Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of movies in general this year, is a lack of creativity and innovation. No one seems to take chances anymore. Sure, we had the ambitious Moulin Rouge with it's hodge podge of movie musical styles, and we had Memento with it's trippy, reverse storytelling, but aside from these, there were very few movies that attempted to try anything new. Enter Richard Linklater's wildly visual Waking Life, a flick that proves that the possibilities of the cinematic arts are limitless.

Waking Life is a dreamlike collection of odd and compelling characters engaging in various debates ranging from politics to the point of our existence. What sets the movie apart from most others, is the fashion in which it's told. Waking Life was shot as a live action movie, but then a team of thirty animators came in and helped create something I don't think I've ever seen before. Each cartoonist added there own take on individual segments in the movie. The end result is kind of a living, breathing abstract painting.

I don't know how much of this picture was actually written. Much of it feels improvised. Linklater (Before Sunrise, Dazed and Confused) has tackled similar material before (see Slacker), but this film is much smarter. Perhaps a bit too smart at times. And while much of this picture is intriguing, Linklater lets some of these dialogue bits go on too long. In fact, some of them could have been cut out completely.

My favorites include a man giving a monologue in prison, a guy cruising down the street giving a political pep talk via a car speaker system, an interview between a reporter and a film maker, two gentleman conversing in a bar, and a fun little bit by director Steven Soderbergh.

Many will, no doubt, be overwhelmed by the intellectual conversations happening throughout the film. I know I was. However, as Waking Life progresses, these conversations become more meaningful due to the nature of the plot. This is, after all, a story about a guy who may or may not be stuck in a dream.

Waking Life is a most welcome experimentation. What's most interesting about it, is that the style in which the film is shot, blends with the story that is being told so the animation doesn't feel like a mere gimmick. Waking Life is one of the most innovative pictures to come out this year, and that alone makes it worth seeing. It's also a milestone for Richard Linklater who seems to be maturing as a film maker with each passing movie.