Mulholland Drive

Josh Garrels: Farther Along

2011-10-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

A friend introduced this song to me this weekend and I wasn't immediately keen on it, but as I listened to it more it's true power really struck me. I think it's the honesty of the lyrics and the raw emotion of the performance that really connects with me.

"Farther Along"

by Josh Garrels

From the album Love & War & The Sea In Between

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by

Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seen

Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back home

So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by

Still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin’ for my soul
And I’ve got no place left go
Cause I got changed by what I’ve been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin’ on

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I’m free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I’ll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levee and my bluff
Let the flood wash me

And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the son of god is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we’re the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by

I got my first Mondo poster!

2011-10-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

And it's for a movie that I genuinely love! First let me step back for a second here and explain what a Mondo poster is. Mondo is a company that has affiliated itself with the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. They commission and screen print original artwork to serve as posters for screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse. These posters are screen printed in very limited quantities and often sell out in minutes online. The New York Times wrote an article recently discussing the popularity and attention these posters are getting. The article entitled Hand-Drawn Homage to Classic Films begins with this...

THE movie poster is dead. Long live the movie poster. Gone are the days of hand-drawn studio posters that possessed a creativity and artistry matching that of the films themselves. Think of “King Kong,”with its harrowing illustrations, or Saul Bass’s Minimalist design for“Vertigo.” The contemporary studio poster is often a literal, less adventurous affair, like the vision of Julia Roberts on the back of Tom Hanks’s scooter in the poster for “Larry Crowne,” a typical example of today’s photography-driven advertisements.
But an outfit far from Hollywood has sought to recapture the vintage hand-drawn spirit while injecting some contemporary flair. The company is Mondo, an offshoot of the Austin, Tex., theater chain Alamo Drafthouse. It commissions artists to design alternative versions of posters for films considered cult or genre pictures. The styles range from multi-tiered, character-packed collage (like Tyler Stout’s fanboy-friendly work for “The Empire Strikes Back”) to subdued prints that express a movie’s mood more than anything else (like the simple smoking gun forming Clint Eastwood’s profile inOlly Moss’s “Dirty Harry”).

The posters have become so popular and revered that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have begun archiving them among their vast collection of artifacts, film prints, and posters from cinema history. All of this is to say that I first came across them a little over a year ago and immediately caught the fever to get one of these like everyone else. At the beginning of the this year I told my wife I was determined to get one this year. My wife almost secured the Pan's Labyrinth one earlier this year, but it sold out while she had it in her cart and was checking out. I popped on at one point and was able to add the Sucker Punch poster to my cart, but I decided against getting it because I had no interest in the movie. I have tried on and off all year to get one. I even considered getting one on eBay at the inflated prices they are going for there. But my patience paid off today. I was brushing my teeth this morning when it dawned on me that this poster was going on sale today. I resisted the urge to stop what I was doing and run over to the computer to see if it had gone on sale yet. (They go on sale at an unspecified time.) I figured I would finish what I was doing and go check to see if it had gone on sale yet before going about the rest of my morning routine. I logged on and they hadn't gone on sale yet. I open a new tab in my browser and checked my email. Before turning off the computer I clicked back over to the Mondo site and reloaded the page. The new Jurassic Park posters were not only up for sale already they hadn't sold out yet. I panicked! I frantically added it to my cart and hunted for my wallet. I tried setting up an account but I was bounced to a page that said my email was already associated with an account. I forgot I had set up an account previously to try to speed up the process in the event that one day I would be able to get one. I couldn't remember the password I had used!! It felt as those the poster was slipping through my hands. I tried 3 different passwords and the third one worked! I made it through and was able to pay and complete my check out before they sold out! I know it seems ridiculous but it felt like a huge victory. Tiny in the grand scheme of things for sure, but I'm excited to finally get one and see it hung on a wall.

