• I really didn't want to write a bullet entry tonight. I wanted, actually, to do something more thought-provoking. But the fact is, it's been a tiring day--tiring weekend, actually--and I don't have the energy to tackle some deeper subjects tonight. But keep your eyes peeled this week, as I have a number of different subjects I want to tackle.
• Those subjects may include, but are not limited to: my thoughts about the recently drafted "Evangelical Manifesto," ruminations about struggling with sin, thoughts about socially-awkward Christianity and more.
• Also, I'm not sure if I'll get around to it this week, but before May 22 I'd like to be able to re-watch all three Indiana Jones movies and write up my thoughts about in in preparation for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"...which I will be seeing a week from tomorrow!
• Don't worry; I'm not blockbuster-bereft this week, though. Tuesday night I'm seeing "Prince Caspian." Unfortunately the screening is tightly booked so I can't bring any guests. Ah well. I'm sure if I enjoy it I won't mind going again.
• Weekend was pretty uneventful, although Friday night I was able to get coffee with my friend Kelley from church. We hadn't really hung out before, but I really had a good time talking with her. It's nice to have that time to just chat with someone for a few hours and find that you have a lot in common, especially when I'm finding that the similarities I have with many people my age are starting to be few and far between. So that was cool.
• I worked all morning and most of the afternoon between both jobs on Saturday. In the evening I went to Panera for some dinner and had the intention of doing some writing. Unfortunately, Panera's Wi-Fi access blocked me from my Xanga, which utterly sucked. But then I went to Ray and Ashley's house with my parents and visited with the new baby for a bit.
• Yeah, I'm totally becoming a sap when it comes to my niece and nephew My cell phone is becoming filled with pictures and I am always eager to go see the babies. It's going to be great when they're old enough to talk and run and we can become buddies. But for now, they're babies, which is fun too
• Did I mention I'm seeing "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" a week from tomorrow? Because I am. I'm so excited that I'll be seeing a new Indy movie on the big screen! My introduction to the films was on VHS for most of my life, although the single-greatest movie going experience I've ever had was when I went to a new movie theater's grand opening and was able to see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for free. The movie's 27 years old this year (only two years younger than me) and it still holds up as the greatest action-adventure of all time. I love it more each time I watch it.
• Just so you know, I don't expect IJKOTCS to be anywhere near as good as "Raiders," which was basically a lightning-in-a-bottle situation. But Spielberg and Harrison Ford know their way around this character and should be able to deliver a fun, exciting adventure in their sleep. So if it's not at least as good as "Temple of Doom" or "Last Crusade," I'm going to be disappointed. Thankfully, each preview I see raises my confidence in the film...Ford has that Indy smirk back and it looks to be quite the thrilling adventure.
• Don't listen to the box office reviews, by the way. I know people stayed away from "Speed Racer" this weekend and it only made like $20 million (in contrast to "Iron Man," which did $50 million--in its second weekend....but we all know "Iron Man" rocks). Don't let the negative press fool you--"Speed Racer" is a blast.
• If there are any mothers out there reading this, Happy Mother's Day! I don't extol the virtues of my mom enough but I'll say she's just incredibly cool and awesome. I really got spoiled to be blessed with a family so caring and friendly and concerned with honoring God. And I find it quite amazing that I was never embarrassed to have my friends meet my parents...I always had (and still have) the cool parents. So rock on.
• And a special Mother's Day gift in closing:

Filmgoers who can check their irony at the door, strap in and enjoy the psychedelic special effects, breakneck-paced storytelling and the sight of John Goodman doing kung fu alongside a chimp are in for the one of the most exhilaratingly original family films in ages. All the square hipsters who demand that a film based on a cartoon be grounded in reality can just head for the exit ramp.

Although it’s based on a popular Japanese “anime” from the 1960s and bears a family-friendly PG-rating, “Speed Racer” is one of the most unexpected and groundbreaking action-adventures to ever hit the big screen. Writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski, in their first collaboration since “The Matrix” trilogy, have not only successful adapted the “Speed Racer” story, but they’ve also used mold-shattering computer technology to recreate the look, feel and atmosphere of a cartoon. Miles away from the bleak, dark tones of “The Matrix,” the Wachowskis have created a bright, sugar-coated world where normal physics don’t apply and absolutely anything is possible.

Speed Racer, played with the perfect mixture of courage and naivety by “Into the Wild’s” Emile Hirsch, is a kid who has been obsessed with racing since he was a child. In the film’s warp-speed-paced opening sequences we watch him daydream about racing in class, reminisce about the tragic demise of his brother Rex Racer and, as a grownup, literally chase his brother’s ghost down a racetrack. The scene is structured without cuts, with each story “wiping” into the other so that everything feels as if it’s happening at once; the effect, which we see throughout the movie, feels more like the film is being downloaded into our heads than watched. In the wrong hands a storytelling technique like this, which totally ignores normal cinematic language, would be a disaster; yet the Wachowskis work their magic with a skill and ingenuity that makes it look surprisingly easy.

