DVD: Where Does Inception Rank Among Other Great Cinematic Dream Sequences?

Whether you thought Inception (out this week from Warner Home Video) was a stirring piece of cinematic art, a brainy popcorn movie, or a confusing headache-inducer, there's no denying that the dream sequences, in and of themselves, were pretty rockin'.

Something about plunging into the subconscious can really free a filmmaker to let his or her freak flag fly. So while you're still trying to figure out how all those people were floating in that elevator and whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio's character merely witnessed or actually caused his wife's ultimate fate, check out these excellent vintage dream sequences. (Peter Dinklage's character in Living in Oblivion will be pleased to note that none of these revolve around little people.)

Spellbound: OK, yes, Hitchcock's dream sequence in Vertigo is arguably more important, but who can resist the Master of Suspense teaming up with Salvador Dalí to trip the Freud fantastic? You'll never look at ants or giant scissors the same way again.

All That Jazz: In Bob Fosse's blisteringly autobiographical musical about the work, drug, cigarette and sex habits that led to his heart attack, Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) imagines his open-heart surgery as a spectacular musical number, complete with dancing girls (sporting leotards covered with red and blue veins) and a deprecating intro by Ben Vereen. And even non-musical fans love The Big Lebowski's dream sequence set to Kenny Rogers & The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)."

Top Secret!: In this hilarious follow-up to Airplane! (which, sadly, wasn't nearly as successful), Val Kilmer stars as pop sensation Nick Rivers, who uncovers a dastardly plot when he's invited to perform in East Berlin. At one point, Nick has the classic nightmare about being back in high school and having forgotten to take his final exam... only to wake up, relieved, that he's merely being flogged and tortured by the secret police.

3 Women: Robert Altman's trippy, fascinating, oddball movie was allegedly based on one of the director's own dreams, and it maintains that not-quite-real quality throughout before the ending that explains everything and nothing simultaneously. If you're a fan of the quirkier qualities of Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek, this one's must viewing.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T: Another it's-all-a-dream movie is this wonderfully bizarro kids' tale that was too weird for 1953 but has gone on to find a cult audience. A little kid who doesn't want to practice piano imagines that he and 499 other boys have been kidnapped by the nefarious Dr. T (a wonderfully hammy Hans Conried) and forced to play his gigantic piano. This film marked Dr. Seuss' only attempt at a feature screenplay, and it shares the curlicue-kookiness of his best books.