THE LIST: New DVDs, CDs and Books
Music matters — in very different ways — in Tuesday’s two top DVD debuts.
The music’s definitely center stage in “Shine a Light” (PG-13), director Martin Scorsese’s made-for-Imax “rockumentary” focusing on the Rolling Stones’ 2006 “Bigger Bang” gig at New York’s Beacon Theater, which contrasts the now-legendary rockers with interview footage from their bad-boys ’60s roots.
Music provides a backdrop, meanwhile, for the beguiling comedy-drama “The Band’s Visit” (PG-13), about the members of an Egyptian police band stranded in a remote Israeli town. Writer-director Eran Kolirin’s charmer triggered Oscar controversy when the Academy’s foreign-film committee disqualified it because the characters spoke too much English; in any language, their search for common ground proves charmingly bittersweet and utterly unforgettable.
Other recent theatrical releases hitting DVD Tuesday: the comedy sequel “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” (R); the mixed martial arts melodrama “Never Back Down” (PG-13); and the post-apocalyptic thriller “Doomsday” (R).
Topping the documentary list: “Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ With the Godmother” (R), direct from its June showcase at the CineVegas film festival, and “Joe Louis: America’s Hero ... Betrayed” (Unrated).
Leading the TV-to-video transfers: “Centennial: The Complete Series” (Unrated) and “A Woman of Independent Means” (Unrated), plus “Stargate: Continuum” (Unrated); “Girlfriends: The Fourth Season” (Unrated); “Dark Shadows: The Beginning, Vol. 5” (Unrated); and “Beverly Hills 90210: The Fifth Season” (Unrated).
And return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear for the “Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection,” spotlighting the dashingly handsome hero in 10 vintage titles, from the 1940 crime drama "Johnny Apollo" to the time-tripping 1951 fantasy “I’ll Never Forget You.”
Tune in next week — same Bat-time, same Bat-channel! — for the latest news on new (and new-to-DVD) home video releases ...
Scars on Broadway, “Scars on Broadway”
It’s the end of the world as he knows it, and Daron Malakian is feeling just fine. 
“They Say,” the first single from the System of a Down guitarist’s new project Scars on Broadway, is a doomsday anthem du jour, a searching, disconsolate call-to-arms driven by a wild-eyed guitar line and Malakian’s ashen worldview.
Joined by System drummer John Dolmayan, who lives here in Vegas and runs a comic book company out of a warehouse on the north side of town, Malakian has crafted a zig-zagging album that veers between sweaty protest tunes, potty-mouthed electro rock and half-a-dozen other pan-genre curiosities.
It’s odd, unhinged and all the better for it — just like its maker.
Also new in stores: Alice Cooper, “Along Came a Spider;” DJ Laz, “Category 6;” Johnny Flynn, “Alarum;” Soulfly, “Conquer;” Rick Springfield, “Venus in Overdrive;” Third Day, “Revelation;” Various Artists, “Hed Kandi: Summer Mix 2008;” Walls of Jericho, “The American Dream.”
"Braking Dawn," Stephenie Meyers
The big new release this week is Stephenie Meyer’s teen vampire saga “Breaking Dawn.” The book is being held for weekend release so the bookstores can hold Harry Potter-esque parties. Most local bookstores are at the very least staying open late for the sale. Look for more on “Breaking Dawn” release parties here at The Book Nook, and I’ll also have a review as soon as possible.
For those not interested in the latest rage in teen fiction, author Eric Van Lustbader continues the thrilling tale of Jason Bourne with “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Sanction.” Plus, this book actually comes out on Tuesday, so readers can pick this one up before the hordes of teens in vampire teeth hit the stores for “Breaking Dawn.”
Other new releases:
“The Faith of Barack Obama” by Stephen Mansfield
“Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters” by Nancy Pelosi
“The Map Thief” by Heather Terrell
“Black and White and Dead All Over” by John Darnton
“The Magicians and Mrs. Quent” by Galen Beckett
“A Choir of Ill Children” by Tom Piccirilli
“The 13 Clocks” by James Thurber
“King of Ithaca” by Glyn Iliffe
“Superior Saturday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 6)” by Garth Nix
