Added on 04/19/06

Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team... See more

Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue. <I>The Hitchhiker's Guide</I> is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations and stands up to multiple reads. Required reading for science fiction fans, this book (and its follow-ups) is also sure to please fans of Monty Python, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and British sitcoms. See less

Added on 04/19/06

It's perhaps inevitable that Keane's debut album, <I>Hopes and Fears</I>, will draw numerous comparisons to Coldplay. Like them, Keane were discovered by indie label Fierce Panda, who released a single ("Everybody's Changing"). And, like Coldplay,... See more

It's perhaps inevitable that Keane's debut album, <I>Hopes and Fears</I>, will draw numerous comparisons to Coldplay. Like them, Keane were discovered by indie label Fierce Panda, who released a single ("Everybody's Changing"). And, like Coldplay, Keane also do a fine trade in catchy and heartfelt indie-pop, all bruised verses and soaring choruses. But though their sound is sure to please fans of Coldplay and Travis, the reality is that Keane manage to sound that little bit more delicate. This could be due to the band's relatively unusual makeup: rather than guitars, the trio uses a piano.<p> At its best, <I>Hopes and Fears</I> is reminiscent of <I>Bends</I>-era Radiohead, and singer Tom Chaplin's voice is closer to Thom Yorke's falsetto than Chris Martin's cracked whine. On tracks such as the hit single, "Somewhere Only We Know" they manage to squeeze an epic-sounding poignancy from their stripped-down sound (a lot of this is due to the album's superb production). Across 10 tracks,... See less

Added on 04/19/06

Writer and director Zach Braff does a masterful job matching the charming, heartfelt tone of films like <I>The Graduate</I> and <I>Rushmore</I> in his motion picture debut, <I>Garden State</I>, so it only makes sense that the music he personally... See more

Writer and director Zach Braff does a masterful job matching the charming, heartfelt tone of films like <I>The Graduate</I> and <I>Rushmore</I> in his motion picture debut, <I>Garden State</I>, so it only makes sense that the music he personally compiled for the soundtrack plays just as of big a part here as it did in those films. Simon & Garfunkel's languorous "The Only Living Boy in New York" is an obvious thread, but aside from Nick Drake's "One of These Things First," Braff is able to carry the mood without getting tripped up in the past. Frou Frou's "Let Go" and Zero 7's "In the Waiting Line" supply soft techno touches, while Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights" and former Men at Work singer Colin Hay's "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" offer understated angst. It's the pair of emotionally racked contributions from the Shins ("Caring Is Creepy," "New Slang"), however, that really make this compilation a must-have. --<I>Aidin Vaziri</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

Zach Braff (from the TV show <I>Scrubs</I>) stars in his writing/directing debut, <I>Garden State</I>--normally a doomed act of hubris, but Braff pulls it off with unassuming charm. An emotionally numb actor in L.A., Andrew (Braff) comes back to New... See more

Zach Braff (from the TV show <I>Scrubs</I>) stars in his writing/directing debut, <I>Garden State</I>--normally a doomed act of hubris, but Braff pulls it off with unassuming charm. An emotionally numb actor in L.A., Andrew (Braff) comes back to New Jersey after nine years away for his mother's funeral. Andrew avoids his bitter father (Ian Holm, <I>The Sweet Hereafter</I>) and joins old friends (including the superb Peter Sarsgaard, <I>Boys Don't Cry</I>) in a round of parties. Along the way he meets a girl (Natalie Portman, <I>Beautiful Girls</I>) with demons of her own; bit by bit the two offer each other a little healing. Plotwise, <I>Garden State</I> is familiar stuff, a cross between <I>The Graduate</I> and a Meg Ryan movie, but Braff has an eye for goofy but resonant visual images, an ear for lively dialogue, and a great cast. The result is surprisingly fresh and funny. <I>--Bret Fetzer</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

Will Farrell followed up his star-making vehicle <I>Elf</I>, which matched his fine-tuned comic obliviousness to a sweet sincerity, with a more arrogant variation on the same character: Ron Burgundy, a macho, narcissistic news anchor from the 1970s.... See more

