THE LIST: DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores week of Nov. 25

DVDS
  “Hancock” (PG-13): Will Smith stars as the title character, a boozy, burned-out L.A.-based superhero who gets an image makeover after he rescues Ray (Jason Bateman), an idealistic public relations agent. Charlize Theron (as Ray’s wife) rounds out the starring cast for director Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights,” “The Kingdom”).
  From the City of Angels we move to Manhattan, where in “Meet Dave” (PG), the new-to-town title character (Eddie Murphy) seems suspiciously uncomfortable in his own skin — possibly because he’s not really a he at all, but a spaceship built in the image of its miniature-sized captain.
  Vince Vaughn, meanwhile, plays “Fred Claus” (PG), the ne’er-do-well brother of jolly old St. Nick (Paul Giamatti), who lets Fred work off some debts by coming to the North Pole to help out. Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks (who’s also in “Meet Dave”), Kathy Baker, Ludacris and Oscar-winners Rachel Weisz and Kevin Spacey co-star in this cinematic fruitcake.
  And for the kids, the animated “Space Chimps” (G) finds astronaut chimps — led by the slacker grandson of the first chimp in space (voiced by “Saturday Night Live’s” Andy Samberg) — going ape during a mission to a distant planet.
  Turning to titles that never made it to local theaters, Emmy-winner actor Chad Lowe makes his directorial debut with “Beautiful Ohio” (not rated), a family drama about a teen (Brett Davern) who becomes attached to the girlfriend (Michelle Trachtenberg) of his math-prodigy brother (David Call). William Hurt, Rita Wilson and Julianna Margulies co-star.
  Britain’s award-winning “Mark of Cain” (not rated) explores the issue of military torture during the Iraq war. And Kiefer Sutherland, Samantha Morton, Stephen Rea and Cliff Curtis headline “River Queen” (R), an adventure set in 19th-century New Zealand.
  It’s a busy week for foreign-language fans. Puerto Rico’s “Maldeamores” (R) explores the offbeat side of love in three separate tales. Luis Guzman leads the cast; Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro is among the executive producers. China’s award-winning “Still Life” (not rated) follows the residents of a flooded town trying to save what they can — and come to terms with what they’ve lost. The hit Hungarian comedy “Just Sex and Nothing Else” (not rated) follows the fortunes of a fed-up single woman trying to get pregnant — and not get married. And “A Perfect Day” (not rated) focuses on a woman and her son struggling to overcome the impact of Lebanon’s civil war.
  On the documentary front, “Shadow Company” (not rated) focuses on the modern-day mercenaries known as private security contractors. Aspiring actors try to make it in Hollywood hope for “My Big Break” (not rated). “A Man Named Pearl” (G), meanwhile, profiles topiary sculptor Pearl Fryar .
  Leading the comedy contingent: “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” (not rated) and “George Carlin: It’s Bad for Ya.”
Turning to vintage titles, those wonderful folks at the Criterion Collection deliver a trio of treats: Richard Burton in 1965’s “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” (not rated), director Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 impressionistic cop romance “Chungking Express” (not rated) and director Wes Anderson’s 1996 caper comedy “Bottle Rocket” (R), written by Anderson and Owen Wilson and starring Wilson and his brother Luke.
  Two family favorites also return to DVD: 1972’s award-winning “Sounder” (PG), with Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield as embattled Depression-era sharecroppers, and 1961’s “Misty” (not rated), based on Marguerite Henry’s tale of the wild ponies of Virginia’s Assateague Island — and the two kids hoping to adopt the elusive Phantom, who’s never been captured.
  And the “Ron Howard Spotlight Collection” packages the 2001 Oscar winner “A Beautiful Mind” (PG-13), along with 1991’s “Backdraft” (R), 1995’s “Apollo 13” (PG) and 2005’s “Cinderella Man” (PG-13).
  Tuning in to TV-to-DVD transfers, Britain’s “Half Broken Things” (not rated) focuses on a trio of damaged souls (Penelope Wilton, Daniel Mays, Sinead Matthews) living a joint fantasy life in an empty house, while Edwardian London provides the backdrop for the murder tale “Another Life” (not rated), featuring Natasha Little, Imelda Staunton, Tom Wilkinson and Ioan Gruffudd.
Kiefer Sutherland returns as Agent Jack Bauer in “24: Redemption” (not rated), joining such other (unrated) small-screen titles as “Beverly Hills 90210: The Sixth Season,” “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.: The Final Season,” “The Mod Squad: The Second Season, Vol. 1,” “The Big Easy: Season 2,” “The Doris Day Show: The Complete Collection, Seasons 1-5” and “Family Affair: The Complete Series.”

CDS
  Guns N’ Roses, “Chinese Democracy”: Finally, Satan gets to bust out his toboggan.
  The reason for the sudden cold front in the burning depths of hell?
  Well, after a 17-year wait since releasing their last batch of all new material, Gun N’ Roses has finally emerged with the excruciatingly long-awaited “Chinese Democracy,” which reportedly cost more than $13 million to make and has been recorded and re-recorded numerous times.
  Of course, by “Gun N' Roses” we mean “Axl Rose,” the sole remaining member of the band’s classic lineup.
  This cheeses off the purists, and so will the digital sheen that this album pulses with, as it’s seemingly inspired much more by Nine Inch Nails than Aerosmith, as the band’s earlier works were.
  But hey, at least it’s finally here!
  Speaking of which, who wants to build a snowman with Beelzebub?
  Also in stores: David Byrne & Brian Eno, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today”; The Fireman, (alias Paul McCartney), “Electric Arguments”; Tom Jones, “24 Hours”; The Killers, “Day & Age”; Ludacris, “Theater of the Mind”; Barry Manilow, “The Greatest Songs of the Eighties”; Supersuckers, “Get It Together!”; Scott Weiland, “Happy in Galoshes”; and Kanye West, “808s & Heartbreak.”

BOOKS
  “Your Heart Belongs to Me” by Dean Koontz: Best-selling author Dean Koontz’s latest, “Your Heart Belongs to Me,” centers around 34-year-old Ryan Perry, an Internet entrepreneur diagnosed with a heart defect and in need of a transplant. Luckily, a donor is found, but a year after his surgery mysterious gifts begin to appear, including a heart pendant and a box of candy hearts. Ryan finds himself the object of one woman’s obsession — a woman who looks just like the donor of the heart he so desperately needed.
    Also hitting shelves: “Arctic Drift” by Clive Cussler; “Crossroads” by Belva Plain; “Newsweek Periscope Almanac 2009: Year in Review through the Lens of Periscope” by Newsweek; “Deadly Gift” by Heather Graham; “Knit Two” by Kate Jacobs; and “The Sweet In-Between” by Sheri Reynolds.