DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: January 2015
January 6
All movies are 2014/15 releases unless otherwise noted. Availability:
DVD |
Blu-ray |
Both Blu-ray and DVD
Boyhood 100 Watch Trailer
2014's best-reviewed film (as well as the overwhelming favorite on film critics' year-end top 10 lists) is the only new movie to achieve a perfect 100 Metascore since we began tracking film reviews in 1999. Director Richard Linklater’s 12-year experiment in narrative filmmaking captures the maturation of a boy (played for the length of the film by Ellar Coltrane) and his family in Texas. The ambitious project follows Mason (Coltrane), his sister Samantha (the director's daughter, Lorelei Linklater) and his parents (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke) through moments both big and small. There were only 39 days of actual shooting scattered among those dozen years, but Linklater frequently checked in with his actors to help him develop ideas from their actual lives. The result is truly one of the most unique experiences in cinema history.
Get on Up 71 Watch Trailer
Tate Taylor followed his directorial debut The Help with this look at the life of the hardest working man in show business, James Brown. A year after playing another 20th century legend—Jackie Robinson—in 42, Chadwick Boseman stars as the Godfather of Soul, and his performance is the best part of the film. Scripted by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Fair Game) from a story conceived with Steven Baigelman (Feeling Minnesota), Get On Up chronicles Brown’s life from his impoverished childhood to superstardom. Supporting players include Viola Davis, Craig Robinson, Octavia Spencer, Dan Aykroyd, Jill Scott, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, and True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis.
The Guest 76 Watch Trailer
The latest from writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard, the team behind You’re Next, is “an even better genre pastiche,” according to A.A. Dowd of the A.V. Club. The thriller stars Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as David Collins, an ex-soldier who introduces himself to the family (parents Leland Orser and Sheila Kelley and kids Maika Monroe and Brendan Meyer) of his deceased Army buddy, Caleb Peterson. But after earning the Petersons’ trust, they begin to suspect that David is not exactly who he claims to be.
More movie releases on January 6, 2015
73
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case DOCUMENTARY
9
Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who is John Galt? DRAMA | Kristoffer Polaha, Laura Regan
The Boys From Brazil (1978) THRILLER | Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier
Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh (1995) HORROR | Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan
66
Dinosaur 13 DOCUMENTARY
Heartbreak Hotel (1988) COMEDY | Charlie Schlatter, David Keith
46
Horns HORROR/THRILLER | Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple
46
The Houses October Built HORROR
12
Left Behind SCI-FI/DRAMA | Nicolas Cage
34
The Longest Week COMEDY/DRAMA | Jenny Slate, Olivia Wilde, Billy Crudup
26
No Good Deed THRILLER | Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson
The Sword of Doom (1966) Criterion Collection Blu-ray release
44
Two Night Stand ROM-COM | Miles Teller, Analeigh Tipton
59
Ways to Live Forever (2013) DRAMA | Ben Chaplin
54
A Will for the Woods DOCUMENTARY
73
Working Girl (1988) COMEDY/DRAMA | Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
Archer Season 5
58
Black Sails Season 1
67
The Bridge Season 2
76
Girls Season 3
Glee Season 5
73
Looking Season 1
Masterpiece: The Manners of Downton Abbey PBS special
Midsomer Murders Series 12/13 (separate sets)
Sacred Journeys With Bruce Feiler Season 1
January 13
Gone Girl 79 Watch Trailer
David Fincher followed his 2011 adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by bringing another best-seller to the big screen: Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, adapted by Flynn herself. A dissection of marriage and modern media culture, the twisty thriller follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as he becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance. The strong supporting cast includes Kim Dickens, Carrie Coon, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Fugit, and Tyler Perry. The result is Fincher's second-best-reviewed work (after The Social Network), and is expected to bring Oscar nominations (if not trophies) to Pike, Flynn, and possibly the film as a whole.
Love is Strange 83 Watch Trailer
After the success of 2012’s Keep the Lights On, writer-director Ira Sachs returned to last year’s Sundance Film Festival with another film co-written by Mauricio Zacharias and focusing on a gay relationship. Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) have been together 39 years, but when word of their recent marriage reaches the Catholic school where George teaches music, he loses his job. No longer able to afford their apartment, they are forced to live apart. Marisa Tomei and Cheyenne Jackson also star. The film (and Lithgow and Molina in particular) collected plenty of glowing reviews upon its release last summer.
