Wednesday Movie Night: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Continuing on with my Wes Anderson trend here, I just recently watched Fantastic Mr. Fox. This now leaves me seeing every movie from Anderson except the one coming out this March! Anyways, this movie was way better than I expected. In the animation world Anderson is able to explore a lot of what makes him so great with live animation. The color, the dialogue, and the story are all top notch here, and since it is animation it still leaves a little room for kids to enjoy as well. Though this movie is clearly intended for adults. It's one of the few Anderson movies you can might watch with your family though.

Summary: Mr. Fox and Mrs. Fox begin their relationship as farm raiders, but when Mrs. Fox becomes pregnant Mr. Fox believes it is time to get serious and settle down with his wife and now beginning family. Settling down works for twelve fox years until Mr. Fox begins to get an itch for raiding farms again, but this time his farm raiding will cost him more than just putting his own self in danger, but his family and his neighborhood.

18 of 1001 Songs: Lily Allen's The Fear

Lily Allen would introduce her second album with the single release of "The Fear." I remember hearing this song at the time of it's release, and I liked it a lot, so the question would be would I like the song this time as much as I did when I use to listen to it?  In 2009 I remember sharing this song with a few people after listening to it, and I was a sophomore in college still, but while the song still sounds catchy times have changed me.

History: The reviews for this song would range all over the place. While some critics loved the beats and the lyrics, others would write it off as being generic. Fans though would receive the song well, and it would go on to be a chart topping single, particularly in England, and it would make another chart hit in the U.S. for her. The song is classified as electropop, and has very upfront lyrics about materialism and celebrity temptations.

16 of 1001 Songs: Animal Collective's Summertime Clothes

I've heard of Animal Collective, but never heard a song from the band. I haven't heard anything quite like Summertime Clothes. It's a mix of rock and electronics that sounds like it would be overwhelming, but comes together to make one of the most unique sounds I've heard that also stays consistent with a sound that is enjoyable.

History: The album, Merriweather Post Pavilion was released in 2009, and this single is the second release from that album. The genre of the song is a mix of experimental and neo-psychedelic, so if you're wondering what that is then check out this song .The song also was released in many formats besides digital, but also as it's own single on record. The song would also achieve fame through a video game as well.

Bookshelf: Chris Seay's The Gospel According to Lost

Maybe you watched Lost, and if you did you probably puzzled along with the rest of the world regarding the mysteries of it. If you haven't watched the show then this book is useless to read. It heavily relies on having at least watched the first five seasons of the show. Also, this is a show that explores some of the themes that could relate back to Christians. Mostly the book reads a recap though. A recap that makes me want to rewatch the show.

Summary: Lost grew into a show that had many people puzzled over the direction it would take. Would it have a scientific explanation? Is the show more spiritual? This would be some of the questions that audiences asked as they approached the final season of Lost in the year 2010. Chris Seay is a Lost fanatic, and he can give you a lot of information regarding certain episodes, and what he related to each one of them, particularly Biblical. He dedicates each chapter to one of the main characters, and what the viewer can receive from their character relating to the message of Christianity.

14 of 1001 Songs: The Very Best's Rain Dance (Featuring M.I.A.)

I like The Very Best, but felt M.I.A.'s appearance on the song took away from it. The African and hip hop beat sounds are very well established on the album, but then her voicing just feels like it doesn't match with the whole rhythm of the tune. There are some instances where her vocals work, but not exactly with this group.

History: This song is a collaboration of a DJ group, RadioClit, and a singer, Esau, as depicted on the cover art. For this tune they brought in M.I.A. There isn't very much known regarding this tune, or the making of it, but the album it's from, Warm Heart of Africa was a success for the group. They won an award for one of the songs on the album, and had several collaborations on the album.

12 of 1001 Songs: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind

If I ever go to New York City I will be sure to listen to this song while riding in a taxi. This song is very catchy though, and I remember constantly hearing it for a while after it was released as a single. While I'm not a fan of Jay-Z or Alicia Keys I can see the appeal of why someone would listen to this song. The lyrics to me just are subpar in comparison to instrumentals and Keys' voice.

History: This song would go on to be a huge commercial success, and not just in the United States, but all over the world. It has sold 5 million singles to date. On top of that the performers achieved what they sought out. They wanted the song to capture landmarks and things central to New York City. Keys even styled her voice to capture the grandness of what she felt regarding the city. The song was critically a success as well.

10 of 1001 Songs: Tinariwen's Tenalle Chegret

Tinariwen mixes the sounds of the mainstream world with the sound of the Sahara Desert in this song, and the album Imidiwan: Companions. The lead vocalist somber tune is powered by the arrangement of instrumentals on the tune. Though the band has instrumentals incorporated from their region they have also been noted as one of the few bands to actually keep the blues vibe alive today.

History: The album this song was featured on was released in 2009. Critics did enjoy the tune and it was met with many positive reviews for their fourth album. There isn't really much on this particular song on the album though. I'm not even sure if it was released as a single, and for that matter I don't know that any of the tunes on this album were released as singles.

8 of 1001 Songs: Radiohead's Harry Patch (In Memory of)

So far I've only listened to eight songs on the list, but Radiohead's Harry Patch has to be the most powerful so far. The song is one like I haven't heard before. The spooky vocals in line with the more tribunal instrumentals makes for an interesting mix, and shows that Radiohead has no box for the realm of music they will perform. Thom Yorke goes where the inspiration carries him.

History: This song is actually a tribute to the last living soldier who fought in World War 1. After he passed away Yorke wanted to do a song after being inspired by an interview that occurred earlier with Patch. The song was approved by the family and the song's earnings did go to proceeds went to charitable causes. Critically the song was well reviewed for it's vocals and instrumentals.

Wednesday Movie Night: Star Trek (2009)

J.J Abram seems to be building on his sci-fi field he has planted. With Super 8 and Star Trek in his resume, and the upcoming Star Wars continuation he is a guy some fanboys or going to hate or love seeing around. Oddly, for a guy who claimed not to be a Star Trek fan though I have no idea why he would want to direct, but he seems to try with good effort, but you can tell his passion isn't in the characters. He does have a flare for color though, and he really amps up he action all the way through. Plus, as someone who watched Lost from beginning to end (with repeat versions of some episodes) I couldn't help but repeating so many shots in my head as if they flew up out of that show.

Summary: After George Kirk dies at the time of his son's birth he leaves his son, James Kirk, to live up to huge shoes to fill. The notoriety of his dad though, and the confidence he has that he inherited the ability to do it give him a huge ego. Spock is around to keep him in check though as they will all need to be able to work as a team when a vengeful Romulan is set on creating black holes to destroy the Federation until all the planets are destroyed.