Will Farrell followed up his star-making vehicle <I>Elf</I>, which matched his fine-tuned comic obliviousness to a sweet sincerity, with a more arrogant variation on the same character: Ron Burgundy, a macho, narcissistic news anchor from the 1970s. Along with his news posse--roving reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd, <I>Clueless</I>), sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner), and dim-bulb weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell, <I>Bruce Almighty</I>)--Burgundy rules the roost in San Diego, fawned upon by groupies and supported by a weary producer (Fred Willard, <I>Best In Show</I>) who tolerates Burgundy's ego because of good ratings. But when Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate, <I>View from the Top</I>) arrives with ambitions to become an anchor herself, she threatens the male-dominated newsroom. <I>Anchorman</I> has plenty of funny material, but it's as if Farrell couldn't decide what he really wanted to mock, and so took smart-ass cracks at everything in sight. Still, there... See less

Added on 04/19/06

How's this for impressive trivia: <I>Dodgeball</I> faced off against <I>The Terminal</I> in opening-weekend competition, and 29-year-old writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber aced Steven Spielberg by a score of $30 to $18.7 in box-office millions.... See more

How's this for impressive trivia: <I>Dodgeball</I> faced off against <I>The Terminal</I> in opening-weekend competition, and 29-year-old writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber aced Steven Spielberg by a score of $30 to $18.7 in box-office millions. That's no mean feat for a newcomer, but Thurber's lowbrow script and rapid-fire direction--along with a sublime cast of screen comedians--proved to be just what moviegoers were ravenous for: a consistently hilarious, patently formulaic romp in which the underdog owner of Average Joe's Gym (Vince Vaughn) faces foreclosure unless he can raise $50,000 in 30 days. The solution: A dodgeball tournament offering $50K to the winners, in which Vaughn and his nerdy clientele team up against the preening, abhorrently narcissistic owner (Ben Stiller) of Globo Gym, who's threatening a buy-out. That's it for story; any 5-year-old could follow it with brainpower to spare. But Thurber, Vaughn, Stiller, and their well-cast costars (including Stiller's... See less

Added on 04/19/06

The lovably ugly green ogre returns with his green bride and furry, hooved friend in <I>Shrek 2</I>. The newlywed Shrek and Princess Fiona are invited to Fiona's former kingdom, Far Far Away, to have the marriage blessed by Fiona's parents--which... See more

The lovably ugly green ogre returns with his green bride and furry, hooved friend in <I>Shrek 2</I>. The newlywed Shrek and Princess Fiona are invited to Fiona's former kingdom, Far Far Away, to have the marriage blessed by Fiona's parents--which Shrek thinks is a bad, bad idea, and he's proved right: The parents are horrified by their daughter's transformation into an ogress, a fairy godmother wants her son Prince Charming to win Fiona, and a feline assassin is hired to get Shrek out of the way. The computer animation is more detailed than ever, but it's the acting that make the comedy work--in addition to the return of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, <I>Shrek 2</I> features the flexible voices of Julie Andrews (<I>Mary Poppins</I>), John Cleese (<I>Monty Python's Flying Circus</I>), Antonio Banderas (<I>Desperado</I>), and Jennifer Saunders (<I>Absolutely Fabulous</I>) as the gleefully wicked fairy godmother. <I>--Bret Fetzer</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

A delightful undersea world unfolds in Pixar's animated adventure <I>Finding Nemo</I>. When his son Nemo is captured by a scuba-diver, a nervous-nellie clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sets off into the vast--and astonishingly... See more

A delightful undersea world unfolds in Pixar's animated adventure <I>Finding Nemo</I>. When his son Nemo is captured by a scuba-diver, a nervous-nellie clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sets off into the vast--and astonishingly detailed--ocean to find him. Along the way he hooks up with a scatterbrained blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who's both helpful and a hindrance, sometimes at the same time. Faced with sharks, deep-sea anglers, fields of poisonous jellyfish, sea turtles, pelicans, and much more, Marlin rises above his neuroses in this wonderfully funny and nonstop thrill ride--rarely does more than 10 minutes pass without a sequence destined to become a theme park attraction. Pixar continues its run of impeccable artistic and economic success (their movies include <I>Toy Story</I>, <I>A Bug's Life</I>, <I>Toy Story 2</I>, and <I>Monsters, Inc</I>). Also featuring the voices of Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, and Allison Janney. <I>--Bret Fetzer</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

