1. Nine Inch Nails, "Live - Beside You in Time" (DVD)

Every bit of the typical attention to detail and lavish care that fans have come to expect is here. Soundwise, the concert is presented spectacularly. This is less the last gasp of the "With Teeth" era than the first shot off the bow for Trent Reznor's newfound relevance. Now that he's finally grown up, Reznor should once again prove to be a formidable force. - Tim O'Neil

2. "America at a Crossroads" (TV)

A $20 million effort to examine a variety of experiences for "America" after 9/11, this ambitious project was launched in March 2004, garnering some 440 proposals, granted development grants to 34, and sent 20 into production. The resulting series offers a range of films: smart, tough, perceptive, and sad, sometimes uneven and often quite brilliant. All these documentaries manifest some form of bias (as all documentaries do, subtly or patently). But they are effective, provocative, and complex. - Cynthia Fuchs

3. Noisettes, "What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?" (CD)

One thing the Noisettes have over other indie/punk trios kicking around Britain these days is that prototypical sex-snarl with soul (the kind that Peaches overshoots with brilliant profanity). This band has verve and true punk attitude. They've crafted a tight but unpredictable indie-punk aesthetic; nodding to plenty of rock-n-roll of the past 50 years, but never worshiping it mindlessly. Here's a group that is unashamedly fun.-  Dan Raper

4. "Notes on a Scandal" (DVD)

Oscars – like secrets – can be seductive, and this little film means to tempt us. Dame Judi gives an absolutely pulverizing performance. At 73, the silver-haired sphinx may just now be peaking – and unlike her contemporaries, she's got plenty left in the tank. Dench gives an absolutely pulverizing performance, at last warranting the ubiquitous Oscar nod she seems to earn perennially, just for showing up. The scorned spinster bares her teeth and exacts a slumbering revenge. - Jarrett Berman

5. The Beautiful & Damned (band)

Embodying the labyrinthine decay and assured swagger of their Hollywood home, this band is fueled by a bit of literary pretension and a drive to expose the grandeur in the intimate and ugly. Baillon describes the band's approach to songwriting as "minimalist" at least three separate times over the course of our interview, but that is probably the last word I would use. Each song is writ large, finding grand drama even in the most personal stories. -- Jon Garrett

6. Charlie Louvin, "Charlie Louvin" (CD)

What might seem like something commemorative, a re-recorded "greatest hits" made in celebration of a great country singer's career, is, in fact, far too vital and alive to be passed off as some late-life cash in. The guests make not so much for a passing of the torch, but more a meeting of minds both young and old to play the music they love. The collaborations sound organic, like a handful of like-minded artists playing some of their favorite songs in a pretty loose, friendly atmosphere. -  Matthew Fiander

7. "God of War II" (PlayStation 2)

Here is a very accomplished sequel to an already great game. It takes itself so seriously, that it comes off a touch tongue-in-cheek for the player. It makes you giggle while inducing mayhem by tapping into something puerile within (a notion reinforced by the talk radio programming, advertisements, and signs in the game). - Arun Subramanian

8. "The Burmese Harp" (DVD)

This film's awareness lies behind much of the action, giving it a gravity and power that offers hope without denying the potentially hopeless psychological brutality of war. It reveals how powerful a partially digested depiction of a war experience can be. Director Ichikawa successfully uses the fantasy tone to convey a post-traumatic remove and otherness that captures the longing and overpowering melancholy that soldiers feel at the end of the war. - Michael Buening

9. "Red Road" (Film)

If "Red Road's" resolution feels contrived, the pain it exposes remains effectively raw. Precisely because she's trained to watch, the protagonist knows how to position herself for surveillance cameras and legal reports in order to tell a story, and her story extends beyond her control, no matter what she sees, thinks she sees, or tries to see. In that, at least, her vision is much like yours. - Cynthia Fuchs

10. Pole, "Steingarten" (CD)

Pole's minimal electronic music is just about perfect. Every track is just about a complete microcosm unto itself, unfolding with precision and lingering just long enough for the listener to begin to get a grasp the many subtleties on display, but not long enough for it to wear out its welcome. It's a kind of concise statement that simply can't be beat, because you can't imagine how it could be any better than it already is. - Tim O'Neil

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