TOP PICK
Mystic River
(Warner)
Clint Eastwood directed some of his greatest films in the '00s — Million Dollar Baby, Letters From Iwo Jima, Gran Torino. This is one of his all-time best. Making its Blu-ray debut, the 2003 movie — about three childhood friends and a murder that pulls them apart — boasts Oscar-winning performances by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Kevin Bacon is also terrific.
CD
Animal Collective: Campfire Songs
(Paw Tracks)
Before they became every music snob's favorite band, these noisemaking weirdos kept the electronic enhancements to a minimum. Their third album (from 2003) features five single-take tracks recorded on a porch with acoustic guitars. Listen for birds and other natural ingredients (like wind rustling through the trees) in the mix. Freaky!
DVD
Dr. Who: The Complete Specials
(BBC)
As we prepare for yet another actor to step into the doctor's time-traveling shoes, look back on David Tennant's run in this five-disc set, which gathers five specials from the long-running sci-fi series: The Next Doctor, Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time, Parts One & Two. Extras include deleted scenes, commentary and a video diary.
CD
The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2: Let It Rock, Jerry Garcia Band, November 17 & 18, 1975, Keystone Berkeley
(Jerry Garcia Family/Rhino)
Garcia's solo gigs weren't all that different than the shows he played with the Grateful Dead (except there's no Bob Weir to weigh things down). There's still plenty of 15-minute jams and covers of other people's classics — like the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together," a highlight of this two-disc set.
VIDEOGAME
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
(Sega)
Just in time for the Olympics, this Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game piles on the snow and events — 14 of them, in fact, many including snowboards, bobsleighs or skis. The first-person point of view is cool (tumbling down a mountain is both exhilarating and nauseating), but best are the multiplayer options, where you can show off your virtual medals across the globe.
