Lolita 1997

Adapted from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov (previously filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962), Lolita stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, a college literature professor. In early adolescence, Humbert fell hopelessly and tragically in love with a girl his own age, and, as he grew into adulthood, he never lost his obsession with "nymphets," teenagers who walk a fine line between being a girl and a woman. While looking for a place to live after securing a new teaching position, he meets Charlotte Haze (Melanie Griffith), a pretentious and annoying woman who seems desperately lonely and is obviously attracted to Humbert. Humbert pays her little mind until he meets her 13-year-old daughter Lolita (Dominique Swain), the image of the girl that Humbert once loved. Humbert moves into the Haze home as a boarder and eventually marries Charlotte in order to be closer to Lolita.

Humbert Humbert, a British professor coming to the US to teach, rents a room in Charlotte Haze's house, but only after he sees her 14-year-old daughter, Dolores (Lolita), to whom he is immediately attracted. Though he hates the mother, he marries her as this is the only way to be close to the girl, who will prove to be too mature for her age. They start a journey together, trying to hide they're not just (step)father and daughter, throughout the country, being followed by someone whom Humbert first suspects to be from the police. The profound jealousy, and maybe some guilt from the forbidden love, seem slowly to drive the man emotionally labile.

Humbert Humbert, a British professor coming to the US to teach, rents a room in Charlotte Haze's house

Criminally overshadowed by the moral uproar surrounding Adrian Lyne's film remake of Vladimir Nabokov's groundbreaking novel Lolita was Ennio Morricone's remarkable score, a hauntingly beautiful (and beautifully haunting) effort on par with Il Maestro's finest work. The music possesses a darkly dreamlike sensuality that perfectly communicates the erotic obsession at the material's core. Morricone's elegant melodies are daring yet subtle, shaded by melancholy strings and ethereal electronic textures. Milan's official soundtrack release is something of a misfire, however, interrupting Morricone's reverie with period pop hits like Ella Fitzgerald's "Tain't What You Do" and Louis Prima's "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)." Great music, without a doubt, but poorly matched to the intimacy of the instrumental score.

Toto XX: 1977-1997 is hardly the definitive collection that its title suggests. Essentially, this is a Toto reunion album, featuring nine new studio cuts and four live tracks, including a version of "Africa."…