The Mars Volta has created a maniacal juggernaut. On Jan. 29, the Volta released their fourth full-length studio album, “The Bedlam in Goliath” (Universal, 2008).

Lead guitarist and producer Omar Rodríguez-López weaves together an intricate tapestry of movements. This album marks the perpetual progression of a band more often than not pigeonholed in the overly generalized label of progressive rock.

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2007 may very well remembered as the year of the musical. From award fodder like “Sweeney Todd” and “Hairspray,” to indie masterpieces like “Once,” and even movies about music icons such as “I’m Not There,” the past 12 months have been chock full of flicks for the music enthusiast in all of us. However, one film stands out as a triumph that truly blends the mediums of film and music into a hybrid piece of art that is transcendent in its beauty.

“Across the Universe” is one part 6th grade history lesson, one part Beatles tribute, and one part psychedelic trip. Director Julie Taymor paints a tapestry of America’s tribulations during the ‘60s using a pallet comprised of the words of the most iconic band in the history of music.

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People who say that old movies are archaic and are out of touch with modern ideas have never seen such subversive classics as “The Man with the Golden Arm” and “The Children’s Hour” (the subject of this column). Filmmakers have always worked against oppressive motion picture standards with challenging films. This film, based on the play by Lillian Hellman, addresses the still-taboo topic of homosexuality.

William Wyler’s “The Children’s Hour” (1961) opens with an ordinary enough scene. Parents watch a children’s recital at an all-girls school, the Wright-Dobie School, a converted country house. We are slowly introduced to the main players: headmistresses Martha (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen (Audrey Hepburn); Dr. Joe Cardin (James Gardner), whose heart is set on marrying Karen; and a scheming troublemaker named Mary.

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Our first snow day of the year (second in two months) fell upon us last week. Unfortunately, it was the day after Fat Tuesday. Because of that, our beautiful day of staying inside couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time.

Fat Tuesday, for those non-Catholics out there, is the last day before the Lenten holiday begins. Usual Mardi Gras activities include beads, parties and food.

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Now that the sales campaign is wrapping up, the event which draws in buyers from around the world to view and select for purchase articles from the pre-collection, the path is now clear for the frenzy of preparing for fashion week at the end of February to begin. For anyone who thinks the fashion industry is a well-organized and well-oiled machine, you are only half right. Instead, the industry manages to keep a glossy finish on what is actually well-organized chaos.

The company I work for, Maurizio Pecoraro, has just begun the process of designing the collection, which is to be presented in less than one month. While designing a collection may take only a matter of weeks, all of the sketches must be realized into splendid works of art for the fashion press to review and critique. There is a lot of work to be done.

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A few days ago I had an epiphany: the last 10 months of my life have been a complete waste. Well, not a complete waste. Sure I’ve been happy, but the realization that I’ve been wasting my Netflix account on quality films has shaken me to the core.

Gone are the days when I fill my precious Queue with Oscar winners, art house classics and foreign masterpieces. No longer will directors like Kurosawa, Bergman and Kubrick flood my mailbox. I will never again have to suffer through my mailman complimenting me on my choice of film.

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I’m going to begin this column with a disclaimer. In no way, shape or form do I enjoy playing any Madden football game, period. So there is a little animosity when I discuss them.

I grew out of them about four years ago when I had the epiphany that this game does nothing but infuriate me with its mindless and tedious content. This content exists as a poor substitution for the developers, who have run out of ways to improve the game’s ability to represent an actual sporting event.

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