THE LIST: DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores week of April 13

DVDS
  “Pirate Radio” (R): When stuffy BBC officials ban rock ’n’ roll in the swingin’ ’60s, DJs take to the high seas and broadcast from offshore, rocking the boat by blasting tunes and raising hell. A dream cast (led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans as the radio rogues, Kenneth Branagh as the government prude) parties hearty for writer-director Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”).
From there, it’s a banner week for classics, thanks to the Criterion Collection’s fifth “Essential Art House” collection, which features such bargain-priced landmarks (all unrated) as director David Lean’s “Brief Encounter” (1945), Federico Fellini’s “8½” (1963), Yasujiro Ozu’s “Floating Weeds” (1959), Francois Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim” (1962) and Milos Forman’s “Loves of a Blonde” (1965). Other oldies-but-goodies range from the Blu-Ray debuts of “Apollo 13: 15th Anniversary Edition” (PG) and “The Great Mouse Detective” (G) to new Blu-Ray editions of “Gone With the Wind” (G) and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (R).
  Turning to movies that never made it to local theaters, Russell Crowe plays a cop after a possible serial killer in “Tenderness” (R). Woody Harrelson and Sandra Oh headline “Defendor” (R), about a regular guy who takes on a superhero persona to combat crime. “Boondock Saints” star Norman Reedus returns in “The Beatnicks” (not rated), about two wannabe rockers searching for their big break. Luke Wilson plays a politically unsavvy college professor trying for “Tenure” (R), while Lauren Bacall, Jason Alexander, Christopher Plummer and Andrea Libman lend their voices to the animated “The Madeline Movie: Lost in Paris” (G).
  On the documentary front, Joan Allen narrates the award-winning “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” (not rated), about a 22-year-old Hungarian poet and resistance fighter who parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe, leading Jewish volunteers from Palestine on a World War II rescue mission. “We Believe: A Relationship That Last a Lifetime” (not rated) explores the fervent bond between the city of Chicago and its forever frustrating baseball team, the Cubs. (Chicago native Gary Sinise narrates; Buddy Guy, Bonnie Hunt, Hugh Hefner, Dennis Franz and Joe Mantegna, among others, contribute comments.) Eric Bana, meanwhile, directs “Love the Beast” (R), an account of his quarter-century owning, racing — and adoring — a vintage Ford Falcon. And another Aussie, Hugh Jackman, joins David Copperfield, Seal, Ringo Starr and Bob Geldof, among others, to ponder diverse perceptions of God in “Oh My God” (not rated).
  Today’s TV transfer list (all unrated) includes everything from highlights of the “2010 Winter Olympics” to the PBS documentary “Faces of America.” Also on tap: “The Definitive TV Western Collection,” “The Oregon Trail,” “Tom and Jerry Tales: The Complete First Season,” “Lovers & Friends: Seasons One and Two,” “Alias Smith And Jones: Seasons Two and Three,” “Emergency: Season Six” and “Dallas: The Complete 13th Season.”

CDS
  MGMT, “Congratulations”: They say never to judge a book by its cover, but what about CDs?
  Well, now, that’s an entirely different story, especially when it comes to the sophomore effort from Brooklyn duo MGMT, whose sleeve comes adorned with a cartoonish, crazy ass depiction of a surfing wildcat catching a wave out of a bigger cat’s mouth.
  Or something like that.
  Anyway, strange as it may seem, the image is actually a decent encapsulation of this wild-eyed disc, which heavily mines '60s psychedelia — and doo-wop and surf rock and folk and just about anything else that tickles their whimsy at a given moment. 
  While the album might alienate some looking for the kind of delirious dance pop found on MGMT’s hit debut, this is still a wave highly worth catching.
  “Congratulations,” all around.
  Also in stores: Jeff Beck, “Emotion & Commotion”; Bleeding Through, “Bleeding Through”; Jason Castro, “Jason Castro”; Coheed and Cambria, “Year of the Black Rainbow”; Earl Greyhound, “Suspicious Package”; Matt Pond PA, “The Dark Leaves”; Natalie Merchant, “Leave Your Sleep”; Jo Dee Messina, “Unmistakable"; and Murs & 9th Wonder, “ForNever.”

BOOKS
  “Every Last One” by Anna Quindlen: A shocking act of violence changes everything for one family in this tear-jerker centering around mother Mary Beth Latham, her husband and their three teenage children.
  On the nonfiction front, journalist Kitty Kelley, relying on three years of research and 850 interviews with sources, takes a look at one of the most influential celebrities of our time in her new biography, “Oprah.”
  Also hitting shelves this week: “Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace” by David Lipsky; “Beatrice and Virgil” by Yann Martel; “The Bride Collector” by Ted Dekker; “Bringing up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women” by James C. Dobson; “Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet” by Bill McKibben; “The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris” by Mark Kurlansky; “Eat the Cookie ... Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up” by Joyce Meyer; “The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence” by Paul Davies; “Elegy for April” by Benjamin Black; “The Hand That First Held Mine” by Maggie O’Farrell; “A Mighty Fortress” by David Weber; “The Other Family” by Joanna Trollope; “The Shadow of Your Smile” by Mary Higgins Clark; “Shameless” by Karen Robards; “The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook” by Rodale Books; “2010: Take Back America: A Battle Plan” by Dick Morris; and “Wrecked” by Carol Higgins Clark.