Reviews

In October 1992, Brazil's notorious São Paulo Detention Centre—aka Carandiru—erupted in a full-scale riot which left 111 inmates brutally slaughtered by trigger-happy military police. Director Hector Babenco's movie charts the events that led to the uprising, using the arrival, some 12 years earlier, of Drauzio Varella, a doctor employed by the authorities to quell the rapidly rising AIDS epidemic in the facility, as our entry point into the story of this hellish, overcrowded facility.

Back in the early 1990s, Seal had edge, dreadlocks and songs. Shot on tour after his debut album had just won him a clutch of Brit awards, he looks armed and dangerous during an explosive set that includes a positively homicidal version of "Hey Joe". What on earth went wrong?

A retrospective of pre-rock'n'roll Americana across three CDs

Ian McLagan-compiled four-CD box from ultimate '70s boogie'n'ballads lad-band. Dedicated to Ronnie Lane

More scary nights and lovely sunrises over the mesa

Mini album from Ohio band led by Matt Berninger, the new king of manly angst

Proto-punk rocker turned troubadour Cohen made his name in the early '60s with Charleston Grotto, who were then notorious on the LA club circuit. In the 40 years since, Cohen has amassed hundreds of his big-hearted, dog-eared tunes, which blend tiki lounge jazz, Weimar cabaret, psychedelia, lurching blues and boogaloo with dark humour and extraordinary pop finesse. The results-as championed by Tom Waits and John Zorn—vaguely recall Roky Erickson, but there's no hint of a talent tragically damaged here.

Second helping of mega-popular kiddie franchise

Peter Fonda's cool Captain America rides across America with the wired Billy (Dennis Hopper), encountering hippies, rednecks and Jack Nicholson as dipso lawyer George Hanson. It looks as mythically beautiful as it did back in '69. And Hanson's campfire speech about Amerika is more chillingly relevant than ever.

In present-day China, two drifters run a murderous scam, luring unsuspecting marks into working alongside them down the coal mines. There they kill their prey, fake a cave-in, then collect hush-money from mine-owners terrified about being shut down. Shot guerrilla-style in China's bleakest provinces—and promptly banned by the country's authorities—former documentarist Li Yang's feature debut is a spare, stunning slice of naturalist noir.