Reviews

Roberto Rossellini's small-scale but infinitely moving 1953 masterwork plucks two stars from Hollywood—Rossellini's wife Ingrid Bergman and the magnificent George Sanders—and smashes them down on the road as a crisis-hit couple coming apart during a trip in Italy. Rossellini gave his actors the bare bones of a situation, then left them to improvise; they stumble beautifully, trying to discover their own story. The random feel anticipates the French new wave.

Tom DiCillo's offbeat comedy is a blend of cop thriller and romance which may confuse the uninitiated, but diehards will lap up his calmly twisted humour. Denis Leary's an NY cop with backache, recently widowed, who's lousy on the job till chiropractor Liz Hurley shows him love and partner Steve Buscemi questions his sexuality. Factor in many cinephile in-jokes and it's an intelligent, cynical joy.

Tom Waits, Chrissie Hynde et al join gospel veterans on Christmas album

Like everyone, I'm prone to enthuse how utterly electric the jiggling phenomenon known as Beyoncé is. Yet the honeymoon's expiring, and those first doubts are creeping in. She is mutating into Mariah Carey, or, worse, Tina Turner. She does one magic single, then we turn a blind eye to three rubbish ones. She has the cold eyes of a mugger. She has another film out, and is tapping into the profitable gospel market.

Extraordinary hotel-room musings in vinyl-only form

1989 box set rejigged again

Two-CD compilation of best of 1970-76

Emotional, award-winning documentary on music and apartheid

Named after the Rolling Stones song, this moody melodrama from the City Of Angels director went unacknowledged, despite Jake Gyllenhaal starring sharply on the heels of Donnie Darko, When his girlfriend dies, he finds her parents, Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon, eager to bond with him through shared grief. He's ready to move on, but hasn't the heart to tell them. Actorly, but honest.

Todd Haynes' unforgivingly acrid blend of body horror and social satire sees Julianne Moore as the pampered Barbie-doll housewife who becomes violently allergic to the perms, sprays, snacks, Mercs, houses and parties that define affluent existence in the San Fernando Valley. Harsh attacks on crass materialism, dubious spiritualism and human frailty follow.