Screen:
The Animatrix (DVD)
The cell phone rings: It's Neo. The Agents are coming. Time to grab your skateboard and get out of there - now. "Kid's Story," by star anime director Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), is one of nine chapters in this wildly imaginative extension of the Matrix saga. Other highlights: "Beyond," a haunted-house tale by Koji Morimoto (Akira), and "The Second Renaissance, Part 2" (a grim bit of backstory). You can watch a few clips online, but this is the only way to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. - Lisa Delgado
Garage Days (THEATERS)
Director Alex Proyas' mood has drastically changed. Trading the shadowy sets of The Crow and Dark City for sunshine and laughter, this lively comedy follows a Sydney rock band trying to make it in a world where live acts get pushed out of clubs by pretty-boy DJs. Proyas has fun with both the subject matter and the visuals - he uses slow motion, freeze-frames, and various film stocks. The pic's amped-up cinematic pyrotechnics will make you grin from ear to ear. - Jennifer Hillner
Music:
Prefuse73 One Word Extinguisher
One of Scott Herren's several alter egos, Prefuse73 modernizes old-school funk and hip hop as if the Roots welcomed Moby into their ranks. The title track, an instrumental, pits *Star Trek-*sounding keyboards against sublimely soulful beats, and "Plastic" mixes '80s-style Brooklyn mike mastery with quirky electronic tones � la Massive Attack. It's effective, though sadly some tunes are so polished they're less suited to a club than a clothing store. - Paul Semel
Goldfrapp Black Cherry
How do you like your electro-funk? If this UK duo's debut was soft and breathy, the follow-up goes tough and throaty. Tracks like "Train" and "Strict Machine" seethe with predatory eroticism; "Twist" could be the score for a porn film staged in the dark tents of a carnival. This is Giorgio Moroder reunited with Donna Summer and a chorus of naked fembots jamming at Ennio Morricone's subterranean S/M hideaway. Nice! - Xeni Jardin
Games:
Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
Don't play this alone. Silent Hill preys on your deepest fears and makes you wish you could trade your Maglite for a rocket blaster. On this psychological horror trip, you'll be as frustrated as you are frightened while you collect clues and MacGyver your way through monster-infested neighborhoods. Count on dying a lot before you start getting clever - like figuring out that bloodthirsty hell beasts are easily distracted with a piece of beef jerky. Now, that's keepin' it real. - Suzanne Ashe
Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter (PS2 | CUBE | XBOX)
Revenge is a deep-dish pizza best served cold. As ex-ranger Mace Griffin, you mercilessly track down the criminals for whom you wrongly did a dime in the slammer. Pick off the sorry bastards in first-person mode, then jump into your spaceship for a dogfight. It took more than a year to develop this arcade-like hybrid for consoles, but the seamless transitions between the two styles of gameplay make it well worth the wait. Look out, Jango Fett, there's a new bounty hunter in town. - John Gaudiosi
Print:
Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology by Edward Tenner
This quirky romp through product history explores how common objects (eyeglasses, chairs, keyboards) redefine us as fast as we redesign them. While you may not agree that George Washington's elaborate dentures made him a cyborg, Tenner offers many profound insights into tech and product form and function. He devotes an entire chapter to the global spread of flip-flops without once being boring. - Chris Baker
The Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight by Martha Ackmann
Imagine going through the rigorous training required to become an astronaut, only to be denied a seat on the shuttle. Ackmann details the institutional discrimination against accomplished female pilots - including the callous, dismissive actions of stiff-necks in the highest echelons of NASA, the Pentagon, and Capitol Hill. It's a fine read that inspires fist-shaking indignation. - Steve Powers
PLAY
Exploring *Myst'*s Brave New World
Tru 2 Da Game
Better Than MP3
What's On Your iPod?
It's Not Easy Being Green
Thrash Photography
Honey, Where Are the Keys to the Hovercraft?
Read Me: Regulating Railroad Innovation
Merry Institute of Tricksters
Top 10 MIT Hacks
Wet & Wild
Top of the Pop Shop
reviews
Fetish
Music to Your Ears
GMRS Talks the Talk
Total Remote Control
Shopping Cart
