MUSIC: Lodger - [2004] Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low [CD]

Lodger's 2004 debut album, Hi-Fi High Lights Down Low, was originally released exclusively in Finland to much critical acclaim. Cynical and nihilistic lyrics abound, with songs that condemn the drudgery of average individual's life, Western society's superficiality, overeager sexual consumption, blatant drug abuse, overzealous gambling, and the general truth concerning the conquest for "the American dream." The result was an album unmatched in originality, musicality, and lyrical content. After gaining a cult-following subsequently after the release of two self-produced album promoting music videos, the group remastered and reissued their debut album in 2005 to keep up with worldwide demand. The re-release featured a slightly different track list, dropping two original album songs in favor of adding a popular single released post-2004 debut.

FILM: Masaaki Yuasa - [2004] Mind Game [2D/3D Animated Film]

Mind Game (マインド・ゲーム), originally conceived as a Japanese comic by Robin Nishi, was adapted into a feature length film by director Masaaki Yuasa. Funded and animated by Studio 4°C, the film was initially a flop in Japan, but has since found success abroad, winning numerous animation awards worldwide, earning praise from renown animation directors Bill Plympton and Satoshi Kon, as well as gaining a cult following.

FILM: Shane Carruth - [2004] Primer [Sci-Fi Drama Feature Film]

The culmination of Primer is a feat of in and of itself. Shane Carruth not only single handed operated as writer, director, producer, cinematographer, editor, music composer, and co-lead actor, but also managed to accomplished it all with a five person crew, a five week filming window, and a budget of $7,000. Carruth, a mathematics major turned engineer turned filmmaker, taught himself film production and physics, resulting in a complex cinematic experience that contains an experimental plot structure, philosophical implications, complex technical dialogue, and a distinctive flat, overexposed look.