THE LIST: DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week

DVDS

"There Will Be Blood" (PG-13): Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia," "Punch-Drunk Love") finally gets out of his own quirky way -- and strikes Oscar gold -- with an epic adaptation of Upton Sinclair's "Oil!" about the showdown between a budding oil baron (Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis) and a neophyte preacher (Paul Dano) in early 20th-century California. A bit overlong and over-the-top, but this gripping tale nevertheless showcases Anderson's sweeping vision and Day-Lewis' towering performance as the embodiment of all-American greed and rapaciousness.

Also out today: "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (R); "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep" (PG); "Lions for Lambs" (R); "Resurrecting the Champ" (PG-13); "Reservation Road" (R); "Sharkwater" (PG); "Day of the Dead" (R); "Hush ... Hush Sweet Charlotte" (Unrated); and "Classic Musicals From the Dream Factory, Vol. 3" (Unrated).

CDS

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!": The undertakers of alt-rock, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds make your average funeral seem like a kegger in comparison.

Black-clad and dour, these dudes are catalyzed by dark skies and darker humor.

It can be some pretty grim stuff, but their wit is as sharp as their fangs and Cave's full-bodied baritone could make a death threat sound inviting.

Also in stores: ASHES dIVIDE, "Keep Telling Myself It's Alright"; The Breeders, "Mountain Battles"; Cut Copy, "In Ghost Colors"; Paul Gilbert, "Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar"; Leona Lewis, "Spirit"; Man Man, "Rabbit Habits"; Nine Inch Nails, "Ghosts I-IV"; P.O.D., "When Angels and Serpents Dance"; Was (Not Was), "Boo!"

BOOKS

"Once Upon a Time in the North" by Philip Pullman: The latest from "The Golden Compass" author returns to His Dark Materials, exploring the first meeting of heroic balloonist Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear. The book comes with extras, inlcuding a board game, Peril of the Pole.

Also hitting shelves: "Certain Girls" by Jennifer Weiner; "The Third Angel" by Alice Hoffman; "Where Are You Now?" by Mary Higgins Clark; "Zapped: A Regan Reilly Mystery" by Carol Higgins Clark; "Go Green, Live Rich" by David Bach; "Bulls Island" by Dorothea Benton Frank; "McMafia: A Journey through the Global Underworld" by Misha Glenny; and "Shadow Country" by Peter Matthiessen.