The Two Faces Of January (Blu-ray Review)
January 8th, 2015 by Brandon Peters
Screenwriter Hossein Amini makes a stylish directing debut with this sleek thriller set in Greece and Istanbul, 1962. Intrigue begins at the Parthenon when wealthy American tourists Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his young wife Collete (Kirsten Dunst) meet American expat Rydal (Oscar Isaac), a scammer working as a tour guide. Instead of becoming his latest marks, the two befriend him, but a murder at the couple’s hotel puts all three on the run together and creates a precarious bond between them as the trio’s allegiance is put to the test..
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A powerfully redemptive story about a young man in search of both his purpose and his identity, The Identical arrives on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from Cinedigm and City of Peace Films. Featuring over 20 original songs, all produced and co-written by Motown legend, Jerry Marcellino, the “wholesome and faith-friendly” (Catholic News Service) film boasts an all-star cast, including Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Field of Dreams), Ashley Judd (Dolphin Tale 2, Divergent), Seth Green (“Family Guy,” “Robot Chicken”), Brian Geraghty (“Ray Donovan,” “Boardwalk Empire,” The Hurt Locker) and newcomer Blake Rayne. The Identical is a redemptive movie about a young man, the son of a preacher, who rejects his father’s desire for him to join the ministry and instead embarks on a career as a rock singer. 
Explore the far reaches of the galaxy in this undeniably hip series that inspired a generation – and redefined anime as an indisputable art form. The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motley lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool façade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant, but weird, hacker Ed and a super-genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them is likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re they most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071. 
The fourth season of Game of Thrones hit record viewership numbers in 2014, becoming the most watched series in HBO history. It was recently nominated for 19 Emmy Awards, the most of any series, and is currently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series. The next big milestone for the pop-culture phenomenon will be the February 17, 2015 DVD/BD/Digital HD release of this critically-acclaimed season. I can’t believe it’s coming out already! It seems like only yesterday I reviewed Season 3 
An incredible true story 66 million years in the making, Dinosaur 13 
From Walt Disney Animation Studios (“Frozen,” “Wreck-It Ralph”), Disney’s “Big Hero 6” introduces you to a lovable robot who will change your world. Join Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit) and Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter) in a comic adventure that will make your heart soar as they learn about teamwork and becoming more than you thought you could be.
When Scream Factory announced they were releasing Supernova many moons ago, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the distributor’s most celebrated announcement of all time. The film came out back in 2000, wasn’t liked at all and bombed at the box office pretty hard. Director Walter Hill allowed it to have some sort of historical significance by removing his name for the picture and making it the first film to use the Thomas Lee moniker as Alan Smithee had been laid to rest. Taking a quick look at Rotten Tomatoes, its one where the audiences and critics both healthily agree actually, sporting 10% critic and 16% audience appraisal. The one thing that I think made sense for Scream Factory on this release wasn’t the film itself, was likely bringing back some of its players to tell the story of what exactly happened with this release. Now, that is something that did peak my interest when they announced their extras. No Walter Hill, no Angela Bassett, nor Francis Ford Coppola – but Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Forster, Jack Sholder and Daniel Chuba are enough to suffice. 
Scream Factory mentioned that 2015 was going to dabble a bit more in the Double Features type releases and February seems to show they are going to make good on that. They are also release movie with Nicolas Cage and Jim Carrey in them too. You’ll remember those old “rediscovered” movies from back in the day after they climbed to fame that started popping up with them no prominently on the box art. Vampire comedies Once Bitten and Vampire’s Kiss are coming to Blu-ray! Also making its debut is the goofy slasher film New Year’s Evil, which you really gotta see. They weren’t able to bring it out the week of New Year’s Eve, but who cares, the fact that its coming to Blu-ray and getting special treatment is really awesome enough! Today, they’ve unveiled a nice announcement of these releases (Which also include Love At First Bite and High Spirits), so scroll below and check em out! 
Writer Leigh Janiak makes her directorial debut with Honeymoon. Per the film’s interviews, she found herself inspired and felt she could be able to do big moments on even the lowest of budgets having just viewed the film Monsters. She even got to hand pick one of her cast members, Rose Leslie, because she was such a big fan of hers on Game Of Thrones. The film shot in 2013 and debuted last year at the South By Southwest film festival. The film received plenty of positive acclaim and got a small release in theaters last September. It was a film I marked that I wanted to see once I heard about it, but honestly it escaped my mind until this Blu-ray was announced. Sometimes it just sort of works that way, I suppose, but I got to see it and here’s my review. 
I had one final film to see before I felt I could compile an accurate list for the recently departed 2014. Boyhood was a popular title amongst my fellow writers here, though that wasn’t showing in my area, thus escaping my viewing grasp. Gone Girl came highly recommended though the trailer never attracted my interest enough to shell out money for the movie. The film in question, however, was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. After thoroughly enjoying last year’s Desolation of Smaug, I must admit that Five Armies ended up being a bit of a disappointment. It was not a bad film, but it certainly did not soar either. So, to my list it did not make. With Tolkien’s tales at a cinematic close and Gone Girl gone from the cinema, I present you with my top ten films of the year as well as a couple notables.
Girls, Girls Girls. You hear a lot about this show, whether it be good, bad or “controversial”. Having watched the show…I really don’t understand how this show is controversial at all. Just because Lena Dunham doesn’t have a supermodel figure and gets naked? Lame. There are some moments push limits, but its HBO. I think Game Of Thrones is more edgy with its sex and stuff, personally. I haven’t been with the show from the beginning. I watched an episode during its first season and was completely turned off. But then last January I sucked it up and got completely caught up. Once you get on the show’s wavelength and totally understand what it is and how to watch it (Its not for everyone I get that), its quite an enjoyable time. Part of the fun is facepalming yourself at these 20 something girls and guys making dumb decisions and choices like people during that time in their lives do. Hannah Horvath may be one of the most toxic and frustrating characters on TV, but getting pissed at her is part of the fun of watching this little dramedy show. 
I make it no surprise. When it comes to televisions and home media players, there’s no other brand I’ll recommend or even own in my home other than Sony. They build the best gear in my opinion (I’m not being paid to say this) and are worth the extra bucks over the competition as far as I’m concerned. Also, when it comes to Blu-ray players, again in my opinion, you’ll never hear me speak of any other player besides the Playstation 3, the king of them all. However, a funny thing happened this past January. I became a gamer when I got my grubby paws on a Playstation 4 and did the unthinkable, I paid to become a Sony PSN Plus member so I could kick some arse online in the Call of Duty franchise, and also bask in all the other benefits the membership has to offer like free games, discounts, multiplayer matches and more. We, the fans and players on the Playstation 4, come to rely on our PSN Plus memberships like crack to a junkie. 
I first met Tim Sullivan years ago at the mighty Comic-Con. That interview can be found 
