Reviews

Ten Minutes Older-The Cello

Godard salvages shorts collection

The Work Of Director Spike Jonze

Some may have missed the Being John Malkovich director's diverse portfolio. Spearheading a new label dedicated to maverick film-makers, this contains Jonze's rock videos—including Chris Walken's dance number for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon Of Choice"—but the real buried treasure are hilarious vox pops for Oasis' "Stand By Me" that proved too bizarre for the po-faced Mancs to release, a doc on rodeo-based Texas youth culture, and more of Jonze's goofball choreographer from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" vid.

Être Et Avoir

Ten months, twelve pupils, one teacher, one documentarian and 300 hours of footage are mixed and tweaked to produce 100 minutes of gripping observational drama set in a rural French classroom. Here, the avuncular Georges Lopez instructs his students and dispenses wisdom in equal measure, while his soft baritone rolls from day to day, season to season, like the voice of God.

Pitman – It Takes A Nation Of Tossers

Debut manifesto from Coalville's best mining rapper. Do not mistake it for a comedy record

This Month In Soundtracks

There's something novel about this concept: the soundtrack of a book. While the realistic word for it is probably "cross-marketing", the hapless dreamers among us can ponder: are we supposed to listen to the relevant song while reading Hornby's chapter on it? Even if we don't possess posh headphones like the pretty model on the sleeve (entirely inappropriate unless the album is also a bottle of conditioner), are we to aim for a music-literature 'synergy' experience? I've just tried skimming Little Dorrit while headbanging to lggy and, frankly, it doesn't work.

Ryan Adams – Love Is Hell Pt 1

Adams' career is fast becoming a blizzard of lost possibilities and abandoned trails, with his 'proper' album releases, such as Gold and Rock'n'Roll, punctuated by closet-clearing collections of outtakes like Demolition and now Love Is Hell Pt 1, the first instalment of the album supposedly deemed too much of a downer to be the 'proper' follow-up to Gold.

Michael Jackson – Number Ones

Seventeen singles that reached pole position in the UK, US or Europe, plus new R Kelly ballad

Yes – Close To The Edge

Classic prog rock repackaged

Elvis Costello – Singles: Volumes 1,2 & 3

Three individual box sets featuring miniature CD facsimiles of every EC single from 1977 to 1987

Thirteen

Candid look at America's drug-loving teen queens
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