Top Picks: 'The Party' on DVD and Blu-ray, 'Breaking Big' on PBS, and more

A new National Geographic video, 'Behind the Scenes: Life Below Zero,' provides a look at how the people who work on the show create a time-lapse in such difficult weather conditions, the National Women’s History Museum’s new exhibit, 'Inventive Women,' explores the lives of women in the United States who patented important inventions and technologies, and more top picks.

Impressive acting ensemble

A who’s who of acclaimed actors appears in the film The Party, which tells the story of a politician (Kristin Scott Thomas) who brings together her friends for a dinner party. Timothy Spall, Bruno Ganz, Patricia Clarkson, Cillian Murphy, Cherry Jones, and Emily Mortimer costar. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer highlights Ganz’s performance in the movie in particular, calling him “very funny.” “The Party” is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Filming below zero

National Geographic has been airing the Alaska-based show “Life Below Zero” since 2013. Now a new video, Behind the Scenes: Life Below Zero, provides a look at how the people who work on the show create a time-lapse in such difficult weather conditions. (One solution involves putting a hat on the equipment.) You can find the video at http://bit.ly/filminglifebelowzero. There’s occasional crude language.

Big names

PBS recently debuted an intriguing series titled Breaking Big, which highlights the life stories of some of the leading figures in various fields, such as Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show,”  chef Eddie Huang, and writer Roxane Gay. An episode starring “Black Panther” actress Danai Gurira airs June 29 at 8:30 p.m. Catch up on recently aired episodes at www.pbs.org.

Women’s achievements

The National Women’s History Museum’s new exhibit, Inventive Women, explores the lives of women in the United States who patented important inventions and technologies, including Mary E. Walton, who created a chimney for locomotives, and Josephine Garis Cochran, who created the first practical dishwasher. The exhibit is online for you to view at www.nwhm.org/exhibits/inventive-women.

Highlighting a story

The Austin Film Festival was founded in 1994 and puts writers for film in the spotlight. The festival’s podcast, On Story, brings TV writers into the discussion as well. The podcast features interviews with writers and creators for projects including “Ocean’s 8” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” Find “On Story” at www.onstory.tv/podcast.