Inception Archives - The Playlist

Watch: Christopher Nolan & Denis Villeneuve In 30-Minute Conversation About ‘Tenet,’ IMAX, The Bond Movie Influence & More

Edward Davis — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:39:19 +0000

Recently, “Oppenheimer” filmmaker Christopher Nolan made headlines by favorably comparing Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” to the “Star Wars” sequel, “The Empire Strikes Back.” Those comments come from a conversation that took place on February 2, 2024, after a screening of Nolan’s sci-fi “Tenet” in IMAX 70mm Film at AMC CityWalk, as the film was recently given a quick theatrical re-release (“Tenet” came out during the pandemic and wasn’t as widely seen theatrically as most of Nolan’s movies, only grossing 365.3 million, given that was the heart of COVID-19 season in summer 2020).

Continue reading Watch: Christopher Nolan & Denis Villeneuve In 30-Minute Conversation About ‘Tenet,’ IMAX, The Bond Movie Influence & More at The Playlist.

Christopher Nolan Loves The Idea Of Making A Video Game In Theory, But Says He’s Devoted His Life To Film

Christopher Marc — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 15:46:04 +0000

Most of us were thrown off when Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan announced a “Tenet” promotion within the popular battle royale video game “Fortnite.” The idea felt a little “How Do You Do Fellow Kids?” scene from “30 Rock“; seemingly a way to give his upcoming sci-fi action film some marketing exposure to a younger demographic that could support the movie.

Continue reading Christopher Nolan Loves The Idea Of Making A Video Game In Theory, But Says He’s Devoted His Life To Film at The Playlist.

Three Christopher Nolan Films Headed Back To The Big Screen… Inside Fortnite

Charles Barfield — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:33:23 +0000

Christopher Nolan’s fight to keep “Tenet” released in July is well-documented. This is a discussion that has lasted months, as the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Nolan has been steadfast in his goal to give people a reason to come back to the cinemas and support the theatrical experience. Hell, Warner Bros. is releasing “Inception” two weeks before just to get people back into theaters.

Continue reading Three Christopher Nolan Films Headed Back To The Big Screen… Inside Fortnite at The Playlist.

John David Washington Plays With Sequel Theories; Jokes ‘Inception’ Is An “In-Law” To ‘Tenet’

Charles Barfield — Fri, 29 May 2020 18:15:00 +0000

Christopher Nolan is one of the most beloved filmmakers working today. His films not only are well made, with many being completely original ideas (a sad rarity in today’s blockbuster business), but they’re also some of the most analyzed, as fans spend hours and hours trying to figure out the hidden meanings in his features. And with a new film on the horizon, “Tenet,” with its uber-mysterious marketing, fans are already developing theories about a secret connection between the new feature and Nolan’s own “Inception.”

READ MORE: San Francisco’s Reopening Plan Could Mean Trouble For ‘Tenet’ Release Date But Nolan Says “The Film Will Be Ready”

The idea of a “secret sequel” isn’t unique to “Tenet.” Just recently, a couple of years back, we saw M.

Continue reading John David Washington Plays With Sequel Theories; Jokes ‘Inception’ Is An “In-Law” To ‘Tenet’ at The Playlist.

China To Re-Release ‘Avatar’ & ‘Avengers’ Films To Help Lure Customers Back To Cinemas

Charles Barfield — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 14:37:47 +0000

As China begins to allow its residents to leave their homes and attempt to get back to business as usual, the country is also beginning to reopen its cinemas. As of this week, THR is reporting that 600 to 700 theaters in China have reopened their doors to customers. And to help entice them back to the cinema, the country is using some of the biggest films of all-time.

READ MORE: Chinese Cinemas Will Reopen With Older Films To Allow Exhibitors To Keep 100% Of Revenue

We already reported that China is utilizing older films as a way to ease people back into going to the movie theater, and by releasing previously-run films, the cinemas can keep all the revenue.

Continue reading China To Re-Release ‘Avatar’ & ‘Avengers’ Films To Help Lure Customers Back To Cinemas at The Playlist.

