Latest DVDs, CDs, books: April 10
A look at some of the DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week.
DVDS
“The Iron Lady” (PG-13): Meryl Streep captured her third Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, a shopkeeper’s daughter who became one of Britain’s most powerful (and controversial) prime ministers.
Semi-invisible aliens invade Moscow in “The Darkest Hour” (PG-13), leaving an embattled group (led by Emile Hirsch and Olivia Thirlby) struggling to survive. Director Werner Herzog’s documentary “Into the Abyss” (PG-13) focuses on a death row inmate, those impacted by the murder he committed — and the reasons why individuals, and the state, kill.
In our “welcome to Las Vegas” file, the indie comedy “Trust the Man” (R) casts Julianne Moore and David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Billy Crudup as unhappily married couples, while a troubled Iraq war veteran (Toby Kebbel) joins terrorist-hunting vigilantes (led by Brian Cox) in the British thriller “The Veteran” (R).
Topping today’s TV transfers (all unrated): “Night Gallery: Season Three,” “Laverne & Shirley: The Fifth Season,” “Adam 12: Season Seven,” “One Tree Hill: The Complete Ninth Season,” “Logan’s Run: The Complete Series” and (just in time for next month’s big-screen remake ) “Dark Shadows: Fan Favorites.”
CDS
Alabama Shakes, “Boys & Girls”: She’s kind of like a sub-Mason Dixon Line Adele.
Alabama Shakes frontlady Brittany Howard is one powerhouse vocalist, an erupting volcano of soul.
She’s the engine that powers the band, whose debut is equal parts Southern rock swing and hard funk groove.
Get hip to ’em now, because by year’s end when all those best-of lists are being compiled, this bunch will be on the tips of many tongues.
Also in stores: Accept, “Stalingrad”; Counting Crows, “Underwater Sunshine (or what we did on our summer vacation)”; Dirge Within, “There Will Be Blood”; Emmure, “Slave to the Game”; Grand Duchy (Black Francis and wife Violet Clark), “Let the People Speak”; Halestorm, “The Strange Case of …”; Lords of Acid, “Deep Chills”; Lostprophets, “Weapons”; Monica, “New Life”; Bonnie Raitt, “Slipstream”; and M. Ward, “A Wasteland Companion.”
BOOKS
“Unholy Night” by Seth Grahame-Smith: The author of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” delivers another mashup, turning the Three Kings of the Nativity into escaped thieves who cross paths with Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
Also this week, John Grisham tells a story of fathers, sons and baseball in “Calico Joe.”
Also hitting shelves: “Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide to World Tour Domination” by Zakk Wylde; “The Calling” by Kelley Armstrong; “Come Home” by Lisa Scottoline; “Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection” by A.J. Jacobs; “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict” by Trenton Lee Stewart; “Fat, Drunk, and Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House” by Matty Simmons; “Giant George: Life with the World’s Biggest Dog” by Dave Nasser; “The House of Velvet and Glass” by Katherine Howe; “The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson” by David Barton; “A Natural Woman” by Carole King; “No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails-But Individuals Succeed” by John Stossel; and “The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America’s Deadliest Marksmen” by Brandon Webb.
