DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (1.13.15)

Many big name stars and directors like Liam Neeson, Jason Reitman and Kevin Costner having films out on DVD and Blu-ray, but it is the team up of David Fincher and Ben Affleck in Gone Girl are our Recommendation of the Week. New Release: Gone Girl – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) A Walk Among the Tombstones – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Love is Strange – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) The Two Faces of January – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Jimi: All is by My Side – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Men Women and Children – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) The Identical – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Re-Release: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) – (Criterion Blu-ray) Dances With Wolves (1990) – (25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray)   Gone Girl – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed by David Fincher Written by Gillian Flynn (novel and adaptation) Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris Ben Affleck and a fantastic Rosamund Pike star as the idealistic American couple in David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's best-selling book. A taut, well paced thriller, Flynn's screenplay of her own novel features excellent dialogue uplifted by Fincher's unique direction. Part mystery, part psychological drama, part overt satire of 24-hour news, Fincher's Gone Girl was one of the best films of 2014, and one of the best in his oeuvre. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (Very Good) Metacritic: 79 (Very Good) IMDB: 8.3 (Excellent) Entertainment Fuse: 9/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $18.99 (Blu-ray); $14.96 (DVD); $4.99/$12.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   A Walk Among the Tombstones – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Scott Frank Written by Scott Frank (screenplay) and Lawrence Block (novel) Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbor In A Walk Among the Tombstones Liam Neeson proves that he will never be done kicking ass. Hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and killed his wife, Neeson's Matthew Scudder soon finds a grizzly pattern of death. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 65% (Fresh) Metacritic: 57 (Okay) IMDB: 6.6 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 7.4/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $22.99 (Blu-ray); $17.99 (DVD); $4.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   Love is Strange – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Ira Sachs Written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias Starring: Alfred Molina, John Lithgow, Marisa Tomei When New York finally passes a law recognizing same-sex marriages, long-time couple Ben (Lithgow) and George (Molina) jump at the chance to finally get married. When George loses his job as a teacher, the couple are forced to rely on their family for support, straining relationships between all those involved. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 94% (Very Good) Metacritic: 83 (Very Good) IMDB: 7.0 (Very Good) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $22.79 (Blu-ray); $22.99 (DVD); $4.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   The Two Faces of January – (Blu-ray and DVD) Directed by Hossein Amini Written by Hossein Amini (screenplay) and Patricia Highsmith (novel) Starring: Oscar Issac, Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Dunst From the writer of Drive comes a Hitchcockian thriller set in 1960's Greece. When a tourist couple become caught up in the murder of a private eye, they are forced to flee with the help of an American ex-pat tour guide. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (Very Good) Metacritic: 66 (Good) IMDB: 6.2 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 7/10 DISC DETAILS Special Features: “Traveling in Style” featurette; “Shooting the Odyssey” featurette; “A Twist on the Classic Thriller” featurette; deleted scenes; bloopers; Trailer Amazon: $22.99 (Blu-ray); $12.99 (DVD) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2.5 stars(out of 5); Video: 4.5 stars; Audio: 4 stars; Extras: 1 stars; Replay: 1 stars. Rent It.   Jimi: All is By My Side – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed and written by John Ridley Starring: André Benjamin, Hayley Atwell, Imogen Poots André Benjamin (perhaps more well known as André 3000) plays the titular guitarist, Jimi Hendrix in this musical biopic. Focusing on the early half of his career, Jimi follows Hendrix as he travels from New York City to London where he skyrocketed to fame, and became a legend. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 67% (Fresh) Metacritic: 66 (Good) IMDB: 5.6 (Okay) DISC DETAILS Special Features: “Music by Waddy, Lyrics by Danny” musician Waddy Wachtel talks about how good Hendrix was at guitar; trailer Amazon: $14.39 (Blu-ray); $12.99 (DVD); $4.99/$9.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2 stars(out of 5); Video: 3.5 stars; Audio: 3.5 stars; Extras: 1 stars; Replay: 1.5 stars. Skip It.   Men Women and Children – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Jason Reitman Written by Jason Reitman (screenplay), Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), and Chad Kultgen Starring: Kaitlyn Denver, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ansel Elgort Jason Reitman's (Juno, Up in the Air) latest feature explores the myriad of ways the increasing presence of technology has affected modern life through the prism of one American family. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 31% (Very Bad) Metacritic: 38 (Very Bad) IMDB: 6.7 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 7.4/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $27.99 (Blu-ray); $19.96 (DVD); $3.99/$14.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   The Identical – (Blu-ray and DVD) Directed by Dustin Marcellino Written by Howard Klausner Starring: Ashely Judd, Blake Ryan, Ray Liotta Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Elvis had a twin brother from whom he was separated at birth? Well wonder no longer. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 7% (That'll do it) Metacritic: 25 (Yep) IMDB: 4.3 (Not even the people liked it) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $21.21 (Blu-ray); $13.99 (DVD) The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) – (Criterion Blu-ray) Directed and written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (adapted from his play of the same name) Starring: Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake Giving his career a fresh new look in the 1970's, Fassbinder began crafting emotionally biting dramas. One of the most well regarded of this period is The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, the story of an self-important fashion designer whose world is rocked when she falls in love with one of her models. Focusing mostly on the relationship and its aftermath, Fassbinder takes his audience on a hypnotizing journey. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 80% (Very Good) IMDB: 7.6 (Very Good) DISC DETAILS Special Features: 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Michael Ballhaus, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray; New interviews with Ballhaus and actors Margit Carstensen, Eva Mattes, Katrin Schaake, and Hanna Schygulla; New interview with film scholar Jane Shattuc; “Role Play: Women on Fassbinder,” a 1992 German television documentary by Thomas Honickel featuring interviews with Carstensen, Schygulla, and actors Irm Hermann and Rosel Zech; New English subtitle translation; PLUS: An essay by critic Peter Matthews Amazon: $29.99 (Criterion Blu-ray)   Dances With Wolves (1990) – (25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray) Directed by Kevin Costner Written by Michael Blake (screenplay) and Michael Blake (novel) Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene Kevin Costner directs and stars in the story of a Civil War lieutenant stationed in a remote outpost among Natives and wilderness. Slowly befriending the local inhabitants, and learning to live in the wild, the lieutenant becomes an exile from the Union Army, and from society itself. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 81% (Very Good) Metacritic: 72 (Very Good) IMDB: 8.0 (Excellent) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $12.74 (25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray)