Guest Humper Kristin comments on Stephen Elliott's comments on Inception
3 views
Skip to first unread message
Marley Magaziner
Jul 28, 2010, 2:04:39 PM7/28/10
to the-dail...@googlegroups.com
If you haven't read Stephen E's Daily Rumpus from Tuesday July 27, let's just say he trashes Inception for various reasons. Or non reasons. I think he's jealous he didn't write it. Or something. I wrote a free-form sonnet reinterpreting his message which I am reluctant to share as it is super-ridiculous. I had had two (2) cups of coffee. Which is a lot for me. But I digress. Maybe I'll share it with you tomorow. For today, a special interlude! I present to you, a Humpus written by long-time Daily Humpus reader, Kristin (@baronetess, www.kristinross.tumblr.com) in which she responds the Daily Rumpus.
Kristin, take it away!
Let me start with this: http://dehahs.deviantart.com/art/Inception-Infographic-172424503?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Adehahs&qo=0
That's an infographic that gets close to explaining the layers of Inception, but even as close as it is, it's still flawed. There isn't a possible way to watch this movie once and take it all in. The only way you could dismiss it is by doing what Stephen Elliott did in today's Rumpus: completely miss the fucking point and then just type a bunch of nonsense about how it wasn't "artsy" enough.
Stephen says that Inception is a "spectacle, and a love story that hammers you over the head with images of two good looking people holding hands." FIRSTLY, Leonardo DiCaprio isn't good-looking. In all seriousness, there is no love story in Inception. I don't want to be a spoiler for anyone reading the Humpus, but what there is of a love story is just as twisted as the layers of the dreams that the protagonists have to navigate. There's so much more betrayal and longing than love.
Narrative rules, good sir? Tell me where you found these rules. Most of this film is a dream or is played out within a dream, sometimes through different levels of sleep. Think about what your mind does when close your eyes and how far down you go every night. Tell me where it begins and ends. Who is actually the recipient of the inception? Did you bother to think about that, Stephen? Did you catch any of the subtle clues given to you by minor characters? Oh. No. You mention early on that it was fine as "something to help you stop thinking for awhile."
My own theories are such heavy spoilers that I won't post them to the gentle readers of the Humpus without warning. Feel free to contact me once you've seen the movie (but only if you're not a goddamn bloated ego, pretentious sonofabitch) and I'll impart them gladly. Christopher Nolan is a bad ass and I'm sure he's laughing his backside off at all these reviews. This is the man that did Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. He. Is. A. Bad ass. He's not sloppy and he worked on this movie for 10 years. You watched it for two hours and shat out some hardcore bullshit.
The point of the movie wasn't to turn off your mind, it was to turn it on. I walked out of that movie theatre feeling completely disoriented. I've been over and over it countless times since then. Stephen Elliott whizzed right past the themes of the movie (and even the structure). You want to turn off your brain? Go back to your sex workers convention.
One point we can probably agree on: fucking is a much better way to "no mind" than cinema.
******
Ping Kristin on twitter with praise...but do it wisely lest Stephen catch on to my email list. I can't believe he hasn't yet... maybe he has. Oh wells. *hi Stephen!*
ADDITIONALLY. You will come to this show tomorrow. And you will bring friends. And they will bring friends. Ok? Ok
Storybook Burlesque Presents A Midsummer Night's Dream
oh LOOK coverage of the show IN THE NY POST online. Hellur.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/shakespeare_stripped_down_nAG9PRYqYODMDnRbGGdXDN
ex ex ex oh,
Marley
Kristin, take it away!
Let me start with this: http://dehahs.deviantart.com/art/Inception-Infographic-172424503?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Adehahs&qo=0
That's an infographic that gets close to explaining the layers of Inception, but even as close as it is, it's still flawed. There isn't a possible way to watch this movie once and take it all in. The only way you could dismiss it is by doing what Stephen Elliott did in today's Rumpus: completely miss the fucking point and then just type a bunch of nonsense about how it wasn't "artsy" enough.
Stephen says that Inception is a "spectacle, and a love story that hammers you over the head with images of two good looking people holding hands." FIRSTLY, Leonardo DiCaprio isn't good-looking. In all seriousness, there is no love story in Inception. I don't want to be a spoiler for anyone reading the Humpus, but what there is of a love story is just as twisted as the layers of the dreams that the protagonists have to navigate. There's so much more betrayal and longing than love.
Narrative rules, good sir? Tell me where you found these rules. Most of this film is a dream or is played out within a dream, sometimes through different levels of sleep. Think about what your mind does when close your eyes and how far down you go every night. Tell me where it begins and ends. Who is actually the recipient of the inception? Did you bother to think about that, Stephen? Did you catch any of the subtle clues given to you by minor characters? Oh. No. You mention early on that it was fine as "something to help you stop thinking for awhile."
My own theories are such heavy spoilers that I won't post them to the gentle readers of the Humpus without warning. Feel free to contact me once you've seen the movie (but only if you're not a goddamn bloated ego, pretentious sonofabitch) and I'll impart them gladly. Christopher Nolan is a bad ass and I'm sure he's laughing his backside off at all these reviews. This is the man that did Memento, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. He. Is. A. Bad ass. He's not sloppy and he worked on this movie for 10 years. You watched it for two hours and shat out some hardcore bullshit.
The point of the movie wasn't to turn off your mind, it was to turn it on. I walked out of that movie theatre feeling completely disoriented. I've been over and over it countless times since then. Stephen Elliott whizzed right past the themes of the movie (and even the structure). You want to turn off your brain? Go back to your sex workers convention.
One point we can probably agree on: fucking is a much better way to "no mind" than cinema.
******
Ping Kristin on twitter with praise...but do it wisely lest Stephen catch on to my email list. I can't believe he hasn't yet... maybe he has. Oh wells. *hi Stephen!*
ADDITIONALLY. You will come to this show tomorrow. And you will bring friends. And they will bring friends. Ok? Ok
Storybook Burlesque Presents A Midsummer Night's Dream
oh LOOK coverage of the show IN THE NY POST online. Hellur.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/shakespeare_stripped_down_nAG9PRYqYODMDnRbGGdXDN
ex ex ex oh,
Marley
PS aw fuck it, here's the sonnet, edited somewhat:
Inception!
Shall I compare thee to the matrix?
thou art more stylized and more mindless
a paperback doest entertain one on a plane
and popcorn does sate the moviegoers hunger
but thy plot and themes do not satisfy my need
for storytelling tropes! Avatar did please me with
its plotlessness and blue skinned fantasies,
as opaque as Ellison's Invisible allegory.
The Hollywood spectacle of beauties loving beauties
in uncomplicated hipster plots and worlds I do disdain!
Where's the realism! This is basic trash!
Jealous? Moi?! I’m a published author!
Mindless films for the millions?
That's fucking ridiculous.
now you ping me with praise.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages