We here at FreshRadar work to write positive recommendations about media and products that we’re into at any given moment. Instead of writing about a film that’s out now, I thought I’d mention the movie I am probably anticipating more than any other release in 2010: Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Nolan, who is most widely known for co-writing and directing both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, has established himself as a remarkable talent who favors quality in movie-making over quantity.

Nolan’s first three films, Following, Memento, and Insomnia, each approach the crime genre from a slightly different psychological perspective, and yet each succeeds in its own way. Memento remains the most amazing example of film editing I have ever seen. His other film, The Prestige, centers on a divisive rivalry between two magicians who once were friends.

Each of Nolan’s stories contains multiple layers of complexity and meaning, and all of the films take place in worlds that are visually and/or thematically dark. Ironically, Insomnia achieves psychological darkness by placing the story in an Alaskan town where the sun never sets. Additionally, in the course of six films, Chris Nolan has managed to cast and work with an impressive array of actors including Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Ken Watanabe, Hugh Jackman, Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger.

After the blockbuster financial and critical success of The Dark Knight, both Warner Brothers’ executives and fans were clamoring for a third Batman film from Nolan. He politely responded by saying he needed to take a break from Batman and do something completely different. And with his established habit of casting talented actors to tell complex and compelling stories, Nolan set the stage for Inception.

The impressive cast includes Nolan regulars Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy, along with the additions of Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Ellen Page, and Marion Cotillard. Moreover, the director recently called Inception the “biggest challenge he’s taken on” as a director.

As someone who really enjoys the anticipation of seeing a potentially-great film, I have to guard myself against over-amplifying my expectations. I also try hard not to dig around too much about the details of movies before seeing them, because some of my strongest reactions have been to films I knew nothing about beforehand (a la The Matrix). That said, I’ll tell you that the tagline to Inception is “Your mind is the scene of the crime,” and that the film is set to release in the US on July 16. That gives you plenty of time to check out at least one of Christopher Nolan’s other great films, and to put Inception on your radar. It’s definitely on mine.