The Cinema of Robinson Devor: From Girl Watchers to Horse FanciersTo commemorate the acceptance of Devor's third feature into the Sundance Film Festival, here's a profile I wrote in September.*****"The only animal worth makinga documentary about is the human."-- Charles Mudede on March of the Penguins (2005)Forget Mr. Ed, forget Equus. Seattle director Robinson Devor's upcoming documentary concerns what has become known locally as the Enumclaw Horse Case. Scheduled for release by THINKfilm sometime in 2007, Zoo (formerly In the Forest There is Every Kind of Bird) draws inspiration from the poor unfortunate—part of a tight-knit ring—who died in 2005 fr

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DVD ReviewSaul Dibb, Bullet Boy (Image Entertainment)The same day Ricky (Ash-ley "Asher D" Walters, SoSolid Crew) exits prison, he scuffles with some Hackney rude boys. As the situation escalates, a gun enters the scene and the foreshadowing kicks into overdrive. Will he whack someone...or get whacked? Or will impressionable younger brother Curtis (Luke Fraser) pay for his crimes?Documentarian Saul Dibb debuts with a gritty slice of social realism. The performances, mostly non-pro, feel authentic andthe East London slang lends verisimilitude (and, yes, a little inscrutability). Marketed as a British Boyz N the Hood, the friendship between Ricky and vo

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When the Shillelagh Meetsthe Hood: Part SixThat Petrol Emotion, Babble, Polydor/UniversalIt seems barely credible that a group responsible for so much brilliant music remained the preserve of a committed few, but that's how it was. Following the Petrols became akin to membership of an evangelical cult. You would turn up at services, be inspired, go away and spread the word, then sit back, waiting for the inexorable conversion of millions to our way of thinking. If it was frustrating for us true believers, goodness knows how it made the band feel to see great work consigned to the margins of popular consciousness. I was saddened but not surprised when

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MusiqueNon-StopBig Sir, Und Die Scheise Andert Sich Immer, Gold Standard LaboratoriesI knew I was going to like this record right from the start. The artwork is just too cool: lovingly detailed close-ups of plant matter decorated with rhinestones, pearls, tinsel, and glitter [see image above]. Of course, not all quality recordings are graced by appealing graphics--Joanna Newsom's Ys is a case in point--but it never fails to amaze me how often the two go hand in hand.Big Sir's third consists of melodic pop with electronic, jazz, and hip-hop tinges. Lisa Papineau (Air, M83) reminds me of Sarah McLachlan, but there's nothing particularly folky going on h

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The Biggest Midget in the GameLady Sovereign, Public Warning, Def JamSo I can't dance and I really can't sing / I can only do one thing and that's be Lady Sovereign.-- "Love Me or Hate Me"*****The gestation period turned out to be longer than expected and most tracks have already appeared in single form. Still, it was worth the wait for diminutive London rapper Lady Sovereign's first full-length. When I wrote about Vertically Challenged last fall, I was expecting her long-player to follow in February rather than late-October. Since the EP, Def Jam snapped up the 20-year-old and the S-O-V has been touring and doing publicity non-stop, so I think it's f

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Various Artists, Tonite Let's All Make Love in London, See for Miles"To me it's to do...with the loss of the British Empire as such."-- Michael Caine, Tonite Let's All Make Love in LondonSince 1968, the soundtrack has gotten more play than the film. Though a Peter Whitehead retrospective is making its way across the country, I don't think this is going to change anytime soon. It's still easier to pick up the record than to see the documentary or "pop concerto." And if your town lacks a savvy cinematheque like the Northwest Film Forum, your chances of catching it on the big screen are slim to none. Plus, a DVD release hasn't been announced, although on

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Moonless Nightin the Small TownStarless & Bible Black, Starless & Bible Black, Locust Music"Starless & Bible Black take their name from British jazz pianist Stan Tracey's fantastic tune of the same name and culled from the famous Dylan Thomas radio play Under Milk Wood."-- Locust Music press releaseWhen I first heard about this Manchester band, I wondered whythey named themselves after a King Crimson album. From theOther Music description, it was clear they didn't sound anythinglike their proggy predecessors. Not that 1974's Starless is a badalbum, but it isn't Crimson's best (I prefer 1969's In the Court of the Crimson King). When I menti

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November RainThese are the reviews andother assignments I'm work-ing on for this month.Amazon: Loving Annabelle, This Film Is Not Yet Rated(from the maker of Sick), Carson Country [Johnny Cash,Dwight Yoakum, etc.], The Best of Donny & Marie - Volume 1 [two-disc set], Beverly Hills 90210 - The Complete First Season [six-disc set], Melrose Place - The Complete First Season [eight-disc set] (these two were easy toreview--I've already seen every episode!), The Golden Girls - The Complete Sixth Season [three-disc set], MacGyver - The Complete Final Season [four-disc set], Nirvana - Live! Tonight! Sold Out!, Marie Antoinette, Déjà Vu, and Pedro Almodóva

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