MOVIES OPENING IN C-U THIS WEEK

"No Country for Old Men" (Rated R, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen)
In the film Roger Ebert has hailed as better than “Fargo,” a poor man (Josh Brolin) is on the run and in possession of a briefcase containing $2 million, pursued by a merciless killer (Javier Bardem), who is in turn pursued by a lawman (Tommy Lee Jones) intent on ending the killer’s murder streak.

"August Rush" (Rated PG, dir. Kirsten Sheridan)
Kirsten Sheridan, daughter of veteran director Jim Sheridan, directs this whimsical modern-day fairy tale about an estranged musician couple (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who are brought back together by the discovery that they have a son (Freddie Highmore), also a musical prodigy.

"Stephen King’s The Mist" (Rated R, dir. Frank Darabont)
Frank Darabont, best known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novels (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile”), brings another of his muse’s works to the screen in this horror thriller about a small town under siege by a thick and unnatural mist with horrifying qualities.

"This Christmas" (Not Rated, dir. Preston Whitmore)
For the first time in years, the Whitfield family comes together for Christmas, carrying with them emotional baggage and secrets that will test their bonds. Idris Elba (“The Wire”), Regina King (“Ray”), and pop singer Chris Brown star.

"Enchanted" (Rated PG, dir. Kevin Lima)
The fairy-tale world of “happily ever after” and 21st century urban reality collide when the princess (Amy Adams) of a magical kingdom is exiled by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) and banished to modern-day Manhattan.

"Hitman" (Rated R, dir. Xavier Gens)
Timothy Olyphant (“Go,” “The Safety of Objects”) stars as the titular character in this adaptation of the popular video game series about a genetically engineered assassin. Dougray Scott (“Enigma”) and Olga Kurylenko (“Paris Je T’Aime”) co-star.

Kumars’ Pick: “No Country for Old Men.” No contest whatsoever.

NEW CD RELEASES THIS WEEK

Amy Winehouse, “Frank”
This Brit with a badass rep brings her 2003 debut stateside. The record (named after the musical demigod Frank Sinatra) features production by Salaam Remi, as well as classic jazz covers like “Moody’s Mood for Love.” The album also contains Winehouse’s singles “Stronger Than Me,” “Take The Box,” and “F*** Me Pumps.”

Gorillaz, “D-Sides”
Gorillaz, the genre-defying project of Damon Albarn, drop a compilation album of B-sides and remixes. The songs, all singles or bonus-tracks from 2005’s “Demon Days,” will be packaged in a two-disc format and will come with a 12-page booklet. A “Deluxe Edition” of the double album (including a patch, four buttons, and art prints) will also be available.

Kool Keith, “Dr. Octagon Part II”
Dr. Octagon, the most popular of many aliases for underground rapper Kool Keith, is resurrected in a controversial and legally questionable release. Since Keith’s horrorcore alter ego, Dr. Dooom, murdered the Dr. Octagon persona in the opening track of 1999’s “First Come, First Served,” rumors of Dr. Octagon’s return have circulated incessantly. Two releases under the moniker (including one in association with Real Talk Records, the company putting out this week’s album) have hit stores since 2000, but both have faced controversy, as Keith claimed that they were “bootlegged” and a “fraud.” The standing of this week’s release is unclear.

Erin’s Pick: Well, it seems to me that Kool Keith won’t support the album coming out this week. I can’t verify that, but out of respect for him, I’m going to refrain from supporting it as well (at least until I hear one way or the other about it). This week’s other releases are fairly run-of-the-mill, and aren’t enticing me.

NEW DVD RELEASES THIS WEEK

"Hairspray" (Rated PG, dir. Adam Shankman)
Director Adam Shankman (“A Walk to Remember,” “The Pacifier”) remakes John Waters’ 1988 cult classic about a plump girl who achieves her dream of becoming a regular on a TV dance show and becomes an advocate for integration. John Travolta (in drag, no less), Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, and Queen Latifah make up a star-studded ensemble cast for this musical.

"Live Free or Die Hard" (Rated R, dir. Len Wiseman)
Iconic action hero John McClane (Bruce Willis, reprising his most recognizable role), “brawn over brains” philosophy intact, returns to foil a high-tech assault on the United States using — you guessed it — brute force.

"Rescue Dawn" (Rated PG-13, dir. Werner Herzog)
Christian Bale stars in this adaptation of the true story of American pilot Dieter Dengler, who was shot down and held captive in a P.O.W. camp in Laos during the Vietnam War.

"Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (Rated G, dir. Michael Lembeck)
Comedian Tim Allen returns as Santa Claus for this third installment of the holiday comedy series. This time around, Santa must juggle his yearly duties with the task of defending Christmas from his rival, Jack Frost, voiced by Martin Short.

Kumars’ Pick: Ho ho ho, merry Holiday Movie Season! I haven’t seen any of these, nor do I particularly aspire to.

LOCAL SHOWS & CONCERTS

As far as all-ages shows go, it appears that nothing of note is happening this week. You probably have Thanksgiving to thank for that (hah … get it?). In any case, I think we can manage. We’ll have other things to busy ourselves with — we’re going to be on break, after all.

If you want more info about this week’s events, check out the217.com. It was just launched a few weeks ago, and has a detailed local calendar.

NEW VIDEO GAME RELEASES THIS WEEK

“Mass Effect” (Microsoft Game Studios)
“Mass Effect” is a futuristic science fiction RPG where you play as the elite human soldier Commander Shepard. In “Mass Effect,” there are six available character classes to choose from: Soldier, Engineer, Adept, Infiltrator, Sentinel and Vanguard. The game play of “Mass Effect” is similar to previous RPG games in the sense that you control a squad of troops that will help you fight against the enemy. “Mass Effect” runs on the game engine Unreal Engine 3, which makes the enviroment, characters, and enemy all very realistic. “Mass Effect” costs $59.99 for the Xbox 360.

“Rock Band” (MTV Games)
“Rock Band” is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, the group that began the "Guitar Hero" series. But “Rock Band” will not only be about playing a guitar, it will also introduce game play for drums and vocals. As well, “Rock Band” promotes online play, allowing you to play with bands online. The soundtrack features 58 playable tracks. The game “Rock Band” costs $59.99 for the Xbox360 and PS3, but the whole set (including game, guitar, drum, microphone, and USB hub, not available for PS3) costs $169.99 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“Unreal Tournament 3” (Midway Games)
Developed by Epic Games, which brought "Gears of War," "Unreal Tournament 3" is the next installment of the Unreal series. Similar to all the previous games, “Unreal Tournament 3” is a shooter and primarily focuses on online multiplayer matches, though it does have a single-player mode. In the online multiplayer matches, “Unreal Tournament 3” introduces deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, duel, unreal warfare, and vehicle capture the flag. “Unreal Tournament 3” will also be running on the game engine Unreal Engine 3, making the characters and the environments of the maps very realistic. “Unreal Tournament 3” costs $49.99 for the PC

Gordon’s Pick: This is another week of very highly anticipated games, and I recommend each one. If you’re a fan of shooters and have a good computer, “Unreal Tournament 3” is a must-have. The same goes for “Mass Effect” — even if you don’t really like RPG games, “Mass Effect” is a truly unique RPG and is one of those games that you should really consider including in your game collection. Despite the expensive prices for “Rock Band,” I personally think that it is probably going to be the best music video game out there. I would prefer it over “Guitar Hero 3” because there are a lot more options in “Rock Band,” such as playing on the drums and singing.