Inception is an Exceptional Mindf**ck
Posted on | July 28, 2010 | No Comments
It’s been more than a week since I’ve seen Inception, and I still haven’t felt this mindf**ked since watching, well, Memento. Not surprisingly, those two movies share the same writer/director: Mr. Christopher Nolan.
Inception is the reason why I watch movies. It’s the reason why I write screenplays. And it’s the reason why I feel that cinema can be not only entertainment, but also a sophisticated (if expensive) expression of art.
Inception is quite simply one of the best movies of the year.
On the surface, it’s a thriller. But it’s also an action movie, a crime caper, a psychological drama, a mystery, and a contemporary sci-fi flick.
An outstanding Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, who is a master of extraction – the crime of entering people’s dreams to steal valuable secrets. But his skills have also made him one of the most wanted men on the globe. His only path to redemption is to accept an offer from Japanese tycoon Saito (Ken Wantanbe) to enter into the dream of a corporate rival — not to steal an idea, but rather to plant one. This dangerous process is called inception, the act of planting an idea so deep into a mark’s subconsciousness that he will wake up believing the idea was his own and, therefore, more likely to act on it.
Most screenwriters would stop at the “stealing ideas in dream” premise and be pretty proud of themselves. But Nolan doesn’t settle for just “good;” he aims for brilliant, and pulls it off by adding the ingenious twist of inception.
Fortunately, Inception’s heady sci-fi themes are grounded by Cobb’s emotional character arc. His highly touted talents belie the fact that he’s actually estranged from his kids and wracked with guilt from holding a deadly secret about his wife.
In this way, Inception is a classic man-vs.-himself conflict, as much as it is a crime caper set in the mind. Without revealing any spoilers, I just have to say that this type of subgenre is usually handled pretty poorly (think The Hulk or The Wolfman), but Nolan makes Cobb’s internal battle pay off in spades.
Cobb’s characterization doesn’t come at the expense of the supporting characters, either. Nolan makes sure each of Cobb’s allies is given a little something to chew on. I could go on and on about Watanabe’s Saito or Tom Hardy’s Eames or Marion Cotillard’s Mal or, especially, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Arthur — but I won’t. Suffice to say, every character brings his or her own intricate piece to the puzzle that is Inception. No wasted faces, no wasted words. Their dialogue rings true, with each person having his or her own cadence and rhythm.
Inception’s screenplay does have one minor flaw, though: there are one too many flashbacks. Actually, they can’t be considered flashbacks; they’re Cobb’s subconscious projections based on his memories that pop up into various people’s dreams.
Um, yeah.
Kinda hard to explain without spoiling the magnificent subtleties. Just know that some of the scenes and images are repeated one too many times.
Audiences these days are so movie-savvy that a flashback (or pseudo-flashback in this case) only needs to be used once or twice to have them get the idea (no pun intended). More than that and it just gets redundant and slows down the pacing. At two and a half hours, Inception could probably endure some trimming and still retain much of its emotional and intelligent complexities.
I could write more about Inception’s cinematography, action, stunts, music, production design, and special effects, but I’d just be slathering on the same type of praise that I have been heaping on Nolan.
In today’s empty movie landscape of mindless remakes and retread sequels, Nolan has written something that is wildly unique, extremely creative, hyper intelligent, and most of all edge-of-your-seat exciting. If you haven’t seen Inception yet, just know that you’re going to come out of it feeling utterly mindf**ked.
Or maybe that’s just the idea that Nolan will plant in your mind….
Tags: Christopher Nolan > dream > dreams > Ellen Page > extraction > Inception > Joseph Gorden-Levitt > Ken Watanabe > Leonardo DiCaprio > Marion Cotillard > Memento > Tom Hardy
No Ed Norton??? Hulk Smash!
Posted on | July 22, 2010 | No Comments
What is up with Marvel Studios’ crazy casting moves lately?
Word came this month that Edward Norton will not reprise his role as Bruce Banner in any Hulk sequels or the upcoming Avengers movie, because of some dispute with Marvel. According to the comic book company, it’s because Norton doesn’t know how to be a team player. But his reps say Marvel pulled the rug out from under Norton during contract negotiations; rather than talk it through, the studio’s allegedly just cut him off and tried to slam Norton in the press for having a big ego and wanting too much money.
Who to believe? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. There’s a really good story from Yahoo Movies that chronicles the recent events.
But looking back, one has to question if Marvel has a master plan for its cinematic comic universe or if it’s just being a reactionary force.
- Exhibit A: Marvel replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Personally, I loved that swap, being a Cheadle fan, but I gotta admit it was a bit jarring to see such a different actor as Lt. Col. Rhodes.
