MaximumMadness Wallace and Gromit's latest short film, Nick Park's "A Matter of Loaf and Death", is a charming new tale of the eccentric inventor and his brilliant and trusty canine companion, though it just doesn't quite measure up to the previous efforts, both short and feature length.Wallace and Gromit are now spending their time in the world of baking, owning the popular and busy "Top Bun" bakery which is built into their home. Wallace is still the goofball he always has been, bumbling yet strong of heart. Gromit seems to be more of the brains of the operation, and they spend their days baking and delivering breads and pastries, and utilizing Wallace's technical "genius" to get moving. Like the other shorts, we begin with a delightful "Waking Wallace" sequence, and see his Rube Goldberg like contraptions at all new heights, as he weaves through intricate chutes and slides, in maybe the single most impractical and hilarious alarm clock you could imagine. Wallace then meets Piella Bakewell, a former model for a popular bakery chain, whom has since ballooned up a little bit, but is ever charming and charismatic. Wallace takes an instant liking to her, and they develop a romance. But Gromit is concerned that Wallace's new love may be the infamous murderer whom is killing bakers all around the city.And so, their new adventure begins.The film is full of heart and humor, like the other outings (including their shots "A Grand Day Out", "A Close Shave" and "The Wrong Trousers", as well as their feature-length venture "Cure of the Were-Rabbit"), but there are some major issues holding it back in the end.For one, the humor is much more "American" and mainstream. It feels like many jokes were written on the fly, and the movie does teeter on being nothing more than an average parody at times. It just feels too basic, compared to the amazingly planned and played-out previous installments. In addition, the ratio of hit-and-miss is far more lopsided now than it has been before. Some of the gags fall flat as a pancake.Also, my other big complaint is that the film just doesn't have the "wow" factor of the other installments. There is no grand sequences, the plot is too predictable, and the character development is a little more by-the-books. Even the climax, which is usually magnificent (think about the amazing chase from "Wrong Trousers" and over-the-top action of "A Close Shave"), is a bit "blah" this time around.Finally, the film is actually quite dark. The main storyline is a murder-mystery, and there are a few moments that are borderline unfriendly for young audiences.But the continued marvelous performances (especially Peter Sallis as Wallace and the silent Gromit's incredible body language and personality) and the abundance of jokes that thankfully work make up for the shortcomings. It was still a blast to watch, and it left me eager for new adventures from the duo.I give "A Matter of Loaf and Death" a good 7 out of 10. While it's the first Wallace and Gromit adventure I didn't give a perfect 10 to, it's still a grand tale and is more than worth seeing. I'm just waiting for their next cracking adventure!

Erik I have seen everything publicly released by Wallace and Gromit (well, by the creators), and have to say that Wallace and Gronit (the series of movies, or short movies) is some of the best of it's kind to date. This include "Hollywood" animations.I grew up with the stop motion Norwegian movie Flåklypa Grand Prix (Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, in English), "Hollywood" animations, and some Eastern-European stop motion movies/shows, and for many years I found FGP to be the best of it's kind. FGP has been seen more times in Norwegian cinemas than there are Norwegians in Norway through the years, and that should say something...OK, Wallace and Gromit; The creator Nick Park has hit the spot for me when it comes to animations, and that's final, today. Unlike "Hollywood" productions, it's not showing superficial characters (not even the "hero's", read Gromit). Each character has each own unique look, often a kind of off-the-wall, non-typical look. Characters I have learned to just love... Wallace has to be my favorite characters of all time. The impressions of his face is just fantastic, not only for this short movie. All of them...This is English humor at it's best. Great stop motion animation and a quite good script.It's not the best Wallace and Gromit movie, but considering the quality, I can't give it less than 9 of 10 stars. This is in comparison to the quality of the Wallace and Gromit movies so far. I think the quality is so far beyond most of the "Hollywood" productions that it deserves this rating. Even my favorite animation movie Flåklypa Grand Prix (Pinchcliffe Grand Prix) is passed by Nick Parks work, I am SAD to say.I REALLY hope that this kind of quality and humor is preserved in the future, including the good looking production (vivid and dynamic colors). Why, Why, do "Hollywood" animations have to have so streamlined, "Barbie" looking, super-sweet and/or "He-Man" looking characters. Most of us have seen it before... Of course, the are some exceptions; Tim Burton's: Corpse Bride, for example (love the characters).Final word. This is not the best of the "series", but still very good. If you can select yourself, start with (in my subjective opinion):1. The Wrong trousers 2. A Close Shave 3. A Matter of Loaf and Death 4. A Grand Day Out 5. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (full-length movie)Enjoy :)

Tommy Nelson I could go on and on why the Wallace and Gromit shorts are some of the best short films ever made. "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave" are especially excellent, and are just amazingly made. They use the right amount of suspense, with music perfectly placed throughout, and they both have hilarious and original climaxes. This short...eh! It's funny throughout, and has some elements of those other two shorts, but there's very little suspense, mainly because we know very quickly who the antagonist is, what their plan is, and then just a lot of talking. It's good, but not nearly as perfect as the other ones.Wallace and Gromit are apparently now bakers, and at the worst time too as there is an unknown baker killer on the loose. Anyways, while delivering some bread, Wallace happens to save the life of a bread company model, Piella, and they fall in love. She even has a French poodle named Fluffles that Gromit finds attractive. But, Piella is hiding a secret, and Gromit will find out what.This is a very funny short. It has some good jokes and an amusing plot. It's just with the knowledge of the other films (especially the two mentioned earlier), this one is not nearly as good. The other films had emotion, with the scenes where Gromit leaves after being unwanted, and the scene where Gromit goes to prison, but here, there is very little emotion. It's almost like this was a pilot for a Wallace and Gromit TV show. It would be a good pilot for a show, but it's not cinematic so much. It's like a gag filled kiddie show.This sounds pretty negative, but actually this is a very good short. It has a lot of funny gags, an interesting plot, and features an action packed ending, in true with the other films. Kids will love it, adults might be mixed, but no matter, it's meant for the younger group, and will entertain.Nick Park has made another entertaining Wallace and Gromit film, though perhaps he should review the formula, because if he wants to do another one, maybe he can shoot for excellent instead of just good.My rating: *** out of ****. 30 mins. Not rated.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Wallace and Gromit have decided to set up their own baking business. One day, Wallace nearly has a traffic accident with the woman who used to be the 'bake-o-lite' girl. They warm to each other and romance starts to blossom-but Gromit, wary as ever (what with past experience!) suspects she's trouble, and what with the spate of serial killings involving local bakers that's been going on lately, maybe he's onto something.After the success of 2005's film version The Curse of the Were Rabbit, Nick Park's plasticine heroes have become popular again and got enough publicity for a timely new episode last Christmas, that for one reason or another I didn't get to see all the way through. But now I have, and while the technical animation never ceases to impress me, it's now becoming quite clear that in my mind, Park'll never make as great an episode as The Wrong Trousers.The serial killing theme of this new story might have been a bit too dark and adult to feature in a family film, but one of the trademarks of the franchise, the cheesy puns, are in abundance, from vinyl records Gromit owns by artists like Doggy Osmond and McFlea (as well as The Hound of Music!), to other clever (but not very subtle!) touches like advertisements for flights by Cheesy Jet. The stories in most of the short films revolve around Wallace warming to someone (or something) he's just met and Gromit suspecting (and being proved right!) that they're up to no good, and this is no exception but most of it is carried off with such technical expertise it's a minor quibble.There's nothing really wrong here, it's just that nothing has (and I doubt ever will) live up to the standard of The Wrong Trousers for me. ***