A fine film for the middle-aged man. I’m probably indulging in a bit of Schadenfreude as I’m no doubt happier and more confident in the direction my life is taking than our two unsuspecting protagonists, but I felt a good dose of empathy none the less. I also appreciated the plentiful use of wine-jargon; it felt like a vicarious trip to Napa.

Everyone said it was a fantastic movie and indeed I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m perhaps not enough of a film-geek to have appreciated all the technical details, but it was nice to be reminded that there was a time in American history when we all (pardon my naivete) embraced a bit more rough and ready idealism.

A moving tale of hard times, good friendship and a bit of adventure in the streets of Tokyo.

I am amazed when I bump into a work of art that sweeps up my cumulative ruminations on life and the human experience and places them neat and tidily on a platter as if the author had lived my very life and found inspiration in the same struggles. I’m sure it speaks to the universality of human experience, but I can’t help but feel very validated by such strong empathies. I am filled with renewed energy and desire to face my fears and push my life to its very limits if only to see where they lay. I am also amused that I have managed to start every sentence of this commentary with “I am”. Clearly I am of the opinion that what I need to communicate is how I related to the film rather than anything objective about it, which upon consideration rings true. If you want to know about the film, go watch it. If you are reading this, you must want to know how it affected me — or you’re just lost on the vast Internet seas.

Another superb production from Intelligent Systems. Since Advance Wars, these guys have been giving Miyamoto and company strong competition for position as my favorite developer. Excellent writing (surviving translation, no less), an entertaining plot, superb visuals, wit and nostalgia, fun game mechanics, it’s everything a boy could want (and a girl if she grew up playing Mario games).

A meandering, style-heavy, idea-light attempt to communicate the magic of a far future world where humanity spans the galaxy and has made contact with myriad alien species and the artifacts of millions of years old civilizations. It misses the mark on the exciting science as well as on the human drama and chugs along thanks only to a few tormented characters and periodic attempts to wow us with things that are very old or very large.

The earth is filled with so much stuff! Who knew it would be so much fun to roll it all up into a ball and fling it into the sky?

Pixar continues to speak softly and carry a big stick. Once again they’ve wrapped up our modern moral tales in a colorful, exciting, thoroughly entertaining package, and taken care not to shrink-wrap the message and polish away the rough edges of humanity. My hat is off to them.