MUSIC REVIEW -- WALE

Wale

Attention: Deficit

(Allido/Interscope)

Rapper Wale hit the buzz jackpot with last year’s terrific Mixtape About Nothing, 70-plus minutes of rhymes and samples based on Seinfeld. On his official debut, the 25-year-old Washington, D.C. native pairs up with some A-list guests (Pharrell, Lady Gaga), raps a lot about things that bring him down and comes off like a more socially conscious Kanye. It’s a winning formula, if not exactly a totally original one. Wale opens Attention: Deficit with the line, “I ain’t trying to be politically correct,” and then spends the next hour nodding to old-school hip-hop with Native Tongues rhymes over blaring horns, scratchy beats and rolling percussion fills. “I’m rapping for the scholars and the hustlers,” he says on “Mama Told Me,” signaling both his brainy and street intentions. Thematically, Attention: Deficit isn’t as tight as The Mixtape About Nothing. But musically and lyrically, it’s about something way more substantial. --Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW -- YOU, THE LIVING

In the opening scene of You, the Living, a man is woken up by a train barreling past his window. He briefly addresses the camera, and then the movie begins a new scene with a tattooed couple arguing on a park bench. Don’t like that one either? Don’t worry, there are many more vignettes on the way in director Roy Andersson’s open-ended look at life.

Dozens of little stories play out in single-shot takes, as characters occasionally break out in song or play instruments to the film’s soundtrack. Some stories are tied together (the quarreling couple end up at the same bar as a girl whose fantasy unspools later in the film), even though there’s no real narrative here. Yet Andersson brings you into these characters’ lives, even if it is for just a few fleeting minutes.

Several of these people show up from time to time, but mostly You, the Living features fragments of lives – the love, the hate, the happy, the sad. Many of the stories are funny (a guy fails miserably at the ol’ pulling-the-tablecloth-off-a-set-table trick, destroying, among other things, a 200-year-old piece of china), some are poignant (an old woman struggles to recall her childhood) and some are bizarre (a Nordic Dixieland group calls itself the Louisiana Brass Band).

If You, the Living feels somewhat standoffish, that’s probably Andersson’s intent. After all, he doesn’t linger on any scene or character long enough to bring you into their world. But the movie’s emotional distance makes you appreciate his love of cinema even more, especially when his camera follows people down hallways and through doorways or just lets brief scenes run, unmoving, in real time. It’s all about making the best of our time here. “Tomorrow is another day” says more than one character. That’s life, shrugs another. And in this stylish film, life is indeed a wonderful little thing. --Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW -- AN EDUCATION

So many questions come up in An Education: Is the thirtysomething guy dating the 16-year-old girl a pervert? Does it really matter that he’s Jewish? How valuable is a classroom when it comes to life lessons? This coming-of-age tale – based on a memoir by Lynn Barber and adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby – answers a few of them. But it also – intriguingly, stubbornly – leaves several unanswered.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a “pretty and clever” teen living in 1960s London when smooth-talking David (Peter Sarsgaard), who’s twice her age, sweeps her off her feet and introduces her to his fast-living lifestyle. “You have no idea how boring everything was before I met you,” she tells him. And you believe her. Her casually racist dad (a terrific Alfred Molina) has misgivings at first, but warms to David after he promises to show Jenny around Oxford, where she hopes to enroll.

Jenny isn’t like most of her classmates at the all-girls school she attends. She’s smarter, more rebellious and more precocious. When David saves her (and her cello) from a rainstorm, he’s chatty and charming. And she’s immediately smitten. Their relationship is cerebral at first; eventually it turns sexual.

Sarsggaard – one of our best and underappreciated actors – flawlessly straddles the line between charismatic and slimeball. Olivia Williams is also great as a sympathetic teacher. But the real find here is 24-year-old Mulligan, conveying (and stirring) tons of emotions with just one look. She’s totally believable as a 16-year-old girl blossoming into womanhood. It’s the best performance of the year.

But the performances wouldn’t mean much if the film didn’t work on so many other levels. The education David gives Jenny is a valuable, and ultimately harsh, one – something she could never learn in school or in the books she reads. Race issues surface, not only regarding David’s background. But more importantly, trust, maturity and responsibility figure into a lesson you won’t soon forget. --Michael Gallucci

CULTURE JAMMING: OCTOBER 28

TOP PICK

Drag Me to Hell

(Universal)

Spider-Man director Sam Raimi’s return to horror is one of the year’s scariest movies. After an old lady puts a curse on a young loan officer, all hell breaks loose. Literally. The Blu-ray disc ups the frights. So does the unrated director’s cut, which adds a few creepy minutes to the film. You may want to watch it with the lights on.

