphy), and Dom's wife (Marion Cotillard), whose cryptic past really starts to fuck things up for our heroes. But now I want to talk about what makes this film great;
1) Pure Imagination-The inside of a dream has been done to death cinematically, but rarely as completely and cleverly imagined as in this picture. Nolan spent ten arduous years creating a set of rules by which to define his dream-verse; laws that allow entire cities to change shapes like origami and scores of characters to shatter basic tenets of physics, but laws that also create concrete consequences, all the while fitting in with our own perceptions of dreaming like pieces in a puzzle. (Example: Death in these dreams isn't dangerous because you wake up from dreams when you die, but non-fatal pain is a very real concern, as it isn't enough to rouse you from your nightmare.) As movies slowly creep past their centennial, there is a very real fear that there's very little new ground left to break. Well, folks, there's a scene here where Gordon-Levitt's character defies gravity twice, first by transcending it and a second time by re-instating it. I dare skeptics to watch this scene, along with that mind-boggling Paris sequence, and not feel their minds expand just a bit. In a day and age where we have to pick through film after ossified film to find fresh imagery and ideas, Inception brims over with original thought.
2) Confidence-Ah, isn't it bliss to find a film that believes in us?!?! That thinks we're smart, that demands our involvement and then repays it amply and often! AAAAAAAH ORGASM--Anyway. Seriously, its breathtaking how much this film trusts us. Within the first ten minutes, we've entered not just a dream, but a dream-within-a-dream, and we've been informed of almost the entire mythology of the world these people inhabit. Your noggin spins as the plot careens from one twist to the next, always with a sly confidence that says "more where that came from!" Sometimes you're barely keeping up with Dom and his cohorts, and other times you're about half-a-step behind them. This is an exhausting experience, and you'll leave the movie with no energy, blank-faced and worked-over. Which, of course, means that this is great stuff. You can't appreciate this film if you see it with bff's you txt, kids you babysit, or partners-in-crime you want to make back-row babies with. It requires that you lose yourself in the film, which of course, is a hallmark of intelligent, truly transcendent cinema. I saw something at today's screening that gave me great hope for the future of the form. Throughout the previews, Iphones and Icee straws received plenty o' lovin', and couples young and old whispered. But slowly, phone screens went dark, slurping faded away, and even the tiniest titter died out entirely. Pathetic and estrogen-y though it may be, I got a lump in my throat as I realized that audiences were still more than willing to give a movie their all-it just had to do the same.
I'm going to attempt to do some real-world good now. I'm telling you to fork over whatever cashmonies you have to see Inception-it's worth it. Then, I'm telling you to see it again, re-evaluate the spells it casts. Spread the word. Go in groups. Hell, go with me on my fourth or fifth or sixth planned viewing and we'll discuss the two hours of mind blowing that just occurred over dinner. The point is, lovelies, I want you to make Inception the highest grossing film of the summer. It won't fix Hwood's creative hepatitis, but hell, it might encourage them to churn out a few more big-budget works with the kind of unorthodox spirit that powers this modern-day masterpiece. (I give it an A. Duh!)
The Singular Scene: That ending. Witness it in theaters and be a part of the group-gasp of total shock and awe.
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