Our Picks Reviews

"Our Picks" provides reviews of new DVDs, CDs and books that our readers would enjoy.

The Shield: The Complete Series Collection
DVD ($159.95)

In a gritty sector of Los Angeles underbelly, a group of corrupt cops gets the job done-but dig for themselves an ever-deepening hole of moral and criminal compromise as they continually cross the line between right and wrong. The acclaimed, award-winning FX network series comes to DVD in a hefty, 28-disc collector's package with all 88 episodes and several bonus features, including a 34-page scrapbook and a documentary about the real police scandal of the late 1990s that inspired the show.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/15/2009

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Almanac of the Infamous, The Incredible and the Ignored
Written and illustrated by Juanita Rose Violini
Softcover, 295 pages ($19.99)

Phantom hitchhikers, spontaneous combustions, showers of stones. These and 363 more of history's mysteries—one corresponding to every day of the year—are here for you to ponder in this entertaining, engrossing and altogether enchanting chronicle of oddities, enigmas and other assorted wrinkles of weirdness. Well-researched and creatively illustrated, it's a refreshing stretch for the imagination. Read and marvel!
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/15/2009

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Herblock
By Haynes Johnson and Harry L. Katz
Hardcover, 304 pages ($35)

Signing his work as "Herblock," Herb Block of "The Washington Post" was one of America's most significant political cartoonists of the 20th century. This collection, timed to what would have been his 100th birthday, features 250 reproductions of Block's artistry—plus another 18,000 more on an accompanying DVD. It's an opinionated, pen-and-ink snapshot of a changing, often turbulent world, from the Great Depression to the modern era of international terrorism, with commentary that puts every cartoon into context.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/15/2009

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An American Family: Three Decades With The McGarveys
Photographed by Pam Spaulding
Hardcover, 224 pages ($42)

In 1977, "Louisville Courier Journal" photojournalist Spaulding began following a local family for what was intended to be a yearlong project about new parents. It turned into 30 years—and the most complete, comprehensive snapshot of a family ever recorded. Spanning three generations and presented now in book form, these images—of backseat car squabbles, graduations, pet burials and the McGarveys' many other rituals, routines, celebrations and sorrows—are a remarkable window onto a world of personal moments that represent a sweeping, spectacular view of the greater American experience.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/15/2009

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The Proposal
DVD ($39.99)

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds star in this screwball comedy about a business-arrangement odd couple forced to follow through on a backfired matrimonial scheme. Betty White is a hoot as a say-anything grandma, and Oscar Nuñez (from TV's "The Office") crops up repeatedly—and hilariously—as a shopkeeper moonlighting in several surprising sidelines. Bonus features include bloopers, outtakes, commentary and an alternate ending.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/8/2009

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The American Brew
DVD ($24.99)

An insightful documentary about America's enduring love affair with beer, this hour-long PBS project comes with 45 minutes of bonus material, including a tour of a secret Prohibition-era beer cellar, a peek at an amazing collection of brew-related memorabilia and an investigation into a topic that has long divided wine sippers and beer quaffers: Which beverage goes best with cheese? Cheers! (To order, go to shopPBS.org)
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/8/2009

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Barns of Illinois
Photos by Larry Kanfer / Text by Alaina Kanfer
Hardcover, 120 pages ($39.95)

Barn lovers, this one's for you. The husband-and-wife team of Larry and Alaina Kanfer takes you on a tour of the many structures across Illinois that continue to stand as a connection between the present and the past of America's heartland. From weathered shells to proudly restored structures now used as schools, businesses and, yes, even for agriculture, they're an enduring tribute to the land, people and traditions of the Midwest. (Available at press.uillinois.edu)
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/8/2009

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Travelin' Man: On the Road and Behind the Scene with Bob Seger
By Tom Weschler and Gary Graff
Hardcover, 192 pages ($27.95)

For more than a decade beginning in the late 1960s, Tom Weschler was Bob Seger's tour manager—and, wielding his 35mm camera, a photographer with unrestricted access to the grueling formative stages of a Detroit-based career that would eventually go nationwide with hits like "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," "Night Moves" and "We've Got Tonight." With a foreword by John Mellencamp, an afterword by Kid Rock, commentary by noted rock journalist Gary Graff and more than 150 photos, 'Travelin' Man' presents a unique insider's view of one of rock 'n' roll's hardest-working, hit-making musical icons on his trajectory to superstardom.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/8/2009

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Ally McBeal—The Complete Series
DVD ($199.98)

Calista Flockhart's award-winning portrayal of an eccentric, neurotic young New York attorney was a TV smash during its five-season run from 1997 to 2002, with hilariously quirky characters, a swingin' pop soundtrack and—lest we forget—a computer-generated dancing baby that recurred as a hallucination to represent the ticking of Ally's biological clock. This lavish 32-DVD set includes every episode plus several bonus features, including a retrospective with the outstanding cast, which also featured Robert Downey Jr., Lucy Liu and Jane Krakowski.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/1/2009

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Otis Redding—The Best See + Hear
CD / DVD ($19.98)

Ready for some tuneful, tasty '60s R&B? Hear the greatest hits of the late, great Otis Redding, who died in a 1967 plane crash just before the song that would become his signature, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," was released. Groove along to "Try a Little Tenderness," "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and the original version of "Respect," which would go on to become a career-maker for Aretha Franklin. Then pop in the DVD, which documents two roof-raising concert appearances by Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, and Sam & Dave. It's easy to see and hear why, as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes, Redding's name "is synonymous with the term 'soul.'"
—Neil Pond, American Profile

posted on: 11/1/2009

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