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blamebrampton ([personal profile] blamebrampton) wrote2011-01-02 11:19 pm
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Finally saw Inception

Possibly the last person in the Western world to see this film ... But on a sweltering summer day, it was just the sort of thing that Mr B and I wanted to veg out in front of.

And ... I have a thought ...

That the whole thing is in Cobb's head and they're just all parts of his own mind. Whether or not there is any such thing as Extraction or Inception is open to debate -- he could have lost his wife in any manner. I do believe that he lost her, his guilt is the driving force for everything that follows, but I think that is the only real fact we can be certain of.

The team all function as facets of a personality -- competence, carefulness, charm, compassion ... And the Arthur - Eames dynamic (which I can see leading to A/E all you A/E folk) even has a level of internal irony that you would hope for in a proper grown-up (and which Cobb in the film rather lacks -- because he's not all of himself). That's why Ariadne is needed, because she is the younger, better Cobb, who remembers his life back when he had joy in it.

Does this make sense to anyone else? Or has the heat wholly melted my brain?


To finish the biggest film day in ages, we watched Strictly Ballroom, which may not be as hilarious to people who have never lived in Australia as it is to those of us who have (OH SO VERY!) and, observing the level of spray tan, I was moved to say to Mr B: 'How can he keep his face so straight when his whole body is so orange?'

Mr B looked at me and said: 'Because he's Bill Hunter, and right about now, he'd fancy a beer.'

(Yeah, you do need a high Oz-familiarity for that to be funny, too. But if you have it, it's a corker ;-))

[identity profile] treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 12:42 pm (UTC)(link)
*falls down giggling*

I feel an overwhelming urge to put Strictly Ballroom on, now. DAMN YOU!

*rummages in DVD cupboard*

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry! Mr B avoids death through comedy, you know ...

[identity profile] treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
ARMS, CLARRY!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:02 pm (UTC)(link)
'I've got my happy face on!'

[identity profile] treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)
What do I want? I'll tell you what I want! I want Ken Railings to walk in here right now, and say 'Pam Shortt's broken both her legs, and I wanna dance with you!'

God, this movie is genius. Baz peaked early.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh the kids! I can't remember what they say at that point, but it was hilarious!

[identity profile] treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:17 pm (UTC)(link)
'That was unexpected.'

*giggles*

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:21 pm (UTC)(link)
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Such a shame that protection of the ozone layer means they can never make a sequel. That much hairspray would never be allowed again.

[identity profile] maevemist.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I have not seen Inception yet either, spoilers do not bother me though, but when I saw it at the shops the other week, my first reaction wnet like this -

Me - "Oh I heard that's really good, everyone says so."

The Chauffeur* - "oh yeah? Who told you that?"

Me - "My LJ friends list"

I believe my LJ friends list is all knowing you see.

As for Strictly Ballroom, I have not seen that for yonks but I am guessing, Bill Hunter, is the guy from the VB commercials. Am I right?

* Name changed to protect the innocent.

[identity profile] tomatoe18.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Your Inception theory sounds good. But that's the first time, I think, someone has ever proposed it (I used to troll the internet for these theories). It's plausible but admittedly not so much fun (for me, anyway, because I kind of really want Arthur and Eames to be real - LOL). What do you make of Mal's totem that continues to spin at the end?

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
He certainly is. And AHAHAHAHAHA!

[identity profile] grey-hunter.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't seen Inception yet. yes, I realise that makes me one of the Eastern world. or what. Is it worth seeing? (I'd read your summary but I have spoilerphobia.)

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/ 2011-01-02 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't seen it so I'll squint and just reply do S.B. which I first saw on TV and then had to buy twice on VHS because there came a "better" version except the image was worse and so on. I loved it from 2 min in and thought it hilarious though maybe not anymore now, but I keep reccing it. The faces were so familiar because I watched a lot of OZ films at the cinema back then, Bill always a baddie.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I think it is. It's not the piece of genius that some reviewers suggested, but it is clever and fun to watch, and the acting was enjoyable all the way through.

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Bill is such a joy ;-)

It has dated, but it is still enjoyable -- I think because the family ultimately all do care for each other and have just succumbed to external forces for their problems. By the end, those problems have been defeated, and the only people who suffer are Very Bad (and orange).

[identity profile] being-here.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooo - I love that interpretation of Inception. It makes sense of all the weak points in it!

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
For me it was another of the signs that everything is a dream. I'll need to watch it again to really list all my evidence, but I started thinking this right at the start of the film: Cobb kept being undamaged when he should have been killed or broken; people who had no reason to make conflicts for him made conflicts; there were no journeys between scenes, they just suddenly arrived in the next place; when their colleague was taken away (possibly to his death) there was no serious personal reaction to his loss ... just lots of little things that suggested to me it was all unreal.

By the end of the film I felt that we were watching Cobb on a solo dream hooked to the machine, as the men in the Opium-like dream den had been -- but I also believed that it was possible the whole dream science was a part of his subconscious, too ...

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Hurrah! Not mad!

[identity profile] cinnatart.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd not considered the film from that perspective but your theory makes quite a bit of sense, actually. *ponders it some more*

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I have to watch it a second time to Gather Evidence, TM.

[identity profile] being-here.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Well you might be, but this is still a good interpretation.

I thought it was all a dream as well. I hadn't thought of it being Cobb's though. I thought it was either Mel's or Michael Caine's.

[identity profile] shocolate.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I thought Inception was pretty boring, and a waste of Ariadne, who was hyped as brilliant, and then just followed him around, whining.

So your theory helps with that.

SB is far, far better!

*uses dancing!icon*

[identity profile] blamebrampton.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)
SB is a bundle of delight!

I think I will have to watch it a second time to note down all the pieces of evidence that I thought I saw to see if it stands up, but I feel reasonably confident that it's at least a reasonable reading.

And YAY dancing! (Did I tell you I saw, and loved, Wild Target? TEARS of laughter ...)

[identity profile] chantefable.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Wasn't it obvious that everything is in Cobb's mind? (Or is it just me and my interpretation patterns?) That's why I found the fanfic so deliciously, post-post-modernly hilarious - slashing figments of a fictional character's imagination, like describing his brain zones having a tea party. Hmm.

I actually thought it was a bit unsubtle, because to me Ariadne was quite clearly both Cobb's alter ego and a manifestation of a "magical helper" to lead him out of the labyrinth of his own mind, an obvious depiction of "help yourself, self". Because come on, Ariadne. She was such a magic thread to hold on to, it was hard to miss.

So yeah, I agree. It's all in Cobb's brain. They are the brain. And it's an addled brain.

The end.

[identity profile] shocolate.livejournal.com 2011-01-02 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
(oh, JOY - I think it should have done far better - perfect British cast)

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