Reviews

Six slightly funny films emerged from the Inspector Clouseau franchise through the '60s and '70s: they're not as hilarious as you recall. Peter Sellers is always looking for the humorous nugget, but pratfalls and silly accents do not make comedy gold. The Return Of... and ...Strikes Again are the high spots of the sextet. Nothing outshines Mancini's sexy theme tune.

Fifth and possibly best album from left-field chamber ensemble

Bodysong has been hailed as a kind of British Koyaanisqatsi, a poetic implosion of images swimming forth from birth to death. You need music for that, who're you gonna call? The Radiohead guitarist, plainly. Jonny Greenwood says this spacey set of instrumental ambience and interference isn't to be compared or contrasted with Radiohead, which means I can't just say it's creepy and often impenetrable. You probably have to watch the film in tandem: Philip Glass' use of repetition worked better with Koyaanisqatsi than as a wedding floor-filler.

Luna spin-off go Lee'n'Nancy or Serge'n'Jane

Solo debut from drippy Californian renegade and erstwhile DJ Shadow associate

Motown's mighty sax man on two twofers

First five albums (plus bonus tracks) by post-punk demigods

Lively, multi-layered Dublin-set comedy drama

Greenaway has more than once been known to disappear up his own aesthetics, but this collection of his short films plays to his strengths, tolerating little tedium. Disc One includes six films exploring his constant themes, from A Walk Through H (numbers, maps, the afterlife) to Windows (37 people fall through windows to their deaths). Disc Two features the obsessive Vertical Features Remake and The Falls (92 mini-biogs), and is—if you're in the mood—monumental like video art pioneer Bill Viola.

With barely a nod to the notion of storyline, this is another loud, brash series of MTV sketches, big on energy, little on brain. Somehow the idea of three scantily-clad chicks getting along okay with each other is pitched as pop-feminist empowerment. Diaz, Barrymore and Liu kick ass and chew scenery; Demi Moore is freakish; the (great) soundtrack rides roughshod over everything. Candy floss.