Monitor Picks

Tiger tales

Bulk up, Calvin and Hobbes fans, 23 lbs. worth of comic strips about the mischievous boy and his stuffed tiger are on the way. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, an elegant three-volume set, hits bookstores Oct. 4 ($94.50 at amazon.com). It includes all 3,160 strips, the last of which ran on Dec. 31, 1995. The set serves as a happy reminder of the recent "great age" of comics, when Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and Peanuts made us laugh.

On The Amazing Race (CBS, Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT), a reality show that just won its third-consecutive Emmy, 10 families traverse the globe in planes, trains, and automobiles in a contest that includes skillful challenges and puzzling clues along the way. By comparison, Phineas Fogg had it easy.

In Magnificent Desolation, a new 3-D IMAX documentary about astronauts on the moon, Tom Hanks's narration lends gravitas to a story largely unconcerned with gravity. The passing of time has dulled appreciation for the accomplishment of walking on Earth's luminous companion. The film, a mix of humor and import, captures the awe of it all.

Wallace, an eccentric inventor whose Rube Goldberg-like gadgets inevitably go haywire, and Gromit, the sensible dog who always bails his master out of trouble, are the stars of "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," in theaters next week. The British duo, beautifully rendered in stop-motion clay animation, previously starred in three short films available on one DVD. Sophisticated humor for the whole family.

The baseball schedulemakers knew what they were doing when they penciled in this weekend's matchups, the final three games of the season. Starting Friday night, the New York Yankees battle the Boston Red Sox, while the Cleveland Indians square off against the Chicago White Sox. Come Monday, three of these teams will be in the playoffs; players on the fourth will be working on their golf swings.