Patricia Nicol
Adaptation
Columbia, 15, 115 mins; rental, £19.99 (DVD)
Where could the director Spike Jonze and the scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman go after the mad success of Being John Malkovich? The answer is this weird and wonderful tale of orchid thieves, literary adaptation and the human capacity to adapt. It is a thrillingly complex comedy that doesn’t entirely work, but takes the viewer far enough into uncharted territory that it would be a sin not to enjoy the journey. I don’t believe Nicolas Cage has ever been this good, nor Meryl Streep this sexily funny, and Chris Cooper is transfixing. Three stars
Patricia Nicol
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The Tuxedo
Universal, 12, 99 mins; rental, £17.99 (DVD), £12.99 (VHS)
This is a very silly story about how clothes maketh the man. Jackie Chan is an immigrant cabbie. One day, his fast turns lead to recruitment as chauffeur for a suave James Bond-like superspy. There’s only one rule in the intelligence operative’s household: don’t touch his tux. When the spy is hospitalised by another English-accented madman intent on world domination, he charges Chan to step into his shoes, and the penguin ensemble’s powers become apparent. The wearer can dance a tango, fight like a fiend and become a killing machine. Though the threads are smarter than the plot or characterisation, this skit on 007 is not without charm, thanks to the ever-smiling Chan. One star
Patricia Nicol
Rust Never Sleeps
Sanctuary, E, 116 mins; £19.99 (DVD), £9.99 (VHS)
Those of you not old enough to have fought in the punk wars may be unaware of the vital importance of Rust Never Sleeps. Other rock dinosaurs were either bemused or appalled by punk’s energy, noise and general disdain for musicianship, but Neil Young — at one time exactly the kind of West Coast hippie that punks despised — watched in awe, applied the lessons of punk to his own music and invented grunge 10 years before Nirvana. Rust Never Sleeps documents Young’s unveiling of his awesome new sound. The DVD extras are admittedly less than compelling, but the concert footage itself — complete with roadies dressed as alien monks — should be seen by anyone who considers themselves a rock fan. Three stars
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Mark Edwards