Warm, funny, and imaginative, <I>Lilo & Stitch</I> is the best animated feature the Walt Disney Studios have produced in years. On the planet Turo, mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (voice by David Ogden Stiers) has created a miniature monster programmed... See more

Warm, funny, and imaginative, <I>Lilo & Stitch</I> is the best animated feature the Walt Disney Studios have produced in years. On the planet Turo, mad scientist Jumba Jookiba (voice by David Ogden Stiers) has created a miniature monster programmed for destruction. When the monster escapes to Earth, it's adopted as a pet and named "Stitch" by Lilo (Daveigh Chase), a lonely little Hawaiian girl. Lilo and her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere) have been struggling to stay together since their parents died. Stitch and Lilo share some hilarious adventures, evading welfare officer Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) and galactic police agents. They learn the timely lesson that a family can be something you're born into--or something you assemble. A warmth and sincerity that recall <I>The Iron Giant</I> and the films of Hiyao Miyazaki make <I>Lilo</I> a delightful fantasy adults and children can truly enjoy together. <I>--Charles Solomon</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

Black Eyed Peas have at times been accused of sounding too Tribe for their own good, but this time out Will.i.am and crew have consciously expanded their horizons. Problem is, perhaps they've tried too hard. As the title suggests, <I>Elephunk</I>... See more

Black Eyed Peas have at times been accused of sounding too Tribe for their own good, but this time out Will.i.am and crew have consciously expanded their horizons. Problem is, perhaps they've tried too hard. As the title suggests, <I>Elephunk</I> borrows from every single element of funk known to man and (with the exception of the one straight-out rock & roll track, "Anxiety") tries to cram them all into a semi-hip-hop format. While such willingness to experiment is admirable, in this case the attempt comes off as slightly desperate and too diffuse. <I>Elephunk</I> settles itself into a groove when BEP's newest member Fergie&#146;s lush girlie vocals are allowed to dominate, as they do on the discofied "The Boogie That Be." <I>--Rebecca Levine</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

Was George Lucas's <I>Star Wars Trilogy</I>, the most anticipated DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It's a must-have for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and supplemented by generous bonus features. <p> <B>The... See more

Was George Lucas's <I>Star Wars Trilogy</I>, the most anticipated DVD release ever, worth the wait? You bet. It's a must-have for any home theater, looking great, sounding great, and supplemented by generous bonus features. <p> <B>The Movies</B><br> <table align=left cellpadding="5" <tr> <td> <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/dvd/aplus/starwars/4/luke-leia-han-30.jpg" border=0 align=top></td></tr></table> The <I>Star Wars Trilogy</I> had the rare distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon, a defining event for its generation. On its surface, George Lucas's story is a rollicking and humorous space fantasy that owes debts to more influences than one can count on two hands, but filmgoers became entranced by its basic struggle of good vs. evil "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," its dazzling special effects, and a mythology of Jedi knights, the Force, and droids. Over the course of three... See less

Added on 04/19/06

"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," <I>Kill Bill, Vol. 2</I>. Where <I>Vol. 1</I> was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been... See more

"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's "roaring rampage of revenge," <I>Kill Bill, Vol. 2</I>. Where <I>Vol. 1</I> was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-referenced in Tarantino's film-loving brain, <I>Vol. 2</I>--not a sequel, but Part Two of a breathtakingly cinematic epic--is Tarantino's contemporary martial-arts Western, fueled by iconic images, music, and themes lifted from any source that Tarantino holds dear, from the action-packed cheapies of William Witney (one of several filmmakers Tarantino gratefully honors in the closing credits) to the spaghetti epics of Sergio Leone. Tarantino doesn't copy so much as elevate the genres he loves, and the entirety of <I>Kill Bill</I> is clearly the product of a singular artistic vision, even as it careens from one influence to another. Violence erupts with dynamic impact, but unlike <I>Vol. 1</I>, this slower grand finale revels in... See less

Added on 04/19/06

<I>Collateral</I> offers a change of pace for Tom Cruise as a ruthless contract killer, but that's just one of many reasons to recommend this well-crafted thriller. It's from Michael Mann, after all, and the director's stellar track record with crime... See more

