Inception

[CFTraveler]

I just got back from the movie Inception and have to say- it's the best movie I've seen all year. By far. I highly recommend it.
Ten thumbs up.

[Yamabushi]

Thanks. I've been hearing it's pretty good, can't wait to catch the IMAX show.

[dreamosis]

I saw it last night. I liked it, but walked home with a creeped out feeling. I was reflexively "reality-checking" all the way home and kept getting chills. The effect of it on me was sort of similar to seeing The Matrix for the first time. Although both movies are flights of fancy and not realistic, both contain truths about the nature of reality that spoke to me viscerally.

The only creative complaint I had about the movie was that the dream worlds felt far too stable to me vis-a-vis my own lucid dreaming experiences; but, then again, in the movie everyone was dreaming inside of a carefully architected dreamscape.

The "projections" were just plain creepy.

[WASD]

I'm gonna watch it someday soon.

[CFTraveler]

The only creative complaint I had about the movie was that the dream worlds felt far too stable to me vis-a-vis my own lucid dreaming experiences; but, then again, in the movie everyone was dreaming inside of a carefully architected dreamscape.
Plus, they were on specific medications to keep them as stable as possible. I liked the totem idea as one more arsenal to use for reality checks. I will add them to my list from now on. Such a simple concept- and I have never seen them described clearly (similarly, but not explained adequately, IMO.)
It also debunks the idea of APing by falling. It never worked for me and now I know why.
I left the movie completely elated. No creepy feeling for me.

[Enochian]

I don't know what you guys mean by stable, but Astral Dynamics, both editions say that a WILD is as realistic as reality.

WILD is actually different than even other lucid dreaming.

[CFTraveler]

If you watch the movie you'll know what we're talking about.

[heliac]

This was a really really good movie. The best i've seen in a few years. I think i am going to check it out on IMAX this weekend again.

[CFTraveler]

I'm definitely going to watch it again.

[ButterflyWoman]

I saw it last night. I liked it, but walked home with a creeped out feeling. I was reflexively "reality-checking" all the way home and kept getting chills.
You get used to the "this isn't reality" feeling. It can take a while, and there can be periods of significant existential angst, but it does become "normal" after a while and you lose the "freak out factor". :)


the dream worlds felt far too stable to me vis-a-vis my own lucid dreaming experiences
For a moment, consider your waking reality as a kind of very stable dream. Just focus on it. (It might freak you out a little ;))

I'm definitely going to see this movie, but arranging for babysitting can be tricky. Our primary babysitters are my in-laws, and they're the busiest retirees you've ever seen in your life! Have to book weeks in advance to get a date free with them! :)

[PinkFloyd08]

Loved every minute of it. missed the first 15min. of it though :( ill probably be seeing it again.

[dreamosis]

The creeped out factor for me has less to do with the "I might be dreaming right now" feeling and more with how much I identified with the main character's subconscious attacking him.

Like the main character, I've had a recurring wrench-in-the-works projection before (who has imitated both a girlfriend and my father). On both occasions, the character was hostile to the fact that I was lucid.

[ButterflyWoman]

The creeped out factor for me has less to do with the "I might be dreaming right now" feeling and more with how much I identified with the main character's subconscious attacking him.
Ah, I see.

[CFTraveler]

I think these were some of the benefits of the movie- in between the 'made up stuff' there are many valuable insights for those who value this type of stuff. The next time I get hostile aspects, I know what to look for.

[dreamosis]

Random question: Does anybody feel like they become more energy-aware when they regard waking reality as a dream? Walking home from the movie, I guess that some of my creeped-out-ness came from my energetic senses feeling suddenly blown open. I could feel the gaze of people on the street. My own thoughts and feelings were more palpable. Trees were more alive. And on and on.

[Enochian]

If you watch the movie you'll know what we're talking about.


I did. I love Leonardo DiCaprio and I am a straight guy LOL

Like I said, Astral Dynamics says that a true WILD is as realistic as reality.

WILD is a step beyond the typical lucid dream.

[CFTraveler]

Like I said, Astral Dynamics says that a true WILD is as realistic as reality. Yes, but I don't get what that has to do with what we were talking about. I still don't.

[dreamosis]

WILDs can be as realistic as reality, but usually include signs that it's a dream. In the movie, the dreamsigns are all more or less realistic (minus gravity shifting, omnipresent music, a train coming from nowhere, etc.)

In a typical WILD, the environment might appear as realistic as waking reality, but you also might see a dragon. In Inception, most of the subconscious projections were people, as opposed to say, dragons. That's why I say the dreamworlds were somewhat more realistic than they should have been (but, of course, that was a creative choice).

If I were a mark, and somebody drugged me and I found myself in a dreamworld with them trying to manipulate me, I'd be much more likely to recognize that it's a dream if their subconcious projections were more than merely people (but included dragons, giant spiders, etc.)

[Challenge]

I'm gonna watch it on Friday. 8)

[sibouleaux]

Hello All,

I just watched the movie called Inception. I liked the story, very original and made me think of this forum sometimes.

Here's the summary from IMDB:

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.

Fiction or possible?

[sleeper]

Hello All,

I just watched the movie called Inception. I liked the story, very original and made me think of this forum sometimes.

Here's the summary from IMDB:

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.

Fiction or possible?

IMHO it's entirely and easily possible. I've never found any kind of privacy in the universe; in my experience, all information is available for anyone who is able to find and retrieve it.

