Latest DVDs, CDs, Books, May 17, 2011

DVDS

“The Mechanic” (R): A lone-wolf assassin (Jason Statham) takes on a wannabe trainee (Ben Foster) with a vengeful agenda in this update of the 1972 Charles Bronson actioner, which shifts the action to steamy New Orleans.

Two chillers round out today’s recent-release lineup. In “The Rite” (PG-13), a skeptical seminary student ( Colin O’Donoghue) attends exorcism school, encountering an unorthodox priest (Anthony Hopkins) in touch with his faith’s darker side. And in “The Roommate” (PG-13), a deranged freshman (“Gossip Girl’s” Leighton Meester) becomes obsessed with her dorm roommate (“Friday Night Lights’ ” Minka Kelly).

Turning to movies that never made it to local theaters, Natalie Portman plays a law-school grad who falls for her married boss (Scott Cohen) in “The Other Woman” (R) . And Portman’s “Star Wars” prequel co-star, Hayden Christensen, joins Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo for “Vanishing on Seventh Street” (R), about a power blackout that plunges Detroit into darkness.

Making the TV-to-DVD jump (all titles unrated): PBS’ “American Experience: Freedom Riders” and “South Riding,” “Covert Affairs: Season One,” “The Bionic Woman: Season Two,” “Royal Pains: Season Two,” “Flashpoint: The Third Season,” “The Virginian: The Complete Fourth Season” and “All in the Family: The Complete Ninth Season.”

CDS

Ben Harper, “Give ‘Til It’s Gone”: “Rock N’ Roll is Free” — just not this record.

That’s the first single from eclectic, bohemian bandleader Ben Harper, whose tunes are like one big bluesy bear hug.

This time, he comes with guests Ringo Starr and Jackson Browne in tow.

“Give” up some bread and get this one already.

Also in stores: Damon & Naomi, “False Beats and True Hearts”; Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, “Rome”; The Elected, “Bury Me In My Rings”; Gallhammer, “The End”; Glasvegas, “Euphoric /// Heartbreak \”; Michael Grimm, “Michael Grimm”; Hank III, “Hillbilly Joker”; Sarah Jarosz, “Follow Me Down”; Kidz Bop Kids, “Kidz Bop Sings Monster Ballads”; Hugh Laurie, “Let Them Talk”; Moby, “Destroyed”; Naughty By Nature, “Anthem Inc.”; Parachute, “The Way It Was”; Seether, “Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray”; Tinie Tempah, “Disc-Overy”; Kate Voegele, “Gravity Happens”; and Warrant, “Rockaholic.”

BOOKS

“The Jefferson Key” by Steve Berry: In the latest Cotton Malone novel, the former Justice Department operative risks his life to prevent the assassination of the U.S. president, which draws him into a mystery dating back to the Founding Fathers.

On the nonfiction front, Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland recounts his early years, music career and his battle with addiction in his memoir, “Not Dead & Not for Sale.”

Also hitting shelves: “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base” by Annie Jacobsen; “The Captain” by Ian O’Connor; “A Conflict of Interest” by Adam Mitzner; “Cryptic Cravings” by Ellen Schreiber; “Embassytown” by China Mieville; “The Final Storm: A Novel of the War in the Pacific” by Jeff Shaara; “Graveminder” by Melissa Marr; “High Strung: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and the Untold Story of Tennis’s Fiercest Rivalry” by Stephen Tignor; “The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral — And How It Changed the American West” by Jeff Guinn; “No Shortage of Good Days” by John Gierach; “Where’s the Birth Certificate?: The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President” by Jerome Corsi; and “William and Catherine” by Andrew Morton.