A Few Short Attention Span Reviews of Things I've Checked Out Lately

1. Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News: Some of the very best music coming out of the US this year, Good News is sometimes edgy, sometimes smooth, and always really intelligent, periodically reminding me of the Pixies or Broken Social Scene. They're currently touring through Canada, so catch their live show while you still can. 
2. The Hives, Tyrannosaurus Hives: The much-anticipated follow-up to 2002's Veni, Vidi, Vicious, The Hives have tweaked their sound a bit on Tyrannosaurus, making it sound fresh without losing the hyperactive, supa-catchy guitar riffs.  It reminds me a bit more of Rocket From the Crypt than their last record; I kinda wished they'd done a bit of experimentation with some horns on some of the tracks.
3. Keane, Hopes and Fears:  I've had a few MP3's from Keane for the last few months, but I liked them so much I went out to buy the disc.  It's fantastic for those slower, introspective moments of your day, with a smooth, slightly epic quality to their songs (think Coldplay or Travis, but not too hard, because they're far and away their own band).
4. NAC Orchestra, The Lord of the Rings Symphony:  The core reason why the Lord of the Rings movies have such broad appeal and have had so much success: they represent an awe-inspiring integration of so many art forms, spanning from literature, to visual arts, to theatre and motion pictures, to music.  Each artistic component complements the others seamlessly, but can easily stand on their own, as was the case with this performance (although calling it a symphony might be a bit unrealistic).  The music, as performed by the NAC Orchestra, was excellent, as was the soloist (Hayley Westenra).
5. The Bourne Supremacy:  With a solid plot and reasonably believable premise and action (for a spy thriller flick, that is), Bourne was partially spoiled by jagged, stomach-churning camera shake and a much smaller role for Franka Potente (soooo hot) than in its predecessor.  I'd wait for video, but it's definitely entertaining.
6. FAHRENHEIT 9/11:  There's not much more I can say about this film than to just go see it and form your own opinion.  It's thought-provoking, challenging, and biased.  It raises some excellent points and often does so with a humourous spin, although Moore needlessly stepped on some toes along the way.  Personally, I'm really glad I saw it.
7. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox):  Videogame crack.  Avoid this game unless you have a lot of time on your hands.  Fortunately, I have lately, and it's - so - freaking - good.  Morrowind is a fantasy world with swords and armour and spells and lockpicks, where you can go anywhere and do almost anything you want without having to be connected to an online server.  I've put it aside for a few days and now I'm going into withdrawal.  Honestly.