Leonardo DiCaprio Finds ‘Inception’ Just As Confusing As The Rest Of Us

Matthew Monagle — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 21:46:53 +0000

Over the past few years, critics have written at length about our need to “solve” movies. From blockbuster features to auteurist passion projects, audiences are increasingly treating films and franchises as puzzles to unlock. This has resulted in outcries for more ambiguity. Who cares if the top falls over at the end of Christopher Nolan‘s “Inception“? The point is not that there is a right answer – the point is that we do not know.

Continue reading Leonardo DiCaprio Finds ‘Inception’ Just As Confusing As The Rest Of Us at The Playlist.

The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s]

The Playlist — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 16:32:46 +0000

Look, making a Best of Decade list is an impossibility. As the 2010s come to a close, we’ve been agonizing over this (long-delayed) list for half a year now and even had to take a break and put it away this summer when things got too contentious and overwhelming. And then there’s the notion of resonance and what really lasts and is released too late (Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” is phenomenal, for example, but it’s not even released yet, and it’s just going to have to sit this one out).

Continue reading The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

The 25 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far

Jessica Kiang — Thu, 07 May 2015 16:06:10 +0000

As kids, we looked ahead to the imminent 21st century and thought of a big bold, sci-fi future. The robot butler and trips to the drug store in hovercars version hasn’t yet arrived, but the first 15 years of this century have been extremely fruitful for big-screen science fiction.

Sci-fi is almost as old as cinema itself —1902’s Georges Méliès’ “A Trip To The Moon” is generally seen as the first example— but it became hugely popular in late 20th century filmmaking in the aftermath of “Star Wars,” if also somewhat watered down.

Continue reading The 25 Best Sci-Fi Films Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

Watch: Supercut Looks At The 20 Greatest Slow-Mo Scenes

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:51:00 +0000

Watch: Supercut Looks At The 20 Greatest Slow-Mo Scenes

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Ranked: The Films Of Christopher Nolan

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:39:09 +0000

Ranked: The Films Of Christopher Nolan

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5 Highlights From An Amazing New Collection of Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos For ‘Psycho,’ ‘2001,’ ‘Inception’ & More

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:15:00 +0000

5 Highlights From An Amazing New Collection of Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos For 'Psycho,' '2001,' 'Inception' & More

Continue reading 5 Highlights From An Amazing New Collection of Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos For ‘Psycho,’ ‘2001,’ ‘Inception’ & More at The Playlist.

The Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio Movies About Doomed Romances

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:06:12 +0000

The Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio Movies About Doomed Romances

Continue reading The Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio Movies About Doomed Romances at The Playlist.

The Essentials: The Films Of Christopher Nolan

The Playlist — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:19:05 +0000

We can all agree at this point that a certain sub-set of Christopher Nolan‘s fans are out of hand, what with the death threats to critics and all. But even if we were one of those who didn’t like “The Dark Knight Rises,” or indeed the rest of Nolan’s output, we suspect that we’d still be glad he existed. While some might find his movies humorless (though we’d disagree), or chilly (though we’d disagree), or overly rigid (we’d… mostly disagree), no one else is making films like Christopher Nolan, taking nine figures ofWarner Bros.’ money, pairing it with big ideas and concepts, and making resoundingly entertaining and thought-provoking blockbusters.

Continue reading The Essentials: The Films Of Christopher Nolan at The Playlist.

VIFF ’10 Review: Shion Sono An Exiting New Discovery; ‘Cold Fish’ Bleak, Bloody, Bold

Erik McClanahan — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:30:00 +0000

For this writer, 2010 has been a stellar year at the movies and it’s almost entirely thanks to arthouse and foreign cinema. So, yeah, the recent output from Hollwood has been uninspired even more than normal (except for the obvious successes: “Toy Story 3,” “Inception,” ‘Scott Pilgrim’, “The Social Network”), but instead of bitching about it, the best idea is to look elsewhere. In the process, director discoveries are often made, and it’s one of the most exciting parts of cinephilia.

Continue reading VIFF ’10 Review: Shion Sono An Exiting New Discovery; ‘Cold Fish’ Bleak, Bloody, Bold at The Playlist.

