How did such a wonderful film escape my notice until now? It reminds me a lot of Illuminata, and not just because John Turturro and Susan Sarandon feature prominently in both. And Paul Giamatti has yet to disappoint. Plus it has the Cusacks! And where else can you see Bill Murray and Tenacious D as 1930s vaudevillians? It feels a lot like a P.T. Anderson film by way of Turturro. Dry and authentic with flashes of humor and magical realism.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Batman Begins
3. Ghostbusters
4. Barton Fink
5. Old Boy
6. Iron Man
7. Cradle Will Rock
8. My Left Foot
9. Ratatouille
10. Gone Baby Gone

I’m scattering white stones. Placed in a row they form a path.

I made two new t-shirts a few weeks ago. Click on the image for a larger version.

Allow me to direct your attention to some cool projects my friends have produced.

Ryan’s company is behind the technology used in Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice. It lets you do searches on your phone by speaking instead of having to type everything. It will eventually be available for the iPhone.

Dave was on the team that created Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox, what looks like an insanely fun game for the Wii. It was featured on Penny Arcade, which, some might say, is the highest honor one can achieve in the video game world.

In the cardboard realm, a game publisher finally came to their senses and snatched up Dan’s Monkey Lab, a ridiculously fun board game. It will premiere at Essen, but there is no word on a release date. Trust me, you’re going to want to play this.

Speaking of board games, Marc’s Coalescence is now available. It looks really sharp, is easy to learn and provides a lot of challenging fun.

And, finally, I heard that fellow Landmark graduate Jonna will be appearing in Oliver Stone’s film “W“, filming now.

Congratulations, everyone, on bringing the awesome!

Well done. You’re almost there.

I am writing this message from the past, beginning at the end. At this moment, it is an anachronism, but it will slowly slip backward in time. Though many may read it, I write it only for you. It is the final beacon.

Thank you for your persistence. If things have gone according to plan, you will have enjoyed yourself. Though many may have played the game (or thought they were playing), only one person could ever win. And that’s you. I created all of this for you, my dear.

By now you know what the prize is and you must truly want it. Are you ready?

If you are, contact me and ask The Question.

This end is the beginning of everything.

I was worried during the first act as it was full of lengthy exposition. I thought “Shouldn’t there be some racing?” But after that, it was a fun ride.

This is definitely a kid’s film. The humor and wacky action is definitely aimed for 10 or 12 year olds. So there’s that. The style is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a crazy twisting neon kaleidoscope of races and fight scenes witnessed previously only in anime. Everything about the races is over the top. Cars don’t spend more than two seconds going straight ahead. The rest of the time they are drifting into impossible spaghetti curves or flipping through the air or cartwheeling along mountainsides.

The editing and visual style definitely overwhelm everything else. Susan Sarandon, John Goodman and Christina Ricci hold their own like pros. Emil Hirsch does a fair job competing against the visual effects to be a likable Speed. The kid playing Spritle is the Jar-Jar of the film, though he has some genuinely funny moments. And there’s a monkey. Who doesn’t love monkeys?

My favorite character was Racer X. I kind of wish the movie was called “Racer X’ instead of “Speed Racer”, but that’s me.

The second act is the most fun, with all kinds of crazy racing, Dragonball Z fight sequences and ninjas. You already know how the third act is going to go down about halfway through the film, but it was still fun to watch.

If you can get past the groan-worthy first part of the movie, there’s a lot to enjoy. Whoever cut this film is a true artist. The mind that could think in the same way that this film moves brushes against the alien.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Batman Begins
3. Ghostbusters
4. Barton Fink
5. Old Boy
6. Iron Man
7. My Left Foot
8. Ratatouille
9. Speed Racer
10. Gone Baby Gone

With the advent of cheap, ubiquitous public teleportation, casual inebriation has reached an all time high. When there’s a perfectly preserved saved state of yourself waiting back at the home terminal, there is no such thing as heroin addiction. In the clubs, amputation is already yawn-inducing performance art. Only your grandmother knows anyone who has seen an abortion clinic, let alone visited one. Tokyo is only as far away as Starbucks.

But you still arrive two hours late to all of my parties.

Exceeded all expectations. Awesome. Remember to stay until the after credits for maximum geek impact.

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Batman Begins
3. Ghostbusters
4. Barton Fink
5. Old Boy
6. Iron Man
7. My Left Foot
8. Ratatouille
9. Gone Baby Gone
10. Cloverfield

My experiment of expanding my presence continues:

www.dreynet.com

This is how I spent my Saturday.

Pictures will explain what words cannot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birzer/sets/72157604762416387/