Reviews

School's out forever, dude, in the new Jack Black comedy

Mira Sorvino and Mariah Carey as waitresses who get mixed up with Italian mobsters? Surely one for the all-time turkey hall of infamy? Surprisingly, it's perfectly watchable—Sorvino's always been a decent actress, and Carey, believe it or not, swears like a potty-mouthed trooper and almost outshines her bosom. And doesn't sing. OK, it's no GoodFellas, but what is?

Coppola classic starring Gene Hackman as a paranoid surveillance expert

The ever-eccentric Richman continues his idiosyncratic musical odyssey. Recorded live in San Francisco in 2002, Take Me To The Plaza mostly comprises material from his last album, Her Mystery Not Of High Heels. Performing just with guitar and drums (something he was doing way before The White Stripes) his timing and wit are immaculate. But there's only "Pablo Picasso" (recently covered by Bowie) and "Girlfriend" from the old days.

Ambitious and imaginative song cycle from Roy Harper's son

Fourth solo album by Chili Peppers guitarist

Joyously stripped-back set from fiercely articulate DIY folk icon

Four discs of Top Texan twang in a redneck tin shack box

Two-CD remastered reissue of the infamous pop opera, with unreleased tracks

Best-of for leading lights of the '80s US college rock circuit