Retrogaming

2011-10-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

I want to start off by saying that I didn't even know that "Retrogaming" has become a verb. I was trying to make "Retro Gaming" the title of this post and Googled it for spelling errors. Lo and behold I had spelled it correctly, but upon confirming it I noticed the the first response Google returned was a Wikipedia article called Retrogaming. I clicked through and began reading. It turns out that what I was planning on writing about is more common than I thought!

Shortly after I bought our Wii in 2007 I bought two Virtual Console games mostly for the pure novelty of it. I bought Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Both of these games were originally released for the Super Nintendo in the early 90's. I logged countless hours on both of these game during my childhood. I didn't, however, finish the games. I played bits of both after repurchasing these for the Wii and then they sat dormant for the most part. With the announcement last year of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii I became eager to play another Zelda game in the meantime. I decided to fire up A Link to the Past and try to complete it. And complete it I did. It's a fantastic game and playing it lead to a desire to play more games that are generally considered classic. This lead me to a SNES game called Chrono Trigger.

I have never liked Role Playing Games (RPGs). Even as a kid I was annoyed by the random nature of the battles and menu driven combat system.While visiting with my cousin this summer he mentioned that he had recently played through a Final Fantasy game and really enjoyed it. This got me thinking that maybe I should give the genre another chance. Maybe my tastes have changed as I have grown up. Around the time I finished a Link to the Past there was a lot of hubbub on the internet about Chrono Trigger finally being released on the Virtual Console. The game has a reputation as one of the best RPGs of all time. So I put two and two together and decided I would give Chrono Trigger a try. I'm currently about 5 hours into the game and I can say at this point that I like it, but I don't love it. The story is fantastic and I am really enjoying the story mechanics and how the game is developing. On the flip side though, I am still struggling to enjoy the gameplay. I like the idea of leveling up a character through the course of the game, but what I'm still wrestling with is the menu driven combat system. It's fun to try something new though and I'm looking forward to trying out many more old, but new to me, games. On my wishlist to play is Final Fantasy III (SNES), Secret of Mana (SNES), Pikmin (GameCube), and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64). That's a lot of hours of gameplay, but I'm hoping our kids will join me on some of these quests.

One last thing. I have been hoping for a while now to get my hands on the controller pictured above. It's essentially an exact replica of a Super Nintendo controller that connects to the Wii remote to play Virtual Console games. Will it make the games any better? Will it make much of a different while playing the games versus playing the the current Classic Controller Pro? The answer to both of these is of course no, but it's still really fun and it doesn't make me want one any less. Nintendo of Japan, Europe, and Australia have all released this as a Club Nintendo reward. Nintendo of America has not made any mention of it whatsoever. I was hoping they were saving it to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the SNES, but that date has come and gone. Hopefully it gets released in the US soon!

My first attempt at Pixel Art

2011-07-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my first attempt at Pixel Art. It's been something that I have been interested in for a while and decided I would give it a shot last night. I'll call it a self portrait. I'm looking forward to exploring this style more!

Here are the two tutorials that I used to get started with:
brandontreb.com/Configuring-Photoshop-For-Pixel-Art/
brandontreb.com/Pixel-Art-Character-Tutorial-Create-A-Bitizen/

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

2011-07-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

Time flies! It seems like yesterday I was writing about seeing part one of the epic ending to the Harry Potter saga. We saw the finale over the weekend, along with everyone else in the world it seems, and it was a blast! A wonderful fitting end to the saga. I was very pleased with the end result. I have my nitpicky opinions about a few things, but I will keep them to myself for now and say that we really enjoyed the movie. I'm really interested to see how WB keeps things alive for the franchise over the next few years. Honestly I think in about 10-20 years they'll retell the story either through film again or television. Just my guess. Whatever they end up doing I am very excited to start reading the books with my own kids. We've got the Potter saga, the Narnia saga, and eventually the Lord of the Rings saga on the reading list in our household. That's a lot of reading to do, we'd better get to it...

