Reviews

The great dance music innovators' final concert, recorded live at the Budokan in April 1996

Guitar legend's moving valediction

'Godfather of goth' hires former Birthday Party producer Nick Launay for 'urgent' 12th album

New Hope, PA nutters started out with a Casio and then bled rock's corpse dry

Second and third pre-Stankonia albums from Atlanta funk-hop giants, at mid-price

Thirty-six axe-wielders in mostly reflective mood

Tragic true story of two Mexican teens

Bahman Ghobadi's gruelling account of Kurdish hardships on the Iran/Iraq border has none of the artful self-consciousness of Samira Makhmalbaf's remarkably similar Blackboards. Instead, this powerful story of eldest child Ayoub trying to smuggle his dying brother into Iraq features brutally uncompromising scenes of bareknuckle kiddie fistfights, savagely battered horses, and the casual physical abuse of a crippled child.

Bigas Luna's 1990 film deals with, yes, sex, but like most Spanish movies it does so unapologetically and flamboyantly. A teenager is corrupted by her brother's friend: later they marry, but by now the libido of Lulu (Francesca Neri) is out of control. Sounds like Channel 5 fare, sure, but as with Jamón, Jamón and Golden Balls, Luna lifts it higher. DVD EXTRAS: Filmographies, notes, trailer.

Ex-Beekeeper/Ida songstress' second outing