Reviews

Cinema 16: European Short Films

A stimulating and intriguing set of classic shorts from the directing Premier League. Early work from Godard, Von Trier, Moodysson, Kieslowski, Moretti and Leconte sits with maverick inspiration alongside Brits like Peter Mullan and one Chris Morris (the BAFTA-winning "My Wrongs"). Three hours plus in total, but each nugget boasts such energy that it flies by. Small is beautiful.

The Eagle Has Landed

This 1976 adaptation of Jack Higgins' best-selling WWII novel was a fitting late-'70s swan song for John Sturges. Michael Caine leads a band of principled, Nazi-hating German commandos off to invade Blighty on the sly. Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Jenny Agutter and Donald Pleasance join the action.

Elvis Presley – The Last 24 Hours

A potentially tasteless cash-in (given that the makers can't even get the date of his death right on the back jacket), surprisingly this turns out to be an immensely watchable documentary detailing Elvis' tragic demise. The usual suspects from the "Memphis Mafia" line up to share tearjerking anecdotes about junk food and drugs ("he jurst ferkin' lurved 'em!"). Morbidly fascinating.

Ready To Depart

Canadian eclectics find new directions from '80s pop and recent avant-dance

Christine McVie – In The Meantime

Sounding happier at 60 than many male rockers, she delivers third solo album

Call And Response – Winds Take No Shape

Second release from Californian dreamers

La Influential

Debut album from Jeffrey Lee Pierce's twisted blues-punk quartet remains strikingly relevant

5th Dimension – The Ultimate 5th Dimension

Sadly neglected, once massive, psychedelic soul pioneers

La Kermesse Héroique (Carnival In Flanders)

OPENS JUNE 4, CERT 12A, 117 MINS Considered outrageous in 1935, Jacques Feyder's intriguing satire is not just a worthy archive trophy but a true oddity. Even now, there's something bewitchingly bonkers about it. It holds its own logic, and, if a little long for a comedy of politics, it's brain food to show up a concept like The Stepford Wives. In fact Feyder and wife Françoise Rosay, who stars, simultaneously made a German version entitled The Clever Women. Said women come to the fore when Spanish soldiers invade Flanders in 1616. The Flemish men hide, the mayor plays possum.

Death To Smoochy

When kiddie TV host Rainbow Randolph (Robin Williams) is convicted of corruption, the network demands that his replacement be squeaky clean and beyond reproach. Enter Smoochy the Rhino (Ed Norton), who's so 'PC' it hurts. Can Smoochy learn to cope with the sleazy world of TV, or will Randolph kill him first? Despite a strong cast and Danny DeVito in the director's chair, this fails to spark.
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