Super 8

2011-07-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

I saw Super 8 this evening at work. To put it simply I LOVED IT! I was reminded that I am living out my childhood dream. I make a living making movies! I grew up in a in a town a few hours north of Los Angeles and dreamed of making movies from a fairly young age. This was in the pre-internet and pre-DVD days so I ate up TV specials about the making of movies (in particular Movie Magic), listened to soundtracks endlessly, bought Cinefex regularly from the local book store, and scoured the library for books about the making of films. When this film began with a group of kids trying to make their own film I immediately connected. I won't pour over the plot details because I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. I will say that you can certainly see the fingerprints of both J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg all over this film. It is a wonderful film and the perfect summer movie.

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games announced!

2011-04-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

The rumors are true! Sega announced Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games today! Along with the press release (included below) they launched the official website today. I really loved Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and I'm hopeful that they can build on that further to make this a really special game!

TOKYO (April 21, 2011) – SEGA^® Corporation and Nintendo Co., Ltd. today announced that the record breaking partnership of Mario™ and Sonic™ will once again join forces on the Wii™ home video game system and, for the first time ever, on the Nintendo 3DS™ . Over 19 million people worldwide have bought video games from the Mario and Sonic series, and now the much loved duo are heading to London to participate in the officially licensed Olympic-themed video game, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games™.

A host of exciting new headline events, including soccer and equestrian will debut on the Wii version appearing alongside classic Olympic disciplines, such as athletics, aquatics and table tennis. These new sports are sure to ignite even more fierce competition between friends and family in both single and multiplayer modes! The all new roster of Dream events that are set in popular Mario and Sonic worlds make for a truly unique sporting experience that can only be found in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Arriving on Nintendo’s new handheld system for the first time ever Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games contains over 50 original Olympic themed events playable in both single and multiplayer modes. Bringing a whole new dimension to the Mario & Sonic universe, the glasses-free 3D visuals and the unique control systems mean there are plenty of new and exciting ways to compete for a coveted gold medal!

As with its predecessors, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games for the Wii and Nintendo 3DS is being developed by SEGA Japan and is published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in the Japanese market. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Mario and Sonic have had a phenomenally successful partnership and we are extremely proud to be able to recreate this once again with Nintendo and ISM for the London 2012 Olympic Games," commented Naoya Tsurumi, Chairman for SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. “It is truly exciting to be in the position to develop interactive entertainment software titles based on the Olympic Games, and for Sonic and Mario to once again be a part of this historic event.."

“The London 2012 Olympic Games will be a sporting showcase that will embrace the world and we are delighted to have Mario and Sonic competing once again, this time in the largest number of Olympic sports ever," says Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman & CEO of ISM.
"These games bring together two of the most beloved characters in the history of the video game industry in Mario and Sonic," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "As veterans of both video games and Olympic games, they will arrive in London as a formidable team to provide fun, competitive sporting activities that friends and family members can enjoy together."

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games will be available on the Wii™ home video game system and the Nintendo 3DS™. A launch date will be announced later in the year.

For more information about the game, please visit www.sega.com or www.olympicvideogames.com

Hello out there!

2011-04-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

(Photo of me at work by my buddy David Badgerow)

It's been way too long since I've posted! Facebook has really taken the place of my blog in terms of sharing personal things with friends and family, which is a good thing because it's more private. On the other hand though, I miss the "journal" type feel of blogging as a way to share thoughts and finds.I didn't go away and I hope to post more often soon. We'll see if I can get my post count back up to more than once every few months...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

A timely little video I came across. Well done.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The greatest sound in the world...

2010-12-20T22:18:00.000-08:00

Okay... the video is a little dark, I'm still learning my DSLR's video functions, and the audio is not the best but that is all beside the point. The sound of children's laughter, and particularly your own, has got to be one of the greatest sounds known to man. While Annie and I were making dinner tonight we heard this sounds coming from the other room and we instantly stopped what we were doing to try to catch a glimpse.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence is coming out on Blu-ray!!

