From the April 14th, 2006 Issue

From the April 14th, 2006 Issue

MOVIE
1. 'SLITHER'
In a gleefully yucky — and yuk-filled — homage to beloved B movies past, oozing alien slugs and redneck zombies wreak hilarious havoc in a sleepy Southern burg. Squirm! Review >

MUSIC
2. 'FISHSCALE,' GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Grit, wit, and soulful grooves abound in the Wu-Tang Clansman's masterful new ?CD of deliciously bawdy streetwise tales. Review >

BOOKS
3. 'THE TENTH CIRCLE,' BY JODI PICOULT
A graphic novelist and his seemingly perfect family slip inexorably into emotional hell in this harrowing novel. Review >

DVD
4. 'THE CRUISE'
Hop on board the DVD of Bennett Miller's charming documentary about Timothy ''Speed'' Levitch, Gotham tour guide and free-spirited bon vivant. Review >

TV
5. 'CITY OF MEN'
Fiction and real life mingle indelibly in the Sundance Channel's unnerving series about the hardscrabble lives of drug gangs in the slums of Rio.

DVD
6. 'LIZA WITH A ''Z'''
Life is a cabaret in Bob Fosse's resplendent 1972 concert telefilm (now on DVD) of the divine Ms. M at her singing and hoofing zenith.

MOVIE
7. 'THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON'
Prodigiously talented ?and tormented, the cult-favorite singer/songwriter/artist gets his due in this sensitive doc. Review >

MUSIC
8. 'VENEER,' JOSE GONZALEZ
Nick Drake has a worthy successor in this Swedish troubadour, whose well-crafted debut CD boasts Latin-tinged acoustic pop and plangent laments. Review >

BOOKS
9. 'SERENDIPITY SUNDAES'
Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, Golden Opulence, and other confections of decadence tempt the palate in this mouthwatering collection of recipes from NYC's fabled sweets spot.

TV
10. 'AMERICAN INVENTOR'
The U.S. retains its technological edge...in wacky gizmos, as proved by the would-be Thomas Edisons in Simon Cowell's ABC realityfest.