Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron star in this police procedural about a retired Army sergeant who decides to investigate the brutal murder of his son, accompanied by a disrespected police detective. The tension in this crime thriller is palpable and the story keeps the audience guessing to the end.

Grade: A-.

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In this followup to her award-winning debut, Norah Jones delivers a beautiful set of torch songs—relaxed, laid-back, and full of blues and country influence. Dolly Parton guests on one of the tracks and there are covers and rearrangements of the music of Tom Waits and Duke Ellington.

Grade: A.

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Norah Jones’ third album is quieter, more sparse, and more artistically adventurous than her previous efforts. The arranging and writing is really beautiful here, although some songs are quite minimal. Thinking About You, Until the End, and Be My Somebody stand out among a number of pretty country-influenced songs.

Grade: A-.

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Norah Jones makes a beautiful debut in this collection of soulful pop tunes, deeply steeped in country and jazz influence. Norah’s voice is gorgeous, mellow, and introspective. She’s backed up by an amazing band and, with solid arranging, this album heralds an amazing talent to keep an eye out for.

Grade: A.

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Manon is all grown up and bent on revenge in this sequel to Jean de Florette. She’s the daughter of the hunchback driven to an early grave by their neighbors, one of whom falls in love with her this time. A good script and memorable acting anchor an entertaining film.

Grade: B+.

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Sonny Stitt picks up the tenor saxophone on this fun set of standards. His hard bop playing is magnificent and the intricacy of his solo work shows an obsessed devotion to his own development. Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Grady Tate (who sings on some tracks) lend rhythm section support.

Grade: A.

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Barry Farber, President of the Language Club of New York, offers a plethora of helpful tips and useful advice for language learners in this quick read. He offers his own method of language learning, which he calls the multi-track system, to help students gain fluency quickly and more completely.

Grade: B.

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Dizzy Gillespie helms this rare live set from the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with the likes of Jon Faddis and Milt Jackson — not to mention a rhythm section full of legends. The music here is classic bebop, with Diz, Faddis, and Jackson riffing off each other flawlessly.

Grade: A.

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This huge triple CD set from Fierce Panda features three continuously mixes totalling forty delectable house cuts. The first CD, Poolside, warms us up with soulful deep house. Disk 2, Evening, picks up the tempo with smouldering dancefloor anthems. The last, Afterhours, takes us to the afterparty with electro grooves.

Grade: A-.

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The sophomore album by Blue Six is a nice, laid-back collection of jazzy house tracks, like Beautiful Tomorrow. This time out, though, there aren’t any big club anthems. Most of the music here pushes into downtempo territory, but it’s all very relaxed and well-crafted by producer, Jay Denes.

Grade: B.

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