CULTURE JAMMING — DECEMBER 22, 2010

TOP PICK – VIDEO GAME

Disney Epic Mickey

(Disney)

Disney’s best-ever game stars everyone’s favorite pants-wearing mouse in an adventure that’s as fun to play as it is to get lost in. The visual dynamic here is breathtaking – long, lost characters from the Disney archives pop up throughout the story. And the Wii is the perfect fit for a game that glances forward as often as it nods to the past. Mickey hasn’t been this cool in years.

DVD

Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition

(Twentieth Century Fox)

The expanded version of the box-office behemoth doesn’t add much to the story – it’s just more CGI awesomeness to look at. This three-disc Blu-ray includes the original movie, the longer theatrical cut, and another, longer version. Watch whichever one you have time for. When you’re finished, you can dive into the tons of extras, including 45 minutes of more deleted scenes.

BOOK

Decoded

(Spiegel & Grau)

Jay-Z’s long-awaited bio reads more like a notebook than a historical narrative. But considering the notebook includes breakdowns of Jigga’s rhymes, we’re not complaining. You get a little perspective from his childhood and drug-dealing days, but Hova mostly dissects his work here, shedding some light on all those words he’s been hurling for 15 years.

BOOK

Max’s Kansas City: Art, Glamour, Rock and Roll

(Abrams Image)

Steven Kasher pulls together a bunch of photos from the NYC club’s 1970s heyday. All of the usual suspects are here: Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, various Ramones. A young, skinny Bruce Springsteen even shows up. There are stories behind these coke-smeared faces, but the pics say all you need to know about the decadence going on inside the hipster hotspot.

VIDEO GAME

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

(EA)

We can’t tell you how many times we’ve thought of outrunning the law in our Honda Civic. Then reality hits, and we end up just paying the damn ticket. That’s why we love the latest outing of this series (for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), where you rev up your ride and tear through city streets with the po-po close behind. You can also play as a cop, if that’s your thing.