My question is this: who is diligent and devoted enough to doing this kind of work? it's not exactly something you do on a three-day-weekend.

[eyeoneblack]

(I liked writing this, but it's kinda' out there :lol: )


Random question: Does anybody feel like they become more energy-aware when they regard waking reality as a dream? Walking home from the movie, I guess that some of my creeped-out-ness came from my energetic senses feeling suddenly blown open. I could feel the gaze of people on the street. My own thoughts and feelings were more palpable. Trees were more alive. And on and on.


It is easier for some than others and, I think, by account of their constitution and disposition. I am not very attached to the material world. I tried my best to appreciate its delights but ultimately gave up on it as a worthwhile goal. Others are very much 'here' which fills their days with ambition and success - and fear of keeping it - losing it. Which is to say, to more and less degree, I do consider my waking life a dream, always. This was true even when I was young, like you guys, but it does become easier as we get older - matters of food, clothing and shelter having been pretty much settled.

But there is a trick to this wisdom or a major hurtle. If I was to say, "the Law of Being is symmetrical in time and reciprocal in dimension" many of you would have a clue as to where I was going with that, because we have evidence, experience in a thriving dream life, in support of it.

The known laws of physics are time-symmetric as well (with a possible exception of the neutral kaon). Which is to say, these laws have no regard for past or future as the equations are equally valid in both directions. That a baseball doesn't come flying over the fence in a just such an arc as to strike a batter's retreating bat and then make a bee-line for the pitcher's throwing arm is something we never observe, the Newtonian laws describe no such prejudice. Home runs are as easily un-hit as hit.

The issue of course is perspective, we are creatures in time, but if we could possibly adopt a view-point outside of time, what author Hew Price refers to as Archimedes' Point, truly a whole new world opens before us. But what a 'major hurtle' in our thinking this perspective presents!

We have a similar hurtle as 'wakers' and dreamers. Fortunately many of us have experienced 'false awakenings' enough to appreciate the blur between awake and asleep - the confusion that can intervene between the dream life and the RL. Simply on the basis of this little clue, the hurtle looms directly ahead; why is my waking life not a dream simply constrained by matter and time? As Dr. Price loves to twist it, what he calls 'reversibility', why don't we wonder as a dream entity what this thing, this life in time and matter, is about? If we clear the hurtle we see, beyond a doubt, the reciprocal relationship we bear between our dream and waking lives, and finally awake for real, we begin to explore our myriad selves as a candle burning at both ends.

[eyeoneblack]

I just noticed I didn't answer the question. :? :lol:


Random question: Does anybody feel like they become more energy-aware when they regard waking reality as a dream?

Yes, absolutely. There is a feeling of 'command of the situation' that derives from this perspective. As if, I'm ahead of the curve, always.

[seankerr123]

I just saw this film (bit late, I know) and am wondering if anyone has heard anything about binaural beats or similar frequencies being embedded in the movie soundtrack.

Thanks and best wishes.

[Neil Templar]

I just saw this film (bit late, I know) and am wondering if anyone has heard anything about binaural beats or similar frequencies being embedded in the movie soundtrack.

Thanks and best wishes.

binaurals really only work effectively if there is no other sensory input, so eyes closed in a dark silent room would be best.
the visual input from the movie would stimulate the brain and negate the binaural's effect.

[Luscious]

I think that the idea of implanting a thought like this in the head of a person would have been a hundred times way easier with the subliminal technologies that are being used all over the place nowadays , And they also use the same kind of simple general messages like in "Cold Reading" , But I do agree if such a thing is possible it would be incredibly efficient in an increasingly accurate way , And would be the new way of dealing with the subconscious.

The interesting thing is that Nolan researched the whole thing before getting into the movie , Which means that he does know about most of the dreamsigns we know .

But I think that the idea of making the environment as real as possible was to convince the person being robbed into thinking that it's reality , Too much BS , And it wouldn't feel as real and a trained subject would be capable of realizing what it's all about .

Is such a thing possible (excluding the scenes that defy the reality of a dream though), I think it's possible , Especially with the types of drugs that could be employed to strengthen one's state within a dream , And the mental simulation , I've been through a training once that relates to Remote Influencing that had a Waking Delta Brainwave tape for training to get into that state really fast , Going through so many brainwave programs , And none really worked that well (Except the ones by Monroe they were also very high quality) , This one was so potent that It made me get into states I never went into , Really deep ones , many people even said they got into instant astral projections , The guy who made this tape series was actually with the marines or sth like that , And when the government gets into any form of research they always have to get solid techniques that work everytime for everybody , So yeah it wouldn't be too far fetched for this to happen at all !

I think some really similar to that machine in the movie was also in a game called "Dreamfall" the sequel to the longest journey , But it was more advanced that this though , Makes me wonder who ripped the other off though , Nolan or the game makers .

[ButterflyWoman]

Just saw the film. Kinda disappointed in it, actually. I don't think it lived up to the hype, and I kept expecting a surprise twist at the end and... there wasn't one. Yeah, the ending was vaguely ambiguous, kinda, but no surprise. Just, ta da, mission accomplished. Meh.

Maybe if I wasn't already so intimately familiar with the "reality as a dream" metaphor I would have been more impressed, I dunno, but I just thought it was overly complicated, had too many rules, and wasn't anywhere near as weird and mind-twisting as so many people found it to be.

Bummer. :(

[Serpentarius]

I found the movie a bit flat but still enjoyable.