Review: THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS

It's been a while since we've last seen a true-blue animated film that was more-or-less created in the painstakingly crafted stop-motion technique. Maybe it's just me, but when you look at one of these kinds of films and realize that each character model or set piece was physically made by the God-given human hand, the resulting illusion on screen becomes just as extraordinary and remarkable as any CGI-laden motion picture. We've seen an onslaught of computer-animated films recently, so it's nice to see that The Pirates! Band of Misfits - from the same creators of Chicken Run - are back at the ready to startle the eyes and the minds of average moviegoers with its visually stunning stop-motion antics.

Review: WALLACE & GROMIT - A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH

Wallace and Gromit are back, but this time on DVD in a 27 minute short entitled "A Matter of Loaf and Death."

Wonder what that could be about, right?

Well - in it, Wallace and Gromit are starting their new careers as bakers. Every morning they make a ton of bread and deliver it by throwing it like a newspaper boy, and destroying everything in their path. Its a great job, but it is a bad time for bakers, mainly because 12 of them have already been murdered. Now it gets interesting.

I won't tell you anymore though, because that's called a spoiler.

This is surely the darkest episode of the entire Wallace and Gromit series. It was a little uncomfortably dark, and that made it hard to enjoy the whole way through (for me at least). Still, the good ol'e british humor and creative gags are still there (Look at the 'Top Bun' truck pictured above.... Top gun...anyone?), but I could never fully get into it. Also, I was left wondering what happened to all the characters that we saw in 'Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit'. I understand that they were not needed in this film, but I would have at least liked to have seen where Lady Tottington was.

Still, check it out. If you are a Wallace and Gromit fan, you will likely get a kick out of it.

Ps.

Wallace and Gomit will hit theaters again next year with another feature film! Get excited.