Garv’s Pick of the Week: Silent Running (4K UHD, Arrow Video)
For the release week of December 13th:
Silent Running [4K UHD / Arrow Video]: The directorial debut of special effects artist Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey) is a thoughtful, sci-fi thriller with environmental themes. It will also make you cry. Bruce Dern stars as a man who will do anything to save Earth’s last garden, with the help of three diminutive robots. The film has a new luster, due to Arrow Video’s 4K restoration.
Additional Titles of Interest —
Coraline [4K UHD / Shout Factory]: For my money, the best animated films of the past twenty years have been produced by the stop-motion artists at LAIKA studios. Two of their films get a 4K upgrade this week, starting with the studio’s first feature, Coraline (2009).
ParaNorman [4K UHD / Shout Factory]: I liked LAIKA’s 2012 sophomore feature even better than the first. A warning — Both Coraline and ParaNorman include truly frightening scenes, so neither is recommended for very young children.
The Halleluiah Trail [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: I’ve heard mixed reviews of the script for this 1965 Western comedy, but the Ultra Panavision 70 image should look fantastic in this new 2K restoration. Plus, Michael Schlesinger’s commentaries are always worth the price of admission. Michael shares the microphone this time with film historian C. Courtney Joyner.
Hogan’ Heroes: The Complete Series [Blu-ray/ Paramount]: This series is pleasant enough for a sitcom set in a concentration camp. However, I hope this box set leads to the Blu-ray releases of better 1960s comedies, such as Get Smart, Car 54 Where Are You?, and Green Acres.
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