Wuh-aaaaal-leeee

This is a great year for animated films. Earlier this summer, we watched Kung Fu Panda and I was pleasantly surprised by how well written, genuinely funny and entertaining it was. If I were to say that Kung Fu Panda was a great movie then WALL-E is sublime. It's hard for me to put in words just how wonderful and magical this film really is. From the opening frames, you get a sense that you are about to watch something very special and after a little while you realize there is also something unique about this film vs previous Pixar works. The first half of this film is poetry. There isn't a whole lot of dialog here but the cliche "you say it best when you say nothing at all" applies here. Pixar does a great job holding your attention through the vignettes, the humorous interactions among the characters, the dystopic visuals, and the wonderfully chosen music and score. The 2nd half seems to have more adult themes going on: an ecological & technological parable, politics - a slam on the current adminstration, human over consumption & obesity. But at the heart of it all is the simple but poignant love story between WALL-E and EVE. The two characters are about as different as they come but their chemistry just works. The irony is that there is more heart and soul in this film from these two "robots" than many films with actual human beings. WALL-E is a film that you love to love and WALL-E himself is arguably the most lovable Pixar character to date. In case it's not obvious by now, I anxiously await for the Blu Ray release.

Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends

I'll come to straight to it. "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" is a great album. I''ve been listening to it non-stop for the past two days now. I know opinion is divided and that's ok. The album really is a gamut of emotions beautifully interwoven in a 46 min listening session. Yes, I said session cause it really should be taken as a whole. I have to confess that it took me about 3 - 4 listens to appreciate the different sounds - but now I'm really hooked. True to form, some of the lyrics are kind of cryptic but the chords are lovely. The album is definitely -not- a recycled Parachutes, Rush of Blood..., or X&Y. And this is what may put off some fans but I would say "Patience, Luke.." The experience gets more and more rewarding with each listen. Instant gratification doesn't always lead to a lasting experience right? There is a good balance of top 40 mainstream appeal with tracks like Viva La Vida and Violet Hill but the album still retains that indie/alternative sound with tracks like Chinese Sleep Chant. I like how some of the songs like 42 break away from the conventional form and the last track Death And All His Friends is maybe a bit too clever for it's own good with it's kind of "Technicolor redux" at the end that gives the album a nice bookend or maybe it's intended to be a circular motif. Too bad tracks like Lost! (Acoustic Version) and Lovers In Japan (Acoustic Version) are only available in mp3 format. A real bummer for the audiophile. One of the lingering questions I've always had - how many of Coldplay's "personal" songs are about Chris Martin or perhaps another band member? Because if you are not singing about your past experiences, are you really able to express the true meaning of the song?

Concord Records SACD Sampler vol 1

I am very slowly expanding my SACD collection. Up until recently, I have had only two SACDs (Karajan's 1977 version of Beethoven's 9th and Keane). Now I have three with the addition of the Concord Records SACD Sampler. The rear surrounds really come to life in a seamless, non-gimmicky manner - kind of like the Dolby True HD track of Dave Matthews + Tim Reynolds Radio City Blu Ray.

There are some great demo tracks here - "Straighten Up And Fly Right" by Rosemary Clooney which starts with the original mono track through the center channel and seamlessly widens to a modern 5.1 version. Very cool. Then you have the popular "Watermelon Man" by Poncho Sanchez and Mongo Santamaria - again, amazing use of multichannel here.

Although not apples-to-apples, whenever I listen to ordinary CDs, the sound is often very harsh and I'll get listener's fatigue. Our family room is not very acoustic friendly (tile, walls). I suppose a throw rug might help but all things being equal SACD sounds much smoother to my ears vs the CDs that I have. Yes, SACD is pretty much a dead format. But the catalog of titles is > 5000 and there are some real gems to in terms of classical and jazz.

Good deed & karma

I received a phone call today at my work from a very nice woman who found my dad's wallet in San Francisco Chinatown. She was able to call me since my dad had my business card in his wallet. The wallet is in the mail now and I thanked her and asked her how I could provide reimbursement for the shipping and she said, "Don't worry about it. Karma points. Someday, someone else will find my wallet. Just go visit your dad more."

Going to see Coldplay!

At the Forum in LA July 15th. Man, I can't wait. I am literally counting the days until Viva La Vida comes out. I've been listening to Violet Hill over and over. Wonderful track and should do well commercially.

The only complaint I have is that it seems impossible to get concert tickets at standard ticketmaster pricing. Even when trying to use "pre-sale" codes from Best Buy or KROQ, the tickets are unavailable and you are forced to use ticket brokers who easily charge what seems to be 2x+ ticketmaster pricing. Talk about getting mugged.

The Unusual

A lot of things have been going on in recent months and it seemed like a good time to have "the usual" again. I especially enjoy these larger gatherings cause I can only imagine that as time goes by, it will likley get harder and harder to get people to come out due to changing life circumstances. I think the chicken marsala has become my "usual" dish at cheesecake factory. Moving forward, I intend to order that dish every time!

Glimpse of fatherhood

Don't let the wife beater attire fool you. Ed cooks, cleans, and even showed me how to bathe a new born (Kenneth).

Alyssa is growing up fast! Irwin is a proud dad.