TOP PICK — DVD
Elf: Ultimate Collector's Edition
(Warner)
Just in time for Christmas, one of the best holiday movies ever gets super-sized in this cool new set. Goodies include a CD soundtrack, gift tags, a picture frame, and a big yellow stocking you can hang for Santa to fill. It's all great stuff, but it's the movie you'll be reaching for every year. It has a bigger heart than the Grinch, and it's way funnier than It's a Wonderful Life.
VIDEO GAME
GoldenEye 007; James Bond 007: Blood Stone
(Activision)
Since it's going to be another couple of years before we get another James Bond movie, these two video-game adventures are going to have to tide us over. The awesome vehicles in Blood Stone (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) make up for the so-so action. GoldenEye (for the Wii) is based on the classic '90s game and is a blast. You'll be shaken and stirred.
BOOK
Life
(Little, Brown)
There's plenty of sex and drugs in Keith Richards' autobiography, but there's also lots of rock & roll. And that's what drives the book: Richards' lifelong love of American blues and soul men, and how they've influenced his music over the years. His casual dismissing of his legend is refreshing. He dishes on Mick too, who comes off like a stuffy prima donna. Surprise.
VIDEO GAME
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
(LucasArts)
The follow-up to one of the best Star Wars video games continues the saga of Darth Vader's apprentice Starkiller. And like its predecessor, this game (for pretty much every system) puts much focus on storytelling. There aren't as many revelatory moments here, but Star Wars fans will love the narrative. Game fans will love the fluid play. Both will love the dual-lightsaber battles.
CD
Weezer: Pinkerton — Deluxe Edition
(DGC/UMe)
You can thank Weezer's second album, from 1996, for kick-starting every single emo songwriter you've had to endure over the past decade. It's still a great record, amped up with B-sides, live cuts, and acoustic songs on this two-disc reissue. There's some bloat here, but the original album's 10 songs remain a core inspiration for anxious, zit-speckled kids across the nation.