VIDEO

An American Werewolf in London Full Moon Edition

(Universal)

John Landis’ dark and funny 1981 chiller about an American tourist who turns into a wolf makes its Blu-ray debut in a set that includes a feature-length making-of doc. Landis made the film between Animal House and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. This cult classic combines a little bit of both.

VIDEO

Gojira

(Classic Media)

The original Japanese Godzilla finally comes to Blu-ray. But you shouldn’t see it for the HD; you should see it because the 1954 movie is way scarier and way better than the butchered U.S. version (more than 40 minutes were trimmed to make room for boring scenes starring Raymond Burr). This is the real Godzilla: mean, terrifying and the world’s greatest giant monster.

DVD

Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics

(Warner)

Horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi made their best movies for Universal. But these four films have their moments (alas, the two stars appear together in only one movie: You’ll Find Out). The Walking Dead (about a resurrected vengeful convict) is the best; Zombies on Broadway is the goofiest. Frankenstein – 1970 updates the classic monster tale.

DVD

William Castle Film Collection

(Sony)

Director Castle was the king of movie gimmicks. He handed out cardboard “ghost viewers.” He had nurses check moviegoers’ blood pressure. He even wired theater seats to literally shock viewers. This box features eight of his best movies, including The Tingler, Homicidal and Strait-Jacket, starring a scarier-than-usual Joan Crawford. --Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW: AMELIA

The only good thing about the otherwise dreadful Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian that came out earlier this year was Amy Adams’ zippy performance as a fast-talking, 1920s-era-slang-hurling Amelia Earhart. I doubt that either the screenwriters or Adams spent much time researching Earhart’s speech patterns or nailing down the details of her life. The same can’t be said for director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) and Hilary Swank, who plays the ill-fated aviation pioneer in the straightforward biopic Amelia. In their fussy period film, Earhart’s adult life plays out as a series of career and gender accomplishments. Swank is good as the fly girl (a media sensation in her day) -- intense, stoic and determined in everything she does. But the movie sinks under its seriousness, emphasizing Earhart’s proto-feminist status every step of the way: first woman to do this, a woman who can do that, etc. But much of this seems shoehorned into a blah story that needs a little emblematic boost. Plus, Nair drowns nearly every semi-pivotal scene in inflated significance. Though some tension is built during Earhart’s final flight, there isn’t much drama here (you know how the story ends, right?). Amelia comes off like an old-school Hollywood biopic: a little bit corny, sorta self-serious and emotionally stagnant. You’d think the most exciting thing Earhart ever did was to disappear. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: WOLFMOTHER

Wolfmother

Cosmic Egg

(Modular/DGC)

The album title is a tip-off that these Australian rockers are still living in the past. There’s nothing even remotely new-millennium about Cosmic Egg. From the scuzzy guitar riffs to Andrew Stockdale’s shrieking howls, Wolfmother’s second album is a devoted regeneration of the stomping ’70s van-rock of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Songs like “California Queen” and “New Moon Rising” pile on wobbly wah-wah and bong-worthy freak-outs. There’s even some Stooges-like sludge this time. If people got high to it back in the day, chances are pretty good there’s something that sounds like it on Cosmic Egg. Stockdale is the anchor here (he replaced the band that backed him on Wolfmother’s 2006 debut with some new guys), swaying like Robert Plant one minute, steamrolling like the entire MC5 the next. Far out. --Michael Gallucci

CULTURE JAMMING: OCTOBER 21

TOP PICK

Halo 3: ODST

(Microsoft)

Yeah, the latest entry in the venerable videogame series (for the Xbox 360) is essentially an extended expansion of the great Halo 3. But who cares when the action is this fast and fun? Biggest change: You no longer play as hero Master Chief but as a trooper with a semi-new set of skills. Best of all, the multiplayer mode kicks major ass. Again.

CD

Cariad Harmon: Four Letters

(Mowo!, Inc.)

This British singer-songwriter makes late-night music that’s part jazz, part folk, and all fuzzy and warm. Harmon’s rich, welcoming voice guides the songs on her debut, but the subtle instrumental nudges – soft piano, gently strummed guitar – are inviting too. Perfect music to cozy up to on a chilly winter night.

