Reviews

The Apu Trilogy

Satyajit Ray's superb 1955 debut Pather Panchali is released here as a three-disc package, including its sequels, Aparajito and The World Of Apu. Influenced by "new realist" European cinema, it tells the ongoing story of a poor, luckless Brahmin family in Bengal, following the fortunes of their youngest son, Apu. No Bollywood-style histrionics or musical interventions—this is beautifully shot, understated, quietly authentic, emotionally devastating cinema.

The Stunt Man

"If God could do the tricks that we can do, he'd be a happy man," declares megalomaniacal film director Eli Cross (Peter O'Toole, on epic form), who's just hired a wanted fugitive (Steve Railsback) to be a stunt man in his anti-war movie. Richard Rush's decidedly offbeat comedy thriller from 1980 lies somewhere between genuinely unsettling and extremely likeable.

Nostalgia

Oblique, arcane and infuriatingly sluggish, even by Tarkovsky's standards (makes Andrei Rublyov look like Moulin Rouge), Nostalgia is the litmus test for arthouse cinephiles. The 'story' of a Russian poet locked in existential agony while researching an obscure 18th-century composer is brimful of breathtaking tableaux, portentous dialogue and primal symbolism (flickering flame as human soul). But is it enough?

The Donnas – Spend The Night

Ace girl-gang rock'n'roll

The Durutti Column – Someone Else’s Party

Ex-Factory 'ambient' guitarist returns with best album in years

Insane Clown Posse – The Wraith: Shangri-LA

The band who make Slipknot look like S Club Juniors

Delbert McClinton – Room To Breathe

Texan roadhouse rocker still displays true grit

Appleton – Everything’s Eventual

Better-than-expected debut from All Saints sisters

Nada Surf – The Proximity Effect

Second ill-fated album from New York indie crew

Chick Corea – Trio Music

Brilliant piano trio music from 1981
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