Now’s the time for Oscars catch-up, including the top DVD picks for Jan. 28. (The ceremony airs at 5 p.m. Feb. 9.)
• “Parasite”: The genre-defying class warfare masterpiece by South Korean director and screenwriter Bong Joon-ho is up for six major Academy Awards, including best editing, production design, original screenplay, foreign language film, director and picture (shamefully, not acting).
It follows the struggling Kim family, as they transition from folding pizza boxes for a living to, one by one, conning their way into working for a wealthy family in Seoul. Son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) kicks things off as a humble tutor for the family’s teenage daughter, daughter Ki-jung (Park So-dam) swoops in as a savvy, cool art tutor from Chicago, Dad (Song Kang Ho) takes over as the chauffeur, Mom (Chang Hyae Jin) as the housekeeper. But much more lies beneath the surface (sorry).
Everything about the film, from its acting to its writing and cinematography, is infectious, wrote Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh in her review.
“‘Parasite’ is Bong’s most sophisticated film to date, expertly plotted with breathtaking reveals, and shot with a smooth, slippery sheen, each frame and camera movement communicating a subconscious plot twist or theme,” she wrote.
“The ensemble cast is outstanding, their performances both unexpected and deeply humane. The film is riotously funny and devastatingly topical, tugging at the issues of income and class inequality, which motivates everything the Kims do, while the wealthy Parks have the privilege to ignore it all.”
• “Harriet”: This powerful film follows the life of famed abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, who leads herself and countless others to physical and spiritual freedom. Cynthia Erivo’s brilliant performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for best acting, putting the singer just one step away from EGOT status (she was also the only person of color nominated in an acting category).
“In work that emphasizes the unstoppable power of a persuasive performance, Erivo not only convincingly conveys the strength of the celebrated abolitionist’s fierce personality, she creates her as a realistic, multisided character, a complex woman of formidable self-belief and not any kind of plaster saint,” wrote Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan in his review.
“Though ‘Harriet’ falters when it adds increasing amounts of action melodrama to the mix, the truth of Tubman’s life, like leading Union soldiers during the Civil War, continues to astonish,” Turan wrote, “as does the performance of the woman who brings her to life.”
Also new on DVD
• “Terminator: Dark Fate”: Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and a hybrid cyborg human (Mackenzie Davis) must stop a new kind of Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to save the human race.
• “Motherless Brooklyn”: A detective who has Tourette’s syndrome (Edward Norton) must solve the murder of his only friend.
• “Ballers: The Complete Fifth and Final Season”: The last season of the HBO series continues to follow the players and their inner circles. Dwayne Johnson stars.
• “My Life is Murder Series 1”: An investigator (Lucy Lawless) solves confounding crimes in this Australian series.
• “Roswell, New Mexico: The Complete First Season”: In the CW drama/sci-fi series, a woman (Jeanine Mason) discovers her high school crush (Nathan Parsons) is an alien and must help keep his secret.
Available on digital HD
• “Arctic Dogs”: A team of Arctic animals must work together to thwart a plot by an evil walrus to destroy their habitat in this computer-animated family film. Cast includes Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, Heidi Klum, John Cleese, Anjelica Huston, Omar Sy and James Franco. Look for it on DVD/Blu-ray Feb. 4.
• “Dead Earth”: A pair of women (Milena Gorum, Alice Tantayanon) are forced into the post-apocalyptic wilderness after running out of fuel.
• “The Bromley Boys”: A teenage boy (Brenock O’Connor) roots for a terrible soccer team in suburban 1970s London.
• “Echoes of Fear”: After her grandfather’s death, a woman (Trista Robinson) moves into his house and discovers an evil presence.
• “What Death Leaves Behind”: A kidney transplant recipient (Christopher Mann) has disturbing nightmares depicting his donor’s death.
