Reviews

Original spin on '80s revival from Japanese ex-pat

Whitehouse now comprise just William Bennett and Philip Best, but the title track of what may be their finest record is a harrowing 15-minute cut-up of voices talking emotionally about child abuse, rape and murder with discreet accompaniment, assembled in Chicago by outgoing third member Peter Sotos and guest producer Steve Albini.

Second time around for intense Oxfordshire post-rock quartet

Excellent retrospective from demented one-time stadium rockers

Bunnymen guitarist's experimental 1978 demo

Oblique polemical melodrama as would-be epic

Terry Gilliam's solo directorial debut. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's poem, like Python's Holy Grail it deals with medieval muck and monsters—in this case a fearsome dragon to be slain by hapless hero Dennis (Michael Palin). Lots of good ideas and a very odd cast of British comedy talent, but mired in darkness, only the occasional laugh.

Set during the Ulster 'Troubles', Hidden Agenda begins admirably enough with director Ken Loach's usual muscular dissection of political realities. Then Maurice Roeves suddenly appears as a mysterious Captain (think Donald Sutherland's X in JFK) who implicates the RUC, the Tories, MI5 and the CIA in a grand, preposterous plan to ruin the Labour Party.

Stylish Norwegian thriller, remade last year by Christopher Nolan, whose version is almost eerily faithful to the original. Nolan had the powerhouse cast—Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank—but this probably has the sharper atmospheric edge, and director Erik Skjoldbjærg builds the tension expertly.

Sublime second LP from Chicago quartet