December 8, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II, III & IV • Page 27 ‘Inception’ traces a dream within a dream within... have missed the first time. Directed by Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight,” “Memento”), “Inception” has an intriguing sci-fi premise: What if there were a means to enter the dreams of CEOs and steal valuable corporate secrets? Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio) is such a dream thief. The practice is illegal, but the money to be made is worth the risks. Electronics magnate Saito (Ken Watanabe) has a job for Cobb. Saito’s chief competitor, Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite), is on his deathbed. His son and heir, Robert (Cillian Murphy), will inherit the Fischer conglomerate. To diminish the threat to his own company’s survival, Saito wants the Fischer company broken up. If Cobb can implant this desire in Robert Fischer’s subconscious, Saito will satisfy Cobb’s greatest desire: He will use his influence to make sure Cobb can safely return to his children in the United States. The implanting process, called “inception,” is theoretically possible, but never has been attempted before. Not without risks, it is a delicate operation and must be conducted with precision, timing, and the coordination of a carefully selected team. Cobb’s team consists of Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Cobb’s sidekick and techno wiz; architecture student Ariadne (Ellen Page) to design the dreamscapes; Eames (Tom Hardy), known as the Forger because he has the ability to impersonate people; and drug expert Yusuf (Dileep Rao) to put both Robert Fischer and themselves into the dream state. “Inception” has a strong idea that needlessly complicates a fairly straightforward plot. At close to two-and-a-half hours, the film is too long. A more streamlined narrative would have helped the viewer keep track of what is happening and why. The dream-within-a-dream structure tends to be confusing as multiple stories at multiple levels of the dream state unfold simultaneously. At one point, when white-clad bad guys from a heavily guarded, snow-covered mountaintop fortress attack the dreamers in a blizzard, it looks as if the film has suddenly shifted to a James Bond adventure. Visually, “Inception” is striking, with some images that suggest the optical puzzle illustrations of M.C. Escher. The movie contains some dazzling special effects. It’s an ambitious film, and is not a reworking, reimagining, or adaptation of earlier movies. “Inception” is available on DVD and in a three-disc Blu-ray/DVD/digital copy edition. Among the one hour of extras is a featurette that reveals the magic of special effects by showing a sequence and then having Nolan explain how it was done. Another featurette, narrated by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, discusses the science of sleep. “Cronos” (The Criterion Collection), new on Blu-ray, is the first feature film by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”). A prologue set in the 16th century focuses on an alchemist who discovers the secret of immortality when he invents a device that prolongs and regenerates life. Centuries later, the intricate device winds up in the possession of antiques dealer Jesus Gris in Mexico City. Eventually, he learns its secret and is granted immortality, but not in the form he hoped. He becomes one of the undead: a vampire. There is certainly no shortage of vampire movies, but del Toro gives the genre a fresh spin and displays his great facility for fantastic imagery. The requisite blood and gore are here, but what makes “Cronos” stand out from other vampire films is its faceted look at immortality. What may be one’s cross to bear is coveted by another. Though the film is in color, its gothic feel is (continued on Crossword page) Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio) uses elaborate means to steal corporate secrets in the visually impressive ‘Inception.’ by Dennis Seuling “Inception” (Warner Home Video) is the kind of movie that fascinates even though it’s easy to get lost as the plot unfolds. This film was a huge hit last summer, grossing over $292 million. 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