ALBUMS

THEN:

Sandinista! – The Clash

The Clash’s 1980 triple album is a bit of a punch line among fans – a bizarre everything-but-the-kitchen-sink follow-up to London Calling, which many considered Clash perfection. Featuring everything from children’s choirs and reggae to dub and rap, the scale of Sandinista! is daunting, but there are so many gems – “Police on my Back,” “Charlie Don’t Surf” and “Magnificent Seven.”

NOW:

¡Tré! – Green Day

Following up from the earlier releases of ¡Uno! and ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! completes Green Day’s most ambitious musical undertaking: an epic 37-song trilogy. From Dookie-era fast-burn punk to the lyrical pop-punk of recent years, as well as newer orchestral stadium epics, the trilogy highlights the evolution of a small punk trio from Berkeley to a Broadway show, multi-Grammy powerhouse…proving their rock ‘n’ roll heart still beats harder than ever.

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BOOKS

THEN:

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

Until the 18th century, the inability to accurately calculate longitude took a toxic toll on sea expedition – until the invention of the chronometer, which changed sea travel and exploration completely. Longitude tells the fascinating story of the chronometer’s inventor, John Harrison, the only one to propose a mechanical solution to a matter of life and death.

NOW:

The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond

Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, takes another enlightening look at ancient civilization. With a more personal focus, Diamond draws upon his extensive fieldwork in the Pacific Islands, and other regions, to illustrate that modern and ancient civilizations are not that far apart.

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DVDs

THEN:

Roman Holiday

Just to say the names Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn is to define “classic,” so when the two pair up for a fun Vespa-filled adventure, it could only be pure magic. Directed by the Oscars’ most-nominated director, William Wyler, Roman Holiday first introduced the effervescent and beautiful Hepburn to movie-going audiences, and began the love affair that still continues today.

NOW:

To Rome with Love

Dovetailing onto the critical success of Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s world travelogue continues with what some fans and critics are saying is one of his funniest recent movies. To Rome with Love is a rollicking love story to the city of Rome, boasting an all-star ensemble cast featuring Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page and of course Woody himself.

FLICKS WITH STYLE – The Last Stand

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in his first lead role since 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In his newest action comedy, Schwarzenegger is a small-town sheriff who takes on a drug cartel. If you’re a fan of his trademark one-liners, you’ll enjoy the probable many…along with a few cinematic pokes at the star’s age. In theaters January 18.  —Justin Buettner

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