io9: Inception

10 Science Fiction Movies for People Who Think They Don't Like Science Fiction

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:00:00 PST

It's that time of year when you wind up watching a lot of DVDs with your loved ones. And you rediscover the grand art of compromise. It's hard to find movies that everybody wants to watch — especially if you want to watch something science fictional. More »

Real-Life Inception: Army looks to "counteract nightmares" with digital dreams

Dawn Lim - Danger Room — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:45:00 PDT

A soldier tries to sleep. But he is not safe in his dreams. Jolted awake by a nightmare, the combat veteran fumbles in the dark for his 3-D glasses. More »

2011 Hugo Awards: A good night for time travel, artificial intelligence, and Asimov's Magazine

Charlie Jane Anders — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:10:10 PDT

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The 2011 Hugo Award winners were just announced, and it's a good year for time-travel stories, including Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear and Doctor Who's fifth season finale. Plus it's an excellent night for Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. More »

The Dark Knight Rises trailer (as depicted by insane Taiwanese animation)

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:30:00 PDT

Oh, NMA News. Just when I fear you're becoming too comprehensible, you deliver your own version of The Dark Knight Rises teaser, complete with a vomiting lovestruck Batman and Bane purchasing groceries. Never change, Next Media Animation. More »

Movie trailers are becoming a crashing bore

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:00:00 PDT

Play this trailer for Shark Night 3-D on top volume. At about 0:57, put your ear next to your PC speaker for about a minute. Congratulations! You are now deaf in one ear! (Note: Don't really do that.) More »

Inception, in 60 seconds with old-timey paper dolls

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:45:05 PDT

For the Done in 60 Seconds film contest, Wolfgang Matzl has transformed Christopher Nolan's Inception into a short film starring some dapper paper dolls and rather proper backdrops. More »

Inception + The Road = a truly awful Willow Smith video

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:33:16 PST

We're fascinated by the music video for Willow Smith's song "21th Century Girl," in which she is in a post-apocalpytic wasteland... until she and her friends find an entire buried city, which they lift out of the sand using chains. More »

Rise of the Neurothriller

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:00:00 PST

Inception cleaned up in the effects categories at the Academy Awards because they go to movies built around cool ideas. In this case, literally. The centerpiece of the film is a machine that allows clever intruders to enter other people's dreams and steal their ideas - or implant new ones. Inception is the latest standout example of the mind-manipulation movie, following in the tracks of Memento and classics like George Cukor's Gaslight. Call them neurothrillers. More »

Oscar Nominations: Inception soars, Tron is ignored

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:43:43 PST

The Oscar nominations are out. And it's sad year for the genre film. Inception, with 8 nominations total, is our only hope for a best picture win. Biggest snub of all: Daft Punk's Tron Legacy score. More »

Best and Worst Science Fiction/Fantasy Movies of 2010

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:09:23 PST

This year's best movies played with genres in ways that changed their audiences' perceptions. Video-game movies, action movies, heist movies and superhero movies — they all had dazzling reinventions. Here are the 10 best and worst SF/fantasy movies of 2010. More »

Tron Legacy director admits one special effect doesn't totally work. Plus there's hope for an Inception sequel!

Alasdair Wilkins — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:00:00 PST

Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski is proud of his movie, but there's one major special effect that he's not happy with. Christopher Nolan is handing Superman over to Zack Snyder, and he won't say no to another Inception. Spoilers forever! More »

Chris Nolan thinks all of your Inception theories are stupid

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:26:18 PST

We all have our little theories about the strange ending to Chris Nolan's Inception. Now the director is finally speaking out on the ambiguous ending, but only to tell us all that we're all very, very wrong. More »

South Park to Inception: just because it's complicated doesn't mean it's cool

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:30:00 PDT

South Park manages to slip in an Inception spoof right under the wire. While we agree that an overly complex plot does not necessarily make something interesting, we're much more impressed that they managed to fit Freddy Krueger in. More »

Tom Hardy cast in Chris Nolan's Batman 3?

