DVD The Show Must Go Off! Episode Two MEST Live at the House of Blues, Anaheim, CA. - Kung Fu Records . Capitalist punks meet silk plants on stage at the house that Jake and Elwood built. I like the fact that House of Blues has so many of these high-end stages around the country (even Disney -whatever in Orlando) Very good concert that had my lady friend dancing in the hallway. MEST offers a so-Cal sound, but from the south side of Chicago. Many more The Show Must Go Off DVDs are planned and all will be worth watching I’m sure. The Karate film shorts were fun too. - Ment

DVD Pretenders Loose in L.A. (live at the Wiltern Theater, Feb. 2003) DVD So crisp and clear, sad to admit it - better than front row, though I wouldn’t pass it up. During “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” Chrissie Hynde broke into what she called the All Might Senators Version, a swingy cover I guess. - very cool to see her as such a temptress - the way I’ve often seen her in my mind. Honestly, I could listen to a whole set played this way. She dedicated “Kid” to those former members of the band that didn’t live long enough to make it onto the band’s first DVD. - Ment

DVD/Film Still Looking for Morphine, directed by Yannis Fagras. Based closely on the book by Nicole Roussou, Fagras’ directorial debut is dark, depressing and somehow uplifting, taking the viewer through a week or so in the life of the basically asexual Ricki who drinks, dabbles in drugs, and steals motorcycles. There’s just enough Greek scenery to confirm my desire to visit, perhaps thanks to the black and white production. I saw this first at the American Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria, Queens NY, on the touring series “Greek Independent Films in USA,” with a question and answer session featuring Fagras. While some in the audience were swept up in pursuit of the almighty macguffen, others inquired into the independent productions approach to overcoming the challenges of filmmaking without state support in a setting where state support is the norm. His next film is to be set in Alaska - we’ll be watching. - Ment.