INCEPTION Is a Dream Come True

Director/writer Christopher Nolan has explored dark, obsessive characters in exemplary films like The Dark Knight. In his most ambitious story yet (one that took ten years to develop), he designs a thoroughly complex story with concurrent narratives (think Godfather Part II or Intolerance) where (like his earliest film, Following, and his classic, Momento,) time and reality are bent and juxtaposed. This is not light, escapist fare but a deep, convoluted story that engages the mind and heart, and few movies in recent years can be so challenging yet rewarding to its audience.

A man named Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) washes ashore and is taken by armed guards to an old man. From there the film begins to jump in different settings or dream states. Cobb is an expert at the art of ‘inception’, the ability to enter people’s subconscious to steal an idea or plant one. A fugitive, he longs to be reunited with his two children and is constantly plagued by recurring visions of his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), who becomes increasingly dangerous. A wealthy Asian businessman, Saito (Ken Watanabe), makes a proposition to Cobb: extract a piece of information from a rival businessman (Cillian Murphy), and Cobb gets to return home to his kids. Vowing this to be his last job, Cobb assembles his team of experts, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a newbie architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), a forger and impersonator, Earnes (Tom Hardy), and a drug chemist, Yusuf (Dileep Rao). To infiltrate Fischer’s mind, the team designs an elaborate set of dreams within dreams to effect a con game. This compounds the risks and, as Cobb finds himself being harassed by a more menacing Mal, the team encounters last minute crises that force Cobb to make a desperate choice. Can they get Fischer to reveal his secrets in time, and what of Cobb’s personal obsession?

The plot brings to mind the alternative realities of The Matrix, Dreamscape, and Altered States. Like the magicians in Nolan’s The Prestige, it is a slight of hand where much of the film’s narrative plays like stream of consciousness. It’s about a lifetime of love that’s experienced in mere flashes or an eternity, and despite the film’s intricate machinations, its simple themes are the search for validation and love. The film is also about the need of letting go and taking a leap of faith. At times you wonder if any given scene is real or a dream, and that is the conceit of the film; for some, the dream IS the reality.

The team concept is in keeping with Mission: Impossible and Oceans 11 (any version) as each member’s expertise comes into play, and the deeper the team goes into the dreams, the greater the risks. In one key sequence set in a snow mountain compound, there is an obvious homage to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and you wonder what wonders Nolan could work on the James Bond franchise!

This ‘dream’ cast works together very well and includes Nolan’s repertory actors, Murphy and Caine. DiCaprio (looking astonishingly like Nolan) does an excellent job as the tortured soul with a dark secret. Cotillard is hauntingly beautiful as Cobb’s wife while the younger Page is adorable as the bright architect who also serves as Cobb’s moral compass when he begins to falter and have self doubts.

The film’s technical accomplishments are outstanding, and although the special effects are terrific in depicting the mind bending scenery, the live action sets and stunt work (with Levitt doing some remarkable acrobatics) are even more impressive in depicting mixed gravity where people float or walk on walls and ceilings. In a masterful blend of film editing, the dream sequences shuttle back and forth, and time is slowed to a crawl in one instance, and given years in another. Hans Zimmer’s relentless, minimalist score is a particularly noteworthy achievement of mood and dramatic pacing.

This is not a perfect film, and (at two and one-half hours) there are moments where you think Nolan could have explored more of his subjects. A director like Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard might have emotionally milked certain scenes for all they are worth, and it is because of that, we expect a bit more connection and feelings. Like most of Nolan’s films, the brooding characters and situations are almost entirely devoid of humor or any lighthearted tone which brings to mind any number of Stanley Kubrick films. While some may find the ending a bit too neat or perhaps too open ended, it is left to the audience to decide how to interpret the meaning of the finale. Yet these are minor quibbles for grand, pure cinematic experience. Nolan has created something so special that it engages the mind. How dare he?

With Inception, Christopher Nolan is most certainly one of the best film directors. His previous masterpiece, The Dark Knight, should have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Come to think of it, that very film helped change the Oscar rules to expand from five to ten nominees so that gems like Inception are not left out. It won’t be. Do take this wild ride, and you’ll find that you are obsessed with its mystery and beauty and repeating the journey again and again.

**** of **** stars

SHORE LEAVE 32 AND GALACTICA STARS

Shore Leave 32, the annual sci-fi convention weekend, in Hunt Valley, Maryland, had its usual merchandise dealers and celebrity guests including Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Torri Higginson (Stargate: Atlantis) , Catherine Hick (Star Trek IV), Dominic Keating (Star Trek: Enterprise), Katee Sackhoff (24), and Edward James Olmos (Miami Vice). The show was a great opportunity to get personal insight into an actor’s career. I had the chance to talk to both Olmos and Sackhoff and to attend their Q&A sessions. Both were very nice, forthcoming people.

