DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week, 10/18/11
A look at some of the DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week:
DVDS
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (PG-13): In his fourth cinematic voyage, Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and longtime nemesis Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) are after the fabled Fountain of Youth; so are the dreaded pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his feisty daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz).
Raunchy comedy’s on the horizon, meanwhile, in “Bad Teacher” (R), with Cameron Diaz as the gold-digging title character, who starts teaching middle-school when her sugar daddy dumps her. Vacationing in Paris, three friends (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy) find themselves whisked to “Monte Carlo” (PG) when one of them is mistaken for a British heiress. An illegal immigrant (Demian Bichir) struggles to build “A Better Life” (PG-13) for himself and his teenage son (Jose Julian) . And from Mexico, the award-winning “Nora’s Will” (not rated), focuses on a Jewish family trying to cope with funeral plans, and foibles, in the wake of the title character’s demise.
Two Vegas-centric titles top today’s TV transfers (all unrated ): “Pawn Stars: The Complete Season Three” and “Gigolos: The First Season.” Other titles making the jump from TV to DVD include “V: The Complete Second Season,” “American Pickers: Volume Two,” “The Real L Word: Second Season,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars — The Complete Season Three” and complete-series sets of “Little House on the Prairie” and “McMillan and Wife.”
CDS
Jane’s Addiction, “The Great Escape Artist”: The album’s first single is called “Irresistible Force,” and that doubles as a succinct way of describing the band who penned it.
Seminal L.A. alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction haven’t released a record in eight years and once again are working with a new bassist (this time, TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek).
But they’re still capable of generating their distinctive mystique, equally grounded in artfulness and aplomb.
Jane’s Addiction is back, and we’re happy to relapse right along with them.
Also in stores: Everlast, “Songs of the Ungrateful Living”; Family Force 5, “III”; Iced Earth, “Dystopia”; Chris Isaak, “Beyond the Sun”; Shelby Lynne, “Revelation Road”; M83, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”; Montgomery Gentry, “Rebels on the Run”; Puscifer, “Conditions of My Parole”; Patrick Stump, “Soul Punk”; and Randy Travis, “Blessed Assurance.”
BOOKS
“Damned” by Chuck Palahniuk: After overdosing, young Madison Spencer wakes up in hell, where she spends her days torturing tortured souls with a group of other sinners — a cheerleader, a jock, a nerd and a punk rocker — who make up the underworld’s version of The Breakfast Club.
In James Patterson’s “The Christmas Wedding,” Gaby Summerhill tries to bring her four children home for the holidays by announcing her surprise wedding to a secret groom.
Also hitting shelves: “Beautiful Chaos” by Kami Garcia; “Bonnie” by Iris Johansen; “Double Dexter” by Jeff Lindsay; “The Infernals” by John Connolly; “The Lady of the Rivers” by Philippa Gregory; “Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well” by Billy Graham; “Ralph Lauren” by Ralph Lauren; “The Scorpio Races” by Maggie Stiefvater; “Seizure” by Kathy Reichs; “Spencer Tracy: A Biography” by James Curtis; “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music” by Judy Collins; “The Tehran Initiative” by Joel C. Rosenberg; “Triangles” by Ellen Hopkins; “West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life” by Jerry West; and “Zone One” by Colson Whitehead.
