Bloglander

Every week the entertainment biz does its best to separate you from your money, and at Tuesday Taste we help you decide how best to spend your hard-earned cash, sifting through the week's new releases. 

MUSIC 
Among the mainstream releases this week, Imagine Dragons will probably dominate the sales chart with their bombastic brand of rock. Reggae fans will want to check out a new Bob Marley live set recorded in Boston in 1978. Here are a few releases worth a listen if those don't do it for you: 

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, Transfixation. The New York noise-rockers try to capture the blend of shoegaze, psychedelia and hardcore that makes their live shows some of the most thrilling in modern rock on their fourth full-length. Here's a taste: 

JULIANA HATFIELD THREE, Whatever, My Love. A criminally underappreciated part of the '90s alt-rock explosion, the Juliana Hatfield Three released one album in 1993 and finally are releasing a follow-up 22 years later. Poppy, punky and highly entertaining is the rule with these guys. Here's a new tune, "Wood":   
STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES, Terraplane. One of America's best songwriters/political firestarters is back with an album steeped in the blues. He can basically do no wrong, as he's shown through a remarkably consistent 16 album releases. And not only did the man act on The Wire, he's got a boss beard. Check it: 

MOVIES & TV
You won't be shocked to learn that the week before the Oscars are awarded — this Sunday, if you were unaware — there will be a whole lot of Oscar 2015 nominees released on DVD. So, if you haven't seen Birdman (you totally should) or the Stephen Hawking flick The Theory of Everything or Bill Murray gun for a nomination in St. Vincent (and failing, but he was really good in it), now is your chance. 

There are some smaller, lesser-seen and foreign films, though, that you should also consider: 

LIFE ITSELF is a brilliant documentary about the life and work of passionate movie critic Roger Ebert. You don't have to be a movie geek to love Life Itself (it certainly helps), and if you don't know much more about him other than his role as half of the Siskel & Ebert film-reviewing TV show, be sure to check this out. Here's a taste:
THE HOMESMAN has a lot to offer for fans of Westerns, given its feminist slant that subverts a typically macho genre. Hilary Swank shows off why she's won multiple Oscars, and Tommy Lee Jones (who also directed) is perfect as a crusty drifter finding his way to do some good. Here's a look: 
THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA is the latest release from Studio Ghibli founder Isao Takahata and it's a nominee for Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars. If mesmerizing animation is something you like, you've already seen this. If you haven't, it's time. Here's a look: