One of the toughest jobs in movie making today is doing right by one of the industry's oldest genres - the Western. 3:10 to Yuma, directed by Walk the Line's James Mangold and starring the venerable Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, does as good a job as any such film since 1993's Tombstone.
Fall 2007 looks to be one of the most action packed seasons for video games in history. Each console has quality exclusives that will keep gamers inside for the rest of the year.
Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective's latest album for Domino Records, in many ways far surpasses their already incredible back catalogue. I've always felt that Animal Collective would be far superior if they would embrace the pop format completely instead of shrouding melody with abrasive noise. It is on this release that the group attempts to create a fully embraceable set of songs that still retain the adventurous aspect of their past endeavors.
Charlemagne's sophomore album, We Can Build an Island, buzzes with enthusiastic, charming pop songs in the vein of The Feelies and New Zealand pop kings The Clean. This album, their second for SideCho Records, has the unenviable honor of following their critically acclaimed debut, Detour Allure.
Few things hit the spot like this album. You might be wondering who this band is, but you've known them in a past life. The band is a quartet headed by two former child stars. Jenny Lewis, lead singer, was in the television shows Troop Beverly Hills and The Wizard. Blake Sennett, lead guitarist, played on Boy Meets World and was Ronnie Pinsky on Salute Your Shorts.