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Quirky variant on the Frankenstein riff. Klaus Kinski is a scientist working on a space station with his android assistant Max404 (Don Opper, who co-wrote). Max is going through android adolescence?he's restless, sulky, curious about sex. Then a trio of escaped convicts invade, and one of them's a girl. Funny and compelling, and worth catching for Opper's geeky performance alone.

Quirky variant on the Frankenstein riff. Klaus Kinski is a scientist working on a space station with his android assistant Max404 (Don Opper, who co-wrote). Max is going through android adolescence?he’s restless, sulky, curious about sex. Then a trio of escaped convicts invade, and one of them’s a girl. Funny and compelling, and worth catching for Opper’s geeky performance alone.

A Snake Of June

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Mesmerising Japanese study of voyeurism and eroticism. Shot in black and white but colourfully performed by Asuka Kurosawa as a repressed wife who's blackmailed by a stranger into?wait for it?masturbating in public places. In lesser hands it'd be tat, but there's a Cronenberg-like claustrophobia to the seediness. Porn, then, but arty porn.

Mesmerising Japanese study of voyeurism and eroticism. Shot in black and white but colourfully performed by Asuka Kurosawa as a repressed wife who’s blackmailed by a stranger into?wait for it?masturbating in public places. In lesser hands it’d be tat, but there’s a Cronenberg-like claustrophobia to the seediness. Porn, then, but arty porn.

The Tin Drum

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Volker Schl...

Volker Schl

Censors Working Overtime

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In the early '60s, both Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss were refused a certificate by the British censor. There was never much of the Geneva Convention about Sam Fuller. His genre was Cinema Fist. "Perhaps it would be better if you could fire real shots over the audience's head every night, you kn...

In the early ’60s, both Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss were refused a certificate by the British censor. There was never much of the Geneva Convention about Sam Fuller. His genre was Cinema Fist. “Perhaps it would be better if you could fire real shots over the audience’s head every night, you know, and have actual casualties in the audience,” he once suggested.

Unlike John Milius, who was 4F (unfit for military duty) and lived in a boy’s fantasy world of violent deeds, Fuller had been America’s youngest crime reporter, and subsequently won the Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart as an infantryman in World War II. He was a tough guy, a genuine primitive with a tabloid sensibility and a good heart. It’s difficult to find any parallels among contemporary movie directors?perhaps aspects of Oliver Stone and Abel Ferrara?but you’ll find his bleak world view echoed in the novels of Norman Mailer and Jim Thompson.

The conditions in which Fuller operated have changed. He was a Poverty Row director, shooting films fast and cheaply to fill the bottom of the programme. His debut, I Shot Jesse James (1949), was filmed in 10 days. He was so far below the radar in Hollywood that nobody bothered him much. The French first woke up to him, pronounced him an auteur, and Godard gave him a part in Pierrot Le Fou where he says, “Film is a battleground, love, hate, violence, action, death, in a word?emotion.” Cahiers Du Cin

Basic

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Don't expect John McTiernan's blustery military thriller to deliver the same buzzing chemistry between John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson as Pulp Fiction. The two stars barely even meet as Travolta's bad-ass investigator puzzles out the mystery of Jackson's missing Ranger instructor via a series of twist-heavy flashbacks. McTiernan delivers balls-out action, but he's a total hack, mauling all the subtlety out of a potentially intriguing yarn.

Don’t expect John McTiernan’s blustery military thriller to deliver the same buzzing chemistry between John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson as Pulp Fiction. The two stars barely even meet as Travolta’s bad-ass investigator puzzles out the mystery of Jackson’s missing Ranger instructor via a series of twist-heavy flashbacks. McTiernan delivers balls-out action, but he’s a total hack, mauling all the subtlety out of a potentially intriguing yarn.

Tadpole

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Fighting free from the monumental shadows of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman, Gary Winick's Tadpole?hewn from that same Upper East Side social milieu and following the vaguely familiar unrequited infatuations of Aaron Stanford's 15-year-old Voltaire-quoting, stepmom-fancying preppy?is 77 unapologetic and mostly witty minutes of romantic ephemera.

Fighting free from the monumental shadows of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman, Gary Winick’s Tadpole?hewn from that same Upper East Side social milieu and following the vaguely familiar unrequited infatuations of Aaron Stanford’s 15-year-old Voltaire-quoting, stepmom-fancying preppy?is 77 unapologetic and mostly witty minutes of romantic ephemera.

Dumb And Dumberer

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Horrible in theory, actually pretty funny in fact. Carrey and Daniels wouldn't do a sequel, so two lookalikes were contracted for a slung-together, conceptually tasteless prequel to the Farrelly brothers' hit farce. So they're at school, being heroically stupid, totting up comic misunderstandings and unwittingly doing good deeds. Sweet and titter-worthy, despite itself.

