As for penguins, that's on the same wavelength.  When Fran and I saw Spider-Man 3, we not only saw the Pirates trailer, but we saw one for YET ANOTHER STUPID COMPUTER CARTOON ABOUT PENGUINS.  Okay, so it's only the second one, but doesn't it seem like there's been nothing but movies about goddamn penguins lately?  This trend has managed to ruin penguins for me as well, and I love them.  There are not very many animals on this planet that I enjoy more than those flightless Antarctic birds.  Of course, this hasn't tarnished the legacy of Pokey the Penguin. 

The Heinrich Maneuver?
Got an email yesterday from the gentlemen known as Interpol.  Their new album is coming in July, and it can't come out any sooner.  I was listening to them a lot the last couple of days in the car, so I was quite happy to hear about it.  So that makes it three big albums to buy this summer as far as I'm concerned, as Spoon and Editors are also putting new CDs out.  I'm still mulling over whether or not the Smashing Pumpkins "reunion" album will be worth my time and/or money. 

I just saw Alton Brown on Iron Chef and he seems to be stealing Darryl's look.

Two out of three Spideys agree...
... that the third film was a disappointment.  Fran and I went to see Spider-Man 3 last night, and although we enjoyed it, I have to say that I was disappointed.  After the first two films did such a good job of capturing everything that makes Spider-Man different and unique in the superhero world, the third one seemed to fall into "comic book movie" formula.  It's too bad, because after all the info that had come out about the film, it seemed like we were destined for a solid trilogy.  I'll start with the bad news.

For one, there just didn't seem to be enough... well, Spider-Man.  Part 3 decides to figure out what's up with Peter and Mary Jane now that they're in love.  Throw in the fact that New York is now firmly in love with Spidey, and you've got a bit of an ego-trip for the wall-crawler.  Speaking of New York, the first two movies managed to make the city a character in the story, and that's one of the reasons Spider-Man is my favorite superhero.  This time around, it's just a backdrop, and not even as exciting as it could be.  The music was lame; Danny Elfman sadly did not do the score, and so the music didn't get you wrapped up in the action as much.  The next problem: story overload.  Beside troubles for Peter and M.J., Harry Osborne's ready to pick up dad's mantle as the Goblin, and the liberally underused Thomas Hayden Church lumbers through his unbelievably bad dialogue as the Sandman (who is revealed to be the real killer of Uncle Ben in a seemingly tacked-on story).  But wait, that's not all!  Topher Grace (Eric from That 70's Show) shows up as Eddie Brock, and yes, he does indeed end up becoming Venom in the end of the movie.  Also needlessly tossed into the story is super-cute Bryce Dallas Howard, playing Gwen Stacy... or at least a character NAMED Gwen Stacy, as she doesn't have much in common with the character from the comics.  And don't bother getting me started on what's up with the Black Suit.  Its introduction is beyond lame, and its only saving grace is indeed the fact that we got some Venom action in there somewhere.  They could have made the main story line about the alien suit, but it sort of got lost in the shuffle of the film's production and the direction it was going.  I could elaborate, but I'd have to write plenty more and get even geekier on you.

The good thing is, even though these factors bring things down, it's still a Spider-Man movie directed by the heroic Sam Raimi.  Although it lacks some of his visual trademarks (mainly because he shot the film in a wider ratio than most of his movies, including the previous Spidey flicks), much of his trademark humor is still in tact.  Part of that is given in an absolutely hilarious scene starring Raimi's best friend and cult screen legend Bruce Campbell.  I won't give it away for Bruce's fans, but I'll assure you it's worth admission.  There's also a great Saturday Night Fever montage in which Pete has broken up with Mary Jane (for about five minutes) and, now possessed by the Black Suit, walks down the street giving chicks the eye and buying expensive clothes, culminating in what seems like an homage to the "Jazz Flute" sequence in Anchorman.  I'm not kidding.  And if you saw the other movies, you'd do well to keep an eye out for details and minor characters who make it back here and there.  I'd point a couple out, but I'd ruin the ending.

But the biggest compliment Spider-Man 3 can score is that the effects are better than the previous efforts.  Some of the effects sequences are insane, especially the climax.  If you're a Web-Head, you'll fully appreciate the final battle (especially the effects that create Venom!).  Die hard "true believers" will do well to see it, but if you were a casual fan of the other two movies, just wait until the super-loaded DVD hits in the fall and save your ten bucks for another one of the many big flicks this summer.

Batman is safe in the hands of Christopher Nolan. 

March into the sea
I did mention in the last post that I got the new Modest Mouse album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.  Arcade Fire's Neon Bible has company at the top of this year's young list, I can say that much.  Modest Mouse's last album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, was a pleasant surprise to me, a mix of hard-pounding beats and pop infusion mixed into songs about regretful bar fights and rear-ending police cruisers.  WWDBTSES is something of a concept album, carrying a nautical theme.  If you thought the Decemberists were the only band playing sea shanties these days, you're sadly mistaken.  But visions of shore leave and shipwreck work very well against even catchier hooks and disco beats than Modest Mouse's previous effort.  Isaac Brock's lyrics are as sharp and clever as ever, and he's recruited The Smiths' Johnny Marr of all people to join up with his crew.  Thing is, I don't know crap about Marr, Morrissey, or The Smiths, but his guitar work melds perfectly with Brock's, so much so that you really can't tell who's playing what.  It's over an hour of absolutely solid rock that's sure to stay in heavy rotation.

There's really not much else to talk about tonight, but hopefully I'll be back on here again soon.  Oh yeah, somebody covered up that damn creepy baby mural on the side of Java Hut.  That's the best thing that's happened in Worcester in years.

Go outside, it's nice out.