<I>Collateral</I> offers a change of pace for Tom Cruise as a ruthless contract killer, but that's just one of many reasons to recommend this well-crafted thriller. It's from Michael Mann, after all, and the director's stellar track record with crime thrillers (<I>Thief</I>, <I>Manhunter</I>, and especially <I>Heat</I>) guarantees a rich combination of intelligent plotting, well-drawn characters, and escalating tension, beginning here when icy hit-man Vincent (Cruise) recruits cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him through a nocturnal tour of Los Angeles, during which he will execute five people in a 10-hour spree. While Stuart Beattie's screenplay deftly combines intimate character study with raw bursts of action (in keeping with Mann's directorial trademark), Foxx does the best work of his career to date (between his excellent performance in <I>Ali</I> and his title-role showcase in <I>Ray</I>), and Cruise is fiercely convincing as an ultra-disciplined sociopath. Jada Pinkett-Smith... See less

Added on 04/19/06

As paranoid cop Del Spooner, Will Smith (<I>Independence Day</I>, <I>Men in Black</I>) displays both his trademark quips and some impressive pectoral muscles in <I>I, Robot</I>. Only Spooner suspects that the robots that provide the near future with... See more

As paranoid cop Del Spooner, Will Smith (<I>Independence Day</I>, <I>Men in Black</I>) displays both his trademark quips and some impressive pectoral muscles in <I>I, Robot</I>. Only Spooner suspects that the robots that provide the near future with menial labor are going to turn on mankind--he's just not sure how. When a leading roboticist dies suspiciously, Spooner pursues a trail that may prove his suspicions. Don't expect much of a connection to Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction stories; <I>I, Robot</I>, the action movie, isn't prepared for any ruminations on the significance of artificial intelligence. This likable, efficient movie won't break any new ground, but it does have an idea or two to accompany its jolts and thrills, which puts it ahead of most recent action flicks. Also featuring Bridget Moynahan (<I>The Sum of All Fears</I>), Bruce Greenwood (<I>The Sweet Hereafter</I>), and James Cromwell (<I>Babe</I>, <I>LA Confidential</I>). <I>--Bret Fetzer</I> See less

Added on 04/19/06

As deadpan comedies go, <I>Napoleon Dynamite</I> stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of... See more

As deadpan comedies go, <I>Napoleon Dynamite</I> stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of orange hair, and ungainly features that suggest a perpetual state of half-conscious depression. He lives in Preston, Idaho (former home of 24-year-old director Jared Hess) with his thrill-seeking grandma and 32-year-old brother, and his days at high school consist mostly of being abused or ignored by indifferent classmates. Napoleon's sad-sack story doesn't offer the scathing, impassioned humor of <I>Welcome to the Dollhouse</I> because Hess (who cowrote the nearly plotless screenplay with his wife, Jerusha) doesn't have an angst-ridden axe to grind. Instead, the comedy (which exists in a tacky universe of worn-out rural suburbia) is so low-key that some will find it difficult to laugh, while others (i.e., those who feel superior to Napoleon)... See less

Added on 04/19/06

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Added on 04/19/06

Taken from the 2003 album, 'Heavier Things'. The title track is backed with two non-LP tracks, 'Kid-A' (Acoustic) & 'Tracing' (Acoustic). Columbia.

Taken from the 2003 album, 'Heavier Things'. The title track is backed with two non-LP tracks, 'Kid-A' (Acoustic) & 'Tracing' (Acoustic). Columbia. See less

Added on 04/19/06

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Added on 04/19/06

Jack Johnson has found himself a groove. Indeed, the Hawaiian surfing champion turned alternative pop-folk star really hasn't changed things one iota for his sophomore release. Fans of <I>Brushfire Fairytales</I> should be delighted with the results.... See more

