Various Artists, Holiday Hootenanny

Various Artists, HOLIDAY HOOTENANNY (MoPop)
Holiday compilations are one of rock’s toughest hat tricks, whether they tackle traditional fare or attempt to craft new seasonal nuggets. This mixed bag benefit for Detroit’s Capuchin Soup Kitchen by some Motown standbys and newbies is far better than most, a sparkly, fun yuletide jaunt that deserves your coin!

The Shining, 2-Disc Special Edition

THE SHINING 2-Disc Special Edition DVD
Warner finally rectifies the early Kubrick DVD travesties with deluxe reissues. The Shining looks better than ever, and the commentary is genuinely illuminating. Disc 2 features Vivian Kubrick’s making-of and 3 new featurettes, including a fascinating interview with composer Wendy Carlos. Plus! At last! Nice packaging!

The Sopranos, Season 6, Part II

THE SOPRANOS, Season Six, Part II DVD
The brilliant (yes, it was) ending to TV’s greatest series gets a rip-off DVD send-off, stretched to fill four discs (at the usual $100), while lacking in bonus features. No doubt Chase & Gandolfini had no interest in filming eulogies, but that’s no excuse. Still, essential television worth every penny.

Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten

JOE STRUMMER: THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN
Friends, family, colleagues and fans gather ‘round campfires to reminisce about my favorite rocker of all time in this moving (yet even-handed) documentary featuring some amazing archival footage. Bono’s always annoying presence is distracting, as is Johnny Depp's, but not devastating. And yep, I bawled at the end.

The Sarah Silverman Program, Season 2

THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM season 2 (Comedy Central)
In season 2, the show has hit its stride, a hilariously profane, but still smart take on every taboo issue imaginable. Sarah’s abortion countdown was the funniest thing I’ve seen on TV this year. And Brian and Steve are my favorite couple on the tube.

Where's Dennis?

WHERE’S DENNIS? THE MAGAZINE CARTOON ART OF HANK KETCHAM Edited by Shane Glines & Alex Chun (Fantagraphics)
For fans of Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketcham, this collection of early cartoons and spot illustration work is essential. You can see Ketcham’s singular style evolve: his masterful line, brilliant use of broken images and incredible ability to draw clothing. A few too-small reproductions aren’t enough to detract.

Eastern Promises

EASTERN PROMISES
David Cronenberg sidles up alongside Coppola and Scorsese in crafting a mob movie that delivers on all levels, humanizing horrible people, shocking with visceral violence (the steam bath scene is everything you’ve heard) and painting the world in mesmerizing shades of gray.

Clean Cartoonists' Dirty Drawings

CLEAN CARTOONISTS’ DIRTY DRAWINGS by Craig Yoe (Last Gasp)
As R. Crumb’s introduction points out, most of these drawings aren’t exactly “dirty,” rather simple “good girl” art by cartoonists ranging from Adams to Caniff to Kirby to Toth. Still, a gorgeous, fascinating compilation by the Arf! Museum curator, my only complaint being a lack of annotation to many drawings.

30 Days of Night

30 DAYS OF NIGHT
While this vampires-in-Alaska tale features some really striking imagery (a high overhead shot of snowy carnage is beautiful and terrifying), some bad casting and a screenplay that insults the intelligence of the audience dims the overall impact of what could’ve been a really good movie.