‘Gone Girl’ will keep you guessing, intrigued
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 13:
Gone Girl (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainmen
Rated: R, graphic violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: David Fincher directs this superb adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-seller that focuses on the drama of modern marriage.
When his wife, Amy, disappears, her husband, Nick, becomes the prime suspect.
But all is not what it seems for this supposedly happy couple.
The film features outstanding performances by Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck and Neil Patrick Harris.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English 5.1 descriptive audio track and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A featurette on Pike and an interesting commentary track with Fincher are the major bonus offerings.
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, HB
O Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: A three-disc set containing the final season of this highly-acclaimed HBO series. An outstanding performance by Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson is the foundation for this look at gangland conflicts, love, murder and betrayal in 1920s Atlantic City.
The final season fast-forwards to the end of Prohibition and looks back at the origins of Nucky’s career.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS audio; English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A series of behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries comprise the major supplemental offerings.
Love Is Strange (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: John Lithgow and Alfred Molina star in this feature about a gay couple, together for nearly 40 years, who must, after finally getting married, live apart after losing their apartment.
Their time apart as well as the intergenerational tensions of their new living situations put a strain on their lives and relationship.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital descriptive track; English SDH, English and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette, a question-and-answer session at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a commentary track are the major bonus offerings.
Jessabelle (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate
Rated: PG-13, graphic sequences of horror violence and terror
The lowdown: A pedestrian supernatural thriller about a young woman injured in a car accident who returns to her Louisiana home to recuperate, but instead must battle a spirit that for years has been awaiting her return.
The film offers nothing new to the genre, despite providing some nice goose bumps.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes, outtakes, an extended ending, a featurette on the making of the movie and a commentary track make up the bonus materials.
Honeymoon (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, bloody images, sexual content, language
The lowdown: Newlyweds travel to a remote cabin for their honeymoon and some privacy — their first mistake.
Shortly after arriving, the husband finds his bride disoriented and wandering in the woods. Soon after, her behavior becomes very strange promoting the young man to believe something sinister is lurking in the nearby woods.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include cast and filmmaker interviews, a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes and an AXS TV look at the film.
“The Twilight Saga Extended Edition: Triple Feature” (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2008-10, Lionsgate
Rated: Unrated, supernatural violence and action, sexual content,
The lowdown: Now, in one set, you can watch Bella and Edward’s blossoming romance as the entire franchise unfolds.
Of course, this story of a moody teenage girl and a boring young vampire is not everyone’s cup of blood, but the series does have its followers.
The films have been re-edited to include deleted scenes.
If you want to show your girlfriend how sensitive you are, this would make the perfect belated holiday gift or early Valentine’s Day present.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: No bonus features.
My Left Foot (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 1989, Lionsgate
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: Daniel Day-Lewis won his first best actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Irishman Christy Brown who, despite crippling cerebral palsy, won acclaim as an artist and writer.
Co-star Brenda Fricker, who portrays Brown’s mother, won an Oscar for best supporting actress.
This is an excellent, timeless drama that is as fresh today as when it was first released.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the real Christy Brown and a making of featurette.
The Two Faces of January (Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, language, smoking
The lowdown: A glamorous couple befriend a young guide during an European trip.
The friendship, however, soon evolves into a love triangle that leads to betrayal and murder.
The cast features Viggo Mortenson, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Among the extras are deleted scenes, bloopers, and a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes as well as an AXS TV look at the film.
The Facts of Life: The Complete Series
Details: 1979-88, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A multidisc set that features all 201 episodes of this popular 1980s TV sitcom about four teenagers at an exclusive girls school where they learn about friendship, cooperation and boys on the path to adulthood.
The wise and kindly Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) guides the girls and helps them over their rough patches.
Among the frequent guest stars was a young and hunky George Clooney.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital; English closed-captioning.
Don’t miss: A pair of made-for-TV movies, “The Facts of Life Goes to Paris” and “The Facts of Life Down Under”; the “Diff’rent Strokes” episode that introduced Mrs. Garrett and the girls; a featurette on remembering the series; a trivia game; an “After the Facts” featurette; and a September 2014 cast reunion at the Paley Center are the bonus offerings.
Who Killed Alex Spourdalakis?
Details: 2014, TDC Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the alleged murder of a Chicago teen afflicted with severe autism and how he went from a happy adolescent to a sleepless, violent and out-of-control young man.
The film shows how doctors failed to recognize that severe gastronomical pain and inflammation were the crux of his problem and locked Alex in restraints and gave him mind-numbing drugs.
The story of Alex is an indictment of our healthcare system’s ability to treat autism as a disease rather than a psychiatric disorder.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby Digital; English closed-captioned.
Don’t miss: An interview with the filmmakers and a look at an autism success story comprise the extras.
Stingray: The Complete Series: 50th Anniversary Edition
Details: 1964-65, Timeless Media Group
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Gerry Anderson TV series used puppets as it chronicled the adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol and its flagship vehicle, Stingray, under the command of Capt. Troy Tempest.
This kids-friendly series is easy to follow as the good guys always win. It is primitive and nostalgic.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture; English Dolby Digital monaural.
Don’t miss: An interview with Anderson is the main extra.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Ancient Aliens: Season 6, Volume 2: (Lionsgate)
Duck Commander: Before the Dynasty (Lionsgate)
The Identical (Blu-ray + DVD) (Cinedigm)
Middle of Nowhere (DVD + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
Mythbusters: 10th Anniversary Collection (Cinedigm)
Revenge of the Green Dragons (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) (Lionsgate)
The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
FOR KIDS
SpongeBob Squarepants Triple Feature: 10 Happiest Moments, Heroes of Bikini Bottom & Legends of Bikini Bottom (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Season 1 (Cinedigm-Flatiron Film Co.)
Coming next week: The Drop
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob.com. The Film Yap and other print and online publications, He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook.
Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.