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Reviews

The Testament Of Dr Mabuse

Eleven years after his original expressionist classic, Dr Mabuse The Gambler, this 1933 sequel from Fritz Lang, banned by the Nazis for its political undertones (Mabuse/Hitler parallels), follows the titular crime lord's activities from beyond the grave, and features the original Lynchian'creepy velvet curtain' scene, plus one of cinema's first breakneck POV car chases.

In The Cut

Dour, long-winded erotic thriller, directed by Jane Campion like her favourite recent films have all been made by Joel Schumacher. Meg Ryan, apparently auditioning for a re-make of Klute, is the New York teacher shagging Mark Ruffalo's homicide cop who she begins to suspect is a serial killer. Bollocks, frankly.

Andrew Bird – Weather Systems

This Chicagoan is unique in being an astonishing violin virtuoso devoting himself almost entirely to pop music. Founding Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire in the mid-'90s, his best work (2001's The Swimming Hour) takes in Appalachia, jump-blues and orch-pop in a flash-flood of American tradition. With Mark (Lambchop) Nevers producing, Weather Systems distills that same musical heritage into a new, supple-fresh language of strings, glockenspiel, wurlitzer and tape loops.

The Liars – They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Curious Blair Witch-style project from US avant-grungers

Ghost – 00100

Japanese freak-rock bonanza

Vinny Peculiar – Growing Up With…

Autobiographical angst from glum northern troubadour

Frank Sinatra – The Voice Of Frank Sinatra

The Voice's 1946 coming-of-age with repertoire, running order and artwork restored. Plus 10 extra tracks from '47

Gary Jules – Greetings From The Side

Hit-maker's deft debut available outside US for the first time

Grand Theft Parsons

Retelling of the Gram Parsons story. Execrable

Ichi The Killer

Ninth-rate martial arts animé about a killer with the mind of a six-year-old child. Frankly, a six-year-old child would have written something more entertaining than this—the only imagination on display here is reserved for the gore and violence, which is accompanied by a great deal of noise but no sense, and even the animation is unimpressively low-rent. Utterly worthless.
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