My biggest complaint is how the film closes with a hard smattering of anti-drug quotes from Philip K. Dick himself, but precedes it with zero moralizing. Easily has Linklater's funniest moments since Dazed and Confused (the 18 speed bike discussion, for instance, or the volley on whether or not Downey, Jr. has left the door unlocked and/or notated). When it utilizes the animation, though, it feels entirely dead in the water. While Waking Life required a bold visualization to tackle its storyless drift through Philosophy 101, the drawerings over Scanner's DV footage feel pertinent only when they illustrate hallucination, which comprises far too little of the film to manage. As a result, it starts to feel like a gimmick almost immediately, as if, to no end, the film coincidentally contains rotoscoped animation that begs as little attention as if it were simply a live action setup. Pointless note: With nothing officially announced on the Linklater docket, I'm still breathlessly drooling for his 2013 Boyhood. My hope is that it becomes one of the most important film works ever produced, trumping even the Apted Up films that I have blatantly ignored, despite the continued accolades from, um, everyone.

These are just notes, I assure you: "Tears for Dolphy" appears in this and the Brown Bunny (no coincidence); Theorum is the translation: Self discovery, rebirth and Terence Stamp.

Is it irony to call a film this shoestring DIY one of the most ambitious films in the last decade?