New streaming, on-demand highlights Dec. 4-10, 2023
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It’s an incredibly diverse week for digital releases as Martin Scorsese’s lauded “Killers of the Flower Moon” makes its way to premium video on demand along with horror films “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” and “There’s Something in the Barn,” a live recording of a London production of “The Prince of Egypt: The Musical,” a Star Wars Holiday Special documentary “A Disturbance in the Force” and a pair of animated features in family friendly “The Canterville Ghost” and the slightly more grown up “Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, The Complete Adventure.”
Blu-ray releases are dominated by catalog titles making their way to 4K UHD for the first time. Titles include classics like “Titanic,” “The Color Purple” and “Stand by Me.” You can also pick up a copy of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the second season of the excellent “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” or the complete “Babylon 5” series. All would make fantastic gifts this holiday season.
If you are looking for gift ideas, I’ve put together numerous guides including television and streaming and movies.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Studio Synopsis: At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Jillian Dion, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann’s best-selling book.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Studio Synopsis: In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine behind, but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path. Based on the untold chapter from Pet Sematary, Stephen King’s chilling novel.
The Canterville Ghost
Studio Synopsis: THE CANTERVILLE GHOST tells the story of a modern American family that moves to their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost. Effectively, Sir Simon de Canterville (Stephen Fry) has been haunting the grounds of Canterville Chase successfully for over 300 years, but he meets his match, Virginia Otis (Emily Carey) when he tries to scare out the new arrivals.
Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, The Complete Adventure
Studio Synopsis: The Justice League faces off against a new horror -- adolescence! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and Vixen are surprised to find that not only have they materialized on a strange world called Remnant, but they’ve also been transformed into teenagers! Meanwhile, the heroes of Remnant, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, find their world has been mysteriously altered. Can the combined forces of the Justice League and Team RWBY return Remnant, and the Earth’s Super Heroes, to normal before a superpowered Grimm destroys everything they know?
The Prince of Egypt: The Musical
Studio Synopsis: Based on the classic DreamWorks Animation film and featuring Stephen Schwartz's "miraculous music" (Time Out) – including his Academy Award-winning song 'When You Believe' – and Sean Cheesman's "astonishing choreography" (The Guardian), this epic, critically acclaimed production with an original London cast and orchestra of more than 60 artists tells an inspiring tale of resilience and hope. Journey through the wonders of Ancient Egypt as two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One must rule as Pharaoh, the other must rise up and free his true people; both face a destiny that will change history forever.
There's Something in the Barn
Studio Synopsis: In this holiday horror comedy, Bill (Martin Starr) moves his American wife Carol (Amrita Acharia) and children Nora (Zoe Winter-Hansen) and Lucas (Townes Bunner) to Norway where he's inherited a family estate. While Bill dreams of turning the adjourning barn into a bed and breakfast, his family struggles to adapt to Scandinavian life. Lucas discovers a mischievous barn elf from ancient folklore living in the barn with a set of rules the family must follow. When Bill dismisses Lucas's warnings and fails to follow sacred holiday traditions, the elf plots to get rid of the American intruders at any cost.
A Disturbance in the Force
Studio Synopsis: In 1978, CBS aired the "Star Wars Holiday Special" the week before Thanksgiving to an audience of 13 million people. Considered one of the worst shows in television history, it aired only once. George Lucas tried to bury it and an infamous camp legend was born. This documentary unravels the mysteries behind the most bizarre Star Wars spin-offs of all time.
Billy Jack
Studio Synopsis: Half-breed ex-Green Beret Billy Jack is driven to action when a desert school is victimized by thugs. Using his fists and his feet, he unleashes justice in a fast-kicking frenzy that made him an instant folk hero.
The Born Losers
Studio Synopsis: After a notorious motorcycle gang assaults four young women, one of the victims seeks out justice with the help of Billy Jack.