Horrible in theory, actually pretty funny in fact. Carrey and Daniels wouldn’t do a sequel, so two lookalikes were contracted for a slung-together, conceptually tasteless prequel to the Farrelly brothers’ hit farce. So they’re at school, being heroically stupid, totting up comic misunderstandings and unwittingly doing good deeds. Sweet and titter-worthy, despite itself.

American Pie: The Wedding

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As the franchise gets ever more desperate, any wit is sacrificed for diminishing returns of grosser grossness and louder loudness. If you want to see Jason Biggs' pubic hair find its way into the wedding cake while he does his 'embarrassed' face for the thousandth time, this is the movie for you. Directed by Bob Dylan's son, for Christ's sakes.

As the franchise gets ever more desperate, any wit is sacrificed for diminishing returns of grosser grossness and louder loudness. If you want to see Jason Biggs’ pubic hair find its way into the wedding cake while he does his ’embarrassed’ face for the thousandth time, this is the movie for you. Directed by Bob Dylan’s son, for Christ’s sakes.

On The Job

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Feted originally for its dark humour and Lynchian undertones, director Steven Shainberg's S&M office romance Secretary is also an ingeniously wholesome affair. Detailing the fetishised power relations between sadistic lawyer Edward Grey (James Spader?effortlessly reptilian, and yet tender) and h...

Feted originally for its dark humour and Lynchian undertones, director Steven Shainberg’s S&M office romance Secretary is also an ingeniously wholesome affair. Detailing the fetishised power relations between sadistic lawyer Edward Grey (James Spader?effortlessly reptilian, and yet tender) and his self-mutilating assistant Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal?mousy, and yet sassy), the movie rejects the po-faced S&M clich

Death Wish II

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There was genuine suspense and intelligence in Michael Winner's original 1974 thriller, which addressed some of the same debates about rising crime and liberal impotence as Dirty Harry and Straw Dogs. But this 1982 sequel, relocating Charles Bronson's wounded architect to LA and forcing him to endure another double rape/murder episode, veers dangerously close to shabby exploitation.

There was genuine suspense and intelligence in Michael Winner’s original 1974 thriller, which addressed some of the same debates about rising crime and liberal impotence as Dirty Harry and Straw Dogs. But this 1982 sequel, relocating Charles Bronson’s wounded architect to LA and forcing him to endure another double rape/murder episode, veers dangerously close to shabby exploitation.

Dirty Deeds

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A kind of Australian answer to Lock, Stock...without the masturbatory middle-class fascination with lowlife machismo, David Caesar's exuberant yarn about slot machine wars in 1960s Sydney is a riot of garish hues and lurid trouser suits. Toni Collette rises above a routine plot and meaty cast (Bryan Brown, Sam Neill) with her sassy gangster's moll routine.

A kind of Australian answer to Lock, Stock…without the masturbatory middle-class fascination with lowlife machismo, David Caesar’s exuberant yarn about slot machine wars in 1960s Sydney is a riot of garish hues and lurid trouser suits. Toni Collette rises above a routine plot and meaty cast (Bryan Brown, Sam Neill) with her sassy gangster’s moll routine.

Sunrise

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Up there with Citizen Kane as a standard bearer for the medium, and still utterly compulsive. FW Murnau's first US movie, dating from 1927, deploys a battery of impressive camera techniques in telling the story of a steadfast family man seduced by Margaret Livingston's femme fatale.

Up there with Citizen Kane as a standard bearer for the medium, and still utterly compulsive. FW Murnau’s first US movie, dating from 1927, deploys a battery of impressive camera techniques in telling the story of a steadfast family man seduced by Margaret Livingston’s femme fatale.

Pink Sunshine

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In 1997, the flaming lips released a quadruple album called Zaireeka, designed for playing on four CDs simultaneously. That same year saw the band's "Boombox" and "Parking Lot" experiments, in which mainman Wayne Coyne attempted to conduct first a roomful of ghetto blasters and then about 40 drivers...

In 1997, the flaming lips released a quadruple album called Zaireeka, designed for playing on four CDs simultaneously. That same year saw the band’s “Boombox” and “Parking Lot” experiments, in which mainman Wayne Coyne attempted to conduct first a roomful of ghetto blasters and then about 40 drivers and their car stereos. After that little lot, a DVD with dazzling audio and visual extras and various points of access encouraging heavy interactivity isn’t much of a stretch.

The Flaming Lips’ first DVD-Audio is as crammed with ideas as their music. To make the most of the Advanced Resolution Multi-Channel Surround Sound, you do need a DVD-Audio player, but all of the other elements can be enjoyed on a regular DVD machine. There are Frequency Waveform Cartoons, which are brightly coloured psychedelic computerised images synced to each track from Yoshimi that change as per the tone and mood of the music, and which you can leave on as a sort of ambient visual backdrop at dinner parties for reformed acid casualties. There is a documentary on the making of the DVD-Audio?the first time, apparently, a band has ever recorded anything specifically for the format, in which Coyne waxes lyrical about “sound fields” with his usual gusto and verve.

