Running Virtual Errands is Fun!

Have you always wanted to give Tiana the runaround? Send her on a series of aggravatingly uncoordinated tasks in Disney's new Frog-based Web Game!

I found it raised all sorts of mysteries: Why does the ball's caterer have access to Charlotte's bedroom? When did the LaBouffs get a butler? Why is the not-Tabasco-for-legal-reasons vending cart staffed by someone from Belle's village? Why can't the lazy bum of a mask dealer pick up his own bloody necklaces? Why does Tiana feel she has to hide from Dr Facilier? Some past history there perhaps? Hmmmm?

Two Movies, Polar Opposites

MOON


In short: Go see it. Or, as is probably more likely to result in success at this point in time, put it on your Netflix queue or whatever you do with movies that you need to catch as soon as they come out on DVD.

This movie is great. I don't want to describe it too much because a lot of the fun of it is in being led along by the gradual revelation. I went into it with this synopsis: Man literally finds himself while mining, alone, on the moon. That is exactly the right amount of prior knowledge to have: it doesn't give away anything important but it keeps one's interest through the opening ten minutes or so, which might otherwise lead one to believe that it was One of Those Movies that's all about Finding the Profound in the Mundane. It's not. It's surprisingly gripping. Big points to Sam Rockwell not just for basically carrying the entire film himself but also making his character sympathetic when he could have been an annoying schlub. Best of all, though, is that this film is smart, and it involves the audience in its smartness by presenting them with just enough information to figure things out for themselves. THANK YOU. By being judicious with its exposition, and thereby manipulating your expectations, it can spring surprises on you, too, which is doubly involving! Easily the best film I've seen this year!


THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN'S APOCALYPSE


SO SILLY. So. Silly. I had various* reasons for watching it in the first place but was surprised and delighted by the postmodern metafiction! Yes please, mess with the nature of reality some more! It was a silly and madcap and imaginative enough romp that I can completely forgive the sometimes vulgar humour. Once again an absurd British comedy had me actually caring what happened by the end, too ... I love it when that happens.

I've listened to the radio series a few times but never seen the TV show ... the only confusing thing was that Geoff had exactly the same voice as Babs the Transsexual Taxi Driver, but that was only confusing until I was sure they were not supposed to be the same person. Bonus points for the very well-done stop-motion monsters, which look better and realer** than any CG. And, for about 30 seconds, the moral of the movie, as plainly stated by one of the characters, is 'Don't kill Mark Gatiss!' which I can get behind 100%.

*one
**Firefox says this is a word ... ??