Archive for January, 2011

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 17

So you’ve heard all about these awesome community summits where community sites are invited to studios to look at games early, but you can’t seem to get yourself invitd to one. Well, we’ve hosted several of these events between the two of us, and in this episode, we’re going to talk a bit about how to get yourself invited to future events.

Download – Episode 17

Listen:
 [audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/15mog-episode017.mp3]

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You can also “Like” us over on Facebook and check out our question of the day!

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 17,

Inception, The Greatest Trick Nolan Ever Pulled

 My wife and I finally got the chance to watch Inception recently. I know, I know, we’re behind. We chatted about the movie a bit afterward, and the next day she had a pretty awesome take on what the film was about. I asked her to write up her analysis so that I could post it here to share with you guys. I know you’re already thinking tl;dr, but I think that if you are even remotely interested in the film, you should give this write-up a read. And when you’re done reading, go watch the movie again.

Inception, The Greatest Trick Nolan Ever Pulled

By Deborah Korthof

Sorry that I am coming so late to the discussion table.  My husband and I finally got the chance to watch Chris Nolan’s Inception on Thursday night.  It’s Sunday and I am still thinking about it.  I have gone over it and over it in my mind and have come to the conclusion that, just like everything else in this brilliant film, Cobb’s search for redemption is not what it seems.

I have read several interpretations of this movie online.  Some of them suggest that after watching the film, the audience should try only to understand whether Cobb’s experiences while invading other people’s dreams are real or not .  Other sources argue that the movie is a metaphor for filmmaking itself.  I would like to offer another analysis.  Obviously, this movie is about one man’s search for redemption.  But I believe the real redemption story here is much deeper, much more profound than the one we see at face value.  Just as the movie is built on a structure of dreams within dreams, it is built on a story within a story.  Disguised within Cobb’s story is the story of Lucifer’s plot to get back into heaven.

“Disguised within Cobb’s story is the story
of Lucifer’s plot to get back into heaven.”

I know what you are thinking:  she is reaching; she is way over-thinking this; she is a zealot who chooses to see everything through a Christian lens.  Let me just say, first, that I am not a very religious person.  However, I do have a degree in Religious Studies; therefore, full disclosure, I do tend to see things through a religious lens.  That being said, I do not believe that I am reaching.   I do not believe that I am over-thinking this.  I simply analyzed this film the same way that I teach my students to analyze a piece of literature.  I looked for patterns and then made my conclusions accordingly.  Here’s what I found.

Dom Cobb, a Cipher

Although it was pure speculation, after watching the film I couldn’t help thinking that Cobb’s act of inception seemed strikingly similar to the Devil‘s act of temptation. I mean, he used inception to convince two different characters to “kill themselves” in order to escape limbo. I think an argument could be made that he “tempted” them to do it.  But it wasn’t just that he seemed to be able to persuade others to sin that made me wonder if Cobb could be the Devil. Cobb reminded me of the Devil in many ways.  They are both liars, they are both manipulators, and each of them has been condemned to wander in an abyss for an unspecified amount of time.   But like I said, this hunch was based on pure speculation.  Even I felt that it was a pretty flimsy analysis.  Then I started thinking about the characters’ names.  I decided to look up the meanings.  What I found was a very interesting pattern, which seemed to support my crazy idea.

Dom Cobb is an interesting choice for a character’s name.  Dom means Lord. Cobb means supplanter.  Lord Supplanter?  That sounds like a pseudonym for Satan to me.  But one interesting name does not constitute a pattern, so I kept looking.  Do the other names seem to tell us something about the nature and function of the characters?

“Lord Supplanter?  That sounds like
a pseudonym for Satan to me.”