2010-12-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite movies is finally making it's way onto Blu-ray!! Though I'm not crazy about the cover art I am still very excited about this release! With Singin' in the Rain announced for 2012 the other two movies I'm eagerly anticipating Blu-ray releases for are The Insider and On the Waterfront.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence [Blu-ray] (Amazon link)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

2010-11-21T23:43:00.000-08:00

I saw "Part 1" of Harry Potter 7 this weekend with my wife. It was great to have a date night again and we couldn't have picked a better movie to enjoy together with friends. Andrea and I have been eagerly anticipating this film for a while and the film didn't let down. I'll reserve the in depth analysis to others but I will say I was pleased with the film! They've treated the story with the breathing room it needs. There was a beautifully animated segment of the film that perfectly lays out some important exposition for the audience without feeling contrived. It's great to see this wonderful film series coming to a close with such class. It was great to see Dobby back on screen. Him and Kreacher are two of my favorite characters in the books. Next July is quite a while to wait for the conclusion, but I think in the meantime I may go back through the books and the movies again!

Megamind

2010-11-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Megamind invades theaters today. It's a fun flick with some good humor and heart. I started on Megamind immediately following my work on Dragon. The show's hub was up at PDI and I helped coordinate the satellite Layout, Animation, and Lighting teams down here in Glendale. I hope it does well for the studio and if you get a chance to see it I hope you have a good time!

Additionally, I want to take a second to acknowledge the support I get from my family. Things on these shows can get difficult at times, but it never ceases to amaze me how much love and support I get from my wife and daughters. Towards the end of the production I was working long hours and six day weeks for quite a while. I'm sure I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around at times. What you see above is what I saw when I came home from work on my last day on Megamind. Annie and the girls had decorated the front door with their artwork and messages of support, encouragement, and gratitude. I cannot adequately describe the joy this brought me. To know that no matter how difficult things may become I always had a loving home to come home to and a family who appreciated the hard work I put into this job means the world to me. Annie, Syd, and Vi... I love you so much.

Steven Spielberg to Direct “Robopocalypse”

2010-10-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

I could hardly contain myself when I read on deadline.com that Spielberg's next project after War Horse is going to be a science fiction film with robots!! Spielberg is one of the filmmakers that has a huge impact on my life and my career direction. A.I. is one of my favorite films and I never would have imagined that he would be returning to the realm of robots again, but I'm happy he is! The official DreamWorks website says that the film will "[explore] the fate of the human race following a robot uprising."

Coca-Cola Freestyle

2010-10-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

This is very random for a blog post I know, but having decided to back off my Facebook use I decided to share more of these types of things that I find interesting here on my blog. Annie and I watched game four of the ALCS tonight (Go Rangers!) and when it was over I was flipping around to see what was on before I turned off the TV for the evening. In the channel guide I saw a listing for a documentary about Coke on CNBC that I thought I would check out. Having been to the Coke headquarters multiple times while visiting family in Atlanta I have a soft spot for the company. The show was standard cable TV fare, but what really got my attention was this "Freestyle" machine they showed off at the end of the show. This single fountain machine dispenses over 100 different types of Coke! Appearently the techology is based on medical equipment originally developed to deliver extremely precise doses of drugs. It stores cartridges with highly concentrated bases and flavors then mixes and matches them to create this wide variety of flavors in a single machine. The tech geek in me was... well... geeking out! I spotted an Orange Coke flavor when they were demoing it! Man, I would love to try that! I hope this thing catches on because I would go out of my way just to try this sometime...

Happy Birthday to the Nintendo Entertainment System!

2010-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Nintendo Entertainment System

So many childhood memories came from this magic little box. Thanks Nintendo for 25 years of great games and fun. They may not be a big as they used to be in the video game world, but they still make the best games. With the Wii almost 4 years old this November I hope they introduce an updated HD version within the next few years. That being said, the Wii still has some life left in it... I'm looking forward to Goldeneye 007, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and I would love to play Kirby's Epic Yarn with Syd!

