Latest DVDs, CDs, books: May 29

A look at some of the DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week:

DVDS

"Man on a Ledge" (PG-13): In this action thriller, an ex-cop fugitive ("Avatar's" Sam Worthington) and a police negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) engage in a standoff.

Another middling thriller, "Gone" (PG), casts Amanda Seyfried as a traumatized woman trying to track the serial killer who abducted her - and might be linked to her sister's disappearance. On the art-house front, Oscar winner Tilda Swinton powers "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (R), about a suburban wife wracked by grief and guilt when her son goes on a high school killing spree. And Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in a stinging contemporary version of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" (R), about a banished military hero who allies himself with his former enemies to exact revenge; Vanessa Redgrave and Gerard Butler co-star.

Turning to movies that never played local theaters, "Memorial Day" (not rated) focuses on the parallel combat experiences of a U.S. soldier in Iraq and his grandfather in World War II; Jonathan Bennett and James Cromwell lead the cast. Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber play rival hockey combatants in "Goon" (R), while a cross-country cab ride inspires the indie "Take Me Home" (PG-13), featuring Sam Jaeger (who also directed), Victor Garber and Lin Shaye.

Topping today's TV-to-DVD transfers (all unrated): "Maverick: The Complete First Season," with James Garner as sly gambler Bret Maverick and Jack Kelly as his only slightly less rascally brother, Bart. Also on tap: "True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season," "Drop Dead Diva: The Complete Third Season," "Rookie Blue: The Complete Second Season" and "Royal Pains: Season Three - Volume Two."

CDS

Sigur Ros, "Valtari": It's called "Valtari," which is the Icelandic word for steamroller.

One doesn't necessarily think of heavy machinery when it comes to the beatific soundscapes of Sigur Ros.

Despite its title, that won't change much with the sixth record, which is meditative and anesthetizing, calming and compelling.

Also in stores: David Benoit, "Conversation"; Danny Elfman, "Men in Black 3"; Public Image Ltd., "This is PiL"; Gemma Ray, "Island Fire"; Scissor Sisters, "Magic Hour"; Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, "Here"; Regina Spektor, "What We Saw From the Cheap Seats"; Sun Kil Moon, "Among the Leaves"; and The Walkmen, "Heaven."

BOOKS

"The Storm" by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown: Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala discover a plot to alter the weather after a mysterious substance attacks a ship, killing everyone aboard.

Also this week, Philippa Gregory enters the realm of teen fiction with "Changeling," featuring Luca Vero, a 17-year-old recruited into a secret sect who is sent to investigate Isolde, a young woman accused of witchcraft, in 1453 Italy.

Also hitting shelves: "Beauty and the Beast" by Wendy Mass; "A Blaze of Glory" by Jeff Shaara; "Born to Battle: Grant and Forrest - Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga" by Jack Hurst; "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel; "Cronkite" by Douglas Brinkley; "Dreamless" by Josephine Angelini; "In the Kingdom of Men" by Kim Barnes; "The Lost Ones" by Ace Atkins; "No Going Back" by Mark L. Van Name; "They Call Me Oil Can" by Dennis Boyd; "The Watchers" by Jon Steele; and "The Yard" by Alex Grecian.