Reviews

As boxing movies go, it's not exactly Raging Bull. As Elvis movies go, it's not exactly King Creole either (though Michael Casablanca Curtiz directed both). Even so, Presley's 10th movie is no turkey, aided by some half-decent tunes and solid support from a youngish Charles Bronson.

Sleazy dub'n'declamation from unsung NY legend, the former Annie Anxiety

Former trip hoppers broaden range

Skinny-tied power pop with a whiff of Mersey, Zombies and Chuck Berry

Hard times can't drag down the Zipper

Deeply disappointing follow-up to Gold, Uncut's 2001 album of the year

Lush, underappreciated gem from Simone's wilderness years

Overdue reappraisal of mid-'60s Monk

Dark, character-driven tale told from three angles

The 1961 multiple Oscar-winner may have stagey settings, Natalie Wood's singing dubbed, and a well-meant but muffed 'message', yet it crackles with wit and panache. The Jets fight The Sharks while pirouetting, Romeo and Juliet (Tony and Maria) coo amid the washing lines, and every Bernstein song's a humdinger with sizzling Sondheim lyrical gags. Cosily cool.