- Exhibit B: Marvel casts Chris Evans, the actor who played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four franchise, as Captain America. Sure, the FF movie series is owned by Fox while the Captain America film rights are owned by Marvel, but do audiences know this? No. They only know that the Human Torch is now Captain America. This is the equivalent of Christian Bale being hired suddenly to play Superman.
Now Norton has been given the boot. What should we make of all this? What should I believe?
Norton’s classy response to Marvel should give us some clues.
He has been known to be super involved with his projects, which can sometimes cause friction behind the scenes (see American History X and The Incredible Hulk). But as a fan of his work, I’d like to think that it’s because he’s hyper intelligent (he’s a Yale graduate) and passionate about his craft. He’s also not just an actor; he writes and directs. So, when he comes onto a project, you’re getting more than just an acting puppet. You’re going to get a creative force who is going to try to make the best movie he knows how.
Does that rub people the wrong way? Apparently.
Regardless of who’s in the right, I think it’s lame that Norton won’t be in any Hulk sequels or the big-budget ensemble epic, The Avengers. I mean, think about what could have been: Oscar-nominated Norton as the Big Green Machine, Oscar-nominated Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Oscar-nominated Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Oscar-nominated Cheadle as Rhodes, with Evans as Cap and up-and-comer Chris Hemsworth as Thor –- all directed by comic-geek genius Joss Whedon?
That would have been effing fanboy heaven! … Now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Tags: Avengers > Chris Evans > Don Cheadle > Edward Norton > Hulk > Iron Man > Marvel Studios > Terrence Howard > Thor > War Machine
SAY IT AIN’T SO: Del Toro Ditches The Hobbit Prequels
Posted on | June 8, 2010 | No Comments
Sadly, the news has not be greatly exaggerated: Guillermo Del Toro will not be directing the big-budget The Hobbit films.
The prequel to The Lord of the Rings was set to be split into two films, be produced by LOTR director Peter Jackson, and be directed by Del Toro (Hellboy and Blade II). Del Toro even moved his family from Los Angeles to New Zealand to work on preproduction and screenwriting on The Hobbit.
Sadly, the innovative filmmaker officially announced last week that he had to pull out due to vague “family responsibilities” and other “contractual obligations.” But it’s clear the decision had more to do with the studio being in financial limbo.
“…it seems Del Toro got tired of waiting around in New Zealand while The Hobbit rights-owner Miramax tries to resolve its financial crisis. That and the fact that his family, who relocated with him to the foreign country, were ready to leave.
‘I believe these films will happen,’ he reassures Hobbit fans, saying ‘preproduction continues as we speak’.”
Let’s hope so! Who will Jackson call on next to direct? My money’s on Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9 and Jackson’s protege of sorts.
Click here to read Del Toro’s complete farewell letter.
Tags: Bilbo Baggins > Frodo > Gandalf > Guillermo Del Toro > Lord of the Rings > Peter Jackson > The Hobbit
Guest Blog: Surviving Hollywood
Posted on | May 20, 2010 | No Comments
Here’s an excellent guest blog on John August‘s site; it’s written by George Sloan, a writer’s assistant on How I Met Your Mother. It’s an insightful and witty piece on how to not only break into Hollywood but how to survive.
Here’s Sloan picture-perfect description of the industry:
“I think of Hollywood as a giant, freezing-cold, bacteria-ridden whirlpool. On the outside of the whirlpool, closest to the shore (and financial security), are the executives, the studio heads, the big-name actors, writers and directors. As you move towards the center, you come upon the lower-level employees. And moving further inwards still, you come to the PA’s. There’s thousands of them, all clamoring and clawing, trying desperately not to get sucked into the deep, dark hole of anonymity and sadness.”
Check out the full blog here.
Tags: George Sloan > Hollywood > How I Met Your Mother > John August > production assistant > Screenwriting > writer's assistant
J.D. Shapiro Embraces Writing “Worst Movie of the Decade”
Posted on | April 2, 2010 | No Comments
Battlefield Earth recently won the Razzie for “Worst Movie of the Decade,” and its co-writer, J.D. Shapiro, wrote the most telling, hilarious, and honest article apologizing for it.
In it he talks about star John Travolta, the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, and how it all went down because of his pecker.
Below is a little snippet, but for the full story, click here.
Let me start by apologizing to anyone who went to see “Battlefield Earth.” It wasn’t as I intended — promise. No one sets out to make a train wreck. Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn’t really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those. It started, as so many of my choices do, with my Willy Wonker.
It wasn’t as I intended — promise. No one sets out to make a train wreck. Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn’t really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those.
It started, as so many of my choices do, with my Willy Wonker.
Tags: Battlefield Earth > J.D. Shapiro > John Travolta > Razzie Awards > sci-fi > Scientology > Worst Movie of the Decade