New on DVD: Mixed media, mostly music

Grizzly Bear

The week's new DVDs are all over the map, but there are lots of options for indie music fans.

Read on for more!

The curated All Tomorrow's Parties is an annual gathering of the coolest bands your mom has never heard of, and this new documentary of the same name—co-directed by gay filmmaker Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation)— features a staggering lineup, including The Gossip, Nick Cave, Iggy Pop, Grizzly Bear (the gay-inclusive band is pictured above), Sonic Youth, Portishead, Daniel Johnston, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Belle and Sebastian, Patti Smith, The Mars Volta and many more.

Queer-inclusive British band Placebo tells their story in the new documentary The Sun Also Rises, which weaves together news reports, exclusive interviews, performance footage and other archival footage of the glam pansexual trio.

You can't get much sexier than a group that releases a new CD box that comes complete with, uh, prosthetic souvenirs of the band, and while Rammstein doesn't throw in those extras on their new DVD release, Tanz Metal, fans of their crotch-grinding brand of cock-rock will dig this new documentary.

The big gay release of the week is Watch Out, a movie about Jonathan (Matt Riddlehoover), a guy so narcissistic that he can only get turned on by himself, to the extent that he gets a blow-up sex doll and puts a picture of his own face on the head. So if you've ever wondered what would happen if someone took your advice to "go [expletive] yourself," check this one out. Peter Stickles (Shortbus) co-stars.

And if you're a fan of vintage boob-tubery, there are two notable releases you'll want to check out. The Criterion Collection's The Golden Age of Television compiles lots of great stuff from the early days of the medium, including the original versions of Marty, No Time for Sergeants and Days of Wine and Roses. Extras include commentaries and interviews from such legends as John Frankenheimer, Andy Griffith, Piper Laurie and Rod Steiger.

Also new this week is The Jerry Lewis Show Collection, featuring highlights of the rubber-faced comedian's NBC show that ran from 1967-1969. I confess that my first exposure to this show came from a book called The Worst TV Shows Ever, but maybe this infamous small-screen experiment has improved with age. You be the judge.