New Blu-ray and DVD Highlights
Titanic 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar-nominatee Kate Winslet light up the screen as Jack and Rose, the young lovers who find one another on the maiden voyage of the "unsinkable" R.M.S. Titanic. But when the doomed luxury liner collides with an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic, their passionate love affair becomes a thrilling race for survival. From acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron comes a tale of forbidden love and courage in the face of disaster that triumphs as a true cinematic masterpiece.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Studio Synopsis: Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for this highly anticipated final installment of the iconic franchise – a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure. Thrust again into a challenge that tests his strength, as well as his patience, Indiana Jones (Ford) risks everything to keep an ancient dial that could change the course of history from those who want the device for their own personal gain. With a stellar cast that includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, and Mads Mikkelsen, Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny is a nonstop thrill ride! This exciting finale is directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp and James Mangold, based on characters created by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 2 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Spock (Ethan Peck) and the rest of the Enterprise crew are back exploring strange new worlds and boldly going where no one has gone before.
Babylon 5: The Complete Series
Studio Synopsis: 2258 CE. Five hostile federations dominate the outermost regions of space. Heroes, thieves, and rare and exotic beings find refuge in this time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war on a lone space station — the last and best hope for peace between a hundred worlds, alien and human alike — Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski that ran for five seasons from 1994–1998. The critically acclaimed franchise debuted in 1993 with the pilot film The Gathering. The series then launched a year later and ran for five seasons and 110 additional episodes. A future-history story covering the years 2257–2262, with each year corresponding to one season, Babylon 5 was the first series to introduce viewers to the concept of a five-year arc, with a defined beginning, middle, and end, paving the way for a number of such later series.
The Color Purple 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: From 1909 to 1949, Celie, a Southern Black woman, gradually gains self-respect as she strives to educate herself and to find love--despite an abusive spouse and a society biased against her race and her sex. Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey star in director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple.
Depeche Mode Strange/Strange Too
Studio Synopsis: Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn’s Iconic Film Collection Strange/Strange Too to be Released for the First Time Ever on Blu-ray. Freshly Restored from Original Super 8 Sources, the Compilation of Groundbreaking Depeche Mode Videos, Directed and Filmed by Anton Corbijn, includes 11 Music Videos + 6 Previously Unreleased Outtake “Vignettes”Digipack Release includes New Artwork & Liner Notes by Anton Corbijn
Kill Room 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: The Kill Room is a dark comedic thriller follows an art dealer (Uma Thurman) who teams with a hitman (Joe Manganiello) and his boss (Samuel L. Jackson) for a money laundering scheme that accidentally turns the hitman into an overnight Avant-Garde sensation, forcing the dealer to play the art world against the underworld.
Office Christmas Party 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: In OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY, when the CEO (Jennifer Aniston) tries to close her hard-partying brother’s branch, he (T.J. Miller) and his Chief Technical Officer (Jason Bateman) must rally their co-workers and host an epic office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs. The latest comedy from directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (BLADES OF GLORY) co-stars Kate McKinnon, Olivia Munn, Jillian Bell, Rob Corddry, Vanessa Bayer, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Jamie Chung, and Courtney B. Vance in the funniest movie of the holiday season.
Point Break 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: Hang ten and hang tough, Johnny. Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah is learning to ride the waves. His mission: infiltrate a group of extreme surfers who may be the bank robbers known as the Ex-Presidents, and whose MO includes wearing masks of former White House denizens. Keanu Reeves portrays Johnny, Patrick Swayze plays charismatic thrill seeker Bodhi, and Oscar-winning* director Kathryn Bigelow delivers an adrenaline rush of gnarly rides, skydives and danger in Point Break!
Silver Bullet 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: In Stephen King's thrilling adaptation of his novelette, Cycle Of The Werewolf, a peaceful town is suddenly terrorized by a maniacal killer. The townsfolk think a madman is on the loose, but a wheelchair-bound 13-year-old (Corey Haim, The Lost Boys) knows the truth ... a werewolf is on the hunt. With the help of his Uncle Red (Gary Busey, Lethal Weapon), young Marty Coslaw sets out to stop the half-man/half-beast before he sinks his teeth into another innocent victim. Now, time is ticking ... and the full moon is about to rise.
Stand By Me 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis: In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends--sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O'Connell)--are in search of a missing teenager's body. Wanting to be heroes in each other's and their hometown's eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss 'cause it's cool and band together when the going gets tough. When they encounter the town's knife-wielding hoods who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had. STAND BY ME is a rare and special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up. Filled with humor and suspense, STAND BY ME is based on the novella 'The Body' by Stephen King.