VIFF ’10 Review: ‘Barney’s Version’ Is Oscar-Baity Yet Goes Through The Motions

Erik McClanahan — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:47:00 +0000

A quick glance at the career of Richard J. Lewis tells a lot about his approach to “Barney’s Version,” an adaptation of revered Canadian author Mordecai Richler’s prize-winning last novel. He’s something of a TV journeyman, having directed episodes for more than a dozen series, and he seemed to have found a good fit for his style in “CSI,” helming some 49 episodes from 2000 through 2006. However, his latest project, ‘Version’ was the opening gala selection at VIFF, a wise and somewhat obvious choice since it’s a Canadian production and comes with a level of Oscar-bait, mainstream-appeal prestige.

Continue reading VIFF ’10 Review: ‘Barney’s Version’ Is Oscar-Baity Yet Goes Through The Motions at The Playlist.

Michael Caine Reveals The End Of ‘Inception’

Kevin Jagernauth — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Obviously, if you haven’t seen the film or if you have your own satisfactory theory for the end of “Inception” don’t read this story, because Michael Caine is putting an end to speculation about the end of the film.

Talking on BBC Radio’s The Chris Moyles Show (via ScreenRant) Michael Caine decided to drop some truth bombs about Christopher Nolan’s playfully open ended conclusion to his dream world blockbuster “Inception.” Caine says, “[The spinning top] drops at the end, that’s when I come back on.

Continue reading Michael Caine Reveals The End Of ‘Inception’ at The Playlist.

You’re Not Dreaming: Christopher Nolan Considering ‘Inception’ Video Game

Kevin Jagernauth — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:08:00 +0000

We’re a little surprised this didn’t happen sooner or wasn’t part of the ginormous Warner Bros. marketing machine for “Inception,” but speaking at a press conference in Rome as the film opens in Italy, Christopher Nolan revealed “one thing we are looking at doing is developing a video game based on the world of the film, which has all kinds of ideas that you can’t fit into a feature film.”

Well, there was a (fairly tedious) video game of sorts on one of the sites for the film prior to the release.

Continue reading You’re Not Dreaming: Christopher Nolan Considering ‘Inception’ Video Game at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: ‘Evil’ Makes #1 A ‘Resident’-ial Area

Gabe Toro — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:30:00 +0000

So it’s September, where the divide between the elites and the laymen couldn’t be any more apparent. The Toronto Film Festival has kickstarted Oscar season, and most people with an interest in the medium are ready to discuss something more substantial. But no matter the season, the multiplex remains the multiplex, so those cheap thrill seekers embraced the fourth film in the middling “Resident Evil” franchise. With the bells-and-whistles addition of 3D, the franchise easily eclipsed the bow of each previous film, and without anyone looking, “Resident Evil” has become one of the most financially reliable franchises out there, with each film generating a solid-to-spectacular profit on a respectable budget.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: ‘Evil’ Makes #1 A ‘Resident’-ial Area at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: ‘The American’ Prevails, ‘Machete’ Can’t Defeat ‘Takers’

Jessica Kiang — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:33:00 +0000

Historically, Labor Day Weekend closes the more-or-less explosive summer movie season not with a bang, but a whimper, and this weekend doesn’t look like it’s going to buck that overall trend. Perhaps because filmgoers are fatigued by successive summer blockbusters clamoring for their attention (though this year, maybe not so much), or because studios have become wary of the date, it has become an uncomfortable no man’s land between the big-budget actioner period and the awards-hopeful drama season.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: ‘The American’ Prevails, ‘Machete’ Can’t Defeat ‘Takers’ at The Playlist.

UPDATE: Weekend Box Office: ‘Takers’ Triumphs In Box Office Actuals

Gabe Toro — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:50:00 +0000

UPDATE: Such is the nature of estimates. Final numbers were revealed on Monday, and while it originally looked like “The Last Exorcism” defeated “Takers” by about $300,000, both were a victim of overzealous bean counters. The weekend goes to “Takers” with a $20.5 million take, over “Exorcism”‘s $20.4 take. Keep supporting your local art house, people.

