Afro-Punk
(Image)
Fresh from a BAMcinématek run, James Spooner’s documentary on black punk identity surfaces on disc.
Clean
(Palm)
For Olivier Assayas, his films as infused with the pulse and cultural energy of rock music as those of any director this side of Scorsese, making a literal rock movie seems both inevitable and somewhat redundant. Maggie Cheung may seem an unlikely choice as an ex-junkie and failed musician seeking to regain custody of her son, but Assayas and cinematographer Eric Gautier nail the grungy atmosphere of the club circuit and Nick Nolte gives his best performance in years as the child’s grandfather. A minor work from a great director.
Tsotsi
(Miramax)
This Oscar-nominated South African drama stars Presley Chweneyagae as a Johannesburg gangster who finds himself caring for an infant. Supps include commentary from writer-director Gavin Hood and a Hood-directed short.