Alpha Males

Jack Bauer and J.T. tough it up, Jessica Biel casts a spell, and more picks

January 9, 2007

MOVIES: The award-winning doc God Grew Tired of Us chronicles four Sudanese boys' immigration to America, a journey both depressing and inspiring. And in Nick Cassavetes's engrossing thriller Alpha Dog, Justin "Dick in a Box" Timberlake is really quite good as an inked-up drug dealer.

TELEVISION: After a torture-packed stay in a Chinese prison, Jack "Nuts in a Vise" Bauer returns to the States Sunday night for part one of the two-night 24 premiere. Also on Sunday: HBO unveils new seasons of two of its non-Sopranos best, Extras and Rome.

DVD: Catch Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti ogling Jessica Biel's rear end in last summer's sleeper hit The Illusionist, which hits shelves today and deserves a look (and not just because of that gravity-defying booty). Also arriving this week: Quinceañera, the Spanish-language drama that took top honors at Sundance last year, and Bandidas, starring Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek.

MUSIC: Canadian vets Sloan return with Never Hear The End of It, a collection of 30 tracks on a single disc. Also worth a listen: The Beatific Visions, the excellent second album from the Brakes, which is now available on MTV, XM, and iTunes.

WEB: In other hipster rock news, Arcade Fire is now streaming "Black Mirror," the first single off its forthcoming album, on its website, and Damon Albarn's new group, the Good, the Bad, and the Queen, is playing all 12 tracks from its upcoming self-titled debut record on its MySpace page.