Mal means bad or evil.  No surprise there for anyone who has ever taken a Spanish class.  Still, it is a name consistent with the characteristics of the Devil, which means now we have two names.  I think we need at least three for a pattern, so what else has Nolan laid out for us?  Well, I found that the name James also means supplanter.  At this point I knew that I was onto something. The names Phillipa and James also seem to be  references to the Apostles, and Miles, which means soldier, is a shortened form of Michael.  Hmmm.  Everyone in Cobb’s family seems to have names that are Biblical in some sense.  What about the rest of his team?  Arthur means noble, rock, or bear (not wholly interesting on its own, but I’ll come back to its significance in a minute).  Apart from its obvious allusion to Greek mythology, the name Ariadne means holy.  Eames means prosperous protector. Yusuf, a form of Joseph, means “God will add”.  Oh, and Joseph happens to be the name of Christ’s earthly father. The names of the two other characters Cobb works with, Nash and Saito, don’t have Biblical meanings, but have important symbolic meanings of their own.  Nash means literally “at the ash tree.”  The ash tree is a symbol of sacrifice.  Saito means “purification wisteria.” Wisteria is a symbol of purification and longevity. My flimsy idea was starting to have some weight.

“First name?  Famous Light.  Last name? Fisher of men. 
Definitely sounds like a Christ reference to me.”

It got really interesting when I looked up Robert Fischer, the target, and Peter Browning his godfather.  I could guess at this point that Fischer would be fisherman, a possible allusion to Christ.  But I found that Robert means famous brilliance.  So we’ve got: First name?  Famous Light.  Last name? Fisher of men.  Definitely sounds like a Christ reference to me.  Maurice, Robert’s father’s name,  means prayer.  So the Fischers’ seem to have names with Biblical significance, too.  And then there is Peter Browning.  The fact that Peter was the Leader of the Twelve Apostle’s and was the man who established the Christian church cannot be overlooked.  However, the meaning of the name Peter serves another function here as well.  Peter means rock.  Browning means bear.  Sound familiar?  That’s because Arthur’s name and Peter’s name have the same meanings.  I think that this does a lot to establish them as foils.  And lays some really interesting groundwork for future storylines.  I think it is fair to say that there is a pattern here.  Like any writer worth his literary weight in gold, Nolan did not pick these names willy-nilly.

The Story within the Story

If we view Cobb as the devil, it changes the whole movie.  If he is the Devil, then I think it is fair to assume that his ultimate plan is not to get back home to his kids, but to take over heaven.  Nolan seems to use the characters’ names to give us insights into who the characters are and how they will function in the story.  I think the name Cobb really sheds light on our protagonist’s true ambitions and desires.  According to Merriam-Webster Online, the word supplanter means “to supercede by force or treachery.”  I think that is the underlying story here. Cobb wants what the Devil has always wanted.  He wants to be the one in charge.   He is using inception to work towards this end.

“Cobb wants what the Devil has always wanted.
He wants to be the one in charge.”

At the very beginning of the film, we see Cobb trying to extract information from Saito.  The whole operation seemed like it was a flop.  Maybe it wasn’t.  The Cobol Corporation thought that Cobb was doing a job for them.  Saito thought that he was having Cobb audition for a job.  But what if this was all just a set up by Cobb?   Let’s consider that inception also means beginning.  Maybe this “failed” mission what just the beginning of Cobb’s plot to get back into heaven.

In the film, Cobb sets out to use inception to encourage Robert Fischer to turn away from his father, turn down his inheritance, and establish himself as his own man.  I think there is evidence in the film that Fischer is much more than son of an energy company tycoon.  There is his name, which as I mentioned earlier means fisherman.  There is the symbolic importance of his totem: the pinwheel.  Pinwheels are associated with innocence and childhood.   If we view Fischer as a Christ figure, Cobb’s plan takes on a whole new level of meaning.  I think this is the intention.  I think that Cobb’s plan is to break up the relationship between Fischer and his father so that he can take over, and I believe that the reason Cobb walks away from the spinning top at the end of the movie without so much as a glance is because he is confident that the first phase of his plan has been carried out.  Inception is complete.

I hope that I am right because I would love to see where Nolan takes this story.

UPDATE: I had Deb come on our podcast to talk a little more about this idea. Check that out here.