Danny Elfman & Tim Burton Music Box

2010-10-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

I would love to get my hands on one of the 1000 of these being made!! At $499 it doesn't seem like I will be obtaining one, but that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for this set!

Some personal background on my appreciation for Danny Elfman...
I am a big fan of musical scores going all the way back to before high school. Back before this age of digital distribution and iTunes it wasn't very easy to obtain musical scores beyond the mainstream ones found in the music section at Target. In the early to mid 90's Blockbuster experimented with the music business by opening stores called Blockbuster Music appropriately enough. My favorite thing about these stores was that there was a "music bar" in the store, which was basically a counter with multiple listening stations, and they would open and let you listen to any CD they sold for free! I loved this placed and I constantly begged my parents to take me there to listen to music for hours on end. This is where my love for motion picture scores was cultivated. Eventually I came across a compilation CD set called Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film and Television Music by Danny Elfman. I saved up my money from mowing the lawn and bought it. To say I listened to it constantly would be an understatement. I did my homework while listening to it. I listened to it while I daydreamed and while I slept. Chances were good that if I were in my bedroom or had headphones on this is what I was listening to. I had by no means a bad home or family life, but as a teenager you often want to escape the pressures of the changing world around you and Danny Elfman's music was one of my escapes.

You can find out more info on the box set here:

http://www.burtonelfman.com/

There is a video promo for the set here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDsz4iJxIyk

You can find more info on the "Music for a Darkened Theatre" compilation here:

Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film and Television Music (Amazon link)

NO YOU CAN'T

2010-09-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Fun new poster for Megamind!

Memories of 9/11

2010-09-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

Title mock up for a project I hope to undertake over the next year.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge reflect on the loss our nation suffered nine years ago today. Time has not reduced it's impact on me. Leading up to today I have seen many documentaries on television and each time I stop, even if for only a few minutes, I am brought back to that place of deep sorrow. The Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001 is something that is seared into the consciousness of my generation. I find that often when it is brought up everyone has a story they want to tell. So often we find ourselves in "where were you when the towers were hit" type conversations. Everyone seems to vividly remember where we were and what was happening at the time that it all took place. It occurred to me that my kids, both born after 9/11/01, don't know about these things. They don't know the emotional impact that it had on their parents and all other Americans who lived through it. They are too young to really take it in now, but I have decided to share our story with them and make a mini documentary of sorts. They will learn about it in school and the world around them as they grow up, but I want them to know how it affected us. I have a few different ideas about how to execute it and I hope to have it done by next year which will be the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Though I will create it now I don't plan on showing it to them until they are teenagers. Maybe I'll show it to them on the 15th or 20th anniversary? I don't know for certain.

I pray for our nation in this time of mourning and reflection... I pray for growth. For healing. For transformation. And most of all for Peace.

Bishop 2.0

2010-08-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

Animation Mentor announced an amazing upgrade to one of their flagship character animation rigs a few weeks ago at Siggraph. Appropriately dubbed Bishop 2.0, this is an amazing upgrade to an already amazing rig. The biggest and most welcome change is that it is almost infinitely and easily customizable. Now rather than placing multiple Bishops in the same scene with different surfacing I can create unique looks for each character in a scene. Thankfully AM has made it available to alumni along with current students! I downloaded it a few days ago and after jumping through a few hoops to get it working properly have have been spending a little time working with it. I've posted a quick render above of a little test setup I put together. I'm enjoying getting into the nitty gritty of things again. I may even do a little animation test with it...

Megamind Comic-Con Trailer

2010-07-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

LittleBigPlanet 2 Collector's Edition!

