Scarecrow suggests films reminiscent of 'Inception'

Christopher Nolan's sci-fi tinged thriller "Inception" already seems destined to enter the pantheon of great head-trip movies, so we came up with a few other lesser-known titles we thought might put you in the mood.

First there's the crazy "Dreamscape" from 1984, and it actually seems to have direct connections with "Inception." Dennis Quaid plays a psychic trying to outrun a shady government organization trying to use him to enter people's dreams for the purposes of espionage. This one has lots of top-notch '80s special effects and it's also just out on Blu-ray. It's got a bit in common with Brian De Palma's "The Fury," but a lot heavier on the sci-fi front.

Another little-seen '80s gem, "Brainstorm," stars Christopher Walken as a scientist who invents a way to live other people's experiences. Directed by Douglas Trumbull, who created a lot of the effects for "2001: A Space Odyssey," it's mostly notable for being the final film of Natalie Wood, who died during shooting. This one has a lot of footage specially shot in a format called Showscan, sort of a 1980 early version of IMAX, and it also has a suitably trippy ending where a character uses the machine to experience another's prerecorded death.

A lot of the ads for "Inception" have focused on the impressive special effects, mostly involving the cityscapes bending and twisting into impossible structures, which of course brings to mind Alex Proyas' cult film "Dark City." Rufus Sewell (the bad guy from "A Knight's Tale") wakes up in a strange metropolis that may or may not be some sort of massive psychic experiment by aliens.

Another one along similar lines might be Satoshi Kon's anime "Paprika," which, similarly to "Inception," is about people entering another's dreams and also features some fantastic dream-city imagery.

Honestly, the way we here at Scarecrow compile these recommendations is pretty simple: We put up a piece of paper and ask the staff for titles. "Inception" has gotten more responses than any before (we're pretty excited for it). Too many to go into them all, but here are a few more at random: "The Prestige," "Brazil," "A Scanner Darkly," "The Thirteenth Floor," "Paranoia Agent" (an anime series), and of course, "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix."

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