“The Life Aquatic”

Written and directed by Wes Anderson, who brought the dark and funny family life of the “Royal Tenenbaums” to the big screen in 2001, “The Life Aquatic” puts Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and Owen Wilson together again, this time bobbing around in the open ocean. The film chronicles oceanographer Steve Zissou’s quest to find the shark that ate his partner and destroy it. What would be the scientific purpose of killing it? Revenge. Along the way, Zissou mends relations with his estranged wife and trys to determine whether or not new member to team Zissou, Ned Plimpton (Wilson), is his son. Sure to be remarkably funny, “The Life Aquatic” opened nationwide Christmas day.

A Parchment of Leaves | Silas House

Author of Clay’s Quilt and most recently The Coal Tattoo, House’s second book A Parchment of Leaves is a deftly written novel about rural Kentucky in the 1900’s. It tells the story of Saul Sullivan, a young man who falls in love with a mysterious and beautiful Cherokee girl named Vine, said to possess incredible powers over the minds of men. Their relationship quickly becomes complicated as Saul leaves town for work in another country and other men come calling. Called a “seamless work of fiction, entrancing in the manner of a vivid dream,” by Newsday and “breathtaking for both its beauty and its pain” by Kirkus Reviews, A Parchment of Leaves is a great read for the coldest months ahead.

Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand’s debut self-titled album is everywhere. In fact, you can’t escape hearing at least a second or two of at least one of their songs somewhere, either on the radio or on television. Normally, my distaste for this kind of mass appeal would prevent me from listening to the album, but I couldn’t help myself, it was too damn catchy. If you’re looking for lyrical complexity, look further, if not, pick up the album and let yourself be sucked in by songs like “Better on Holiday” and “Take Me Out.”

— by Zach Laminack