Posts Tagged ‘dreams’

Short Take: Perhaps the most pleasant surprise to have ever come from Martin Scorsese

Director: Martin Scorsese

Screenwriters: John Logan; Brian Selznick (novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret)

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloë Moretz, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Jude Law

Length: 2h 6m

Synopsis: On an average day in the middle of 1930s Paris, orphan boy Hugo Cabret (Butterfield) can be found tending to the public clocks of a train station at the heart of the city. Climbing inside, between, and behind the walls means Hugo can travel about the station unbeknownst to most everyone, allowing him to snatch the occasional piece of bread or fruit and retreat with ease. His penchant for pinching also includes mechanical parts from Mr. Méliès (Kingsley) toy shop to repair a mysterious automaton that his late father (Law) left him. Hugo eventually comes to meet Méliès’ granddaughter Isabelle (Moretz), and the two bond over their shared exploratory habits. Such habits get them into trouble, however, as Hugo finally gets caught stealing from the toy shop and both children get caught prying into Méliès’ past. What they discover is that Mr. Méliès was actually at one point a very successful and important filmmaker, but hard times forced him to give up his dreams and, even worse, face obscurity. By the end, Hugo makes up for his thefts by helping Méliès recapture the sense of purpose he felt when he put his dreams up on the silver screen. And along the way, Hugo’s also able to recapture that same sense for himself.

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If you haven’t already, read Part 1 here to see our interpretation of the film’s ending.

Part 2 – Taking a Leap of Faith

Being able to visit dreams is no doubt a concept that is difficult to grasp, especially once you try to consider all of the philosophical possibilities attached to such an idea. That this concept forces us to adapt the foundations of our methods of critical thinking, and indeed logic itself, because we are no longer dealing with the “real” but unbridled cognitive enterprise, we must resort to a manner of thinking that requires pure conjectural reasoning and rationality. By this I am suggesting that it would behoove our intentions to successfully explore this movie by thinking more abstractly about it (theoretically, conceptually, etc.), in addition to relying on concrete cues provided by the film’s text* (details observable in some form or fashion that lead to confirmed or implied conclusions). By doing this it may be possible to discover the film’s main goal and purpose. Read the rest of this entry »

With over a week now passed since the opening of Chris Nolan’s Inception, which is perhaps the most cerebral mainstream movie released so far this year, we thought it would be rewarding to analyze it a little further. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a neuroscientist who visits other people’s dreams (along with his own) and has a complex relationship with his late wife through these dreams, the film’s story is rife with philosophical quandaries and interpretive possibilities. Below, we try to take a look at some of both. To further appreciate any film you must look more intently at it and focus on the finer details, because sometimes these details can change how you view the bigger picture. Not that we would be so presumptuous to say that we are about to unveil some monumental factor that will knock your socks off, but taking the following analysis with a grain of salt might cause you to reconsider what you think you already know about this mind-blowing film.

Caution: It is highly recommended that you see Inception before reading any further Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: An absolutely mind-blowing experience - One of the most creative films in years

Director: Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige)

Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige)

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island), Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima), Marion Cotillard (Nine), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer), Ellen Page (Whip It), Cillian Murphy (Sunshine), Tom Berenger (Sinners and Saints), Tom Hardy (RocknRolla), Michael Caine (Harry Brown), Dileep Rao (Drag Me to Hell)

Length: 2h 28m

Synopsis: Neuroscientists Cobb (DiCaprio) and Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) have a unique job, which is to enter the dreams of others and navigate them in order to find out important information – mainly secrets (this is called Extraction). The invention that they use to perform such a task allows for several people to share another person’s dream, which they can more or less construct to their liking. While working within dreams may sound (pardon me) like a dream, the procedure can in fact be very dangerous. Many things can go wrong that can leave the individuals inside a dream with severe psychological problems, not the least of which is the inability to ever be sure if you’re dreaming or not. Cobb and Arthur’s newest assignment asks them to not just steal information from someone’s brain, but plant an idea in it as well (this is called Inception). The mission demands that they recruit a team and delve deeper into someone’s mind than they’ve ever gone before, and the deeper they go the less chance they have of ever waking back up. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: What's different shouldn't be different, and what's familiar should have been original. An overall wasted opportunity.

Director: Samuel Bayer (feature debut)

Screenwriters: Wesley Strick (Wolf, Doom), Eric Heisserer

Cast: Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Little Children), Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body), Rooney Mara (Youth in Revolt), Katie Cassidy (Black Christmas (2006))

Length: 1h 35m

Synopsis: In an unsuspecting suburban town various teens begin to experience frightening nightmares that are dangerously real. And in those nightmares they all come across the same evil man named Fred Krueger who continually tries to viciously murder them. Some teens fall victim to his assaults, the rest try to find a way to stop him – and keep from falling asleep. Pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, which lead the surviving few to a final confrontation with their supernatural terror. To come out on top, they’ll have to literally fight their fears. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: Impressive for many reasons, but perhaps no better reason than because it's NEW

Directors: Ron Clements (Aladdin), John Musker (Aladdin)

Writers: Ron Clements, Jason Oremland, and John Musker (story), Ron Clements, John Musker, and Rob Edwards (Treasure Planet) (screenplay)

Cast: Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), Bruno Campos, Keith David (Coraline), Jim Cummings (Bee Movie)

Length: 1h 37m

Synopsis: Tiana (Rose) is a hard-working lower class girl who is trying as hard as she can to save up enough money to open up her own restaurant, which was both her and her father’s life long dream. One day, while wishing upon a star for help in achieving this, she comes across a frog who calls himself a prince (Campos). He claims that he’s only a frog because an evil voodoo magician turned him into one, and that a kiss would set everything right again. As it turns out, the solution to their problems is not so simple. Read the rest of this entry »