Eric Clapton defies the odds and impresses with his latest release, writes Graham Reid.

Anecdotal gems from great writing minds.

Rating: 4/5 Verdict: No wonder Jack White was impressed

Rating: 3/5 Verdict: The sound of 80s NZ rock today

Rating: 4/5 Verdict: Son of a top gun hits targets of his own

Rating: 2/5 Verdict: You'll get a laugh, but little else from this lightweight comedy.

Rating: 2/5 Verdict: The trailer pretty much covers it.

Rating: 3/5 Verdict: Tries too hard to impress, but a solid start to the series

Last night in Christchurch, Metallica got back to being hard, fast, and heavy.

Having suffered through the gore of Piranha 3D I thought I was immune to anything these new-fangled goggles-required flicks could throw my way.

The country rocker teams up again with producer T. Bone Burnett on a beautifully laid-back and yet gritty set about life, love, and, on the meandering banjo-driven Easter Eve, fighting.

Rating: 3/5
R16; 97 minutes. Out now.

Rating: 3.5/5
M; 126 minutes. Out now.

On his fourth album, the formerly shy beardy soul-folk guy LaMontagne steps out in front of a band for a set that starts out lively and ends on high.

Joaquin Phoenix really let it all go when he gave up acting.

This collection - in its many different forms, from six-CD and six seven-inch vinyl box set to double-CD sets - documents 20 years of influential and twisted music from Brit electronica/hip-hop label Ninja Tune.

Reviewers are, I suppose, expected to be dispassionate but I admit to being an enthusiastic fan of Simon Winchester. I have never read a book of his that was not thoroughly rewarding and this latest, from a prolific production line, is one of the best.

Rating: 3/5 Verdict: Another slick, overblown Jerry Bruckheimer production

Animal Kingdom arrives at at time when even audiences on this side of the Tasman might be suffering Aussie underworld fatigue in our entertainment diet. Crikey even that Chopper guy's on tour here again.

Rating: 2/5 Verdict: Self-indulgent and self-absorbed

Rating: 4/5 Verdict: After the Grammy-winning Raising Sand, former Zepp-frontman Plant returns with darkness and light

Rating: 3/5 Verdict: The un-Seeded Nick Cave rocks hard once more.

The letters between the two start with a "Dear Miss Frame" in March 1954, soliciting a particular poem for Landfall and any other work, poetry or prose. Her reply