Melancholia – Lars Von Trier’s ode to depression. Absolutely gorgeous, populated with real characters. Left me haunted.

The Corridor – I think this movie struck a peculiar chord with me, so I can’t really look at it objectively. I love movies where extraordinary realities invade normal ones and there is no real explanation. But the story isn’t *about* the extraordinary reality.

Headhunters – The show Leverage wishes it could be as clever as this movie. Plus it has Jaime Lannister.

We Need to Talk About Kevin – Oscar-worthy performance by Tilda Swinton. Difficult subject matter perfectly rendered.

Clown – Hysterically funny Hangover-style comedy based on a TV show which I must now track down.

Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope – Morgan Spurlock’s wonderful documentary on Comic-Con. Joyful and inspiring. It restored my love of geekdom.

The Yellow Sea – Up there with Old Boy as far as crazy Korean action/crime dramas.

You Said What? – Inspired by Miike’s “Audition”, a bunch of guys make a movie so their friend can get the girl. Charming and fun.

Extraterrestrial – Once again, Nacho subverts audience expectations and turns an alien invasion film into a romantic comedy.

El Narco – Beautifully shot and plotted. The Mexican Godfather.

Manborg – Homage to awesome/terrible 80s films. A labor of love shot on green screen over several years. Very funny.

Haunters – Reminded me of Unbreakable.

Carre Blanc – Darkly humorous dystopian tale of corporate life.

Borderline – The French movie version of the show “Weeds”.

Revenge: A Love Story – Liked the twists and turns in this one. Plays with audience expectations.

Elite Squad 2 – Kind of ordinary cop drama.

Penumbra – Did not live up to the hype. Great set up that really doesn’t go anywhere.

The Day – Totally ordinary post-apocalyptic survivor tale.

Angels & Airwaves Presents “Love” – Had a few neat visuals, but it was kind of bland.

Livid – A gorgeous mess.

Beyond the Black Rainbow – Tedious.

Human Centipede 2 – Filth. A cinematic crime. Offensive and disgusting.

See more detailed information about all of the films at the festival.

I don’t like to leave things unfinished, no loose ends. But now I have this frayed blanket of partially read books, half-watched shows, unfinished video games, barely messed with apps, and board games still in shrink wrap. At one point these things were rare and hard won. As a child I created an impromptu garage sale to fund the purchase of the BattleTech board game, shutting the sale down the moment I could afford to buy. And then I played BattleTech for ages. Now everything is so easy to obtain, effortlessly plucked from the ether. But I feel like it takes a greater force of will to slow down and appreciate a single thing, knowing there are thousands more awaiting my attention. It is like touring the Louvre in a formula one race car.

I’ve decided I need to shift my perception of all this media, or at least to try. I’m trying to see it as another planetary ecosystem, something vast and ever present. In the same way that I do not need to play with every breed of dog on the planet, I do not need to play every game. If I see one I like, I will pet it and enjoy that moment. I’m really happy just knowing that all those things are out there and that sometimes my path will intersect with some of them.

During the pre-show, they showed clips from Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot.” One of his closing challenges was to examine the arrogance of claiming that the universe was created for humans or one particular religion or subgroup.

Asking “Is there a God?” is a very human-centric question that seems ridiculous in the context of a universe that is absolutely not human. Humanity comprises an incalculably tiny part of all existence. Why does it even make sense to ask such questions? We are part of something gigantic, not set above it.

From my point of view, belief or disbelief in God are both necessary. The impact of the belief in God is the equivalent of there being a God, just as the impact of disbelief in God is the equivalent of there being no God. The effects of these beliefs are real and measurable. The questions “Is there a God?” or “Is God real?” are irrelevant.

Then I thought maybe I could make a role playing game out of it. The players would play characters in this agency delivering packages as a way of working off a debt, kind of like the reapers in Dead Like Me.

But then it occurred to me it might be more interesting if it were a live action game like Killer or Capture the Flag, where teams of people had to make sure a package got delivered to its destination.

I’m not sure how it happened, but when I sat down to write down some notes for the rules to this potential game, I instead wrote the manual that became The Stork. It was one of those rare pieces of writing that I transcribe more than write. It just flowed out, almost fully formed. I made some tweaks to it, but the first draft ended up being really good as is.

Some part of me wants to create these shared experiences, these abstract dreamlike ideas. I’ve found the best way to communicate them is to squeeze them into the shape of a story or a game. The structure is just a handle or a frame, a label so that other people can (hopefully) understand what I’m trying to tell them.

Find out more about The Stork at Kickstarter

As you probably already know, Netflix Instant Watch is one of the greatest things ever. It’s how you know you’re in the 21st century. Each week it rises from an ocean of cinema and spreads a net of glittering gems recovered from the depths.Here are some of the more noteworthy experiences that I encourage you to check out for yourself.

This American Life – The two seasons of this show are every bit as poignant and masterful as the audio program.

Dear Zachary – A documentary about the depths of human evil and the saint-like goodness people are capable of.

Avatar the Last Airbender – I cannot say enough about how important and excellent this series is. One of the best, fully realized stories ever brought to television.

TiMER – Really great social sci-fi about dating and relationships.

That Mitchell and Webb Look – British sketch comedy at its finest. Balances between the absurdity of The Mighty Boosh and the crassness of Little Britain.

Below – A submarine thriller written by Aronofsky and directed by David Twohy.

Me and You and Everyone We Know – I fell hard for Miranda July and I wish she made more films.

I am a Sex Addict – Incredibly compelling autobiography.

A Town Called Panic – I had already seen this in the theater, but it was just as delightful the second time around. Imaginative and hysterical.

Cashback – A guy with insomnia gets a job at a supermarket. He then realizes he has the ability to stop time.

Zero Effect – This is one of those defining Bill Pullman movies.

The Secret of Kells – I had to see this because it was nominated for an academy award in animation and I had never heard of it.

Son of Rambow – Pure joy. A reconnection with vibrant childhood creativity.

Dead Like Me – This is one of those shows that everyone raves about and I think “Yeah, yeah, it can’t be *that* amazing.” But it is. Rube is one of the greatest characters since Deadwood’s Al Swearengen.

Wristcutters: A Love Story – A black comedy that takes place in the special limbo reserved for those who commit suicide.

Exit Through the Gift Shop – Just as amazing as advertised. A commentary on what constitutes art.

Valhalla Rising – A meditation on the decline of old religions and the arrival of Christianity. Felt like a tangent from Gaiman’s American Gods.

I’m Still Here – Knowing the history of this documentary actually made it more relevant and moving.

This Film is Not Yet Rated – A revealing documentary about the MPAA and the completely bizarre and mysterious process by which films receive their rating.

Cold Souls – I can’t believe I had never heard of this movie. Reaffirms Paul Giamatti as one of our great under appreciated actors. His performance in just the first few minutes of the movie took my breath away.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse – Like Justice League: New Frontier, this is a comic book movie done right. Mature storytelling, solid writing, great action.

16 Years of Alcohol – Kevin McKidd’s defining performance. It puts Bunraku in stark contrast, revealing just how much talent was wasted on that film.

Louie: Louis C.K.’s refinement of the Seinfeld formula. The show is very funny but so depressing it hurts. Yet I can’t look away.

This is not a case of unrealistic expectations or fanboy outrage about how Tron “ought” to be done. I had adjusted my expectations: a bare bones story which served as a life support system for an astonishing 3D experience. I dismissed Ebert as being curmudgeonly, Massawyrm liked it and Dave had seen it *twice*. All good signs.

But I was unprepared for the multifaceted failures I encountered. The film invented new ways to disappoint me, things I hadn’t even considered. But Tron put them on the table.

My chief complaint is that the movie did not choose to be about a particular thing and see it through to the end. Instead it teased me with all these ideas it *could have* been about. Tron tantalized with potential stories and discarded them almost immediately.

