Tragically short-lived trumpet prodigy, Lee Morgan, leads a quintet in this solid date that features Clifford Jordan on tenor saxophone. The songs are a collection of Morgan’s compositions and the playing is first rate throughout the record. This hard bop album is immensely enjoyable, with lots of great improvisation.

Grade: B+.

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This beautiful compilation pays tribute to the legendary J. J. Johnson, the greatest bebop trombonist of all time. Johnson is featured on a range of standards that stretch across almost four decades of his discography. Collaborators on this great set include every big name in jazz active since the 50s.

Grade: A.

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Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster love and hate in this hilarious western based on a TV series from the late 50s. With multiple servings of hilarity and great supporting work by James Garner, Graham Greene, Alfred Molina, and James Coburn, this picture has it all — action, romance, comedy, and poker.

Grade: A-.

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Christian Slater stars as a pirate radio DJ in this essential cult classic teen angst movie. Slater nails his role as a smack-talking bored depressed youngster and leads a marvellous cast in a film with believable characters, a great soundtrack, lots of laughs, and plenty of gritty real moments.

Grade: A.

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Seventeen-year-old Justin still sucks his thumb and is having difficulty breaking the infantile habit. This strange character comedy features incredibly nuanced performances from Vincent D’Onofrio, Tilda Swinton, and Vince Vaughn, along with an unexpected appearance by Keanu Reeves as an orthodontist, dabbling in hypnotism and new age spirituality.

Grade: B.

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Vibrophonist Cal Tjader leads a talented group of Latin musicians in this set of standards reimagined as mambo tunes. The fresh approach to standards like I’ll Remember April, Midnight Sun, Sonny Boy, Autumn Leaves, and This Can’t Be Love make this set unforgettable and easily accessible even five decades later.

Grade: B+.

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Reminiscent of classic teen angst dramas from the 80s and 90s, this eccentric suburban picture features a surprising all-star cast, including a number of Oscar winners. The acting is absolutely superb, the script quirky and irreverent, and the ambience somewhat twisted—like a perfectly manicured lawn decorated by gargoyles.

Grade: A-.

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This little independent film chronicles the preparation and wedding of the daughter of a large Indian family, with relatives flying in from all over the world. The acting here is good and the script gives us an opportunity to get inside a culture far removed from that of the West.

Grade: B.

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Garrett Scott and Ian Olds travel to Falluja, Iraq, and accompany a squad of the 82nd Airborne Division on various patrols and raids. Their intimate look at life in the Army in a war zone and the differing political views of the soldiers involved is handled with sensitivity and neutrality.

Grade: B+.

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Another unnecessary film by Todd Solondz follows a group of interchangeable underage teenage girls with a burning desire to get pregnant and have a baby. The story meanders and dwells uncomfortably in religious fundamentalism, statutory rape, and teenage sexuality that is handled viciously, ineptly, and without any semblance of taste.

Grade: D.

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