THE LIST: DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week
DVDS
"Vantage Point" (PG-13): You've gotta get a gimmick, and this thriller has a doozy, exploring an apparent assassination and terrorist attack at an international summit from multiple perspectives, including those of Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid, "Lost's" Matthew Fox), an American tourist armed with a videocam (Forest Whitaker), a TV news producer (Sigourney Weaver) and the U.S. president (William Hurt) himself. But once you've got a gimmick you've gotta know what to do with it, and this "Vantage Point" doesn't, forcing us to try and piece together a puzzle with pieces that never quite fit.
Also out today: "Drillbit Taylor" (PG-13); "My Blueberry Nights" (PG-13); "Meet the Browns" (PG13); "City of Men" (R); "Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control" (PG-13); "The Girl on the Bridge" (R); "Papa's Delicate Condition" (Unrated); "Only the Valiant" (Unrated); "Daniel" (R); and "Desperate Characters" (R).
CDS
Alkaline Trio, "Agony & Irony": Their hooks are as bright as their wardrobe is black, and that's the thing about Alkaline Trio: Few bands make misery seem like such inviting company as these bipolar punks.
With a knack for making heartache something that you can pump your fist to, this bunch have come with their biggest-sounding album yet on their major label debut, "Agony & Irony," an album of singalong self-loathing that's sure to be the feel bad hit of the summer.
Also in stores: G-Unit, "T.O.S.: Terminate on Sight"; Vanessa Anne Hudgens, "Identified"; Los Lonely Boys, "Forgiven"; Relient K, "The Bird and the Bee Sides"; Tech N9ne, "Killer"; and Ben Watt, "Buzzin' Fly, Vol. 5: Golden Years in the Wilderness."
BOOKS
"The Last Patriot" by Brad Thor: The author of "The First Commandment" returns with his seventh thriller featuring Homeland Security operative Scot Harvath, who, in this installment, must uncover a powerful secret that could finally put an end to militant Islam.
Also hitting shelves: "Chasing Darkness" by Robert Crais; "A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-foot, 8-inch, 170-lb, 43-year-old Sportswriter Plays Football with the Pros" by Stefan Fatsis; "Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World" by David Maraniss; and "Pillage" by Obert Skye.
