Topic: [SPOILER] Inception - Discussion

[RossRoy]

I've not seen Inception yet, or read the discussion, but I thought you all might have a kick out of this one:
http://comixed.com/2010/08/02/4-koma-comic-strip-or-just-fantasy

[Achim]

Thanks Jon, I am relieved to see that Empire agrees with us and quickly erases our biggest question marks. Only one they don't address is the wedding ring issue, but that may not be an issue after all if the guys from (Cool) Shite on the Tube had it correct. Maybe the few times Cobb is wearing it is only because Leonardo forgot to take it off

I will have to read Marie's and Sebastien's links later.

[RossRoy]

I will have to read Marie's and Sebastien's links later.

Nothing much to read on mine. Just a 4 panel comic

[Achim]

Nothing much to read on mine. Just a 4 panel comic

But an awesome one at that!

EDIT:

I found a few things about Inception on the Entertainment Weekly website.  Stuff that was in the article in the magazine, though not the full story.

A good read. I guess the complete article must be interesting, although maybe also with a lot of promotional stuff in between.


Just checked BoxOfficeMojo:
Domestic Total as of Aug. 1, 2010: $193,313,741
Worldwide:  $364,813,741

So, it seems the film is in the clear now and Nolan will get to make more stuff like that


EDIT 2:
Loosely related, but I found this interesting:
Remembering What Never Happened
The mythical memories: How a fifth of us fondly recall happy events... that never actually happened

[Najemikon]

[Dragonfire]

 

[Najemikon]

When you know the film, that last frame is priceless!

[Dragonfire]

Yup. 

Achim, the article in the magazine has a bit more on the making of the movie.. and I think a few quotes from some of the cast.  I need to read it again.  I think it's a good article.  It has a few things that could be minor spoilers I think, but no big spoilers.  And no clarification from Nolan on any of our questions....not that I expected that.

[archeklein]

I've just watched Inception 6 hours ago and still am thinking about the movie. It sure is freakin awesome! And still people where I live think it's hard to understand & not good at all. What a pity.




I've read most of your discussion, but I'm still wondering if anyone has the same idea with me about Adriane's totem? When I first saw it, it's simply a rook or a king piece which can't spin, not even with it's head. Still, the top thing is the only other totem I saw through the entire movie, so I'm starting to wonder whether there is other ways for totems to prove between reality and dreams?




And I agree with the one who said that Cobb doesn't even care if he's in a dream or not at the end of the movie. Hmm and the top maybe is a proof to Cobb's thought in my opinion. It is supposed to spin continuously without fail if it was a dream. But we can see it shakes before the screen turned dark, so I think it's because Cobb started to convince himself the world he's in then is reality. Of course, I doubt that, because his children remain the same as the day he left them. They're supposed to grow up, right? Gosh and for a second when he or his father called them, I had a hope that when they turn to face him, they would be grown up & older somehow. But nah, I'm not the director for God's sake.




Just one more sentence. I LOVEEEEEE EAMES AND ARTHUR!!!!! Especially when Arthur becomes the target to demonstrating a kick X"D

[Najemikon]

Hey, welcome to the forum and thanks for waking this topic up again! 

The theory about the kids is one a lot of people pick up on. They don't seem to age. Certainly I was torn by it, but then I read that Nolan used older actors and just dressed them, positioned them, in the same way to throw us off. In fact, check out IMDB:


   Claire Geare    ...    Phillipa (3 years)
   Magnus Nolan   ...    James (20 months)

   Taylor Geare   ...    Phillipa (5 years)
   Johnathan Geare   ...    James (3 years)

 

Note how three are related. That would be why we recognise them as being the exact same kids, when in fact, they are older. Really looking forward to the Blu-Ray to check this out again.

The thing about Totems is that it is simply supposed to be an object only you know intimately. Weight would be the biggest thing; how it feels, grounding you in reality. Moving parts would be deceiving. The spinning top is a good one because it also makes a particular sound when spun, but really it's just a conceit for the character and makes good cinema.

Plus the fact it can move really screws with us at the end... 

[archeklein]

They're different in different scenes? That'd be unimaginable if you didn't tell me actually now since I knew that, when I get the Bluray I'll try my best to tell the differences between them. Still, I would've doubted their "realness" even if I knew before watching. When James called Cobb and Phillipa spoke something too, I had feelings that she must be at least 10 or more, based on her voice.

And thank you for greeting me, I didn't pay attention to the last post's date hehe. There's only one place in my city which showed Inception although there are tons of cinemas, that's why I couldn't get to watch it until today.