Jack Johnson has found himself a groove. Indeed, the Hawaiian surfing champion turned alternative pop-folk star really hasn't changed things one iota for his sophomore release. Fans of <I>Brushfire Fairytales</I> should be delighted with the results. The groove is a mellow one--most of the 16 tracks here are semi-acoustic--and that easy-going spirit filters into Johnson's lyrical philosophies. "What will be will be / And so it goes" he sings on "Times Like These," the opening track. Thankfully, Johnson is never <I>too</I> mellow, and there's a "Don't worry, be happy" vibe to most of his music. "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" even has a pseudo-reggae feel to it. Although classified as an alternative musician, the singer-songwriter's compositions owe much to past hits. "Traffic in the Sky" is reminiscent of Jim Croce's "Operator" and Looking Glass's one-hit-wonder, "Brandy." On the splendid "Taylor," Johnson sounds an awful lot like Donovan. And "By The Way" recalls the Lovin' Spoonful.... See less

Added on 04/19/06

Those who know Jack Johnson only as college radio fave are in for a pleasant surprise here, as are wave-riding aficionados with a taste for eclectic, cooled-out musical vibes. The project <I>Surfer</I> magazine hailed as 2000's Video of the Year was... See more

Those who know Jack Johnson only as college radio fave are in for a pleasant surprise here, as are wave-riding aficionados with a taste for eclectic, cooled-out musical vibes. The project <I>Surfer</I> magazine hailed as 2000's Video of the Year was originally a collaboration between surfing champ/then-USC film student Johnson and school colleagues Chris and Dan Malloy. But Johnson also gratifyingly took the opportunity to prove that "surf music" is purely a subjective term; indeed, electric instruments are few and far between here, let alone the traditional buzzsaw licks of such genre stalwarts as Dick Dale and Gary Hoey. Instead, Johnson has stitched together an organically focused, acoustic-centered collection that would seem as welcome on a shady creek bank as a sunny, wave-lapped beach. Johnson offers up an acoustic take of his sophomore album's "Holes to Heaven" and the sprightly instrumentals "Moonshine" and "Cove," while longtime associate G. Love duets on the spare, rootsy... See less

Added on 04/19/06

Sometimes having good, original ideas is the worst thing you can do in rock music. To paraphrase Jim Dickinson on the Beastie Boys, rock and roll <I>is</I> theft, and it's not so much about whether or not one steals but why, how much and how well... See more

Sometimes having good, original ideas is the worst thing you can do in rock music. To paraphrase Jim Dickinson on the Beastie Boys, rock and roll <I>is</I> theft, and it's not so much about whether or not one steals but why, how much and how well (i.e. from whom). Riff-heavy in all the right ways, this is a very well-produced retro-rock record with handclaps, catchy choruses, and plenty of attitude. They freely cop from AC/DC, the Stones, the Verve, Oasis, Humble Pie, Aerosmith, Black Crowes, and Mooney Suzuki, and they do it very well. The only problems with the album lie in the words, and in the softer material. Most of the lyrics are so banal ("Now you don't need money with a face like that, do ya") they were seemingly written by some newfangled songwriting program set to "1973." And half the album consists of ballads that are just pretty good: the Oasis-y "Look What You've Done," the Pink Floyd -esque "Timothy" and the Small Faces-ish "Move On.". But it's the mid-to-uptempo... See less

Added on 04/19/06

From the pen of a master &#8212; the #1 bestselling, Booker Prize&#8211;winning author of <b>Atonement</b> &#8212; comes an astonishing novel that captures the fine balance of happiness and the unforeseen threats that can destroy it. A brilliant,... See more

From the pen of a master &#8212; the #1 bestselling, Booker Prize&#8211;winning author of <b>Atonement</b> &#8212; comes an astonishing novel that captures the fine balance of happiness and the unforeseen threats that can destroy it. A brilliant, thrilling page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.<br><br><b>Saturday</b> is a masterful novel set within a single day in February 2003. Henry Perowne is a contented man &#8212; a successful neurosurgeon, happily married to a newspaper lawyer, and enjoying good relations with his children. Henry wakes to the comfort of his large home in central London on this, his day off. He is as at ease here as he is in the operating room. Outside the hospital, the world is not so easy or predictable. There is an impending war against Iraq, and a general darkening and gathering pessimism since the New York and Washington attacks two years before.<br><br>On this particular Saturday morning, Perowne&#8217;s day moves through the ordinary... See less

Added on 04/19/06

<I>The Blind Assassin</I> is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwood's... See more

