Recently by Jane Emery

IT'S not every day that music from the sub-sub-genre, lo-fi punk-blues (sometimes called trash-blues) makes it on to this page but today is the day!

Phoenix, Arizona native, Bob Log III, takes his bizarre stage act to the Cluny tomorrow night. He's a one-man band, playing slide-guitar, kick-drum and cymbal while dressed in a blue jump-suit and bubble-mask helmet, complete with microphone, naturally.

The heat/humidity inside that rig, especially at a gig like the Cluny, must be equatorial, but this is the stage dress of the mysterious Mr Log.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS - 4*

SUFFER the little children. Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas relives the horrors of the Second World War from the perspective of an eight-year-old German tyke, who is blissfully unaware of the vital role played by his Nazi officer father in the unfolding tragedy.

The subject matter is incredibly bleak and the final act of Mark Herman's well-crafted film sets in motion a chain of events that must, inevitably, culminate in tragedy.

THE WOMEN - 3*

AN ALL-STAR cast adds lustre to writer-director Diane English's rather dull, contemporary remake of the 1939 George Cukor classic, which chronicled sisterly rivalry in Manhattan society.

As re-imagined by English, The Women is an inoffensive clone of Sex And The City - minus the sex and with only fleeting glimpses of the New York skyline.

Carrie Bradshaw and her clan had much more fun on these streets barely three months ago, and dealt with the very same issues with greater elan.

Touchstones from the original film remain intact; sadly, the biting wit does not.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS - 4*

SCREEN-writing duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's follow-up to Superbad is another celebration of the underdog.

Like its predecessor, Pineapple Express is a deranged buddy comedy that casts a heroic glow on socially-awkward misfits who would be consigned to the sidelines in any other film.

WHAT'S On North East is giving 10 readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to see Rocknrolla, at ODEON Silverlink. Plus the first prize winner will also receive exclusive Rocknrolla film merchandise.

Rocknrolla, staring Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson is out in cinemas now.

THE DUCHESS - 3*

DIRECTOR Saul Dibb (Bullet Boy) ventures confidently into the realms of lavish costume drama with this adaptation of Amanda Foreman's best-selling biography Georgiana, Duchess Of Devonshire.

The Duchess is impeccably tailored, dazzling the eyes with Michael Carlin's meticulous production design, Michael O'Connor's resplendent costumes and Jan Archibald's voluminous, cascading wigs...

ROCKNROLLA - 2*

THREE years after the debacle of Revolver, writer-director Guy Ritchie returns to the mean streets of London, as captured in his iconic debut Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, for this serpentine gangland thriller.

He needn't have bothered because RocknRolla is of fleeting style and no substance, with a plot that quite literally goes round in circles...

DISASTER MOVIE - 1*

WHEN you've hit rock bottom and the last glimmer of hope has disappeared, the only way is up, isn't it?

Apparently not, as Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer demonstrate so emphatically with their latest scattershot spoof, boasting a snappy title that sums up both the film's thematic targets and its pitiful quality...

BANGKOK DANGEROUS - 3*

YOU can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, not that it has stopped brothers Oxide and Danny Pang.

Nine years after they dazzled audiences with the stylish yet predictable thriller Bangkok Dangerous, the Hong Kong filmmakers direct an English language remake...

TERM time is fast upon us which means the fun and frolicks are soon to begin!

Freshers' week's across the region are due to start between the 19th and 22nd Sept - are you ready for it?