Bill Hunt

Sony’s Venom 3, KLSC’s The Coneheads & Uncle Buck in 4K, Conclave, A24 exclusives, The Substance & Warner Archive announces new catalog BDs including Tom & Jerry!

Often overlooked in any discussion of the films of director Frank Capra, Lost Horizon remains a romantic masterpiece, and is one of my favorite of his works. It’s romantic in the classic sense—an evocative, soft-focus vision of a mysterious utopia created by lofty and noble ideals. Adapted from the James Hilton novel, Lost Horizon tells the story of English refugees fleeing the 1935 revolution in China. Lead by diplomat Robert Conway (played by Ronald Colman), the group manages to catch the last plane out. But rather than heading east, toward the ships that will take them home, it flies west into Tibet. The hijacked plane eventually crash lands deep in the frozen Kunlun Mountains, at the very roof of the world. Just as the passengers are about to give up hope, a band of locals arrives claiming to have been expecting them. After an arduous climb through treacherous cliffs and icy caverns, the band arrives at their destination, a lush and temperate paradise known as Shangri-La, nestled in a high mountain valley and completely cut off from the rest of the world. The people of this valley give the refugees a warm welcome, and life couldn’t be better. Shangri-La is Conway’s dream come true: There’s no crime, no greed, no suffering… just a wonderfully peaceful and idyllic utopia. But questions remain: Why was the group taken there against their will? And when a man finally gets his dream, can it ever be enough?

Sony sets The Social Network for 4K on 2/18, plus new Indicator titles, Graveyard Shift in 4K & LG quits the Blu-ray player business

George Lucas conceived Willow, Ron Howard directed it, and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) made their name with it. So why isn’t this film the best thing in the world of cinema? That’s a hard question to answer. Willow certainly has its fans and a few things going for it, from a pretty good cast to some remarkable special effects (and some really bad ones too—Brownies anyone?). But ultimately, the whole thing falls down because this story feels like it’s been recycled from elements done better elsewhere. Still, the art of myth making is the art of telling the same story over in ever more remarkable ways. And it’s often said that there are only seven basic stories to tell in the world (some say nine or twelve, but what do they know?)—it’s the way you tell them that matters. Sadly though, I think Lucas, Howard, and screenwriter Bob Dolman simply didn’t add enough that’s fresh here to make a difference.

Criterion sets their March slate with Wages of Fear, Thief, Godzilla vs. Biollante & more in 4K, plus The Conqueror & more KLSC Blu-ray titles!

Twenty-eight years after Jo and Bill Harding proved the biggest tornadoes can be studied with an experiment called Dorothy, a new generation of young scientists is following in their footsteps. Enter Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Javi (Anthony Ramos), and their team of meteorology post-grads from Muskogee State in Oklahoma. Kate’s goal is to prove that tornadoes can be “tamed” by deploying sodium polyacrylate beads to suck moisture from the atmosphere and thus weaken the funnel. But on their first try, the storm unexpectedly grows into an EF5 and wipes out most of their team.

BREAKING: Lionsgate is about to announce Kill Bill 1 & 2 and Jackie Brown for 4K Ultra HD!

We have all the Tarantino 4K art, plus Sony sets My Girl for 4K, and StudioCanal reveals its 4K restoration of The Lion in Winter!

Warner sets Constantine for 4K on 2/18, plus Daylight, General’s Daughter & Akira in UHD, 28 Days Later in Digital & Paramount is fixing I Love Lucy on Blu-ray

Paramount sets Gladiator II for Digital on 12/24 & physical in March, plus new KLSC 4Ks include Daylight & Prophecy, Arrow’s March slate & more!