Reviews

Mellow country vibes from the Parkerilla

It's a neat concept, seeing how a particular culture regurgitated Los Beatles. Portugal emerges as a tryer: chap singing through his forehead on "I'll Follow The Sun", "When I'm 64" played on a wasp, a total botch made of "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" (which is bollocks anyway, to be fair) and a surprisingly loose grasp of rhythm all round. But, occasionally, Portugal triumphs: an atmospheric "Blackbird", a surfing "I'll Get You" and a delightful fado reading of "Hey Jude" taken at a canter on the pretty Portuguese guitarra.

NY white-funk collective compiled

Charlie Kaufman takes it all the way in a memorable marvel

Revered by film-making legends from Alain Resnais to Martin Scorsese, the Japanese director Yasijuro Ozu specialised in minutely observed and exquisitely composed domestic dramas. Made in 1959, Floating Weeds was one of Ozu's last features, a remake of one of his early silents about backstage politics and romantic turbulence among a troupe of travelling Kabuki theatre players. The subject may sound alien but Ozu makes their problems timeless and universal.

Mercifully free from saccharine Shawshank/Green Mile prison movie proselytising, Steve Buscemi's stark follow-up to the amiable Trees Lounge instead simply tosses luckless dope-dealing suburbanite Edward Furlong in among a brood of psychopathic sexual predators, including Willem Dafoe and Mickey Rourke, and then watches him squirm. Bleak stuff, with a final, disposable redemption.

Never mind the bats, release the DVD! A fair-value set of 20 promos from the durable out-of-tune gothsters, many directed by longtime cohort John Hillcoat. Anton Corbijn helms "Straight To You", and renaissance man Mick Harvey bosses the excellent "Deanna" and "Wanted Man".There's an undeniable sense that Cave's talents withered long ago, and the duets with Kylie, PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowan are distraction tactics, but this is a comprehensive, cool-enough collection.

Neil Hannon rediscovers his inner fop

Snappily titled third from Florida's perennial square peg

Mr & Mrs Bakersfield and an in-concert classic on a twofer