Speed, hot off of his win and adored by girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), soon fines himself wooed by an evil corporate sponsor. Speed’s father, Pops Racer (Goodman), warns his son about the dangers of selling out and the sneering corporate baddie quickly informs Speed that every race is fixed and that failure to join his team will mean the end of the family auto business. Urged on by Inspector Detector and the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), who may have a connection to the family, Speed decides to participate in The Crucible, a deadly cross-country rally, to bring down the evil syndicate that has fixed racing. For extra help ‹ and surprisingly effective comic relief ‹ he calls on little brother Spritle and the family’s pet monkey, Chim Chim who, alas, does resort to throwing his poo in one scene.

I have to imagine that when the Wachowskis signed on for this film, their fans may have thought they were selling out by taking on such an obvious big-budget studio release. Had the brothers, who delivered a deep, metaphysical and very R-rated action trilogy, gone soft by taking on a family picture and casting teen heartthrob Hirsch?

Having seen the film, I now have to wonder what execs at Warner Brothers were thinking when they green-lighted this picture. Although it’s based on a popular cartoon and has a catchy cast, the fact of the matter is that this is not your typical family flick, dependant on a reliable formula presented with slick action and stunts. What the Wachowskis have done is make a family-friendly, action-packed, crowd-pleasing film that doubles as a very avant-garde and experimental piece of pop art. Some, like yours truly, will enjoy the experience; others may think this the most headache-inducing, bizarre creation ever put in theaters.

Certainly, the visual approach to this film takes some getting used to. Even the quieter, dramatic scenes take place in a reality that literally looks like a cartoon. It’s obviously computer-generated and presented with a multi-focus that looks two-dimensional. The races are not simply retreaded “Days of Thunder” works but a new style that the Wachoskis have termed “Car Fu,” in which the motorists flip over each other, charge down mountainsides and take hairspin turns at 400 mph, all while equipped with an array of crazy gadgets and weapons. The tracks are a computer-programmer’s paradise, bending and twisting through candy-colored deserts and glistening ice caves while the Wachowskis, freed from the confines of “normal” camera movement, careen from one driver to the next within one shot. Even the scenes of more pedestrian kung fu fighting are done with an anime-style, freezing characters in heroic poses while the background whips by.

The result is a movie that doesn’t so much flow as it does blast to the finish line. Although the run time pushes 2 hours and 15 minutes, “Speed Racer” moves with a zip; even exposition is handled with visual trickery and style. Simply put: The Wachowskis have re-invented the family film and, in a genre that usually stays as formulaic and pedestrian as possible, truly give audiences something that I can guarantee that they’ve never seen before. Yes, the narrative sometimes buckles under the pressure and you can almost feel the directors striving to keep the story from flying apart; but with surprising skill and style, they make this one of the most enjoyable and flat-out entertaining spectacles we’ve seen in a very long time.

I suspect a lot of that has to do with the heart that beats through every frame of this film. For all the gimmicks, bells and whistles, “Speed Racer” is a family movie through and through. At its core, this is a movie about family dynamics, staying true to yourself and becoming your own hero. Every cast member approaches their role with the perfect mixture of innocence and sincerity, from Hirsch and Goodman as the lovable racing fanatics, to Susan Sarandon as Speed’s caring mom to Ricci as the adorable, cute-as-a-button Trixie. The highlight for kids will likely be Spritle and Chim Chim (refreshingly played by a real monkey, not a CGI creation); the young man playing Spritle is note perfect and an aspect that could have been utterly annoying actually is a delight throughout the film.

It will be interesting to see how the public approaches “Speed Racer.” Hardcore geeks and film fans may laugh off such a high-energy, yet (purposefully) simplistic story. Casual movie goers may scratch their heads and wonder what they just saw. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that kids will be the ones to embrace this; at the screening I was at, after the climactic race, one youngster exclaimed “Go Racer!” I’m inclined to agree. “Speed Racer” is the most fun I’ve had at the movies so far in 2008. Grade: A-

• I really don't have too much to type here, so this will be uber-short.
• On a big note, however, please keep my sister in prayer. She was due to deliver her baby last Friday, May 2. It's (obviously) May 6 as I write this. Tomorrow--Wednesday--she is going in at 6 a.m. to be induced So her baby son will be born tomorrow Please just pray that everything goes smoothly and that tomorrow night I'll be bragging about my new nephew! I'm diggin' this uncle thing.
• Double feature tonight--'Son of Rambow' and 'Speed Racer.' Thoughts on both will come in the next few days. 'Son of Rambow' was a wonderful little indie film that caught me totally by surprised and I really really loved it. Going into 'Speed Racer,' I wasn't sure at all what to expect...and I still don't know exactly what I saw. It's unlike anything that's been done before...and it's a total blast! I want my own Chim-Chim!
• Keep an eye on Suite101.com. I've just published my first article for them, a review for 'Iron Man'!
• That's really about it. See? Told you it was going to be short!