This week’s new DVD releases offer a glimpse into the past.
• “Jackie” HHHH: “Jackie” is a career-defining role for Natalie Portman. 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” HHH 1/2 : 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 behind-the-scenes look at how the park runs, including the dawn of artificial consciousness. 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 on DVD
• “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.