I watched it with my closest friend and urgh! She guessed out the old man from the first scene was Saito only 40mins after the start! And I wasn't paying attention when we got in, cuz we were 5 mins late actually, so I didn't know that until the scene played again near the end. Anyway, I'm glad I found so many people who think that the movie is BOMB, honestly. From what I've heard people here aren't that interested in it, since it takes time & brain (haha) to understand, but my guess is they rarely use theirs when going to the cinema for leisure =v="


I'm sorry I don't have good English so I can't quite understand what you meant about the Totems Jon I think I do get something but... Haiz afterall I'm still curious how Adriane use hers )

[Dragonfire]

When Adriane was making hers, she was knocking it over I think.  So maybe hers is supposed to fall in reality and stay standing in dreams.
The other guy...rats..I can't remember his name now.  The one that Joseph Gordon Levitt plays.  Anyway, he talked to Adriane about the totems at one point and he told her that his was a loaded die..and he wouldn't let her touch it.  I think I remember him telling Adriane that any small object would work...but make sure she didn't let anyone else know how it worked.  Spinning, falling over or whatever.

[Najemikon]

Don't worry, you have very good English if your writing is anything to go by. It's more likely my explanation!

A totem is supposed to be a plain object that no-one would attach any value to. By keeping it with you at all times it takes on new significance. You know how every part of it feels and you would know straight away if someone stole it or swapped it for a copy. It would not feel real. So the characters in the film use these objects as "anchors", because only they know exactly how it makes them feel and if that's wrong, they're likely to be still in a dream.

So it doesn't matter that a totem doesn't move by its own accord, because it doesn't matter what a totem is! You probably have one; a wrist watch, a necklace, or even a wallet. Imagine how you'd feel if someone took your wallet, even if only to look in it...

That's why the spinning top has so much significance. It isn't his. He's inherited it and the irony is he relies on it absolutely, so it's his weak point. If one of the theories was true, that he is trapped in a dream engineered by his wife, she could easily trick him because it was her totem.

I don't agree with that theory, but it does demonstrate the importance of the totems.

Inception has proved a huge hit in the US and UK. Is it not doing so well where you are then?


I hadn't seen Marie's post before I finished that...

When Adriane was making hers, she was knocking it over I think.  So maybe hers is supposed to fall in reality and stay standing in dreams.
The other guy...rats..I can't remember his name now.  The one that Joseph Gordon Levitt plays.  Anyway, he talked to Adriane about the totems at one point and he told her that his was a loaded die..and he wouldn't let her touch it.  I think I remember him telling Adriane that any small object would work...but make sure she didn't let anyone else know how it worked.  Spinning, falling over or whatever.

I don't think it whether it falls or stays standing is important either way, but the particular noise and way it falls. Only she knows exactly how to tip it over, so if it deviates when she does so, that's the clue.


 

[archeklein]

@Jon: From what dragonfire and you said I presume... it could be anything and you are the only one who knows how it should act if you do a specific action to it. And if it doesn't act that way, you know it's a dream. It makes more sense about Adriane's then, she could use hers in anyway she could've thought of.


I live in Vietnam and ... uhhh it's not doing good nor bad, yeah, ppl here get attracted easily by trailers and CF, they watch movies not because they did some research on it and felt like "Oh, this is good, I will definitely be there", they just watch, and judge the movies afterwards. In Inception's case, ppl did buy tickets a lot since the schedule was like 20 times a day from 9AM to 10PM for 3 whole weeks, but the prob is not many showed great interest after watching.


Inception is not the only one which didn't do that good. You remember Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton a while ago? It was even worse. I mean, to me and several Alice fans I know here, it was a huge, huge blast. We loved it. But other people didn't like it, gosh some even said it was lame. What were they expecting, original Alice? No way. Some didn't even know the original story of Alice in Wonderland and they thought they could judge the movie?


I got carried away ;w;

So yeah, story of my life. Movies I love are usually not so well-received by others. Not here.

[Dragonfire]

I think the weight of Adriane's totem was supposed to be important.  I think I read somewhere that she was changing the weight of it in the one scene we see it..when she is using that machine thing.  Though I could be wrong.

I think with the load die the one guy used, it was supposed to always land on the same number.  I'm thinking he might have let Adriane see it..but he wouldn't let her touch it.  

I am definitely getting this one on Blu-ray when it comes out..and I'll probably be looking for all sorts of clues when I watch it again.  Though that doesn't mean I'll find them.  


Oh...I almost forgot..I meant to mention this before, but I don't think I did.
One night I was chatting a bit with someone else from Epinions who had just seen Inception.  I told him the theory we came up with as liking the most.  It made sense to him and he liked it too.