DVD

The Paul Newman Tribute Collection

(Twentieth Century Fox)

This massive box stuffs 13 of Newman’s best films onto 17 DVDs, including double-disc collector’s editions of two of his greatest: The Hustler and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. There’s also a book filled with previously unpublished photos. But it’s the movies – some classics, some not-so-much – that fuel this perfect holiday gift.

VIDEO

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-ray

(Walt Disney)

One of the greatest animated movies ever made finally comes to Blu-ray in a stunning three-disc set packed with games, documentaries and incisive commentary for cartoon buffs. The 1937 film still ranks as one of the genre’s all-time best, with a classic villain and seven little guys who’ve influenced toon sidekicks for decades. Heigh-Ho!

BOOK

The Velvet Underground: An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side

(Voyageur)

Rock critic Jim DeRogatis marks the 45^th anniversary of one of the planet’s most influential bands with a photo-stuffed volume that traces the Velvet Underground’s history and continuing inspiration. Interviews with band members and famous fans help tell the story, but all the cool pictures – many of them never seen before – capture the group’s real wild side. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite

(Universal Motown)

There are just as many ways to exploit the dead as there are to honor them. This 12-song collection of Michael Jackson’s Motown-era hits remixed by mostly A-list producers falls somewhere in between. Some songs (like “I Wanna Be Where You Are,” reworked by Dallas Austin as a glowing ray of pop sunshine) thrive within their new formats; some (like Akon’s clunky “Ben” remix) don’t. The best cuts on The Remix Suite are the ones that don’t mess around too much with the original recordings by Jackson and the Jackson 5: “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Maybe Tomorrow” are still powered by Jackson (who was barely in his teens) and his powerful voice. And do we really need two remixes of the way-too-obvious “Dancing Machine”? Depends on how you feel about posthumous money-grabbing projects like this. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: THE CRIBS

The Cribs

Ignore the Ignorant

(Warner Bros.)

British rockers the Cribs loaded 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever with razorblade vocals and guitars. On this follow-up, they get a little poppier and lot moodier, thanks to ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who joined the three Jarman brothers last year. There’s still considerable crunch to songs like “We Were Aborted” and “Emasculate Me,” but the Cribs’ post-punk rage gives way to more tuneful moments on Ignore the Ignorant. Gary Jarman still tears at his larynx during the band’s big choruses (see “Cheat on Me”), and the songs still tend to do that quiet-loud thing. But Marr’s subtle jangle and sharp pop sense lead the Cribs to some grander, Smiths-like soundscapes this time around – which often are more cluttered than they need to be. But as the six-minute “City of Bugs” slowly builds to its rousing finish, it’s an awesome upgrade. --Michael Gallucci

CULTURE JAMMING -- OCTOBER 14

TOP PICK

Need for Speed Shift

(EA)

The veteran videogame series remakes itself as a terrific racing game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Unlike past outings – where you maneuvered your pimped-out ride through crowded streets like a Fast and the Furious douchebag – Shift is all about skills behind the wheel. Still, if knocking around opponents is your thing, the excellent multiplayer delivers.

BOOK

I, Doll: Life and Death With the New York Dolls

(Chicago Review)

Arthur “Killer” Kane – the late Dolls’ bassist whose sad tale was told in the 2005 movie New York Doll – messes up a lot of facts in this memoir. But it’s still a wild read, as Kane recounts the first couple years of the proto-punk band’s career. He’s got some great stories to tell – almost all of them fueled by drugs and decadence.

TV

Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut)

(IFC)

This amusing six-part documentary -- which runs for six consecutive nights, starting at 9 p.m. Sunday – celebrates the legendary comedy troupe’s 40^th anniversary. There are plenty of clips from their TV show and movies, as well as interviews with the group and fans like Dan Aykroyd and Seth Green. Best of all, IFC is also screening some of their classic films.

BOOK

Madness: One Step Beyond

(Continuum)

The latest album to get dissected in the super-cool 33 1/3 series rode in on punk’s new wave in 1979. But these ska jokesters cut deeper than many of their contemporaries (they recently released a pretty good album, their first in a decade). Terry Edwards’ look at the Brit-tastic record provides plenty of insight on an oft-dismissed genre and one of its most durable groups.

