Originally published Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 5:30 AM
New DVDs | 'A Separation,' 'Bernie,' 'The Dictator'
Tuesday's new DVD releases include "A Separation," which won the Oscar for best foreign film; "Bernie," starring Jack Black; and Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator."
/ MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Sacha Baron Cohen stars in "The Dictator" as a tyrant who lands penniless in New York.
New DVDs |
Satire rules Tuesday with the releases of "A Separation," "Bernie" and "The Dictator." Star ratings are by Seattle Times movie reviewers, freelancers or wire services. For full reviews, search the movie title at seattletimes.com.
"A Separation" (PG-13, subtitled): Asghar Farhadi's Oscar winner for best foreign film is partly a courtroom drama, partly a political satire and partly a twisty thriller about a husband (Peyman Moadi) and wife (Leila Hatami) at odds: She wants to leave Iran to increase opportunities for her child; he feels compelled to stay to take care of a father afflicted with Alzheimer's.
"Bernie" (PG-13): Jack Black stars as a funeral director and homicidal nice guy who befriends the town crank (Shirley MacLaine) and then confesses to her murder. "It's a darkly funny, irresistible film," says Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald, "and one with a masterful performance at its center. Black ... shows a remarkable gentleness in letting us see why everyone loved Bernie."
"The Dictator" (R): After a botched abduction attempt, the gleeful tyrant (Sacha Baron Cohen) of this satirical comedy finds himself penniless and unrecognized in New York.
"Chimpanzee" (G): Disney's nature documentary, narrated by Tim Allen, follows a chimp struggling to survive in the jungle.
TV on DVD
"The Adventures of Tintin: Season Three"
"The Closer: The Complete Seventh and Final Season"
"House, M.D.: Season Eight"
"Mike & Molly: The Complete Second Season"
"Revenge: The Complete First Season"
Compiled by Lori Taki Uno: luno@seattletimes.com
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