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 PDT

Inception's breakout star, Tom Hardy, has been cast in Christopher Nolan's latest Batman picture. No real surprise there, given that Nolan delights in recasting past actors he's worked with, but still — who do you think he'll play? More »

What if Inception was a 1950s black-and-white thriller? Watch!

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:00:00 PDT

While it's no A Capella Inception , we're loving this new trailer that turns Christopher Nolan's film into an old-timey thriller. Even the BRAAAAM fog horns sound vintage. Check it out. More »

Michael Caine explains the end of Inception

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:30:00 PDT

What's better than having the ending of Inception cleared up? Having it cleared up in the silky voice of Michael Caine. In an interview on The Chris Moyles Show, Caine talked about show business, his book, and Christopher Nolan. More »

Chris Nolan is meeting with a short list of possible Superman directors

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:22:10 PDT

The new Superman movie is roaring ahead — The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, who's producing, reportedly has five potential directors in mind, and he's meeting with them now. So who's in line to revamp the Man Of Tomorrow? More »

Terrorism + extraterrestrial colonization = next big Warner Bros. tentpole?

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:00:00 PDT

Excited by the success of the "big idea" movie Inception, Warner Bros. has given the green light to Expulsion, a spec script from bestselling novelist Gregg Hurwitz. An act of terror destroys the Earth, leaving a handful of human survivors to escape to a planet beyond our solar system. (And how a ruined Earth furnishes the technology and resources to travel all the way outside the solar system is something we'll have to wait and see, I guess.) [Deadline] More »

A Capella Inception trailer will have you laughing for hours

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:19:47 PDT

We have nothing left to say about the hilarity of this new trailer, except maybe BRAAAAHMMMM. More »

Want to understand Inception? Read the screenplay!

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:26:34 PDT

Many of us have watched Christopher Nolan's Inception a few times by now, trying to follow the dizzying multi-layered storyline. But there's no substitute for reading the actual shooting script, with Nolan's hand-written notes. Here's what we've learned from it. More »

What's the key to a successful cinematic infodump?

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:50:00 PDT

Infodumps are a double-edged sword. They allow filmmakers to cram a ton of worldbuilding into a short amount of exposition but can also bludgeon the audience into a glassy-eyed stupor. What's the secret to cramming plot into the audience's earholes? More »

25 classic science fiction movies that everybody must watch

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:00:50 PDT

Science fiction has rocked cinemas for a century, and the genre has produced many undisputed classics during that time. But which movies are essential viewing for anyone interested in the genre? We broke down the 25 must-watch science fiction films. More »

R.I.P. Satoshi Kon, director of Paprika

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:00:17 PDT

Japanese animation has lost one of its giants. Satoshi Kon, director of Paprika and creator of Paranoia Agent, has apparently died at age 47. Gainax employee Takeda Yasuhiro tweeted the news a short time ago, and it was confirmed by Madhouse's Masao Maruyama via the Otakon committee. Paprika, Kon's lush exploration of dreams, was clearly an inspiration for Christopher Nolan's Inception. Check out this trailer mashup that came out a while ago: More »

Could self-aware cities be the first forms of artificial intelligence?

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:36:26 PDT

The cities of the future will be huge and super-dense — but will they also be alive? Could the increasingly complex systems needed to manage the next generation of megacities become our first true artificial intelligence? More »

When did the best summer movies in history come out?

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:40:00 PDT

2010 was a hideous summer for movies. This got us wondering: When did the truly great summer movies come out? So we did some research - and created a chart that will make you weep with joy. More »

Double Rainbow dreams: 20 of the most deranged Inception mash-up videos

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:20:00 PDT

Clearly you guys really liked the Toy Story Inception mash-up videos, because the hits keep coming. Feast your eyes on Dora The Explora, ET, Peter Pan, The Nanny / Inception mash-up trailers. Some videos we love, others we fear. More »

Just how autobiographical is Christopher Nolan's Inception?

