New on DVD
There are fewer new titles being released this week on DVD because of the July 4 U.S. holiday. The number is small but there are still some good offerings available.
“The Zookeeper’s Wife”: “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is the latest in a long series of movies that recounts the unimaginable evils committed during the Second World War. It’s familiar material but has a fresher feel because director Niki Caro pays less time looking at the broad story of war and more time focusing on the people who lived through the horrors.
Caro has delivered to the screen a beautifully shot version of Diane Ackerman’s book, “The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story.” Antonina and Jan Zabinski, owners of the Warsaw Zoo in 1939, dealt with the Germans who occupied their country.
The couple not only found a way to stay alive but also managed to convert their zoo into a hiding place for Jews escaping the country.
Jessica Chastain’s performance as Antonina is what gives the film so much heart. The actress already has picked up a pair of Oscar nominations — “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Help” — but the work she does in “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is better than both of those efforts.
What Chastain does is play a woman so in love with life that she embraces animals with the same compassion and care as humans. Caro balances out the hopefulness Antonina shows with the pain and suffering Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) deals with.
“The Zookeeper’s Wife” has a lot of positives but there are a few negatives, including a pacing problem. The director spends more time establishing Antonina’s love of animals than dealing with her pregnancy and birth. The bumps along the way don’t take away from the stark drama of this true story of bravery, hope, love and war as seen through smaller moments.
“Superstore: Season Two”: If you are just looking for a light comic distraction, this NBC comedy about the workers at a big box store finally found in its second season the right formula to make it a solid workplace comedy. That starts with a solid core of one or two actors — in this case that would be America Ferrera and Ben Feldman — and then surrounding them with a weird and funny supporting cast.
There’s a nice chemistry between Ferrera and Feldman that doesn’t always happen when there are two central characters in a comedy.
More often one of those two will eventually take over the spotlight. But the ease in which Ferrera and Feldman play a scene together makes them enjoyable to watch and one never overshadows the other.
Among the top supporting players are Lauren Ash and Colton Dunn for very different reasons. Ash goes after laughs with an aggressive and broad style. Dunn’s character is more subtle. That contrast plays as an advantage for the program.
Where this workplace comedy has an advantage over programs like “The Office” or “Murphy Brown” is having the stories unfold in the massive store. This opens natural possibilities for quirky customers and gives the cast a variety of areas to play.
“Superstore” is well worth checking out both for the first and second seasons. Also new this week: “Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Series”: Contains 122 episodes of the TV crime drama from Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson. Andre Braugher stars.
“Song to Song”: Tales of love and music unfold in Austin, Texas.
“Drone”: Sean Bean plays a man living two very different lives.
“Awakening the Zodiac”: Couple’s discovery of a box of old tapes changes their lives forever.
“Vincent-N-Roxxy”: Efforts by a couple to start a new life fail when their past catches up with them.
“The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Johnny and Friends Featuring Steve Martin, Robin Williams & Eddie Murphy”: Along with having a super long title, the DVD includes nine episodes of the NBC late-night talk show spotlighting the comics.