You also get 10 videos: the promos for the “Do You Realize??”, “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt 1” and “Fight Test” singles plus Making Of…documentaries for each and a couple of alternative edits, including one called “Phoebe Battles The Pink Robots”, an acoustic version specially reworked for Lisa Kudrow’s scatty character Phoebe to perform in the Central Perk caf

David Bowie – Sound And Vision

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A strange one, this, with Bowie's usually obsessive control seemingly relaxed enough to have allowed packaging that looks cheap and hurriedly slung-together. The content, though, is better?a straight documentary, punctuated with live and video clips, and interview snippets with Bowie, Iman, Iggy Pop, Trent Reznor and Moby. There's lots of rare early stuff but, for all his eloquence, the music does the talking best of all.

A strange one, this, with Bowie’s usually obsessive control seemingly relaxed enough to have allowed packaging that looks cheap and hurriedly slung-together. The content, though, is better?a straight documentary, punctuated with live and video clips, and interview snippets with Bowie, Iman, Iggy Pop, Trent Reznor and Moby. There’s lots of rare early stuff but, for all his eloquence, the music does the talking best of all.

Belle And Sebastian – Fans Only

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Since much of B&S' cult appeal stems from the fact they're seldom seen on telly, this two-hour compendium of videos, concerts and interviews (basically their entire career from 1996 to 2002) feels like a sneaky peep into the world's most secretive band. Unashamedly twee, but eccentric, funny, and quite beautiful.

Since much of B&S’ cult appeal stems from the fact they’re seldom seen on telly, this two-hour compendium of videos, concerts and interviews (basically their entire career from 1996 to 2002) feels like a sneaky peep into the world’s most secretive band. Unashamedly twee, but eccentric, funny, and quite beautiful.

Guided By Voices – Watch Me Jumpstart

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Name-checked by everyone from Thurston Moore to The Strokes, US indie rock icons Guided By Voices espouse an ethic so heroically DIY it borders on the professionally suicidal. Watch Me Jumpstart profiles their idiosyncratic career, via Banks Tarver's charming, lo-fi documentary, extensive live footage and an engaging selection of the band's videos to date.

Name-checked by everyone from Thurston Moore to The Strokes, US indie rock icons Guided By Voices espouse an ethic so heroically DIY it borders on the professionally suicidal. Watch Me Jumpstart profiles their idiosyncratic career, via Banks Tarver’s charming, lo-fi documentary, extensive live footage and an engaging selection of the band’s videos to date.

Cowboy Junkies – Open Road

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Hard to tell what's the main feature and what are the extras in this excellent four-part, three-hour package from Canada's heroes of spooked alt.country. There's an hour-long documentary on the Junkies' 2001 world tour, a Quebec festival appearance, Margo and Michael Timmins playing an acoustic set and the same pair in lengthy conversation to make it a must for all Cowboy Junkies fans.

Hard to tell what’s the main feature and what are the extras in this excellent four-part, three-hour package from Canada’s heroes of spooked alt.country. There’s an hour-long documentary on the Junkies’ 2001 world tour, a Quebec festival appearance, Margo and Michael Timmins playing an acoustic set and the same pair in lengthy conversation to make it a must for all Cowboy Junkies fans.

The Who – The Vegas Job

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Daltrey and Townshend struggle for the high notes, the mic-throwing and the windmilling are stagey rather than spectacular, and the sound never really comes together as the hits roll on. But it's historic stuff?Entwistle's last show, and also the great Pixelon hoax, the Internet concert that never was.

Daltrey and Townshend struggle for the high notes, the mic-throwing and the windmilling are stagey rather than spectacular, and the sound never really comes together as the hits roll on. But it’s historic stuff?Entwistle’s last show, and also the great Pixelon hoax, the Internet concert that never was.

Undertones – Teenage Kicks: The Story Of The Undertones

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John Peel relives The Undertones' brief but brilliant career with the five founding members, friends, helpers and some great old clips. Describing the problems of success, the rift with Feargal Sharkey and the final split, the band defend their reformation with a new singer.

John Peel relives The Undertones’ brief but brilliant career with the five founding members, friends, helpers and some great old clips. Describing the problems of success, the rift with Feargal Sharkey and the final split, the band defend their reformation with a new singer.

Standing In The Shadows Of Motown

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As the house band at Motown throughout the '60s, the Funk Brothers were arguably the greatest hit machine the world has ever seen. Yet nobody ever knew who they were. Three decades later, director Paul Justman tracked down the survivors and brought them out of obscurity to pay belated tribute to the men who made the Motown sound. Evocative and nostalgic stuff.

As the house band at Motown throughout the ’60s, the Funk Brothers were arguably the greatest hit machine the world has ever seen. Yet nobody ever knew who they were. Three decades later, director Paul Justman tracked down the survivors and brought them out of obscurity to pay belated tribute to the men who made the Motown sound. Evocative and nostalgic stuff.

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