Reviews

An assured if unspectacular directorial debut from Bill Paxton, Frailty turns Se7en on its head, splices in The Sixth Sense and casts a crazy-eyed Matthew McConaughey as an enigmatic witness to the mysterious "Hand of God" serial killings. The look is Southern Gothic, the performances solid, and the final reel twist wildly courageous.

Someone seems to have decided that Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman are a marketable team, and their umpteenth crime thriller together is brought to you by the estimable Carl Franklin. Judd's a perky lawyer whose husband (a wooden Jim Caviezel) may or may not be a mass murderer. Freeman's an amusing drunk, but sadly the plot's the last word in generic, and the 'twists' wear neon signs on their heads.

Unheralded Chicago-based tunesmith comes of age

Fast-rising blues-rock duo release debut LP after tour with Primal Scream

Northern rock alliance have Love on their minds

Budget-priced samplers of clubland's hot new microscene

Also released this month...

Handy two-CD career retrospective of ill-starred singer who happened in Monterey

Not especially distinguished albums reissued

Double whammy from Seattle's multi-faceted finest