Essential May

Essential viewing this May:
- "Revolutionary Road" sees the return of the most successful on-screen couple ever, Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Set in mid-50's America this is an interesting character study with top notch performances from everyone involved. What on paper looks like a slick Oscar friendly period drama is surprisingly rough around the edges and with a shocking third act this is easily director Sam Mendes' finest hour since 1999's "American Beauty".
- The return of "Star Trek" to the big screen is impossible to ignore, despite its flaws. It is impressive when you think that this is only director J.J. Abrams' second feature film, the scale and expectations from the massive fanbase alone should be enough to terrify any rookie filmmaker. But Abrams hits the ground running and two hours later what you have left is an unashamingly fresh sci-fi thrill ride. The casting of mostly unknown faces is clever and the effects are spectacular, so you'll have to look hard to find a better piece of blockbuster entertainment. Abrams has rebooted the sci-fi genre and you can almost smell the popcorn.
- This months pleasent surprise comes from the straight-to-DVD release "Nothing But The Truth". A gripping drama with the best ensemble act of the year so far, with Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga as the standouts. Usually dull director Rod Lurie employs a realistic style and wonderful dialogue. Complete with terrific cinematography this is a great movie which unfortunately will never reach the large audience it richly deserves.

Essential listening this May:
- "Sinful Soul" is norwegian rock band Helldorado's third album, and it might be the best one yet. Packed with terrific tunes ranging from country, blues, rock & roll this is a superb record which hopefully will make more people aware of the band. One of the best norwegian releases so far this year.
- Manic Street Preachers returns to form with "Journal For Plague Lovers". Their ninth studio album is a raw and hard exploration of alternative rock music seen through the eyes of these indie veterans. Superior to their records of recent years this is a wonderful return to the top by the Welsh band, reminiscent of their finest hour "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours" (1998).
- Even though Juliette Lewis' return to the music scene with her new band The New Romantiques and the album "Terra Incognita" will not hit stores until September, some samples have already appeared on her MySpace site - and boy are they good! The album, produced by The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, promises to be both darker and more rough than her first two outings. A true original and old rocking soul, Lewis just might be in the process of releasing her masterpiece. Roll on autumn!