DVD

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Clone Commandos

(Warner)

Prepping for next month’s box featuring the entire first season of Cartoon Network’s hit animated show, this four-episode sample includes one of the series’ best story arcs. Most of the action takes place on a rocky planet, setting up some cool battles -- which make up 95 percent of The Clone Wars’ greatest scenes. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: SEAN KINGSTON

Sean Kingston

Tomorrow

(Epic )

Think of 19-year-old Kingston as tweens’ gateway to reggae music. Two years ago he went to No. 1 with “Beautiful Girls,” a chewy chunk of bubblegum pop buoyed by his springy accent. He also made a guest spot on Natasha Bedingfield’s bubbly hit “Love Like This.” Kingston has spent time in both Jamaica and Florida, which helps explain his songs’ clubby island bounce. He digs a little deeper on Tomorrow, singing over tougher hip-hop beats and with less youthful exuberance. Still, the album’s first single, “Fire Burning,” is a dance-floor scorcher with a massive hook. Kingston’s fans will be off to college and discovering Bob Marley’s Legend in a few years. In the meantime, this will prep them. –Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

This adaptation (by the guy who directed Adaptation, Spike Jonze) of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book has everything going for it … and against it. Lit hipster Dave Eggers wrote the screenplay, and the rumpus-starting monsters are played by real people in giant furry costumes (though some CGI is used to bring them to life). But the book – about a little boy who creates a fantasy land to deal with his fears – isn’t exactly long in detail and narrative. But you’d be surprised what Jonze and crew do with the story in this wonderful film (which nostalgic grown-ups will appreciate more than kids). For one thing, young Max (Max Records) is given a backstory: He’s a product of a broken family living with his loving but harried mom (Catherine Keener). Not so surprisingly, he has abandonment issues. So when his overeager imagination leads him to a forest populated by various sad monsters (voiced by a wheezing James Gandolfini and Forest Whitaker, among others), Max finally feels in control of something and declares himself king. Then Where the WildThings Are takes off. The movie’s images become dreamlike, almost shrouded in a hazy, protective gauze. Still, the wild things’ personalities manage to poke through. If the film doesn’t quite make the emotional connection you hope for, it certainly comes close several times. And its rampant ambition almost matches it subtle (or not-so-subtle, depending on your perspective) symbolism. Childhood and all of its joys, doubts, responsibilities, fears and, most of all, adventures have rarely looked this fantastic onscreen. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: TEGAN AND SARA

Tegan and Sara

Sainthood

(Sire/Vapor)

Tegan and Sara like to keep their distance. It’s not that the twin Quin sisters are incapable of opening up and sharing – on their sixth album, Sainthood, they actually inch a little closer to spilling some secrets – they just see don’t see much need in letting you get too cozy in their world. That’s why the 29-year-old Canadians rarely sing about their sexuality (they’re both lesbians), their musical rivalry (their songwriting styles are as distinct as Lennon and McCartney’s), or their struggles (there never seems to be much heartbreak in their songs – which is a bit odd since most of them are about love). But you really won’t care too much, since the indie-pop duo pens such hook-filled songs. Like he did on 2007’s The Con, Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla coats the tunes in glistening bursts of aural colors. Songs like “Arrow” and “Alligator” ring, chime, and ride new-wave synths to the Quins’ most electronically blippy and happy-sounding album. Tegan and Sara also plug in and tear through “Northshore” like sneering punks. Romantic idealism is a recurring theme on Sainthood; just don’t expect to pick up too many pointers. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: FLORENCE & THE MACHINE

Florence & the Machine

Lungs

(Universal Republic)

Florence Welch jumps around so much on her debut album, it’s hard to nail her down. That’s probably the point, as the restless 22-year-old Brit skips from artsy wails to indie-rock scorchers to torch-song come-ons. But there is one consistent throughout: Florence is one tough broad. Whether she’s declaring “A kick in the teeth is good for some/A kiss with a fist is better than none” (on “Kiss With a Fist”) or confessing “I’m in the grip of a hurricane/I’m going to blow myself away” (on “Hurricane Drunk”), Welch takes whatever you can throw at her. But she gives back plenty on Lungs, tearing into the songs with teeth and claws. She occasionally drifts into Kate Bush’s forest of witchy women, elevating her kinda-bluesy voice to an operatic screech while the harp, cello and other smart-rock conventions tag along. Still, you probably won’t want to tangle with her. --Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW: IMPORT/EXPORT