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Inception, The Greatest Trick Nolan Ever Pulled,

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 16

In this episode, we talk about re-inventing the wheel. It’s a subject we’ve danced around in previous episodes, but I definitely felt it was worth touching on directly. How do you guage the next big moves for your website? Are you re-inventing the wheel, or are you creating something that brings new value to the community at large? 

Download – Episode 16

Listen:
[audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/15mog-episode016.mp3]

Subscribe via iTunes.

You can also “Like” us over on Facebook and check out our question of the day!

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 16,

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 15

Today’s show topic comes from an email that I recieved recently asking how best to go about extending your presence beyond your own community site. Jon and I discuss some of the best ways to do this both from the internal company perspective, and from the external fan site perspective.

Download – Episode 15

Listen:
[audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/15mog-episode015.mp3]

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What succesful ways have you found to involve yourself with other communities?

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 15,

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 14

The Spike VGAs are coming up this weekend. It’s the game industry’s chance to recognize our best and brightest. Or is it? This week we take on a VGA topic request from twitter and discuss what we feel are the strengths and weaknesses of the game industry’s only large award show.

Download – Episode 14 

Listen:
[audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/15mog-episode014.mp3]

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What do you think of the VGAs? Do you watch?

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 14,

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 13

15MoG: Earth One. In this episode, Jon really wanted to discuss the merits of the latest in DC Comics’ string of Superman reboots. We take on JMS’ modernized Superman origin story and talk about what we liked and hated.

Download – Episode 13

Listen:
[audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/15mog-episode013.mp3]

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Have you read Superman: Earth One yet? What did you think of it?

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 13,

15 Minutes of Game – Episode 12

In this day and age, do you really even need a forum to build a community? That’s the question that Jon and I tackle this week, straight from a twitter request. We each take a different side of the question, and hopefully give you something to think about with your own community building.

Download – Episode 12

Listen:
[audio http://sixokay.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/15mog-episode012.mp3]

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Give it a listen and let us know if you think forums are essential to building a community.

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15 Minutes of Game – Episode 12,

January 30, 2011: Laura Vandervoort Returning to Smallville

TVLine reports that Laura Vandervoort will return to her role of Supergirl on Smallville in one of the final five episodes of the series later this spring.
Vandervoort has already made one appearance earlier this season and, since leaving the show, has starred regularly on ABC’s alien series “V”. However, lower than expected ratings for the show indicate that it might join “Smallville” in going off the air after this season.

January 30, 2011: Henry Cavill Cast as New Superman

Warner Bros. have announced that relative unknown British actor Henry Cavill has been chosen to play Superman in the upcoming Zack Snyder reboot of the film franchise.
“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen,” Snyder said in the newsrelease. “I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”
Cavill, 27, is best known for his starring role in Showtime’s ‘The Tudors’ playing the character of Charles Brandon. He has also appeared in the 2007 fantasy film ‘Stardust’ and will star in the upcoming adventure movie ‘Immortals’. He was also previously in contention for the role of the Man of Steel in 2006’s Superman Returns, which ultimately starred Brandon Routh.

January 29, 2011: World's Best Podcast, Season 3, Episode 19

The World’s Best Podcast, co-produced by Adam Basciano, Isaac Frisbie, and the Superman Homepage’s own Barry Freiman, is a great show for fans wanting to listen to commentary on the world of DC’s greatest superheroes.

World’s Best Podcast Season 3, Episode 19 covers a lot of ground. First, the team asks where is “Collateral”, the new “Smallville” episode we were promised this week? We discuss the CW’s last minute preemption of “Smallville”. Then we get into the third episode of “Young Justice” titled “Welcome to Happy Harbor”. Finally we spend the most time on the return of the Amazing Amazon to television. Wonder Woman, all the world is indeed waiting for you — but please bring your costume and leave the plane at home.

The World’s Best Podcast is a proud member of the SUPERMAN PODCAST NETWORK. You may also subscribe to the podcast through ITunes, or add it to your Google Homepage or Google Reader, your My Yahoo, and RSS Feed. The Podcast is also available to be heard on certain TIVOs.

Download the newest episode here.