Media Mix

Book

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Because She Can

By Bridie Clark

Warner Books

$23.99

A young veteran of book publishing crafts a predictable "Devil Wears Prada"-ish novel about working under a literary-world tyrant.

"I could put up with anything for a year. It would be worth it. I knew I could do it. Well, okay. Hoped."

— Claire Truman tentatively embarks on her new career

Clark's prose is lively and clever, and her descriptions of living the high life in New York (and Paris, for one particularly enchanted weekend) are dead-on.

The protagonist's sorry plight — two gorgeous suitors, a big paycheck, industry status — will garner little sympathy from most readers.

— Reviewed by Sara Cardace

C

Book

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US Guys: The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man

By Charlie LeDuff

Penguin Press

$25.95

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist LeDuff spends a year on the road reporting — gonzo style — in hopes of sussing out what makes the American man tick.

"Women dress like girls because a woman can't act her age anymore. She's got to compete. Not only do women need men, they need to be needed by men."

— LeDuff helpfully explains what motivates the fairer sex

LeDuff boils down a wide range of his experiences to their nitty-gritty essence, from the Burning Man event in Nevada to a gay rodeo in Oklahoma to a Civil War reenactment in Montana.

At times, LeDuff's arrogance becomes tiresome, and his propensity for snide remarks comes off as condescension.

— Alexis Burling

C+

CD

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A Weekend in the City

Bloc Party

Vice

$15.98

The indie sensation's sophomore effort casts a critical eye on everyday British life, tethering hyper-emotive swells to spiky guitar work.

"Spend all your spare time trying to escape / With crosswords and Sudoku"

— "Waiting for the 7:18"

The band's previous album provided oodles of remix fodder, but percussive new tunes such as "Hunting for Witches" have beaten DJs to the punch.

Singer Kele Okereke narrates from various perspectives but always with the same on-the-verge-oftears sentimentality. (Kleenex not provided.)

— Chris Richards

B-

CD

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Infinity on High

Fall Out Boy

Island

$13.98

America's emo darlings release another album of surging rock tunes in which high school angst meets drama-club histrionics.

"Don't really care which side wins / As long as the room keeps singing / That's just the business I'm in"

— "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race."

Some of these songs are compulsively catchy, especially when singer Patrick Stump unleashes his inner blue-eyed soulman.

Touching on emo, hard-core, new wave, ska and R&B, these dudes consistently confuse aesthetic range with popularity-contest pandering.

— C.R.

C+

DVD

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Hollywoodland

Rated R

Universal

$29.98

In this film inspired by real-life events, a bottom-feeding gumshoe (Adrien Brody) investigates the death of TV's Superman, George Reeves (Ben Affleck).

"George, that was what you were good for. Ten-year-olds and shut-ins. That was the best you were ever going to be. I knew that. Why didn't you?”

— Spurned sugar-mama Toni (Diane Lane) gives Reeves a dose of truth

Affleck is the best thing about the film and his character the very embodiment of the Hollywood dream deferred. Plus, haters get to see him in an immensely unflattering Superman costume.

The sections with Brody drag horribly and are stuffed with noir cliches. The attempts to draw out sad parallels between his character and Reeves don't really work.

— Greg Zinman

C+

DVD

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The Science of Sleep

Rated R

Warner Bros.

$27.98

An inventor who has trouble separating dreams from reality falls for a neighbor in this Michel Gondry film.

"Why do I deserve a present, anyway?"

"Because for the occasion that you are pretty."

— Stephane (Gael Bernal Bernal) explains to Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) why he has made her a time machine

The film's visual flights of fancy — derived mostly from low-tech stop-motion effects — are marvelous. Extras include excellent commentary from Gondry, Bernal and Gainsbourg.

Gondry sets the whimsy button on "twee," and the sight of adults playing gleefully with dolls might strike some viewers as a little silly.

— G.Z.

A-

Game

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Hotel Dusk: Room 215

Nintendo DS

Rated Teen

Nintendo

$29.99

It's like a David Lynch simulator: You're a salesman with a hidden past who checks into a roadside motel filled with equally shadowy guests.

Almost all the action is pushed along through pulpy, hard-boiled dialogue as you ask questions to get to the bottom of several overlapping mysteries.

The plot twists that come midway into the game are genuinely surprising, and the sketchbook-come-to-life graphics suit the tone perfectly.

The slow start won't appeal to impatient gamers. And the elevator-music soundtrack is just plain awful.

— Christopher Healy

B-

game

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Rogue Galaxy

PlayStation 2

Rated Teen

Sony

$39.99

In the midst of a cosmic civil war, a young man named Jaster defies martial law and embarks on an adventure with a colorful crew of space pirates.

The game's fighting system automatically targets enemies, letting players chain together massive strings of multiple hits.

Galaxy successfully combines an epic story with strong action, breaking the staid conventions of role-playing games.

The sprawling plot can feel overpopulated with characters who do little to move the narrative along.

— Evan Narcisse

B+