Come this past Monday morning, still laid up at home with a nasty cold, i found that Tivo had recorded The Animatrix on the Cartoon Network on Halloween night. Just as i'd instructed it to do ten days earlier, thankfully Tivo has a better memory than i do. The cutely titled film is a collection of nine animated shorts revolving around the world depicted by the brothers Wachowski in the Matrix movies. I still think those flicks are classic sci-fi, although Revolutions spent entirely too much time in Zion and not nearly enough time in the Matrix. Anyhow, like their source material, the components of the Animatrix have their ups and downs. The two part "Second Renaissance" gives an interesting background of the history of human-machine relations that led to the cataclysmic war. "Kid's Story" is a fairly ho hum account of a teenager's realization of the Matrix, made enthralling by the sketchy, art book animation style. However, there's also duds like "Beyond", a boring haunted house-type yarn about a house where the Matrix is faulty, and the failed Matrix detective story, aptly titled "Detective Story". But on the whole a nifty slice of anime and some interesting thoughts on the Matrix mythology.

And The Venture Brothers just keeps getting better. When i saw "Tag Sale - You're It!" a few weeks ago i'd found my new favorite episode ... supervillains attending Dr. Venture's yard sale to get discount laser death rays is priceless. Not to mention the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend debating the sexuality of that guy from Depeche Mode. The next week i had a new favorite in "Past Tense", but the week after it was back to the hilarious Monarch and his breakup with his second in command Dr. Girlfriend. The references in this show are fantastic, particularly in the latter episode where the Monarch is thumbing through a tell-all biography written without his knowledge by one of his henchmen: "Why, there's even pictures! Here's one of me at Danceteria making out with Stiv Bators and Lydia Lunch!". You go, Cartoon Network. And keep the Family Guy coming too.