1970s
Uncle Frank review - well-acted but painfully contrivedSaturday, 28 November 2020
A top-rank cast swims against the tide in Uncle Frank, writer-director Alan Ball's well-intentioned but fatally contrived film that presumably contains more than a trace of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's own past. Telling of a gay southerner called... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Do You Have The Force - Jon Savage’s Alternate History Of ElectronicaSunday, 22 November 2020
“During 1975, 1976 and the first half of 1977 punk was the future but, after the highpoint of ‘God Save the Queen’, London punk already seemed spent. By the time that the Sex Pistols ‘Pretty Vacant’ was tumbling out of the charts in early... Read more... |
Blu-ray: GirlfriendsSunday, 22 November 2020
Director Claudia Weill’s landmark feature debut benefits from Criterion’s high quality re-issue, which was made possible after the American Library of Congress put the movie on the United States National Film Registry for preservation last year.... Read more... |
Leap of Faith review – Alexandre O. Philippe examines ‘The Exorcist’Friday, 20 November 2020
“Films are about the mystery of fate or the mystery of faith,” proclaims director William Friedkin in Alexandre O. Philippe’s latest documentary, Leap of Faith. At 84 years old, Friedkin proves himself to be a master of storytelling, not only behind... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Slaughter and the Dogs - Do It Dog StyleSunday, 15 November 2020
Manchester’s Slaughter and the Dogs were perfect for 1977. In May, their debut single “Cranked up Really High” sported bee-in-a-jar guitar, a hoarse vocal and an unstoppable forward motion. Its follow-up, September’s impeccable “Where Have All the... Read more... |
Blu-ray: EraserheadTuesday, 20 October 2020
Shot across a period of five years, David Lynch’s creepy debut feature Eraserhead (1977) follows the story of Henry Spencer, played by Jack Nance, an employee at a print factory in a quiet, unnamed town. Henry arrives home one evening to a... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Crass - The Crassical CollectionSunday, 11 October 2020
The cultural imprint Crass were leaving was apparent while they were active. As well as their own music, their label Crass Records released records by Flux Of Pink Indians, the pre-Sugarcubes outfit Kukl and The Damned’s Captain Sensible – Crass... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Peephole In My Brain - British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1971Sunday, 04 October 2020
The title comes from the lyrics of “Andy Warhol”: track two, side two of David Bowie’s late 1971 album Hunky Dory: ”Put a peephole in my brain, Two new pence to have a go, I'd like to be a gallery, Put you all inside my show.” The new pence... Read more... |
Album: Groove Armada - Edge of the HorizonMonday, 28 September 2020
Alongside Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada were one of the last big acts to blossom from the 1990s boom in clubland and DJ culture. They are responsible for bona fide classics in “Superstylin’”, “At the River” and “I See You Baby”, and also founded the... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Helen Shapiro - Face The Music The Complete Singles 1967-1984Sunday, 27 September 2020
What happens when the hits dry up? And what happens a little further down the line, as the years of being on the charts recede into the past? For Helen Shapiro, the questions are answered by the intriguing Face The Music: The Complete Singles 1967–... Read more... |
The Movies: The Seventies review - a mirror on malaiseWednesday, 23 September 2020
Sky’s 12-part documentary series The Movies is an unabashed celebration of American cinema. Barrages of clips make it an entertaining survey of Hollywood (and occasionally Off-Hollywood) through the years. Downplaying film as art, and scarcely... Read more... |
White Riot review - energetic documentary races through the history of Rock Against RacismMonday, 21 September 2020
This documentary about the 1970s activist movement Rock Against Racism comes with festival prizes and much acclaim. It’s certainly a nostalgic feast for those old enough to remember when punk and reggae musicians were purposely united and it’s a... Read more... |
