Cheese!

There's been some blog neglect. I usually post within the first couple days of the week, but it's been busy for me, so forgiveness. Please?

Just some random notes on some media/pop culture type things. The Wallace and Gromit movie was released widely this weekend and it did not disappoint. Aardman is starting to show itself to be the Pixar of claymation and if there were any doubt this was fact, the movie itself is standing proof. There's more character and more attention to detail than most other live-action features and I doubt there will be any family movie as enjoyable for the rest of the year. Go see it, I can't stress enough. 4 out of 5 stars.

Also managed to catch the film Mirromask a couple of weeks ago at the fantastically artsy westside theater The Nuart. After eating some subpar Ramen and perusing Giant Robot we caught what has to be an amazingly visual feast, as it were. A script written by Neil Gaiman was brought to life by the grand vision of Dave McKean for a paltry $4M. If you saw the movie, you'd probably never believe it, but it's a testament to the faith the Jim Henson Company in these filmmakers. If you're in the mood for a mind-altering experience, catch it if you can. 3 out of 5 stars.

Lastly, purchase the latest Franz Ferdinand album if you can manage to part with $10. It's full of bounce, vigor, and lyrical wit aplenty. From the opening number to the final track, the band manages to carry over the momentum from its self-titled debut for an impressive 40 minutes of what most would call pop-rock. Rolling Stone calls it pop-punk, but I have a hard time categorizing it anywhere near punk at all. Certainly less aggressive than punk and less bubbly than pop, it's another strong addition to the new new wave and the album itself is getting a terrible amount of play in my cd player. Any takers? 3.5 out of 5 stars.