Jackson's 'This Is It' leads off latest DVD releases

Last year's film of Michael Jackson preparing his final concert before his untimely death leads off these movies that are new to DVD.

"Michael Jackson's This Is It" (Columbia, 2009, PG, $28.96). Whatever you think of Jackson, his talent and expertise as a showman are inarguable, and this documentary catches him in the midst of development and rehearsals for a spectacular show he was to begin performing this summer.

Moments from months of run-throughs are captured by director Kenny Ortega ("High School Musical") and glimpses of Jackson's genius are evident in the result.

Extras: widescreen, two documentaries, three featurettes

"Zombieland" (Columbia, 2009; R for violence, language; $28.96). Jesse Eisenberg is a young college student in a burned-out future who has learned the rules of dealing with the flesh-eating zombies all around him, but he's still scared of everything. Then he teams up with Woody Harrelson, as a fearless, reckless zombie-killer with a fondness for Twinkies — though he can't seem to find any.

Gory and profane but undeniably funny. Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and unbilled Bill Murray co-star.

Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, trailers

"The Evelyn Waugh Collection" (Acorn, 1987/1988, PG, $39.99). This is actually two movies from the 1980s, a theatrical film, "A Handful of Dust," and a TV movie, "Scoop" — both of which are excellent.

"A Handful of Dust" (1988) boasts an early starring role for Kristin Scott Thomas, as a selfish upper-crust woman whose affair with a lower-rank cad (Rupert Graves) sets into motion tragedy for herself and her husband (James Wilby), and the story concludes with a dark, ironic twist. Superbly played by all, including Judi Dench, Angelica Huston, Stephen Fry and in a deceptively dark Dickensian character role, Alec Guinness.

"Scoop" is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of Waugh's wartime farce about a mild-mannered columnist for a small paper who is mistaken for a war correspondent and sent to Africa, where he meets plenty of wild-eyed characters but can't seem to locate the war. Very funny stuff with Michael Maloney perfect in the lead, supported by some of England's best '80s character players, including Denholm Elliott, Herbert Lom, Donald Pleasence and Michael Hordern.

Extras: full frame, text biography of Waugh, text filmographies, trailers