I finally saw Inception again, and I still love it. This time, I paid attention to how great the score was (similar to my second viewing of Sherlock Holmes ), and I just marveled at how well crafted the film is. I identified a few bits here and there that could have been cut to shave a few minutes off the running time, but I didn't think they were too extraneous. I also appreciated just how badass the zero-G fight scenes are, especially the first one where the van is spinning and Arthur is climbing all around the hallway and then gets thrown into the hotel room and tosses the guy from the wall onto the bed and so on. The camera hardly cuts away!! It's just amazing.

I also noticed some elements that fit into the Movie About Movies view of the film. For instance, the scene where Cobb talks about whittling down the idea to a simple, positive form to evoke the most catharsis seemed like an obvious reference to filmmaking and the message you want to impart to the audience. And it struck me that Mal may represent the biases and prejudices that audiences bring to a film, the way Cobb subconsciously brings her into the shared dream experience. She's the audience's emotional baggage that will color their viewing of the movie.

And now for the Big Questions:

I paid as much attention as I could, and Cobb definitely wears his wedding ring in the dreams but not in the real world. And in the final scenes, you DO get at least three very quick glimpses of his left hand, and I'm pretty sure he's not wearing it.

Pete, the music in the final scene is not the Edith Piaf-inspired score. That comes during the credits, though. What's awesome, though, is that you can hear the Piaf become the score in the scene with the synchronized kicks. It practically morphs right in front of your ears.

As for your question regarding the dialogue between Mal and Cobb during the Fischer reconciliation scene, there is none, as smonster said, but I think you're referring to the scene right before, which is Mal trying to convince Cobb to choose her and stay in limbo. And during those scenes, I was strongly reminded of Sean's theory that it's all Mal's dream.

Ariadne's totem is a bishop. I did see the groove at the top, bishop-style, though it's a very quick glance.

I paid as much attention as I could to the children's goddamn clothes, and before the final scene, we actually see them in at least two different outfits. They are definitely wearing different clothes on the beach playing with Mal in Cobb's subconscious. But are they wearing different clothes in the final scene than they are in the first scene? It was hard to tell with James, but I THINK Philippa is wearing something different. She's still wearing a pink dress, but either the dress is slightly different, or she's wearing it over a white shirt when she wasn't in the memories.

God, just wait till the DVD comes out and people screencap the shit out of this movie.

My aunt sent me a message on fb and she was like, "Okay, since you've seen it three times can you explain it to me? Because I am totally confused." Heh. I'll call her tonight. I totally subscribe to the Movie About Making Movies theory, with a side of Cobb Is In Reality At The End .

P-C, the costume design interview said that Philippa had on a white shirt under her dress in the final scene. However, if they've been changing clothes in Cobb's visions the whole time, that's not strong evidence--the stronger evidence is that they're played by different actors. But even that's not conclusive.

I need to go seen Inception.

Will try to go see it this weekend.

Read this over at the IMDB or over at Total Film:

Amy Adams and Viggo Mortensen On The Road

Share Amy Adams and Viggo Mortensen have joined director Walter Salles’ film version of Jack Kerouac novel On The Road. The pair join an already impressive cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley and Tron man Garrett Hedlund. Scripted by Jose Rivera, the plot unravels as a cross-country adventure following Sal Paradise (Riley), who is partially based on Kerouac. Living in his aunt’s house, Paradise is inspired to take a road trip and see America, leaving New York City for a wild adventure that includes hitchhiking, meeting other explorers and “opting for beer before food”.

The book was first published in 1957. Mortensen and Adams will play a couple that Paradise encounters on the road, the latter as a junkie wife (this we cannot wait to see). They will shoot (up) later this month.

P-C, the costume design interview said

So that WAS the difference? Cool! I can't believe I noticed that. And the only time I definitely remember the clothes being different is in the scene with Mal at the beach, which makes sense because it's a different memory. The vision he keeps seeing, of the last time he saw his kids, is the same clothing each time. I'm pretty sure. James's shirt is weird, and it was hard to tell the color at times. I've also seen comments that THAT memory is supposed to be the younger actors, and the older actors are used for the other ones, which would mean the kids at the end are the same as the ones in Cobb's constant vision.

smonster, I believe we are subscribing to the same newsletter.

ETA: I know there was some mild controversy on this point, as I saw it reported both ways, but the snow level is without a doubt Eames's dream, not Fischer's. Cobb turns to him and says, "This is your dream." Also, Arthur puts the headphones on Eames before the kick.

Although speaking of kicks, I was wondering how Cobb and Saito get out of limbo without the kicks. We see Ariadne riding the kick all the way back, but Cobb and Saito presumably just kill themselves and they're right out of limbo? Is that how it works?

Inception-Firefly link.

eta: P-C, yes, that is how they get out of Limbo.

ETA: I know there was some mild controversy on this point,

No, you are right. Eames is the dreamer and Fischer is the subject. The dreamer has to be a member of the team so that they can learn the structure from Ariadne . Also, when they are running out of time, Cobb asks Ariadne if Eames added anything to the design . Also also, if the dream were Fischer's, it would have collapsed immediately when he died .

P-C, yes, that is how they

Man, getting out of limbo is really easy! Why didn't they all just go down to limbo and kill themselves? That seems much less complicated than having synchronized kicks.

It seems that realising you need to get out of Limbo is hard. It took Cobb and Mal how many years to get up the gumption to do it, and Saito never would have. In the end Cobb was extremely motivated. That might not always apply.

Yeah, what ita said. It even took Cobb who knows how long and remembering those key repeated phrases . Not to mention, I think synchronizing kicks is worth not having to spend a reaaaaaalllly long time in limbo .