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:20:00 PDT

If you only read one essay about the hit dream-heist movie Inception today, make it this one. Lazenby takes the idea that we already raised, that Inception is about the act of making movies, and goes one further: It's about Christopher Nolan's anxieties about making movies, the fear that at any moment, the inspiration could drain away and you'll be left with a sterile action movie. [Lazenby on Tumblr, via Roger Ebert on Twitter] More »

Inception characters try to explain their film, fail

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Whether you loved or hated Chris Nolan's Inception, undoubtedly you left with a few questions. Thankfully, a spoof version of the cast has reformed to answer all your questions. Usually these parodies are pretty cheesy, but this is actually hilarious. More »

Did Inception's costume designer just give away the secret of the movie's ending?

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:28:20 PDT

We all remain mystified by the ending of Christopher Nolan's Inception. It's the kind of mind-frak most directors only wish they could pull off. But did the movie's costume designer just give away the secret of what really happens? Spoilers! More »

The plot of Inception as an infographic

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:45:00 PDT

Still confused about whose dream was whose in Inception? Dehahs' Inceptiographic cannily maps out the heist's trajectory, right down to the free-falling representation of the kick. [Dehahs' Deviantart via Film School Rejects. Also, thanks SupaChupcabra!] More »

Inception passes the most important test: the second weekend box office

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:30:00 PDT

Tons of movies do well in their first weekend, but a lot fewer keep it up for a second weekend. Add Inception to that exclusive club: It's the number one movie in America two weekends running. More »

An imaginary city that changed the twentieth century

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:00:00 PDT

Before he invented the safety razor, King Camp Gillette was a futurist. In 1894, he published plans for a porcelain, hexagonal city with transparent sidewalks. Why do so many innovators dream of building the perfect city?

The greatest dream cities in science fiction and fantasy

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:16:48 PDT

In scifi heist Inception, mind hackers build dreams where they con their marks into giving up valuable information. The most important mind hacker is the Architect, who creates dream cities. Where have we seen great scifi dream cities before? More »

Inception brings in $60.4 million so far, Sorcerer's Apprentice gets mopped

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:00:00 PDT

Inception has grossed $60.4 million since Friday, whereas Disney's magical Nick Cage flick flickered with $24.5 million over five days (on a $150,000,000 budget). Meanwhile, Damon Lindelof dug Inception, thereby inadvertently exposing himself to Lost-jaded snarkhounds. More »

Inception will thrill you, then change the way you watch movies

Annalee Newitz — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:07:34 PDT

Inception is a heist movie that takes place inside a shared hallucination. It's also about the technology of making movies. And that's what will make your brain explode. In a good way. More »

Your best suggestions for dumbing down Inception's marketing campaign — and achieving box-office glory!

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:30:00 PDT

The $200 million film Inception has a cerebral concept and an austere marketing campaign. But what if it had a ridiculous title, and posters that talk down to the audience? That's what we asked the other day, and you delivered. More »

Stop the mumbling! Why can't we understand what people are saying in movies any more?

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:30:00 PDT

Did you understand what Vin Diesel was saying half the time in Pitch Black? Or the new B.A. Baracus in The A-Team? And good luck understanding Ken Watanabe in Inception. DenOfGeek declares war on muddy sound mixes and mumbling actors. More »

Tons of awesome Hulk casting rumors, Green Lantern's injury, and a bonanza of Fringe set photos

Alasdair Wilkins — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Possible Hulk casting choices range from the sublime to the ridiculous to the positively Doctorish. We've hit the motherlode of Fringe set photos. Get lost in Inception's insane chase sequence. Marvel at Chuck's cheesy-awesome guest stars! The spoilers are endless! More »

We WILL see Breaking Dawn's birth scene. Plus crazy Superman rumors, Green Hornet action and Fringe set pics!

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Buckle in for spoilers! Find out what we won't see in Breaking Dawn's birth scene. See gorgeous Tron/Red posters. Marvel at crazy Superman rumors. Witness thrilling Fringe/Transformers set pics. Plus Green Hornet, Scott Pilgrim, Mission Impossible, Supernatural, Chuck and Smallville! More »

Watch the Inception concert with Hans Zimmer live right here

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:30:00 PDT

Tonight, guitarist Johnny Marr and Hans Zimmer will perform live from the Inception red carpet. And you can watch it all streaming live right here! The duo will be playing the booming Inception soundtrack, backed by a 20-piece orchestra. More »