Reviews

No matter how much his music is over-used on crap TV travel shows, there's no denying that DJ Shadow is hip hop's premier auteur. His trademark (pyro)technics signature is all over this live performance from Brixton Academy, June 2002. Performance in this context means a silhouetted, hooded man mixing up a subtle sonic brew in front of some spiffy visuals for 50 minutes, but the crowd lap it up.

Norwegian acoustic duo return, while their singer exercises his right to party

Emerging in 2001 with "Circle", a collaboration with Doseone of the oddball cLOUDDEAD collective, Boom Bip was an onomatopoeically perfect alias for the creator of glitchy, goofy-footed hip hop. Now, it's doubtful Bryan "Boom Bip" Hollon would describe what he does as hip hop in any way. Corymb (it's botanical) is a giddily gorgeous collection of remixes (Boards Of Canada, Four Tet and others) and new tracks.

New York No Wave guitar geek offers more avant-cocktail lounge music

Dazzling selection from back catalogue of the "cosmic" country visionary who changed the face of American music

James Brown-inspired fare from Ohio to Oklahoma

BBC documentary takes a dark ride into the Deep South

Vincente Minnelli's heart-breaking, life-affirming 1944 musical. It's 1903, and as the World's Fair unfolds in their rosy little town, young Judy Garland's family face moving to the Big Apple. One of the great musicals; and as a movie about childhood, it's up there with The Night Of The Hunter and, as a lament for changing times, ranks alongside The Magnificent Ambersons and... The Wild Bunch. Kind of.

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.

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.