The Two Faces of January 66 Watch Trailer
Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1964 novel about a vacationing American con artist and his wife (played by Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst, respectively), and a Greek-speaking American tour guide (Oscar Isaac) who forms a dangerous bond with the couple. Other film adaptations of Highsmith’s work include The Talented Mr. Ripley, Strangers on a Train, and Todd Haynes’ upcoming film, Carol, starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. January impressed some critics, but others found it less than gripping—a thriller with few thrills.
Wetlands 77 Watch Trailer
This controversial German coming of age/sexual awakening tale is designed to be shocking—and it unquestionably is. But don't let that discourage you. Many critics also found it funny, subversive, original, and innovative. And reviewers especially praised young star Carla Juri, who delivers a "go-for-broke lead turn" as the lonely and rebellious teenager at the heart of the film, according to Village Voice critic Nick Schager.
More movie releases on January 13, 2015
51
21 Years: Richard Linklater DOCUMENTARY
47
Alien Abduction SCI-FI/THRILLER
At the Earth's Core (1976) ADVENTURE | Doug McClure, Peter Cushing
62
Bad Turn Worse THRILLER | William Devane, Mark Pellegrino
70
Bird People DRAMA | Josh Charles, Radha Mitchell
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) Criterion Collection release
Capricorn One (1977) THRILLER | Hal Holbrook, OJ Simpson, James Brolin
37
The Culture High DOCUMENTARY
Ducktales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) ANIMATION/FAMILY
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) THRILLER | Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn
64
Finding Fela! DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
Fitzcarraldo (1982) FOREIGN/DRAMA | Klaus Kinski
Foxes (1980) DRAMA | Jodie Foster
24
Fugly! COMEDY | John Leguizamo
65
Honeymoon THRILLER | Harry Treadaway, Rose Leslie
25
The Identical DRAMA | Ray Liotta, Seth Green, Ashley Judd
37
Jessabelle HORROR | David Andrews, Mark Webber
66
Jimi: All is by My Side DRAMA | André Benjamin, Hayley Atwell, Imogen Poots
77
Keep on Keepin' On DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
63
Memphis DRAMA | Willis Earl Beal
37
Men, Women & Children DRAMA | Directed by Jason Reitman
75
Middle of Nowhere (2012) DRAMA | Omari Hardwick, David Oyelowo
My Left Foot (1989) DRAMA | Daniel Day-Lewis
The Razor's Edge (1946) DRAMA | Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney
River's Edge (1986) DRAMA | Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Dennis Hopper
80
The Strange Little Cat FOREIGN/DRAMEDY
27
Viktor THRILLER | Gérard Depardieu
57
A Walk Among the Tombstones ACTION/THRILLER | Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens
47
Young Ones SCI-FI/DRAMA | Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Elle Fanning
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
Ancient Aliens Season 6 Vol. 2
The Big House Complete series
83
Boardwalk Empire Season 5
56
Dallas Season 3
61
Eat: The Story of Food Miniseries
Episodes Season 3
The Facts of Life Complete series
House of Lies Season 3
Lovejoy Series 4
MythBusters 10th anniversary collection
NYPD Blue Season 8
54
Tyrant Season 1
January 20
The Boxtrolls 61 Watch Trailer
This adaptation of Alan Snow’s illustrated novel Here Be Monsters! comes from Laika, the Portland-based team behind stop-motion favorites Coraline and ParaNorman (though it is not as good as either of those films). The story follows Eggs (voiced by Game of Thrones’ Isaac Hempstead-Wright), a young orphan boy raised by Boxtrolls, a lovable group of underground trash collectors who live under the town of Cheesebridge. When an evil exterminator (Ben Kingsley) threatens Egg’s makeshift family, he attempts to save them with the help of Winnie (Elle Fanning), a young heiress to the fortune of one of the town’s cheese-loving families. Also lending their voices are Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, and Toni Collette.
The Drop 68 Watch Trailer
After writing for The Wire and Boardwalk Empire and having three of his novels made into a trio of well-reviewed movies (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island), Dennis Lehane finally wrote his first screenplay. Crime drama The Drop is based on his own short story Animal Rescue (the film’s original title), and it stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and the late James Gandolfini in his final role. It's also the English-language debut for director Michaël R. Roskam, coming off his well-received debut Bullhead. Drop's story revolves around a robbery at a bar where Hardy’s Bob Saginowski works for his cousin Marv (Gandolfini). An investigation ensues that involves mobsters, cops, and old neighborhood secrets.
