Zero Dark Thirty

Les Misérables

Director Tom Hooper adapted the legendary musical into this Oscar-nominated big-screen version, starring Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who flees lifelong nemesis Javert (Russell Crowe) and finds redemption in 17th-century France. The movie is almost entirely sung, which doesn't always work, but it's a triumph when it does. Case in point: Anne Hathaway's performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" as Fantine, the role that won her an Oscar. A commentary track and a few behind-the-scenes featurettes are included on the DVD.

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Zero Dark Thirty

Jessica Chastain stars in this true-life thriller as Maya, the woman who leads a decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden. Kathryn Bigelow directed the harrowing drama, which also stars Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton as members of the SEAL Team 6 who found bin Laden. Chastain delivers a great performance (which earned her an Oscar nomination), but the controversial torture scenes can be tough to watch. DVD extras include a few making-of featurettes.

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See two more new releases after the jump.

Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain visited today's Oscars luncheon to talk about the many plans she has for this year's Academy Awards. The actress, up for her work in Zero Dark Thirty, gushed about her excitement about her Oscar dress and what she may wear, and she also got serious to talk about what she's learned from director Kathryn Bigelow.

On how excited she is about dressing up on Oscar night: "Most little girls dream about their wedding dress, but I've always dreamed about my Oscar dress."

On what she's planning on wearing: "Something that is perhaps colorful. You never know; at the last minute, you might change your mind. I love fashion that celebrates a woman's body, maybe is a throwback to the glamour of Old Hollywood — that silhouette, but somehow making it modern."

On how she'll prep on Oscar day: "Just to have the morning off will be already very calm and zen for me. I had three shows this weekend — I'm still doing the Broadway play. I do feel like I don't know which world I'm in right now. Probably, the morning of the Oscars I'm going to be surrounded by my friends and my family, have a nice breakfast, play some calming music, and light candles; something really relaxing and celebratory."

On being grateful for her nomination: "For me, there's a strange thing that happens this time of year where it starts to feel like it's a race. Acting is very different than playing tennis. You don't get two people in a room and match it out. For me I feel like I've already won, so I never want to lose sight of what I feel right now. I know everyone says that, but you win already. That's going to be very important for me and my friends and family to focus on."

On any advice she has to young actors: "To do something every single day that reminds you you're an actor, even if no one's paying you and you don't have a job. When I was trying to figure out how to find my place in this industry, I continued like I was still in school."

On her advice to women in the military and beyond: "My advice to any woman in a field that has been, in the past, dominated by men, by numbers and seniority, would be to look at great examples of women like Kathryn Bigelow, and Maya, the woman I play in this film. Instead of complaining about the numbers not matching, which of course is an important issue, but I've found if you do really good work, it'll rise to the top. Kathryn Bigelow never talks about the glass ceiling in Hollywood for female directors. She shows up on set, [is an] expert at her work, and at the end of the day, that's what you know her for. You don't think, 'She's a brilliant filmmaker, and she's a woman! Can you believe it?' I just think she's a great filmmaker. That's the same thing I think about Maya. And what I would say to the women in the military would be: 'Thank you.'"

Warm Bodies brought some life to this weekend's box office, landing in the top spot with $19.5 million in its first weekend in release. Last week's winner, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, came in second with $9.2 million, while Oscar nominee Silver Linings Playbook continued its steady box-office showing at third place with $5.3 million. Jessica Chastain's films Mama and Zero Dark Thirty grabbed the fourth and fifth spots, with totals of $6.7 and $5.3 million, respectively. The other new releases of the weekend, Bullet to the Head and Stand Up Guys, didn't fare so well: the former earned $4.5 million, and the latter pulled in just $1.5 million.

It may not have won over many critics, but schlocky adventure thriller Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters won the box-office war, earning $19 million in its first weekend. Last week's No. 1, Mama, rallied for second place with $12.9 million. Silver Linings Playbook impressively held onto its third-place spot, adding another $10 million to its box-office total. Zero Dark Thirty followed with $9.8 million, and Jason Statham's Parker rounded out the top five with $7 million. The week's other big new release Movie 43 took in $5 million.

Jessica Chastain proved herself to be a powerful lure to the theater this weekend when her two films took first and second place at the box office. Executive producer Guillermo del Toro's new release, Mama, earned $28.1 million and the top spot, while last week's winner, Zero Dark Thirty, added $17.6 million to its total. Silver Linings Playbook came in third with $11.3 million, followed by Gangster Squad with $9.1 million. Mark Wahlberg's new release Broken City rounded out the top five with only $9 million. The weekend's other new contender The Last Stand earned $6.3 million and 10th place.

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty took No. 1 at the box office with $24 million this weekend, its first in wide release. New releases A Haunted House and Gangster Squad earned $18.8 and $16.7 million, respectively. Django Unchained finished fourth with $11.1 million, and Les Misérables rounded out the top five with $10 million.

Director Kathryn Bigelow has taken on the mighty task of turning the takedown of Osama bin Laden into a feature film, and the first full trailer for Zero Dark Thirty has my heart skipping beats. We already got to see glimpses of stars Jessica Chastain and Kyle Chandler in the film's teaser but this preview gives a better idea of the story. It's definitely going to revolve around the covert operation, but it appears to be giving a more human look at the troops and agents involved, including the emotional toll it takes to be a part of such a massively secretive and dangerous mission.

The trailer briefly introduces us to some of the supporting players, including Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton, and The Vampire Diaries' Taylor Kinney, but this seems to be Chastain's movie. We don't actually hear her speak in the trailer, but we see her with her head in her hands, a voiceover clarifying, "There is just us, and we are failing."The part that has me on the edge of my seat is the final frame, showing a night-vision shot of the special unit surrounding a compound. The movie is set for a Dec. 19 release, but until then, you can watch the trailer after the jump.