DVD previews: 'Gone Girl,' 'Walk Among the Tombstones'
Here's a look at DVDs coming out Tuesday, Jan. 13:
"Gone Girl" (R, 149 minutes, Fox): The challenge for any director bringing Gillian Flynn's addictive 2012 whodunit, "Gone Girl," to the big screen is to capture the propulsive, page-turning readability that made the book such a diabolically pleasurable airplane read. David Fincher has risen to the challenge by making a straight-edged, handsomely realized airplane movie, which is not nearly the same thing. Starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Contains violence, sexual situations, nudity and language. Extras include commentary and a comic book.
"Men, Women & Children" (R, 119 minutes, Paramount): An omnibus of interlocking stories set in a prosperous neighborhood in Austin, this family drama chronicles a group of parents and children navigating the wilds of the Internet, often at odds with each other as they search for sex, self-expression, support and celebrity. It's a portrait that will no doubt resonate with any number of families engaged in nightly battles over Minecraft or wondering what their adolescents are really texting about into the wee hours. Cast includes Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Ansel Elgort and Rosemarie DeWitt. Contains sexual situations and language. Extras include a "Virtual Intimacy" featurette in which director Jason Reitman and the cast discuss the effects of technology and social media on relationships; a behind-the-scenes look and deleted scenes, including an alternate storyline.
"A Walk Among the Tombstones" (R, 113 minutes, Universal): Based on Lawrence Block's series of mystery novels, "A Walk Among the Tombstones" stars Liam Neeson as an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator. The look, style and smarts of this thriller seem like such a refreshingly toned-down departure from the outlandishness of Neeson's "Taken" franchise that it's all the more dismaying when the film shifts radically into a sadistic tableau of blood and gore. Contains violence, language and nudity. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette. Also, on Blu-ray: "Matt Scudder: Private Eye" page-to-screen featurette.
"Middle of Nowhere" (R, 97 minutes, Lionsgate/Codeblack): A winner of Sundance and several black film association awards, this indie gem is by Ava DuVernay, who recently became the first African-American woman to receive a Best Director Golden Globe nomination for her work on "Selma." This slice-of-working-class life follows Ruby (the striking Emayatzy Corinealdi), who has put her once-promising life on hold as she waits for her husband (Omari Hardwick) to complete a prison term. Complicating matters are bus driver Brian (David Oyelowo, who also stars in "Selma"), a good man who could represent another road to self-discovery, and the demands of her matriarchal extended family. Extras include commentary.
Also: "The Two Faces of January," "Jimi: All is By My Side," "The Identical," "The Strange Little Cat" (Germany), "Revenge of the Green Dragons," "Once Upon a Time in Shanghai" (Hong Kong), "Who Killed Alex Spourdalakis?" "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" (1972), "Zarra's Law," "Jessabelle," "Four Adventures of Reinette & Mirabelle" (1987, France), "The Honeymoon," "Bad Turn Worse," "Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse" and "The Twilight Saga: Extended Editions Triple Feature."
Television series: "The Bridge Season Two," "MythBusters 10th Anniversary Collection," "Dallas: Third and Final Season," "Tyrant: Season One," "Above Suspicion: Complete Collection," "Duck Commander: Before the Dynasty," "A Horseman Riding By" and "Lovejoy: Series 4."