Feb. 11, 2008 issue

Our Top Picks for the Week

Rent “El Cid.” Unlike most Hollywood roadshow movies, this Charlton Heston costume epic—restored and sumptuously reissued—holds up, not least because of director Anthony Mann, who knew how to turn the tropes of a genre inside out and make movies that half a century later still captivate.

Hear “Just a Little Lovin’,” by Shelby Lynne. Lynne makes this collection of Dusty Springfield’s Memphis classics (“Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Breakfast in Bed”) her own. Intimate, knowing and sublime ($13.98).

See “Jasper Johns: Gray” at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Feb. 5 to May 4). The exhibit, which includes 120 paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures, is the first to explore this thematic thread in the artist’s work.

Go to a Burton Women’s Learn to Ride Center for a weekend of snowboarding lessons at resorts around the country (from $250; burton.com). Packages include equipment rentals, lunch vouchers, three-day lift tickets and daily instruction.

Read “Paris Chic & Trendy” ($14.95; The Little Bookroom). This hip travel-size guide lists the best designer studios, boutiques and vintage shops in the city. It leaves out the prices—but at the current exchange rate, do you really want to know?