COLLISION COURSE — Another Earth straddles the line between indie think piece and cerebral science fiction. Aspiring college genius Rhoda tries to secretly make amends to a withering composer whose wife and child she killed in a drunken car accident. Meanwhile, a second Earth has been spotted in the sky slowly moving towards ours (first discovered on the night of their collision), with scientists believing it mirrors our world even down to the people. Are alternate versions of the two protagonists waiting up above? Framing the earthly with the otherworldly, this gradually unfolding tale intensely explores the ideas of…

It’s been a liberating year for Corey Taylor. The vocalist behind the mask of Slipknot member #8 and out front of Stone Sour has pulled back from his musically aggressive ways to release an irreverent, thought-provoking book about the Seven Deadly Sins, speak at England’s renowned Oxford University about his literary efforts and also embark on a solo book reading/acoustic concert tour that recently found him singing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme to his children onstage. But none of these extra-metal activities should sound surprising because Taylor is a man who likes to mash up his life in funny ways,…

‘Tis the season to give, give, give.

The holiday season always heralds a slew of hot new releases, lavishly repackaged reissues and unusual collectors sets. Here are some cool Yule ideas good for stuffing stockings or adding to the pile of presents under the tree. As always, check Deep Discount and Amazon online for great deals. Some of the box sets can be 33 percent off or more.

BLU-RAY BOOTY – It’s hard to believe that a fourth Pirates flick got green lit, but when there’s a treasure chest of movie gold at stake, perhaps it’s not so…

The idea of a farewell tour is bittersweet, especially when you’re a band like Judas Priest that has been in existence for over 40 years. So when the legendary British metal brigade announced that this current world tour would be their last, legions of fans were stunned and saddened. Anthrax was moved enough to write a song called “Judas Priest” on their latest CD. For many metalheads, the thought of a world without Judas Priest seemed unfathomable.

The biggest surprise about this worldwide send-off is the fact that longtime guitarist K.K. Downing, who had been with the band since…

They say that the third time’s the charm, though Chickenfoot III is actually the second studio album from the supergroup ensemble starring frontman Sammy Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Chad Smith. But one could say it is the third stage of their development. Following their solid debut album, the group toured America and played some international dates, honing their live show put on display for the subsequent Get Your Buzz On Live DVD. Getting started was the easy part. Following up was trickier.

The proof is in the pudding of Chickenfoot III, a more cohesive…

It’s the scariest time of the year.

VELOCIRAPTOR RAPTURE — The famed playing God with dinosaurs trilogy finally gets the hi-def treatment, and it’s certainly one series that will look great on your big screen HD TV. While the first is still the best, and the series suffers from the law of diminishing returns, I still enjoy the second Jurassic Park, partially because there are no kids. I’m sorry, but screaming children who turn on flashlights when a T-Rex is hunting them annoy me. Still, the Spielbergian sense of wonder permeates this series, and it’s great if you have…

… is hot video titles!

WALK PROUDLY, CARRY A HUGE HAMMER—One of the most recent Marvel Comics adaptations, Thor brings the Americanized version of the Norse Thunder God to life with lavish sets and eye-popping effects. Chris Hemsworth boldly embodies the battle hungry title character who defies the orders of his father Odin and instigates a potential war with old enemies. Thus he is cast down to earth without his powers to learn to be worthy of his noble stature, leaving Asgard prey to his twisted brother Loki’s megalomaniacal dreams and alliance with evil frost giants. During his…

A LOVABLE ILLEGAL ALIEN — Close encounters are usually portrayed as a scary affair, but in Paul they become endearing. Voiced by Seth Rogen, the titular E.T. (a rather cool CGI creation) is on the run from government spooks, then falls in with two British, alien-obsessed geeks traveling across the American Southwest after San Diego Comic-Con. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are great as the geeks, Kristen Wiig is fun as the religious nutcase who they encounter and Jason Bateman rocks as a badass government agent in dogged pursuit of Paul. Toss in a fun cameo from Sigourney Weaver,…

When it comes to lead singer changes, Journey are practically bulletproof. After famous frontman Steve Perry departed without even touring behind their strong 1996 comeback album, Trial By Fire, no one could have predicted that the band would soldier on and continue enthralling thousands of concertgoers every night nearly 15 years later. Indeed, successive vocalists Steve Augeri, Jeff Scott Soto and now Arnel Pineda have kept the fire burning. With Pineda’s second effort with Journey, Eclipse, out now, the band members—Pineda, guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, bassist Ross Valory and drummer Deen Castronovo—are proving that they have plenty…

OLD SCHOOL CHILLS — The horror explosion of the last decade has become played out in the last year or two with an endless barrage of remakes, reboots and subpar indies. But once in awhile a creepy gem sparkles through the haze of mediocrity, and Insidious is one of them. From the SAW team of director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Wannell comes this terror tale about a family whose boy is under the control of supernatural forces and slips into a coma made more treacherous by the demonic forces swirling about him. It has a slow start but…