Amelia

If a trip to the movie theater isn't in the cards for you this week, how about a new DVD release to fulfill your entertainment quota? I've got the short list of what to check out.

Zombieland

In Zombieland, Jesse Eisenberg plays a rule-abiding college guy just trying to stay alive in a post-apocalypse overrun by zombies. Oh yeah, and he's trying to get the girl, too. Woody Harrelson costars as a cowboy type who teams up with him along with Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a sister duo. The cast of characters is completely charming; throw in some sharp dialogue for laughs, plus one amazing cameo, and you've got a fun escape for the weekend.

Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

89%

New York, I Love You

Boasting the likes of Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf, and Bradley Cooper as part of its cast, New York, I Love You is a love letter to the city, letting different directors give their take on relationships on the isle of Manhattan. While the story lines don't quite live up to the all-star ensemble, I wouldn't mind getting lost in the shots of classic, romantic New York from the comfort of my couch. Plus, the touching vignette with Cloris Leachman and Eli Wallach is worth the cost of rental — and you can skip over the shorts that don't strike your fancy.

If you get the special Blu-Ray version, you can catch "These Vagabond Shoes" as part of the extras. It's the segment directed by Scarlett Johansson that never made it into the final cut of the film.

41%

For more one rental, just read more

Talk about a shocker! The low-budget underdog Paranormal Activity has been riding its growing popularity all the way to the top — even upsetting the reigning king of horror, the Saw franchise. Paranormal took in $22 million in its first weekend with a wide release, which has execs talking about a possible sequel. Saw VI trailed at No. 2 with only $14.8 million — the worst opening ever for a Saw film.

Completing the rest of the top five was last week's biggest moneymaker, Where the Wild Things Are, which dropped to No. 3 with $14.4 million, followed by Law Abiding Citizen at No. 4 with $12.7 million, and Couples Retreat at No. 5 with $11 million. (The box office newcomers Cirque du Freak and Amelia placed No. 8 and No. 11, respectively.)

The reviews for Amelia have been kind of dismal, including my own, quieting the Oscar buzz that had surrounded it before it was released. It's not a strange situation for a biopic to be in — many movies about people's lives are so ambitious that sometimes they end up boring and overlong.

The award-baiting flicks can also be very entertaining — Walk the Line and Amadeus number among my favorites because they're enjoyable and compelling. I also love those about powerful icons (Malcolm X), and sometimes, the more obscure the cultural icon, the better (Man on the Moon, Searching for Bobby Fischer).

And of course, there are ones I've sat through that have been a bit boring, despite their accolades (cough, Ray, cough) — or missed the mark, like the Bob Dylan-based disappointment I'm Not There.

But there are still plenty of great biopics that have come out of Hollywood — which ones have you liked?

• Comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83 — Movieline
• Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman's novel, is being turned into a movie — The A.V. Club
• Sylvester Stallone is working on Rocky 7 — Worst Previews
• Here's a schedule for upcoming Halloween episodes and specials — TV.com
• Melrose Place's Colin Egglesfield reveals how he feels about losing his role on the show — Watch With Kristin
• Justin Theroux is producing a comedy called Air Guitar — Coming Soon
• Tracey Morgan has some really sweet words about Lorne Michaels (but don't worry, there's still swearing) — Vulture
• Amelia director Mira Nair says Amelia Earhart was modern and would be considered an iconoclast now — TrèsSugar
• HBO series In Treatment is getting a third season — HitFix
• Joss Whedon talks about Dollhouse's absence from November sweeps — MTV Movies Blog

I love the way a biopic makes me feel — like I'm treated to a back-in-time look at an amazing life. They're epic, and that's why I'm willing to sit through the slow moments (and often for more than two hours) for the payoff. This is the experience I hoped for from Amelia, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hilary Swank as the pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

There's plenty of opportunity for grandness, even though Nair chose not to focus much on the circumstances of Earhart's disappearance during her flight around the world. Earhart had an extraordinary life, eschewing social conventions for her gender and never giving up her one true love: flying.

Unfortunately, Amelia misses the epic mark and lands instead somewhere in the mediocre, underusing its cast's talents and history's treasury. However, it's not an altogether unpleasant journey, so to see my thoughts on the film, just read more

"[S]o much about Amelia is so undeniably modern. If she were to walk into a room today in her jodhpurs and her aviation jackets, [with] her ideas about marriage or men and women, she would still be considered an iconoclast."

— Director Mira Nair on the subject of her upcoming biopic Amelia starring Hilary Swank, about the pioneering aviator's life. Nair, who directed Salaam, Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, and the recent I Love You, New York was taken with Amelia's plainspoken directness when she studied archival footage of her. Earhart was the first aviatrix (I love that word!) to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She insisted on keeping her name when she married and called marriage a "partnership" with "dual control."

From the time it was first announced last year, everything about Amelia, the Amelia Earhart biopic, has sounded good to me: the subject matter, Mira Nair as the director, Hilary Swank in the title role. Today, the first trailer for the film is out, and it's only increasing my excitement.

Like all of director Nair's previous work (The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding), Amelia looks gorgeous and incredibly well-styled, from the sweeping landscapes to the kicky aviator goggles and scarves. It's been reported that the movie will focus on Earhart's early career, and maybe that's still the case, but this trailer looks largely at Earhart's plans to fly solo around the world and the famous, fateful outcome of the flight.

Swank plays Earhart with an appealing mix of determination and sass — exactly how I always imagined the pilot would be. We'll get to see the whole movie on Oct. 23, but to check out the trailer right now, just read more