Michael Bonner

It is, quite literally, Casino…

Here we go, folks. Hot off the press, it's this year's Oscar nominations. First impressions: it's an incredibly predictable set of nominations this year.

2015 has already got off to a good start, with Foxcatcher and Whiplash coming later this month (although I’m afraid I really didn’t like either Birdman or American Sniper).

Here, for your consideration, is Uncut's list of the 20 Best Films Of 2014. If you're interested in the administrative aspect of this list, it was voted for by a shadowy cabal of Uncut staffers, writers and a few trusted confidants. It broadly dovetails with my own personal Top 20, though I think the film that's stuck with me most throughout the year is the wonderfully strange Under The Skin. But I won't detain you further. Have a great Christmas and New Year, by the way: see you in 2015.

"Most people turn a corner, Neil ricochets," says the Crazy Horse guitarist

Amazing scenes in the Uncut office last week, when Bob Dylan finally announced Shadows In The Night - his latest studio album featuring interpretations of Frank Sinatra standards.

Interesting news last week in the Los Angeles Times, which reported that the Los Angeles apartment occupied by Elliot Gould’s Philip Marlowe in Robert Altman's great 1973 film The Long Goodbye is now available for rent. One bedroom, one bathroom, private parking, hardwood floors and a terrace, with access via a private elevator, it can be yours for around £1,790 a month. Serendipitously, Altman’s The Long Goodbye has been rattling round my head for a few weeks now, since I saw Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, Inherent Vice.

I reviewed The Velvet Underground: 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition for new issue of Uncut. It's a comprehensive, six-disc set compiling the band's third album in an assortment of mixes, plus 1969 demos and a live recording from The Matrix in San Francisco. Of course, it marks the first album the band recorded after John Cale had left, with Doug Yule assuming bass and (some) vocal duties. I was fortunate enough to speak to both Yule and Mo Tucker for a Q&A to accompany my review.

From the Uncut vaults! Good times, bad times, new teeth and more

Following this morning's momentous news of Ride's return to active service, I thought I'd dig out this piece I wrote for Uncut in 2011.