As the anticipation grows for one of the most intriguing films of the year, the minds behind Inception have seen fit to release a bit more information. The LA Times published an article exploring the concepts of the film only days after WonderCon was graced with the presence of director Christopher Nolan. Shrouded behind a veil of secrecy, Inception is giving plenty of news-hungry fans a hard time by slowly revealing bits and pieces about the film.

At WonderCon Nolan discussed some of the influences behind Inception. Among them were 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. He specifically referred to the way the "sets change their attitude," which no doubt played a role in creating the rotating hallway you see in the trailers.

Feeding off of the director's influences from other films, the LA Times asked him whether Inception fits into the latest trend of out of body experiences like Avatar or Tron Legacy.

"Ours is more of 'The Matrix' variety and the concepts of different levels of reality. The whole concept of avatars and living life as someone else, there's a relationship to what we're doing, but I think when I first started trying to make this film happen it was very much pulled from that era of movies where you had 'The Matrix,' you had 'Dark City,' you had 'The Thirteenth Floor' and, to a certain extent, you had 'Memento' too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real."

It's always a pleasure to hear a director of Nolan's caliber honoring some of the most revered sci-fi classics as inspiration. This is especially important considering the movie is his first in the sci-fi genre. In one way or another, he has always implemented a form of mindplay into his films, but this is a new beast Nolan has tackled.

Something else that just surfaced: Shirts mixed in with promotional items at WonderCon have revealed a new step in the viral marketing of Inception. UGO got their hands on one and shared the details. A special QR code on the back sends you to PasivDevice.org. PASIV stands for Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous and it is the device used to enter people's dreams in the film. In addition, it looks to be carried in a secure, silver briefcase. The website shares an in-depth instruction manual for use of the device, including interactive "how-to" images. There is a nice balance of intricacy and irony in the viral website and as is custom with Inception, this latest detail gives little away.

Now, what follows may be considered SPOILERS if you want to stay fresh, but if you've read this much you surely wouldn't want to stop now. Of course, it's not groundbreaking, but it continues on the slow path to a film that will hopefully wow us all.

"The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a specialist in the new branch of corporate espionage -- he's a dream thief who plucks secrets from the minds of tycoons after pumping them full of drugs and hooking them up to a mysterious contraption. The problem, though, is the land of nod can be volatile -- as can DiCaprio's character, Dom Cobb, who is a wounded dreamer after the loss of his beloved wife."

It's been a curiosity of many whether DiCaprio's character is good or bad in the film, but calling him a thief should end that debate. They've also given away the fact that Marion Cotillard, who plays his wife in the film, will die at some point. Is it a result of his criminal action? Or is it simply a mechanism to add to his internal angst? The article also states Cillian Murphy will play one of the targets of DiCaprio's team, which also consists of Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Nolan describes the idea behind Inception and its basis in reality, using the concept that reality is only based on context. Within the dream world, it is clear that anything can happen, yet it is largely based on reality in some form. He is the epitome of a thinking man's director.

"You can look around and examine the details and pick up a handful of sand on the beach. I never particularly found a limit to that; that is to say, that while in that state your brain can fill in all that reality. I tried to work that idea of manipulation and management of a conscious dream being a skill that these people have. Really the script is based on those common, very basic experiences and concepts, and where can those take you? And the only outlandish idea that the film presents, really, is the existence of a technology that allows you to enter and share the same dream as someone else."

As per all of his films, there is a combination of reality and intelligence that blend in a way unique to his style without forcing the audience to believe in a world they cannot imagine. Clearly this is a well-formed idea, brewing in his mind since he was 16 years old.

Waiting for information regarding the film and its subtext has become a daily grind, rarely churning up anything new or substantial. But every word Nolan utters about Inception comes off as that of a man who knows his subject. This isn't just a film he is directing, but a passion project - and he has treated it as such. Warner Bros. knows they've got a great work on their hands and instead of force-feeding to the public through marketing they are stepping back and letting the intrigue attract an audience.

While we await further breadcrumbs of information or video about the film to bring to you, we've decided to get a little creative by taking the teaser and first full trailers and re-working them a bit. We've mixed around the audio and visuals and hope that our re-cut of the trailer feels like a new perspective on the same wonderful view. Enjoy this cut-just-for-you trailer:

Inception is set to open on July 16, 2010. It was written and directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Michael Caine.

Source: LA Times via Cinematical and UGO