TOP PICK
The Curious Case
of Benjamin Button
(Paramount)
David Fincher’s misty-eyed fable (based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald
story) about a man who ages in reverse comes to Blu-ray with commentary
and a four-part making-of doc. Like Benjamin himself, the movie reveals
more each time you see it. Here’s your chance to revisit one of last
year’s best movies.
DVD
Leonard Cohen:
Live in London
(Columbia)
The still-charming Cohen, now 74, runs through 40 years of classics
in this concert recorded last year. He tells jokes, flirts with the
audience and reworks some great songs, while his excellent band fills
in the spaces. The show is also available on CD, but stick with the
DVD, where you can see Cohen’s reaction to the enthralled crowd.
VIDEOGAME
Excitebots: Trick Racing
(Nintendo)
Finally, another game we enjoy playing with the Wii Wheel. These
vehicles are kinda like Transformers, but without the whole
planet-demolishing agenda. All the usual racing tricks are here —
super jumps, turbo blasts, power slides — but the game really
soars when the wheeled robots take flight. The two-person mini-games
are fun too.
CDS
1959 – Jazz’s
Greatest Year
(Columbia/Legacy)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of some of the best jazz records
ever made, these expanded reissues pile on the extras (including
outtakes and videos). The two-CD sets include Dave Brubeck’s Time
Out (a rare mainstream hit), and a pair of indisputable classics:
Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain and Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah
Um.
CD
Action: The Sweet Anthology
(Shout! Factory)
Everything you’ll ever need by one of the glam era’s biggest groups
can be found on this two-disc set. The remastered collection boasts
hits like “Ballroom Blitz,” “Fox on the Run” and “Love Is Like Oxygen”
in all their fuzzed-out glory. Every song sounds like it was recorded
on a pair of mile-high platforms.
This article appears in May 20-26, 2009.