Kudos to Lionsgate for absolutely owning August. Their $20 million purchase of the domestic rights to “The Expendables” was a can’t-miss expenditure, and the film’s poised to crest $100 million.

Continue reading UPDATE: Weekend Box Office: ‘Takers’ Triumphs In Box Office Actuals at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Roger Corman Hasn’t Seen ‘Piranha 3D’ Yet; Compares Christopher Nolan’s Career Arc To Those He Mentored

Drew — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:59:00 +0000

Roger Corman has had a hell of a year. The lovable, 84-year-old maestro/producer/ director and mentor of B-movie entertainment was the recipient of the Honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar (where Quentin Tarantino waxed effusively about his work), some of his older films have been lovingly re-released through Shout Factory, and the 3D remake of his 1978 film “Piranha” has received critical kudos and enough dough to merit a sequel, apparently. Additionally, “Piranha” has been made available for viewing On Demand via the “Movies On Demand” channel through FilmBuff.

Continue reading Exclusive: Roger Corman Hasn’t Seen ‘Piranha 3D’ Yet; Compares Christopher Nolan’s Career Arc To Those He Mentored at The Playlist.

‘Bourne’ Writer Josh Zetumer Sells Secret Pitch To Warner Bros., ‘Zombieland’ Director Ruben Fleischer Will Exec-Produce

Oliver Lyttelton — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:37:00 +0000

One of the big questions hanging over this summer at the movies has been whether the success of “Inception,” and the failure of the likes of “The A-Team,” “Marmaduke” and “Jonah Hex” would open the door to more original projects at the big studios. Several sites speculated a few months ago that executives were desperately asking agencies for original material, after many seemingly sure-fire hits based on pre-existing properties tanked, and that was before Christopher Nolan’s picture started to make serious coin (it’s closing in on $500 million worldwide after four weeks).

Continue reading ‘Bourne’ Writer Josh Zetumer Sells Secret Pitch To Warner Bros., ‘Zombieland’ Director Ruben Fleischer Will Exec-Produce at The Playlist.

Has Costume Designer Jeffrey Kurland Revealed The Ending To ‘Inception’?

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:47:00 +0000

**Obviously, this story has spoilers and if you haven’t seen “Inception” or don’t want your interpretation of the ending ruined, please read something else.**

Christopher Nolan’s brainy summer blockbuster “Inception” has had tongues wagging for a variety of reasons including its twisty, multiple layer narrative; it’s bold action setpieces; and the refreshment that an original idea has been brought to multiplexes wheezing from sequels, remakes, reboots and comic book movies. However, nothing has spurred more discussion (and arguments) than the enigmatic ending to the film.

Continue reading Has Costume Designer Jeffrey Kurland Revealed The Ending To ‘Inception’? at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: ‘Inception’ Defeats Cats, Dogs, Zac Efron And ‘Schmucks’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:30:00 +0000

That’s three straight weekends of Chris Nolan’s “Inception” as the ruler of the roost. While the competition wasn’t stellar, the dream-attack heist picture posted a muscular hold to survive being outgrossed by “Dinner For Schmucks” on Friday with its stronger IMAX pricing scam/business strategy. It’s hard to say the film has become a definitive zeitgeist-grabber, but it’s a water-cooler film, no doubt, and while it might not crest $300 million, it’s sure to cross $200m by mid-week.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: ‘Inception’ Defeats Cats, Dogs, Zac Efron And ‘Schmucks’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: Filmgoers Request Pinch Of ‘Salt’ But Plate Of ‘Inception’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:30:00 +0000

By and large, studios have somewhat agreed to play nice during the major moviegoing periods of the year, agreeing to space out their major releases so that each studio can have their own weekend to themselves, with the other majors and mini-majors offering only smaller counter-programming. As a result, Sony had no real competition opening this weekend against their action thriller “Salt” and it was reflected in a solid opening frame that firmed up Angelina Jolie’s rep as one of Hollywood’s more versatile stars.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: Filmgoers Request Pinch Of ‘Salt’ But Plate Of ‘Inception’ at The Playlist.