Rocking in the aisles

11:05am Thursday 11th March 2004

Phoenix Double Bill
Phoenix Cinema
High Road, East Finchley
Sunday, March 14

It's a well-documented fact that every man needs to have an obsession. Some can talk you through every kick of the 1973 FA Cup final. Others will happily recite every line Jabba The Hutt spoke in Star Wars with faultless pronunciation. Sadly sometimes obsession is badly misplaced and can lead to horrible situations such as stalking, intensive grooming or collecting shirt buttons.

One of the most familiar breeds of obsessive is the vinyl junkie. A man for whom every record must be ordered alphabetically, chronologically or in order of quality (descending is the usual method). A man with a love of special editions, dust jackets and rare, forgotten masterpieces that can only be found in dingy side street stores that smell of tobacco.

Never has this man been better portrayed than in the book and film High Fidelity. The film, part of a double bill showing at the Phoenix with School Of Rock, sees John Cusack as a man whose relationships have a nasty habit of falling apart while his true love records never lets him down. Starring alongside him in this funny, observant comedy is Jack Black in a scene-stealing turn as an employee of Cusack's record emporium.

Black turns up again as another music lover in School Of Rock. He plays Dewey Finn, a bogus substitute teacher who only wants his class to be educated in the principles of rocking out and absolutely nothing else. It's a funny, heartwarming tale that never once teeters on the sickly despite a subject matter that would allow it to do so.

Call The Phoenix on 020 8444 6789 for ticket information.