<I>The Blind Assassin</I> is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwood's most ambitious work unfolds--a tricky process, in fact, with several nested narratives and even an entire novel-within-a-novel--we're reminded of just how complicated the familial game of hide-and-seek can be: <blockquote> What had she been thinking of as the car sailed off the bridge, then hung suspended in the afternoon sunlight, glinting like a dragonfly, for that one instant of held breath before the plummet? Of Alex, of Richard, of bad faith, of our father and his wreckage; of God, perhaps, and her fatal, triangular bargain. </blockquote> Meanwhile, Atwood immediately launches into an excerpt from Laura Chase's novel, <I>The Blind Assassin</I>, posthumously published in 1947. In this double-decker concoction, a wealthy woman dabbles... See less

Added on 04/19/06

The road to success is not an easy one - but some handle its hurdles better than others. In 2001 Jimmy Eat World was a widely adored but criminally underappreciated band capable of drawing capacity crowds all over the world, but unable to find a... See more

The road to success is not an easy one - but some handle its hurdles better than others. In 2001 Jimmy Eat World was a widely adored but criminally underappreciated band capable of drawing capacity crowds all over the world, but unable to find a record deal to their liking. Having just been unceremoniously spit out of the major label machinery, the band opted to record a new album entirely on its own dime and let labels come a-calling. The gambit more than paid off, with the resultant Bleed America (later re-titled Jimmy Eat World), yielding the hits "The Middle" and "Sweetness," and ultimately selling over 1.4 million copies in the U.S. By the time two full years of touring had wound down, they'd made triumphant breakthroughs everywhere from Saturday Night Live, being nominated for an MTV Video Music Award and topping, "Best Of" lists at Blender, Alternative Press, SPIN, USA Today, People and Rolling Stone to name a few. Not bad for a little band from Mesa! , Arizona. But then... See less

Added on 04/19/06

Manchester's pivotal post-punk quartet offer a 16-track opus that skips obscurities and early material in favor of their greatest singles. Highlights include "Blue Monday," "Thieves Like Us" and "The Perfect Kiss" and sparkling Stephen Hague remixes... See more

Manchester's pivotal post-punk quartet offer a 16-track opus that skips obscurities and early material in favor of their greatest singles. Highlights include "Blue Monday," "Thieves Like Us" and "The Perfect Kiss" and sparkling Stephen Hague remixes of "True Faith" and "Bizarre Love Triangle." <i>--Jeff Bateman</i> See less

Added on 04/19/06

There are many reasons to recommend <I>Troy</I> as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially if you've never read Homer's <I>The Iliad</I>. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200... See more

There are many reasons to recommend <I>Troy</I> as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially if you've never read Homer's <I>The Iliad</I>. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200 million) will surely offend historians and devoted students of the classics (for them, there's the History Channel's <I>Troy</I>). But there's politics aplenty in the grand-scale war that erupts when Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) makes off with Helen (blandly beautiful German model Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother, the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) prods him into enraged retaliation. Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) brings lethal force to his battles (and there are many of them, mostly impressive), and his Trojan counterpart, Paris's brother Hector (Eric Bana), adds even more buffed-up beefcake to a film so chock-full o' hunks that there's barely room for Peter O'Toole (doing fine work... See less

Added on 04/19/06

The reflexes of those old enough to remember when "The Reflex" and "Rio" went rocketing up the Hot 100 in the 1980s may not be what they used to, but certain reactions to the first full spin of <I>Astronaut</I> can't help kicking in anyway. First... See more

The reflexes of those old enough to remember when "The Reflex" and "Rio" went rocketing up the Hot 100 in the 1980s may not be what they used to, but certain reactions to the first full spin of <I>Astronaut</I> can't help kicking in anyway. First among equals is exhilaration: Few can sit through pop this inventive--titillating, even, on the thumping disco dazzler "Bedroom Toys," which features Chic's Nile Rodgers--without owning up to a genuine thrill. And though the original fab five, as they're being heralded on this first disc in more than 20 years, leans a little heavier on Andy Taylor's guitar work than in the past, the band stays loyal to its original electropop sound, skillfully shuttling the faithful back in time but kicking in enough keyboard wizardry to avoid leaving them feeling old. Once the inevitable buzz dissipates (give it a while--the sunniness of opening anthem and first single "(Reach Up for) The Sunrise" sticks around, as does the moodiness of "Still Breathing"),... See less