Kristin Scott Thomas Archives

Shout! Factory Releasing ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Feb. 12

Shout! Factory will release Four Weddings and a Funeral: 25th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray Feb. 12 through its Shout Select premium imprint.

A new 4K scan and a new interview with the Director of Photography are among the many special features on the release.

The 1994 romantic comedy, which was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, focuses on the relationahip between Charlie (Hugh Grant), a charming bachelor and frequent best man at the string of weddings he attends with his friends, and Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an enchanting American who catches his eye just as she is about to marry the wrong man.

The cast also includes Kristin Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson.

The Blu-ray includes new 4K scan of the film from the original camera negative, and the “The Wedding Photographer,” a new interview with director of photography Michael Coulter.

Additional extras include an audio commentary with director Mike Newell, producer Duncan Kenworthy and writer/co-executive producer Richard Curtis; “The Wedding Planners” documentary; “Four Weddings and a Funeral … In the Making” featurette; “Two Actors and a Director” featurette; deleted scenes; promotional spots; and the theatrical trailer.

‘Gosford Park,’ ‘Gas Food Lodging’ Among November Blu-ray Releases on Tap From Arrow and MVD

Gosford Park and Gas Food Lodging are among four Blu-ray releases coming in November from Arrow Video and MVD Entertainment Group.

From Arrow Academy Nov. 13 comes Gas Food Lodging. Based on a novel by Richard Peck and directed by Allison Anders, this story of a young single mother desperately trying to find love was a hit at the 1992 Berlin International Film Festival. This newly restored release comes director approved and contains a number of special features, including “The Road to Laramie: A Look Back at Gas Food Lodging,” a new interview with Allison Anders and Josh Olson; Cinefile: Reel Women, a 1995 documentary by Chris Rodley looking at the challenges women face in the film industry and featuring interviews with Anders, Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion and Penny Marshall; a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin; and for the first pressing only, an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film.

Due Nov. 27 from Arrow Academy is director Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, starring Alan Bates, Kristin Scott Thomas, Bob Balaban, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren and Clive Owen. The murder-mystery features a new 2K restoration from a 4K scan approved by director of photography Andrew Dunn. Special features include audio commentary by Altman, production designer Stephen Altman and producer David Levy; audio commentary by writer-producer Julian Fellowes; new audio commentary by critics Geoff Andrew and David Thompson (author of Altman on Altman); an Introduction by Andrew; new cast and crew interviews recorded exclusively for this release; the “The Making of Gosford Park” archive featurette; the “Keeping Gosford Park Authentic” archive featurette; a Q&A Session with Altman and the cast; 15 deleted scenes with optional Altman commentary; a trailer; reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin; and for the first pressing only, an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Sheila O’Malley and an archive interview with Altman.

Nov. 13 comes The Wizard of Gore from Herschell Gordon Lewis. In the film, Montag the Magnificent wows audiences with his macabre magic act, but before long his volunteers start to wind up dead. Is Montag a modern day wizard or just your everyday serial killer? Special features include the 1968 bonus feature How to Make a Doll; feature-length audio commentary with Lewis and Mike Vraney; “Montag Speaks,” an interview with Wizard of Gore actor Ray Sager; Stephen Thrower on The Wizard of Gore; “The Gore the Merrier,” an interview with Jeremy Kasten, director of the 2007 Wizard of Gore remake; “The Incredibly Strange Film Show,” an episode of the cult documentary series focusing on the films of Lewis; the original theatrical trailer; and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Twins of Evil.

Due Nov. 20 is Teruo Ishii’s anthology Orgies of Edo, featuring three stories with a corrupt moral center. Politically incorrect, each tale is that of tragic heroines caught up in unspeakable violence. Special features include “The Orgies of Ishii,” an exclusive, newly filmed interview with author Patrick Maccias; the theatrical trailer; a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin; and for the first pressing only, an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Tom Mes.

Warner’s ‘Tomb Raider’ Heading to Home Video

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release Tomb Raider digitally May 29, and on Blu-ray, DVD, 3D Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray June 12.

The latest adaptation of the popular video game franchise stars Alicia Vikander as the famous adventure-seeking heroine, who sets out to forge her own path as she investigates her father’s disappearance. The cast also includes Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kristin Scott Thomas.

The film, which was directed by Roar Uthaug, earned $56.9 million at the domestic box office and $271.7 million worldwide.

The Blu-ray and DVD releases will include the making-of featurette “Tomb Raider: Uncovered.”

The Blu-ray versions will also include three additional featurettes: “Croft Training,” about Vikander’s physical preparation for the role; “Breaking Down the Rapids,” a dissection of an action scene with the filmmakers; and “Lara Croft: Evolution of an Icon,” about the history of the character.

The 4K and 3D discs will feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment. The 4K Blu-ray will also feature Dolby Vision HDR.

Darkest Hour

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Street 2/27/18;
Universal;
Drama;
Box Office $54.55 million;
$29.98 DVD, $34.98 Blu-ray;
Rated ‘PG-13’ for some thematic material.
Stars Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ben Mendelsohn.

Darkest Hour is a solid character drama about Winston Churchill’s first few weeks as prime minister of Great Britain in 1940, as he was thrust into the chaos of the early days of World War II.

With Hitler on the verge of conquering France and setting his sights on England, Churchill must contend not only with his country’s rapidly deteriorating military position, but also calls for peace talks from within his own party — from the very people whose appeasement policies helped put Churchill in this difficult position to begin with.

The crisis comes to a head with the evacuation at Dunkirk, as Churchill is determined to rescue British troops despite long odds his plans can succeed. In showing what took place in the halls of British government as the soldiers waited on the beaches for a rescue, Darkest Hour serves as an interesting companion piece to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which hit theaters just a few months earlier and presented the point of view of the evacuating troops.

Gary Oldman practically disappears into the role of Churchill, aided by a complex body makeup to add age and girth. Numerous actors have taken a turn at Churchill over the years, but Oldman’s is likely to draw some inevitable comparisons with John Lithgow’s Emmy-winning take on Netflix’s “The Crown” due to the close proximity of the projects. While Lithgow is just as effective in portraying Churchill’s self-assuredness, temper and arrogance, there’s no mistaking it’s Lithgow. Whereas with Oldman it’s easy to get caught up in his performance, as really it’s only his eyes that provide the telltale reminder of who is actually up there on screen.

As far as comparisons go, however, Ben Mendelsohn is in a less-enviable position for his brief turn as King George VI, with both Colin Firth’s turn in The King’s Speech and Jared Harris on “The Crown” providing fresh points of comparison for performances as the king in earlier and later periods of his life, respectively. Mendelsohn, at least, has the advantage of somewhat resembling the real-life George, as noted by director Joe Wright in a solo commentary track included with the Blu-ray.

Wright’s commentary ends up presenting a nice mix of behind-the-scenes information and some insights into the real story. There are also two short featurettes: an eight-minute making-of video and a four-minute look at Oldman’s performance.