THE LIST

"300" (R): This movie is based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, a master of the form. It’s a violent telling of the ancient battle of Thermopylae, in which King Leonidas (played with verve by Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fight to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. The sacrifice of the small band of fighters buys time for the rest of Greece. The film, which looks more like a video game than a movie at times, adds more monsters and a senate subplot that wasn’t in Miller’s story.

Other titles this week include: "Hot Fuzz" (R); "Starter for 10" (PG-13); "The Darwin Awards" (R); "Lonely Hearts" (R); "Firehouse Dog" (PG); "The Situation" (R); "Pathfinder" (R and unrated versions available); "Played" (R); "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales"; "Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Second Season" and "Dallas: The Complete Seventh Season."

 

CDS

Korn, "Untitled" (Virgin): Korn’s bipolar metal has always had the viscosity of burning tar, with thick, smoldering riffs and seismic bass lines, but on its latest disc, the band continues to broaden its moody snarl with a throbbing digital sizzle.

Reuniting with producers Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails, Bad Religion) and the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Shakira), the band heightens the electronic textures and radio-ready hooks without forsaking any of the anvil-heavy crunch that made them famous.

"Take a look around, nothing much has changed" Jonathan Davis growls on the album’s first single, "Evolution," a critique that certainly doesn’t apply to this bunch.

Also in stores: Common, "Finding Forever"; Eric Dodge, "Why Not Today"; Kidz Bop Kidz, "Kidz Bop, Vol. 12"; Sean Kingston, "Sean Kingston"; Mandisa, "True Beauty"; Mario, "Go"; Elvis Presley, "Viva Las Vegas"; Puddle of Mudd, "Famous"; Rockabye Baby! "Lullaby Renditions of The Rolling Stones"; Shivaree, "Tainted Love: Mating Calls & Fight Songs."

BOOKS

"Beyond Reach" (Delacorte Press): Trouble mounts for Karin Slaughter’s medical examiner Sara Linton of Grant County, Ga. She’s being sued for malpractice and has to help out police detective Lena Adams, who has been arrested for murder. Sara and her husband, police chief Jeffery Tolliver, and Lena find themselves trapped in a web of vengeance.

Also new this week: "In at the Death: Settling Accounts Book 4" (Del Rey) by Harry Turtledove; "Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao" (Hay House) by Wayne W. Dyer; "Always Maintain a Joyful Mind: And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness" (Shambhala) by Pema Chodron; "100 Ways to Simplify Your Life" (Joyce Meyer Trade) by Joyce Meyer; and "Last Breath" (Ballantine Books) by Mariah Stewart.