Lucy 61 Watch Trailer
Director Luc Besson finally (and barely) earned a second green Metascore (his first since 1994's The Professional) last summer with this fast-paced action tale that follows Scarlett Johansson’s titular Lucy as she’s forced to be a drug mule, only to turn the tables on her captors when the drug leaks into her system. She quickly evolves from using 10% of her brain to 100% of her butt-kicking capabilities. Morgan Freeman co-stars as a professor who comes to her aid. Despite the focus on the capabilities of the human brain, Lucy isn't exactly the smartest action flick you'll ever see. As critic Lawrence Toppman wrote, "Whether you take to it will depend on whether you consider 'high-octane' or 'nonsense' the more important word."
The Zero Theorem 50 Watch Trailer
Terry Gilliam's long-delayed sci-fi oddity finally got a brief theatrical release this fall after a year of delays. The film stars Christoph Waltz as a reclusive and eccentric computer genius attempting to develop a formula to determine if life has any meaning. Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, and Peter Stormare also star, and while critics praised Theorem's imagination and energy, they found the film ultimately empty, incomplete, and not as funny as it thinks it is.
More movie releases on January 20, 2015
37
Annabelle HORROR | Alfre Woodard, Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton
The Atticus Institute HORROR/THRILLER
64
Coherence SCI-FI/THRILLER
67
The Green Prince DOCUMENTARY
72
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz DOCUMENTARY
55
Life's a Breeze DRAMA/COMEDY | Pat Shortt, Fionnula Flanagan
56
May in the Summer DRAMA/COMEDY | Cherien Dabis, Alia Shawkat, Bill Pullman
57
The Mule DRAMA/COMEDY | Hugo Weaving
84
My Winnipeg (2008) Criterion Collection release
The Palm Beach Story (1942) Criterion Collection release
52
Rudderless DRAMA/COMEDY | Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin; directed by William H. Macy
49
White Bird in a Blizzard DRAMA | Shailene Woodley, Eva Green; directed by Gregg Araki
52
Winter in the Blood DRAMA
37
Wolves ACTION/HORROR | Lucas Till
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
30 for 30: The Day the Series Stopped TV movie
Little House on the Prairie Season 4 (remastered)
63
Satisfaction Season 1
Swamp People Season 5
Welcome Back, Kotter Season 2
Wolfblood Season 3
January 27
The Book of Life 67 Watch Trailer
Produced by Guillermo del Toro and based on stories and imagery from the Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos (aka Day of the Dead, the film's original title), this animated family tale follows Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna) on his journey to return to the land of the living to reunite with his beloved Maria (Zoe Saldana) and thwart her other suitor, Joaquin (Channing Tatum). Critics loved the way it looked, but were less enamored of the script.
Fury 64 Watch Trailer
Writer-director David Ayer's second WWII adventure (his first produced script was the submarine drama U-571) follows the crew of a tank on one final mission during the closing days of the war. Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Logan Lerman, and Jon Bernthal star. Many critics found the action raw and visceral, though others found it plodding and self-important.
The Judge 48 Watch Trailer
Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall star in this family/legal drama from director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers). The film centers on a big-city defense attorney (Downey Jr.) who returns to his hometown to find his father (Duvall), the town’s long-standing judge, under investigation for murder. Also starring are Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vera Farmiga, Melissa Leo, David Krumholtz, Dax Shepard, and Leighton Meester. Despite the strong cast, critics were disappointed by the film, finding it second-rate and old-fashioned.
More movie releases on January 27, 2015
68
Art and Craft DOCUMENTARY
41
Before I Go to Sleep THRILLER | Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth
34
The Color of Time DRAMA | James Franco, Mila Kunis
36
Days and Nights DRAMA/COMEDY | Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Katie Holmes, William Hurt
83
Henry V (1989) DRAMA | Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi
75
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness DOCUMENTARY
La ciénaga (2001) Criterion Collection Blu-ray release
43
Miss Meadows THRILLER | Katie Holmes
52
My Old Lady DRAMA/COMEDY | Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith
47
Open Windows ACTION/THRILLER | Elijah Wood, Neil Maskell, Sasha Grey
38
The Remaining HORROR/THRILLER
70
Why Don't You Play in Hell? FOREIGN/ACTION/COMEDY
TV on DVD/Blu-ray
56
Big Driver Lifetime movie
Downton Abbey Season 5
Maison Close Season 1
Regular Show Vol. 7
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