Waking Life (2001) animated by Richard Linklater, turns animation into a moment of stillness, where routine breaks and two strangers finally see one another.
Holy shit. I have never seen anything like Speed Racer. Too many live-action adaptations of animated works usually suck because they reject the magic of their cartoon roots, but the Wachowskis completely embrace it. They go all-in on pure anime logic—smash zooms, impossible angles, characters talking over flashbacks inside flashbacks. It looks like nothing else because it wants to look like nothing else.
It can be almost overwhelming in its style, but that’s kind of what I love about it. While some people at the time complained about it being “a CGI mess,” it’s actually a great example of controlled, intentional stylization—a deliberately fake look used with purpose.
The story is a fun adventure about family, racing, and giving a middle finger to corporations, and honestly, that’s all it ever needed to be. In classic Wachowski fashion, it’s incredibly sincere. That final race made it hard not to get emotional.
It makes sense why this wasn’t a hit when it was released. In 2008, people wanted realism and grit. Now? We’re starving for color, sincerity, and maximalism—and Speed Racer feels prophetic. What a good time.
when the aliens finally come someday in the far-off future, I hope this video is the only thing left of us. For a fleeting moment, we were here, we were loud, we sang together. And afterwards: birds.
"You have to actually embody the growth INVISIBLY. While still hiding you have to embody the growth and then let it speak for you next time you enter the world".
One of the great philosophers of our time.
Can we all just agree that style over substance matters a lot now? Graphically we've been in the impressive stage for 10+ years and realism has diminishing returns & is relatively uninteresting unless it serves the gameplay. Realism isn't the benchmark for a good game.