In the long and somewhat laborious Import/Export, the lives of two disparate characters never actually intersect. Yet their paths to new lives take similar courses. Olga is a Ukrainian single mother and nurse. To make ends meet, she takes a job at an online porn company, masturbating in front of a webcam for rude, faceless customers. Pauli is a young and not-too-bright musclehead living with his mom and loutish stepdad in Austria. He loses his latest job as a security guard after a gang of thugs humiliate him in a parking deck. It’s not long before both Olga and Pauli hit the road – she heads for Austria, he to Ukraine – for new jobs. But anyone expecting rosy futures for the pair doesn’t know much about indie or international cinema. The relocations merely amount to new but still soul-sucking work for Olga and Pauli. Director Ulrich Seidl laces some dark humor in Import/Export, but nearly every scene places the leads in some desperate, desolate or degrading situation. It’s not particularly fun to watch these hard-luck working-class characters suffer. And it’s not particularly rewarding to watch lengthy scenes (many of them wordless) about run-down lives parade in front of the screen for two-plus hours. In fact, it’s downright exhausting. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: TIM McGRAW

Tim McGraw

Southern Voice

(Curb)

Country superstar McGraw sticks to the basics on his 10^th album. That means there are a few goofball toss-offs (“It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You,” co-written by Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger), some twangy nostalgia (“Ghost Town Train,” the title tune) and the usual dose of heart-tugging weepers (“You Had to Be There,” “I Love You Goodbye”). Aside from a couple of not-down-on-the-farm guitar solos and overstated choruses, Southern Voice doesn’t aim for a pop crossover, making it McGraw’s most natural-sounding album in years. It’s also one of his most bland. Without a big showstopper like “Live Like You Were Dying” or a boundary-jumper like “Red Ragtop,” Southern Voice settles into a sort of languid southern comfort that not even McGraw’s typically warm voice can rouse. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: THE FLAMING LIPS

The Flaming Lips

Embryonic

(Warner Bros.)

Before they reinvented themselves as the world’s most awesome prog-rock band on 1999’s The Soft Bulletin, the Flaming Lips were a bunch of noise-loving kids from Oklahoma who made music that was a perfect soundtrack to your late-night LSD trips. On their 12^th album, they return to their mind-wrecking roots. The soundscapes on Embryonic are every bit as big and as glorious as they were on The Soft Bulletin and its even proggier follow-up, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. But this time, songs are replaced by set pieces, groovy tunes are swapped for aural explorations. It’s all very wild, free-falling and trippy, but it isn’t very much fun. Some tracks are fragments; others are six-plus minutes of instrumental howls and screeches. Frontman Wayne Coyne’s presence on Embryonic is more spiritual than fashioned: He guides the action like an impish phantom who has a dozen ideas running through his head at the same time but little concept on how to channel them into a singular vision. Cuts like “Convinced of the Hex” and “Silver Trembling Hands” are indisputable mind-fucks, but sometimes we just want to cuddle. --Michael Gallucci

CULTURE JAMMING -- OCTOBER 7

TOP PICK

The Wizard of Oz 70^th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition

(Warner)

It would take you days to go through everything on this gorgeous Blu-ray set: the books, the archival material, the extras (including silent-movie versions of Oz) and of course the film classic, making its high-def debut. The scene where Dorothy first steps into Oz now bursts with splendor. Plus, the flying monkeys are super-creepy in HD.

VIDEOGAME

The Beatles: Rock Band

(MTV/Harmonix/Electronic Arts)

Now that you’ve had time to settle into the remastered CDs, step into John, Paul, George and Ringo’s Beatle boots for this fun game -- for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – which gathers 45 songs from their entire career (sadly, “Revolution 9” isn’t one of them). Best of all, you get to play venues like Shea Stadium and Apple Records’ rooftop. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MUSIC

Hymns: Appaloosa

(Blackland)

This Brooklyn-based band sounds nothing like its NYC hipster peers (probably because the two guys who started it are from North Carolina). On this five-song EP they come on like a cross between the Band and the dB’s, layering their rustic folk-rock with an indie-style jagged edge. Best: the horn-speckled title tune.

BOOK

Waiting for a Train: Jimmie Rodgers’ America

(Rounder)

Inspired by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 1997 American Music Masters program, these essays (edited by Case Western Reserve University’s Mary E. Davis and the Rock Hall’s Warren Zanes) gather writings by fans like Bob Dylan. Some are historical, some are critical; all put the country-music pioneer’s short career in perspective.

