That I love the greatest film ever made is no secret. And so, as with almost every great love in history, mine must be tested, challenged, and assailed at every turn and Phil has fired the first (official) volley.
only use details...
In case you haven’t been reading (in which case we’ll have to change that with inception), the challenge he has posed for me is to write one Inception-themed post a week till the end of the year. Which you know – if you have any idea the kind of person I am – isn’t much of a challenge at all. But since most of you readers probably don’t keep track of the lives of nerdy, maladjusted obsessives through their online avatars, this first post will be a primer about me.
As well as a fucking awesome exercise in vanity and narcissism.
For starters: sure, you may like the film. But have you let everything including your career and sex life fall by the wayside due to your anticipation for the film? Because if I had either of those, you could bet that I would have!
There have been three US trailers for Inception and I have a story for my watching each of those.
Trailer 1:
This teaser for the film was attached to some prints of Inglourious Basterds. I emphasize the word ‘some’ because my disappointment never lets me forget certain things. After having paid $14 to see the first bit of footage of Nolan’s new film on the big screen, all I got on the print I saw was a bunch of people talking about Hitler with David Bowie somewhere in there.
Needless to say, I was kind of pissed.
this was your responsibility!
So after the Quentin’s film ended, I walked up to the customer service desk and told them I needed to know which print they had had the Inception trailer and that even if they had to accompany me to make sure I didn’t sneak into another movie, I had to see it before I left. The manager took me to the right theater and I had my first real taste of Inception.
Yeah, that’s my life.
The trailer comes out online in HD and I begin theorizing about it at length on my blog, eating class.
Trailer 2:
Now this one was attached to Sherlock Holmes which was released on December 25. This was pretty much the world’s Christmas gift to me. So again, from where I stood, the sole reason for going to my local theater was to experience this new trailer on the big screen and then there was the added bonus of a free Guy Ritchie movie.
This time, there was no ‘wrong print’ situation and the lights dimmed; I saw some other trailers; and then IT came on. The BRM sound in the first trailer that I had become so familiar with after hundreds of viewings and re-viewings tickled my ears again and was immediately followed by the first image of the folding city.
I can still remember the tingling sensation I felt when I first saw this, although it was probably just the erection I was experiencing – not sure. Anyway, this also had the very first reveal of Ken Watanabe as Saito. When all was said and done, there was raucous applause.
From just me. But I kept clapping anyway, in spite of the visible discomfort of those around me. They were my family.
It was a long wait before Apple finally released this trailer on their website, but when it did, I decided to continue theorizing as well as to edit a simple video about the film using the two trailers so far. This ended up being featured on /Film, which pretty much announced to the world how lonely I was.
It was pretty great.
Trailer 3:
This last one was linked to Iron Man 2 and by now, you can guess how I approached paying for my ticket. As close to his chest as Nolan plays his cards, the film has so many fantastic moments, this last trailer was able to show a couple great scenes without ruining the movie. I was obviously wowed and had already committed the trailer to memory by the time Mickey Rourke was asking Sam Rockwell to get his bird back.
I theorized some more and made another video:
In spite of the agonizing wait, I stopped watching the TV Spots after TV Spot #10, which first appeared during the NBA finals:
So now, here we are, in a world where Inception is readily available and I don’t know what my place in the world is now.
Yet, someone throws this gauntlet before me, I freeze. What point is there in doing this? I know myself and I know how I truly love this film. But history is not written in the mind alone. It is written by us all.
And what would you all think if I didn’t? I don’t want history to underestimate my devotion. I don’t want to become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone.
So it begins here – place your bets. And something to plant in your mind before this article ends: if I wrote that much and made that much from just three trailers, what could I do with the entire movie?
i specialize in a very specific type of ass-kicking.
COBB OUT.
just saw it yesterday. finally. it was amazing in many, many ways. i get your passion and enthusiasm. nice trailer you cut btw…
Hmm…think we learned a little too much about you here. However, I don’t feel so bad about giving you so much work to do now since it sounds like you might have extra time on your hands. But I’ll give you props for the nice use of the Bernard Herrman music in your trailer.
Ok, Mr. Inception, if this isn’t enough of a challenge for you, how about we throw one more thing in–you have to incorporate each week’s flavah topic into your post. Again, you can choose not to do this, though I’m pretty sure a real man would.
Ok, it was a good enough movie, probably the best this year, but even with the presence of Ken Watanabe, is it really so awesome? I didn’t feel invested in the characters as much as, say, The Prestige, and it didn’t quite live up to the trailer in which Leo talks about an idea being able to move mountains, raise armies and change the course of history. The stakes were not nearly as high as the bridge from whence the van fell.
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I share your love for this film — if not your fanatical devotion to analyzing every frame of it — and can’t wait to see ALL of your posts about “Inception” from now till the end of time!
@MacLu
to me, the movie is incredible, but of course, i can’t know for sure how i will feel months or years from now upon rewatching. but i’m confident will hold up to this sort of test, of time and repeat viewings.
the prestige is indeed amazing, and on my way to watching the movie again last night, i was thinking about which film i actually liked better. as unfair as it is, i think i’d give the edge to the prestige at this point, just because – and i realize the ridiculousness of this statement – it hews closer to reality than Inception in its situations, making it easier to relate to borden and angier on a very literal level.
different strokes for different folks, but i thought it lived up to the trailers. myself, i thought the stakes were high (the threat of being alone in your mind is scary for me). and nolan’s team used it so well to mislead everyone and their expectations. watch the international trailer and see how it’s cut to make it seem saito is the villain.
@MJ
thanks! i appreciate the support. i don’t know if i can write about it till the end of time, but end of limbo – more doable.
always pack a totem.
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