New on DVD:
This week’s new DVD releases offer a glimpse into the past.
“Jackie”: “Jackie” is a careerdefining role for Natalie Portman after the actress has bounced between serious work (“Black Swan”) and more box-office-driven productions (“Thor”).
Nothing compares to her performance as former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, as Portman shows she has the skills to transform herself into a role so deeply that most evidence of the actress gets lost inside the skin of the part she’s playing.
The entire movie resonates with an authenticity that stems from Portman’s performance. From the wardrobe to the re-creation of historical moments, there are no shortcuts taken. The work makes “Jackie” the once and future king of biopics.
“Westworld: The Complete First Season”: The HBO series is based on the 1973 movie of the same name. What the 10 episodes of the first season can do that the movie couldn’t is offer a much deeper look at the world’s most technologically advanced theme park.
“Westworld” runs parallel stories. One is the story of the people who go to the park looking for some Wild West adventures. This is a world where a person can do anything they want.
The other story offers a behindthe-scenes look at how the park runs, including the dawn of artificial consciousness. Machines designed to look and act like real people are suddenly becoming self-aware. This is in stark contrast to a world where they are the subject of the unfettered actions of humans.
Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood star. Also new on DVD this week: “Miss Hokusai”: Animated tale of a female artist in 19th Century Japan.
“Man Down”: Former Marine returns home to a different world.
“New Life”: Examination of the highs and lows of love. Jonathan Patrick Moore stars.
“The C Word”: Documentary looks at the current cancer epidemic.
“City in the Sky”: Three-part series goes behind the scenes to look at what keeps hundreds of thousands of flights aloft daily.
“Wentworth: Season 2”: Life gets even tougher for the women at Wentworth Prison.
“100 Streets”: Idris Elba stars in this tale of three Londoners whose lives interweave as they face major changes in their lives.
“The Ardennes”: A man tries to leave a life of crime while his brother won’t change his larcenous ways.
“PAW Patrol: Pups Save the Bunnies”: Pups go on a mission to save Adventure Bay’s Easter Egg Hunt.
“Kendra On Top: Seasons 4 & 5”: Kendra Wilkinson’s life is revealed in this cable reality show.
“Tanna”: Trouble follows when a young girls falls in love with her chief ’s grandson.
“Mickey and the Roadster Racers”: Mickey Mouse and his buddies run the coolest garage on the planet.
“Aria”: Ten directors pick a piece of opera music and then present a visual interpretation of it.
“Departure”: Teen explores his dawning sexuality.
“Ice Age: The Great EggScapades”: Sid’s new egg-sitting service is in trouble when Squint steals the eggs.
“Suspects: Series 5”: Investigation into a murder leads the team to a cold case.
“Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction”: Includes 10 episodes of the cable series.
“Care Bears & Cousins: BFFs —Volume 2”: Friendship is in full bloom in Care-a-Lot.
“Trespass Against Us”: Three generations of a family live as outlaws.
“The Americans”: KGB operatives work to keep their work in the United States a secret.
“Cold War 2’: When the commissioner of police’s wife and daughter are kidnapped, he must seek help from a former rival.
“Mama’s Family: The Mama’s Family Favorites Collection”: Includes 37 episodes selected by Vicki Lawrence.
“Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden Dragon”: Residents of Kikoriki Island are thrown into a big adventure.
“Star Trek: Voyager —The Complete Series”: Enterprise crew fight their way back to Earth. Also new on digital streams “Passengers”: Two space travelers face 90 years alone in space.
“Live By Night”: Man climbs the ladder in organized crime world. Ben Affleck stars.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”: Eddie Redmayne stars in this story based on the Hogwarts textbook.