VIDEOGAME

Wet

(Bethesda)

This third-person shooter (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) has one cool thing going for it: tons of kick-ass weapons. There are plenty of guns here, but there’s also a samurai sword for your heroine to wield as she seeks revenge against a former boss. It’s all very cinematic (and kinda like Kill Bill) and loads of bloody fun. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW: MARIAH CAREY

Mariah Carey

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

(Island)

Ever since her rebirth a few years ago, Mariah Carey has been on a roll. Once destined as a pop-star-flameout punch line (she started the decade with the nearly career-killing Glitter), Carey has spent the past four years and three albums renovating into an R&B sex kitten and reclaiming her title as one of her generation’s best and most popular singers. On Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, producers The-Dream and Tricky Stewart steer Carey toward her most sturdy-sounding album (only the overblown cover of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” which closes the record, breaks the flow). “Betcha gon’ know how it feels when I get you back/And I’m gon’ la-la-la-la-la-laugh,” she sings on Angel’s prologue, setting up an hour of paybacks, smackdowns and get-outta-my-face slaps – all of which Carey easily slides into. She even calls out Eminem on “Obsessed” for his dis earlier this year: “You’re a mom and pop/I’m a corporation,” she sings over one of The-Dream and Tricky’s typically bouncy beats. Angel isn’t all about chugging the haterade, but when even the album’s best ballad is called “H.A.T.E.U.,” you know Carey is on to something. --Michael Gallucci

MOVIE REVIEW -- SOMERS TOWN

The working-class London of Somers Town isn’t always a pretty place, but it is a loving and forgiving one. And in Shane Meadows’ concise black-and-white film, the residents work, drink and bitch about their losing football team. Then they go to sleep, get up and do it all over again.

Teenage Tomo (Thomas Turgoose), on his own and spending his first night in London, gets jumped and beaten up by three boys, who take his bag of clothes and his money. The next day in a diner, he meets Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a young Polish immigrant who lives with his hard-working, hard-drinking and devoted dad. The boys strike up a friendship, initially over budding photographer Marek’s pictures of beautiful French waitress Maria.

Marek hides the homeless Tomo in his bedroom. They got along great, despite their physical differences: Marek is tall with shaggy brown hair; Tomo is short and wears his blond hair in a buzz cut. They have one thing in common: They’ve both fallen for Maria.

Not much happens in Somers Town, the locale or movie. But director Meadows has real sympathy for his characters. His previous film, 2006’s terrific This Is England, was a blistering portrait of young British skinheads. (Turgoose made his debut in the movie as a directionless boy who falls in with a gang of thugs.) Meadows keeps things more modest in the slice-of-life Somers Town, which is basically a coming-of-age story about two boys on the verge of manhood.

It’s certainly a funnier and less weighty movie than England. It’s also less substantial. But the leads are all good (including Ireneusz Czop as Marek’s firm but tolerant dad), and the rich black-and-white photography underlines the characters’ subtle desolation. The first-rate soundtrack, featuring original music by two members of LondonSomers Town folk-rock band Clayhill, serves as catalyst to Tomo and Marek’s adventures. may not offer much hope for the boys’ future, but for this brief period of their lives, things couldn’t be better. --Michael Gallucci

MUSIC REVIEW -- PARAMORE

PARAMORE

Brand New Eyes

(Fueled by Ramen)

The best songs on 2007’s Riot! were the ones that emphasized the pop part of Paramore’s pop-punk equation. On this follow-up, the Tennessee quintet loads up on melodies, shoving aside the blurry guitar grind of a thousand whiny emo bands in favor of major hooks. Twenty-year-old frontwoman Hayley Williams comes on like a redheaded firecracker throughout Brand New Eyes, spitting lines about broken hearts and shifty friends. “Next time you point a finger, I might have to bend it back or break it off,” she sings on “Playing God.” And on “Turn It Off,” “Feeling Sorry” and “Where the Lines Overlap,” she leads the rest of the band to some big, glorious choruses. There are a few missteps: They turn up the volume a couple times for noisy and tuneless workouts, and the acoustic ballad “Misguided Ghosts” is a real snoozer. When Eyes meets somewhere in the middle, it sounds like Paramore, as Williams sings on “Looking Up,” are just getting started. --Michael Gallucci