Inception Review & Game Levels

Couldn't stand it any longer & went to see » Inception .. the new movie (starring Leo) everybody's talking about .. how it represents a generational divide. Younger viewers love it (totally), while old farts don't get it. (Huh? Say what?) Unable to follow the 'dense narrative'.

Inception: The Movie / FilmLet me tell you. I am sooo glad I get it. Cuz that means I'm not an old fart. (Least not yet.) But I was worried.

The movie is mentally stimulating. I love movies that do that. No, I didn't find it difficult to follow. Not at all. I don't get what there's not to get.

And there have been other movies that WERE difficult for me to follow (.. such as Syriana). Yes, you *do* have to pay attention.

Inception is defined as » beginning, start, origin, source. So, the question naturally becomes » Beginning of what? The origin of what? [ Answ » an idea. ]

Biggest thing that struck me was the recognition of an 'idea' as something powerful. Dangerously so. That ideas can grow & spread & grow some more .. until. [ Check out some of the ideas contained in the book titled » The Great Thoughts, which you can open to at any random page .. for examples of ideas that have grown. ]

The driving force of the plot is the goal of planting an idea into someone's subconscious .. so deep that they think the idea *originated* with them. That it was their own idea. That they believe *they* were the source. Hence the film's title.

And dreams are how you go deep, because our protective psychological defenses are suppressed during sleep. But to go real deep, you need to have a dream within a dream. All of a sudden, your point-of-reference for reality becomes obscured.

Inception poster - Movie FilmThis is where you need to pay attention, and where older viewers might depart from narrative 'reality.' The film actually does a 'triple' » a dream within a dream .. within a dream. Where am I? would not seem a strange question at this point.

The scene from which I grabbed the screenshot posted above is destined to become a classic in the annals of 'special effects'. In the trailer, it's cool. But in the theater, on the big screen, with big, honking speakers turned up loud, it's a real trip.

And they just sit there .. on the sidewalk at the cafe. (Just like you in your seat at the theater.) Great contrast with everything going to pieces around them. That one scene is reason enough to see Inception on the big screen.

They're sitting in an unreal world called a dream. You're sitting in an unreal world called a movie. What's the difference? I'm sure you've always wanted to know what it feels like to have your world go to pieces around you.

Other James Bond-like effects were thrown in. All nicely done. Maybe even better than.

••• today's entry continues here below •••

»» Game levels in Fancy Pants 2New Level = New World

Critics explain the generational divide this movie represents by looking at GAMERS. Here's a quote:

"The same narrative density that puts off the older viewer is a delicious challenge for the gamer."

Like the movie, video games are structured with different levels & worlds .. things gamers understand. New level = new world (new map). And what kid does not play video games?

That's how Fancy Pants works .. the game the kids were playing just last week.

Beyond game levels however, the movie is really about » lucid dreaming .. where you're in control of your dreams. In the film they call it » 'pure creativity'. (The architect girl returns because she can't resist something so addictingly creative.) [ Similar things have been said about the creative potential offered by programming. ]

I started drooling when they said, "Pure creativity." If you've ever visited my splash page (» splash.rad), you know how I respect & value & admire creativity. The web definitely offers an element of creativity.

[ In nuclear power, they don't want you experimenting with creativity. No, just follow the procedure, please. Verbatim compliance. Do not begin step #2 until you've completed all of step #1. Very different world. ]

I used to know a girl who could dream lucidly. Ever since she was little. As she got older, she honed her techniques. I never really got the hang of it, tho. Too tired. I sleep like a dead man. She was the only person I ever knew who claimed to be able to dream lucidly. (Interesting girl. Sensitive. Remarkably intuitive.)

The Bug has told me he's had dreams where he was FLYING .. .. just like Peter Pan, dad. I thought that very cool. Been having some wild dreams myself, lately, too.

In the movie, I loved the part where they get in the old freight elevator .. the one with the button labeled 'B' (.. for Basement). That's where everybody keeps their gnarliest, ugliest secrets hidden away. Only the brave dare venture down there. (Or the crazy.)

If I had to describe the film with a single word, I'd have to say .. It's a » 'trip'.

»» Johann Wolfgang von GoetheGoethe Quotes

Speaking of dreamy ideas .. I've been tripping recently on the quotes of a German dude named » Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced gur-tuh, 1749-1832). He had some interesting ideas. .. the most famous of which, is probably:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, & magic in it.

» But my favourite is:

This is the highest wisdom I own » freedom & life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew.

I keep a link to that quote on my desktop. Read it dozens of times. In fact, that's what inspired me to quit drinking coffee (for a week) last month. I also like this quote (.. about raising kids).

Bob Came in Pieces»» Love is...

For Father's day, the Bug made a card at school. On the line following where it said, "I love my dad because..." was written » "He helps me with the hard levels." =) [ He's talking about playing games. ]

One other idea in the movie that struck me was » Your mind is not limited in sleep as it is during your waking hours, where it's limited to ~10% capacity. Is that true? How would you measure?

My favorite line was » "Down is the only way forward." =) That brought a smile to my face. I know that feeling. [ Been there, done that. ]

When you get to the end however, you learn the story is really about » a dad trying to get back to his kids .. and going thru hell to get there. (Similar to what you find in » Finding Nemo.) So yeah, I could relate.

Have you noticed how Leonardo seems to specialize in films that feature a tortured soul fighting a closet full of demons? starring in both Shelter Island & Inception, which both depart from reality (psychoses), tho in different ways.

Speaking of actors, my friend the lucid dreamer once said, What kind of person wants to be someone else? Think about it. (She enjoyed acting, but not actors. Found them strange.)

For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » inception review film movie christopher nolan dicaprio

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This page contains a single entry by Rad published on August 6, 2010 8:06 AM.

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