This Is Not News

We went to see the new Pixar movie Ratatouille today. It was quite good, although the pacing was unconventional. As a result, I think there’s a little more distance between this film and me in comparison with Brad Bird’s left effort for Pixar, The Incredibles. The movie centers around Remy, a rat whose senses are so acute that he develops a fondness for excellent food and a desire to create it himself. His father and his fellow rats are less interested in gourmet ideals, but when Remy gets separated from his colony and finds himself in Paris, he lurks around the kitchen at the restaurant founded by his idol, Gusteau. Gusteau has been dead for years, of a heart attack brought on in part by a harsh review, and the restaurant has been trading on its former glory. Remy winds up forming an unlikely partnership with Linguini, a hapless lad who just wants a job as a garbage boy – and who happens to be Gusteau’s son and heir.

Spoilers follow.

What surprised me was that the movie resolves the Gusteau’s will plotline with a good 40 minutes or so left in the movie. I expected that the “rightful heir discovers his identity and claims his birthright� plot to figure into the climax, as it does in so many Disney movies. But instead, that just turns into the catalyst for the final act, where Remy and Linguini have to confront a chef’s arch-nemesis, the food critic, while they resolve their own interpersonal conflicts. It’s an interesting dynamic, and I’m still trying to figure out how well all the threads come together. The ending also pulls the rug out from the heroes right at their moment of triumph, but lets them land on their feet. It’s an example of Bird’s effort to inject a certain amount of realism into his fantastic premise, although I find myself overthinking the ramifications of a world where it becomes clear that rats are capable of higher-level thinking and communication. I probably shouldn’t hold that against the movie, though.

Technically, the movie lives up to the Pixar standards – the rats all have individual character, Remy is extremely expressive, and the many chase sequences are involving but never distracting. The voice cast does a great job, with many of the actors using accents that made them unrecognizable to me. All in all, it’s a fine piece of work.

Not counting my PC, I haven’t owned a video game machine since my brothers and I shared a Super Nintendo back in the proverbial day. I must admit that the upcoming Star Wars game The Force Unleashed and BioWare’s forthcoming Mass Effect have me seriously reconsidering that, as soon as the change under my sofa accumulates a heck of a lot more. There’s fodder for a rumination on video games as a new narrative medium here, but other people have covered that ground and I don’t know if I have the mental juice for it at the moment.

Then again, there are always placed like the 1984 Arcade, a place from which Earl has just returned. Check out pictoral evidence of the pilgrimage over at Scribblings.

Don’t know if I’m gonna write a full review or not, but here’s what I’m thinking after three passes through the new album:

• If Wikipedia is correct about which four songs the full lineup worked on with Steve Lillywhite as producer, I think it makes sense to view Time on Earth as a Neil Finn solo record with a Crowded House EP attached. There’s a fairly substantial shift in tone and style on the full lineup songs: Don’t Stop Now, She Called Up, Even a Child, and Transit Lounge. They’re four of the fastest songs on the record, and they have a certain playfulness that’s not nearly as prominent on the other songs. The backing vocals on She Called Up and Transit Lounge in particular provoked a double-take.
• The other tracks were produced by Ethan Johns, who also produced Glen Phillips’ solo album Abulum. There’s a similar quiet, melancholy vibe on those two albums, and it’s not unpleasant to listen to by any means.
• Even a Child, co-written by Johnny Marr, is a fantastic, high-energy pop song and if I had paid 11 bucks just for that track, I’d call it money well spent. If that Modest Mouse thing doesn’t work out, I think I’d like to see Marr collaborate with this band some more. Didn’t think I was gonna say that before I heard the album, but he fit in really well with the whole crew.
• I really, really hope the full band heads back into the studio as soon as possible. I don’t know if this lineup can top Together Alone, but I don’t put it past them.

I had this whole post going about Live Earth, and then I deleted it before I could save it. So go check out this AP article to see Neil Finn paraphrased about the need for musicians to factor carbon offsets into their touring plans, and check out this interview with Al Gore where he discusses Live Earth as the beginnings of a major PR campaign.

For my part, I’m waiting for MSN’s live stream of the Sydney show to get around to showing Crowded House’s set again, in hopes of catching the encore I missed when I watched it the first time. (The sun was up in Philly by the time they played “Weather with You,” and I needed to get to bed.) I also got the laundry rack out of storage and I’m gonna see if I can make a go of drying the laundry without using the dryer. Every little bit, right?