What the world needs now is more instrumental Germans sounding like Can.

Alas, the final installment of the 20 minutes to 2000 series from Germany's Raster-Noton label. ELpH (a.k.a. Coil) constructs the December issue, the most interesting and least minimal bit from the entire series.

Not just your regular remix album. This one kicks major booty withtracks from previous Laub CDs that have been reworked by folks likePole, Schneider TM and Coldcut.

What is it with theJapanese and their interest in releasing different music in differentcountries? More annoying than them goddamned European two parts, thisremix EP has three different versions, three different tracklistings,yet one's released in Japan, one in Europe and one in North America.

Ally Sheedy has grown up, old, and nasty. This movie, about "making it" in the photography biz has got a plot full of holes and a cast of characters without purpose. Quite similar to The Ice Storm, you don't like anybody in the movie and it's hard to sympathize, everyone ends up miserable and they deserve it. 

This is a wonderful look of the horrors of the early 80s when the disco clubs were being closed down and everyone was getting herpes and gonorrhea. The lead girl from Kids ends up with the STDs again, while Mackensie Astin shows us he hasn't aged as gracefully as his dad, Jon (Gomez Addams and Harry's father on Night Court). Overall, you hate the people, but you love the story, it's quite enjoyable and a MUST SEE for everyone sick of "retro nostalgia". It does NOT flatter the 80s in any way, it can remind many of us how bad things actually were.

If you haven't seen this film yet, then you're in the company of billions of people in the world who are missing one of the best movies of the year. It's not about Spain or prisoners, but a complicated story of lies, deceit, corporations, and government. In a similar respect to the Usual Suspects, if you blink, you may have missed something vitally important. Don't miss this one. - 

This is stupid funny, you'll be laughing throughout the entire thing, but the downfall of most Ben Stiller films is the ever-present corporate sponsors popping up in refrigerators and counter-tops, MTV, and the fact that this is a pure fairy tale. People don't exist like this in real life.

A warm, heart-touching comedy starring the ever cute, yet breastfully developing Christina Ricci as a ho, Lisa Kudrow as an old teacher who ain't getting any, and Lyle Lovett as a freak. It's quite enjoyable, actually and you do develop a mild fondness for all the sick characters. -

This is the next film in a long line of movies based in the '70s that show the bleak and sick realities in a lighter atmosphere. The main character, Vivian, a teenager faced with breasts, bigger than anyone her own age, and the object of fixation by many men around her. The family leads a nomadic existence, dependent on the fortune of others to survive. The whole adventure is charming, touching, with a breast theme - enjoyable scenes include vibrators, sticky situations, and the drugged out cousin, played by Marisa Tomei. Bonus points if you can recognize the main character from her role on Pee-Wee's playhouse, or the rich widow from that Three's Company spinoff, "Three's a Crowd".

This weekend at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, they were showing the two French surrealist films by the same people, Delicatessen and City of Lost Children. Delicatessen, while I've seen it before, was definately something different to see on the large screen. A dark, bleak and surreal view of a French urban wasteland, Delicatessen is one of those stories where the distinction between good and evil is a grey area. Cannibalism, an underground society, a circus performer, mischievous kids, the butcher, the mailman and many others make this an enjoyable spectacle. City of Lost Children, also by Caro & Jeunet, also takes place in a surreal, dark and bleak world. This one, however is more of a fantasy adventure and takes our main characters through the dark underground worlds of criminals and evil scientists (who kidnap children to steal their dreams) to rescue their orphan friends. Quite a wonderful film with a fairy-tale theme. Highly recommendable on a larger screen, however.