With longer, gray hair, Olmos looked older from his days on Miami Vice but no less distinguished. He was lavish in his praise for the recent Battlestar Galactica series which took a simple 1970’s concept and expanded on its human elements and important themes and garnered Emmy nominations and the Peabody Award. His costar Katee Sackhoff was a mainstay on that show as well.

The Emmy winner was asked about other work in his career including Blade Runner and Stand and Deliver for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Stand and Deliver is based on a true story of an inner city math teacher whose class took the advanced placement test and excelled to the astonishment of the country. Triumph of the Spirit was also a true story about a boxer in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, the only non-documentary film allowed to film on location.

When asked about who influenced him as an actor and who he rated as an admired contemporary, he chose the legendary actor Paul Muni as the most important. Meryl Streep is the one current actress he acknowledges as being so good, that she stands alone in her abilities.

Katee Sackhoff was smaller in person than I thought, with auburn brown hair and not the blonde villain, Dana Walsh, as portrayed in the final season of TV’s 24. She told of how she did not know she was the traitorous mole until later that season and subsequently knew her character would die. Her death scene, which had her shot by Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, involved explosive blanks and blood squibs at close range. She said she forgot to put earplugs in her ears and could not hear for days.



She had just heard that her pilot, Boston’s Finest, was not picked up for the upcoming TV season but that she had two guest spots in Big Bang Theory. Such is the life of a working actor. She auditions all the time for roles that often go to the likes of Katherine Heigl and Claire Danes and failed to win roles in It’s Complicated and Million Dollar Baby. She would love to be on the TV show Glee and just auditioned twice for a role in Mission Impossible 4. She owns a Harley Davidson Fatboy motorcycle and plans to ride to New Orleans and follow the Easy Rider route this fall.

There was a good turnout for this event, and many fans were dressed as favorite characters from sci-fi shows. Klingons, Star Fleet officers, Cylons, Stargate soldiers, and even R2D2 made appearances. After a search for collectible film memorabilia, I was ready to switch from groupie to civilian.

TOY STORY 3 Is a Winning Number

Completing one of the greatest trilogies in movie history (joining Star Wars and Lord of the Rings), Toy Story 3 is everything one could wish for and more. These familiar toys that come alive with feelings and interplay became the cornerstone of Pixar Studios and a string of superlative animated gems. Disney should be thanking its lucky stars.

Picking up from the previous films, Andy has played with his beloved toys for years and explored imaginative adventures and thrills that are the stuff of a rich, wondrous childhood. The old gang is back with Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and the others. As Andy approaches college age, it is a time of change, and the toys lament at not being played with anymore. They are destined for the attic or the trash dump… or maybe a chance to entertain kids at a day school. Lest you think the field of toys gets too crowded (Little Bo Peep and Etch a Sketch have moved on), there are some nice additions (Barbie doll gets to romance Ken), and some not so nice ones.

Sunnyside Daycare seems to be an ideal situation with children who want toys, and toys needing to be needed (a kind of schoolyard version of ‘The Island of Misfit Toys’); it appears to be a match made in heaven. There’s even a connection between Andy and a daycare staffer whose daughter, Bonnie, is beginning to play with her first toys. But a mysterious leader emerges in the form of a stuffed bear, Lotso (a charming Ned Beatty), who has a rigid pecking order or hierarchy for the toys, and that leaves our newcomers at the mercy of the youngest, most violent kids who abuse them.

As Woody finds a temporary home with Bonnie and tries to make it back to his friends, Buzz attempts to find out the truth of the daycare and is captured. From there, the film becomes an escape story as the toys struggle to flee their daycare prison. Last minute rescues are trumped by surprises and betrayal, and salvation can come from the most surprising source. Will Woody and Buzz save the day, and what will become of their toy brethren? Will the toys find happiness somewhere perhaps?

What has never failed is that the filmmakers treat their audience with intelligence and respect. It also does not depend on one seeing the past films, but it does help in order to appreciate certain references. The Pixar team led by director Lee Unkrich and screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) should be commended for never losing sight of the story. The cast of voices including Joan Cusack, Don Rickles (priceless as Mr. Potato Head), Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger (who has voiced in every Pixar film), and newcomer Michael Keaton (as Ken) are terrific. They do a better job of acting and emoting than many a live actor.

The film’s first hour or so is good but not great. It is in the final scenes that the themes of loyalty and sacrifice take on a deeper meaning, and the film blossoms with pathos. The notion of abandonment and wanting to belong resonate universally. As the toys learn that they can make other children happy and feel a purpose again, Andy also learns a lesson in life: passing the torch from one child’s happiness to another. It’s about growing up and letting go while finding closure amidst a time of uncertainty and change. Imagine that-a kid’s film that is affecting to adults!

If this is the end of the precious series (with record box office grosses, I find that hard to believe), it has ended on a very high note. Do stay for the end credits as you learn a bit more about the fate of our beloved toys. As much as I would hate to see these animated friends go, I should remember that these jewels are to be shared and cherished by future generations. How’s that for life imitating art?

**** of **** stars (preceded by another winning short, Day and Night))