A pair of new albums from both sides of the Atlantic have found their way into my rotation this week.  From the good ol' U.S. of A comes Backyard Tire Fire's The Places We Lived (Hyena Records), the followup to last year's excellent Vagabonds and Hooligans.  Stylistically, this album shares many traits with its predecessor but is definitely not a rehash. Checking in at just over the half-hour mark, frontman and guitarist Ed Anderson and company (brother Matt on bass, Tim Kramp on ... Read on, Daddy-O

The fact that a movie like Tropic Thunder not only exists but is doing well at the box office is refreshing for two reasons - first because we live in age of political correctness run amok, where works of mainstream art are neutered beyond recognition lest they offend anyone; and because it's proof that genre spoofs don't have to be nothing but an endless parade of tired and already dated sight gags and pop culture references (I'm looking at you Epic Movie, ... Read on, Daddy-O

When I was starting my exploration of jazz about eight or so years ago, Hank Jones was one of the first musicians I gravitated toward.  By complete chance I was listening to a local jazz radio station and heard a studio version of one of his original compositions, "Interface", and made it my mission to hear more from the man who had written such a wonderful song. Although I never did track down that album (The Oracle, long out of print), I did ... Read on, Daddy-O

The most dangerous villains, the scariest ones to watch, are the ones with no clear reasons or motives behind their mayhem.  They enter from the darkest corners of our imaginations and exist solely to inflict pain on others.  They are not driven by greed, revenge, or lust for power. So how does someone (say, a hero or a district attorney) on the side of right stop such a villain?  How much are they willing to compromise themselves; and how much collateral damage is ... Read on, Daddy-O

From two completely different ends of the musical spectrum comes a pair of albums - one new and one upcoming - that both get the coveted GFS stamp of approval. First up is the self-titled debut EP from Build (New Amsterdam Records, 2008), a Brooklyn-based indie classical quintet formed in 2006.  Now I know what you're thinking: "Classical music?  Boring!"  Stop thinking that, you're wrong.  This are modern, tuneful compositions that bears precious little resemblance to your father's classical music. For those familiar with ... Read on, Daddy-O

This is shaping up to be a banner year for Batman.  The Dark Knight comes out next week, and I can't see any way it won't kick ass.  So to whet the appetite of the hardcore Bat-fan, this week marks the release of Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated adventure. But rather than being just another animated Bat-film, Gotham Knight is actually an anthology of six short films, all presented with different styles of animation.  Those six short films, and my take on ... Read on, Daddy-O

Having only ever read one other Frederick Forsyth book (his 1971 debut, The Day of the Jackal), I had high hopes for The ODESSA File.  And while it isn't quite the classic that his first novel is, it's a damn fine yarn just the same.  It did prove, without a doubt, that the greatness of Jackal was not a fluke.  Of course, his long and successful career proves that too, but I digress. The story takes place in 1963-64 and centers on a ... Read on, Daddy-O

I'll cop to not being a huge Pixar believer.  I've seen Toy Story, The Incredibles, and a few of their other features, but for some reason they've always left me a little cold.  Oh sure, they are marvels of computer animation technology, but I have always preferred the old school style.  It's hard for me to get emotionally invested in movies that look more like extended video game cut scenes. But I have to say that watching WALL-E got me about as close ... Read on, Daddy-O

Growing up in the '80s, my musical universe basically consisted of three bands - Kiss, Iron Maiden, and everyone else (Rush became the third member of the holy trinity of music closer to high school, but that's another topic). Sadly, somehow I never made it to see either band during their accepted prime periods (I was way too young to have seen mid-'70s Kiss and just barely too young to have caught mid-'80s Maiden). In the case of Kiss, that was rectified ... Read on, Daddy-O

There's no two ways about it: 2008 has been a bit of a letdown as far as new music goes, at least compared to last year. There have been some excellent releases to be certain (School of Language, Goldfrapp, and the Raconteurs among them), just not a lot that have hit the heights of '07. I'm going to play a little catchup with my reviews here, so let's dig in... R.E.M. - Accelerate (Warner Bros.) I've managed to be exposed to R.E.M.'s ... Read on, Daddy-O