Review Day

There are no major spoilers in this review.

Taller Children by Elizabeth and the Catapult:
This short album is a collection of lighter songs. The lead singer reminds me of a KT Tunstall with an American accent. The song Race You was driving me crazy with familiarity until I realized that it had been featured in an adult diaper commercial a few years back. The up-tempo songs are a little better than the slow ones -- ballads are universally boring though.

Final Grade: B+

Super 8:
You can tell when people were born by seeing if they think this movie is about a motel. This J.J. Abrams feature is a lovingly-crafted E.T. for a new generation. It feels just like something Spielburg might have created, but with better special effects. I enjoyed it more than expected.

Final Grade: B

Community, Season One:
Community is a laugh-trackless comedy about a Spanish study group at a community college. The characters and situations are intentionally one-dimensional, and in fact, many episodes are written solely to skewer common TV tropes. There's plenty of less-meta humor as well, and the DVDs are packed with extras and outtakes. We blew through this season in about two weeks and thoroughly enjoyed everything but the annoying presence of Chevy Chase.

Final Grade: A

Malcolm in the Middle, Season Four:
A mostly forgettable, but enjoyable midseries season. Having exhausted all comedic possibilities for Francis, the writers keep him around on a dude ranch rather than just letting the character fade out of the show (a la Doug from Weeds). This is a good show to watch while applying that third coat of paint to a stubborn railing that continues to absorb all of the color.

Final Grade: B-