What is Tron Legacy about?  Here’s the multiple choice:

A) Open source software vs. the walled garden

B) Inheriting responsibility you might be unprepared for (the eponymous “Legacy”)

C) Interpreting today’s information culture through the lens of the Tron world as the original film did

D) Real life vs. virtual life

E) A father and son reconnecting

F) What is perfection?

G) An awesome action movie about a rescue that happens to take place inside a computer

H) Spontaneously created computer-based life and the impact that has on, well, fucking EVERYTHING

I) The responsibility (or lack thereof) the creator owes the creation

J) What has been going on in the Tron universe for the past 30 years?

K) The fall and redemption of Tron/Rinzler/Darth Maul

L) The implications of porting virtual life into the material world. Especially if they are nigh-immortal hotties in skintight glowsuits.

M) Why don’t I listen to more Daft Punk?

The movie could have picked just *one* of those things. Do it well, do it poorly, but make a *choice* and commit to it!

I am notoriously forgiving with films that are obviously meant to be a “thrill ride” where they hand out one-size-fits-all disbelief suspenders along with the 3D glasses. But Tron stepped into a different sandbox. The movie is peppered with brilliant concepts and all I got to see were the dying embers of the sincerity which originally evoked them. I found that irresponsible storytelling.

There was no thrill ride left for me to fall back on, nothing where I could say, “Well, at least there’s this.” Because the rest of the film aped the original in its aesthetic: Real sets bathed in a glow filter interspersed with CGI abstractions of chase scenes. Lightbikes 2 on my iPhone remains a more visceral experience than the light cycle scene. The opportunity to up the game, to blow people’s minds with that iconic vehicle that makes Tron Tron was wasted.

I’m not saying it is impossible to enjoy anything about the movie. There are moments, ideas, that flare brightly and command my attention. But it’s like saying “Remember that one firework from last 4th of July? The red one with the green sparkles? Yeah, that was cool.” You’re at an event where you can either get jazzed about a sparkler or you can celebrate liberty.

1. Golden Slumber
2. Summer Wars
3. Sound of Noise
4. Drones
5. Let Me In
6. Ip Man 2
7. I Saw the Devil
8. Rubber
9. Agnosia
10. Transfer
11. Never Let Me Go
12. Outrage
13. RED
14. Corridor
15. Enter the Void
16. Bedevilled
17. The Dead
18. Troll Hunter
19. Rare Exports
20. Buried
21. Rammbock
22. Bibliotheque Pascal
23. True Legend
24. Bunraku
25. Hell Driver

Then I went over to Nick and Amanda’s where I and their friend Ryan were meeting to go out hiking. We stopped and grabbed yummy kolaches first and then went to the park. I can’t remember the name of the park, but it was a great hiking trail.

Then we went to see Cop Out at the Alamo. Pretty silly movie. It could have been directed by anyone. As Kevin Smith didn’t write it, it didn’t seem to have anyone signature on the film.

After the film we went back to their place and watched Amanda play Heavy Rain for a few hours. Totally different game than what I experienced in the demo. I’m really looking forward to playing the game on my own. I can see what changes by making different decisions than Amanda.

I had to leave and go to Great Hall as I was playing in a Dominion Tournament. This was a slick operation. Everyone got personalized name badges to wear. We played three rounds, with three different load outs. They had these funky tournament rules where you played until 45 minutes were up or you ran out of *all* Victory cards. At first this sounded crazy, but it totally worked. You totaled your scores from each game and that was your tournament score. I ended up in 3rd place with 121 points. 1st was 125 and 2nd was 123, so it was close. Plus, the guy who got first place was taught by a guy that I had originally taught to play the game. Overall, it was a blast to play. It was like being in a geek poker tournament. Everyone was standing around, talking strategy, how each game had gone. Super fun.

So I satisfied my Dune craving by rewatching the Dune Extended Edition with Nick and Amanda. Despite the horribly dated effects, it is still awesome.

Every month it seems that there is some event, some newly awakened need, which siphons away whatever extra money I might have. This month it will be the projector lamp.