2010-07-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have never wanted the Collector's Edition of any game until now! We love to play the original together as a family and I anticipated picking up the sequel sometime down the road. Little did I know that Sony would put together a package so desireable that I would jump in and get it now. I pre-ordered this baby a few minutes after reading about it! I can't wait to check it with Syd!

Here is the original Announcement: LittleBigPlanet 2 Updates: Official Date and Retail Goodness!!!

LittleBigPlanet 2 (amazon)

Life In A Day

2010-07-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

I think I may try to participate in this if I'm able! Here is the description from the filmmakers...

Life In A Day is a historic global experiment to create the world's largest user-generated feature film: a documentary, shot in a single day, by you. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a glimpse of your life on camera. The most compelling and distinctive footage will be edited into an experimental documentary film, executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.

For more information, visit youtube.com/lifeinaday.

JJ Heller: Your Hands

2010-07-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

I can't remember how I came across this artist or this song in particular but I'm very glad I did. This song is really speaking to me where I am in my life right now. It's a wonderful reminder that I am a work in progress yet this life is more than about me and that Lord is in control even when it's beyond my understanding.

"Your Hands"

BY KATIE HERZIG, JJ AND DAVID HELLER

From the album Painted Red

I have unanswered prayers

I have trouble I wish wasn’t there

And I have asked a thousand ways

That you would take my pain away

You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand

How to walk this weary land

Make straight the paths that crooked lie

Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands

When my heart is breaking

I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth

You healed the broken, lost and hurt

I know you hate to see me cry

One day you will set all things right

Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands

When my heart is breaking

I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world

Are holding me

They hold me still

Inception

2010-07-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Breathtaking? Yes.

Mind Bending? Yes.

A Masterpiece? Yes.

No joke, I feel as though I have just experienced a film that will go down as one of the shining lights in this era of filmmaking. The movie is brilliant on so many levels. Christopher Nolan has firmly placed himself in the pantheon with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola. I will leave the heavy critical praise to those who say it better than I can (see below), but I will say this... the scene depicted in the poster above has got to be one of the most exhilarating sequences ever committed to film. I was literally giddy in my seat. It worked so well both conceptually in the context of the film and visually that it was breathtaking. I couldn't sit still in my chair as it played out on screen in front of me.

For “Inception” is not only about the dream state, it often plays on screen in a dreamlike way, which means that it has the gift of being easier to follow than to explain… But even while literal understanding can remain tantilizingly out of reach, you always intuitively understand what is going on and why.

Helping in that understanding, and one of the film’s most satisfying aspects, are its roots in old-fashioned genre entertainment, albeit genre amped up to warp speed. Besides its science-fiction theme, “Inception” also has strong film noir ties, easily recognizable elements like the femme fatale, doomed love and the protagonist’s fateful decision to take on “one last job.”

- Kenneth Turan

“Inception” is the kind of film that will no doubt drive scores of viewers to theaters for a second go. But the key to success in a movie as purposefully complex as this one is that you see it again not because you have to, but because you want to. “Inception” is that rare film that can be enjoyed on superficial and progressively deeper levels, a feat that uncannily mimics the mind-bending journey its protagonist takes…

Nolan exemplifies the best kind of filmmaking, unchained from the laws of time, space and even gravity, but never from the most basic rules of narrative. Even at its most tangled and paradoxical, “Inception” keeps circling back to the motivation that has driven films from “The Wizard of Oz” to “E.T.”: Cobb, finally, just wants to go home.

This aim, in its simplicity, manages to make comprehensible even the most preposterous layers-upon-layers of “Inception,” and gives what could easily have been a chilly, impenetrable exercise a surprisingly strong emotional core. At its most audacious and enterprising, “Inception” provides just the kind of fully imagined escapism that adventurous filmgoers wish movies aspired to more often. But it’s the story’s most recognizable human struggles — to let go, forgive and move on — that make “Inception” worth puzzling over, long after its most transporting sensations have washed away.

- Ann Hornaday