STACK #246 April 2025

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4K UHD HIGHLIGHTS

Words Amy Flower

PRETTY IN PINK With Molly Ringwald as star and a killer soundtrack boasting New Order, OMD, INXS, and more, for many, Pretty in Pink is the greatest of ‘80s king John Hughes’ teen flicks. Now, the tale of Andie (Ringwald), a girl “from the wrong side of the tracks”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES The prolific John Hughes returns with a full-on road movie meets buddy flick that’s a bona fide comedy masterpiece, starring Steve Martin and John Candy as two guys who are just trying

ALSO OUT THIS MONTH

and her romance with rich kid Blane (Andrew McCarthy) heads to 4K Ultra HD to give us the movie in better quality than ever before. How so? Well, we get a native 4K transfer that’s enhanced with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 – depending upon what your setup supports - with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Out Apr 2

to get home for Thanksgiving. They’re complete polar opposites, however their paths become inextricably linked - for better or for worse. This one hits 4K Ultra HD with a native 4K transfer boosted by Dolby Vision and HDR10, with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 handling sonic duties. Extras include four featurettes, with two on John Hughes, plus a tribute to John Candy. Out Apr 2

It’s the biggest month yet for Aussie 4K releases, so buckle up for some superb back catalogue coming our way! April 9 will see the standard release of horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street (native 4K, HDR10, Dolby Atmos), as well as the rerelease locally of the late, great David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (native 4K, Dolby Vision/ HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1). Our first dash of Hitchcock for the month comes in a singular release of the Sean Connery/Tippi Hedren thriller Marnie (native 4K, HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0) on April 16, alongside Gore Verbinksi’s wild animated western Rango (Dolby Vision/ HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), and the local rerelease of the Ultimate Cut of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (HDR10, Dolby TrueHD 5.1). April 30 brings us fiery action with Ron Howard’s Backdraft (native 4K, HDR10, DTS:X), and the 1983 dance sensation Flashdance (native 4K, HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1). That’s not all for April 30 though, as sci-fi fans can get into the classic It Came from Outer Space (native 4K, HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0), fans of horror can thrill to Kevin Bacon in Stir of Echoes (native 4K, Dolby Vision/HDR10, Dolby Atmos), and, finally, part two of this month’s Hitchcock drop hits in the master of suspense’s second take on The Man Who Knew Too Much , the 1956 version starring James Stewart and Doris Day (native 4K, HDR10, DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0).

DEEP IMPACT What do you do when a gigantic comet is on a collision course with Earth, potentially set to wipe us all out – total extinction? Well, you gather a top bunch of Hollywood stars like Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman, Vanessa Redgrave, Elijah

THE FIRM Director Sydney Pollack’s Tom Cruise-starring thriller, from the pen of John Grisham, wends its way to 4K Ultra HD, with a killer supporting cast that includes Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, and Hal Holbrook. Cruise portrays

Wood, and Téa Leoni and send a rocket stuffed with nukes to “meet and greet” the errant rock! Prepare for all the glory of this fun sci-fi disaster epic to hit screens in native 4K, with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 helping it look the part. On the audio side of things, there’s a boisterous Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix for our ears to revel in. Out Apr 9

Mitch McDeere, an ambitious Harvard law graduate who joins a small Memphis firm, only to discover evidence of corruption and murder in his new place of employment. This one hits our screens in native 4K with both the Dolby Vision and HDR10 treatment, while audio is ably supplied by Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Out Apr 9

PADDINGTON It’s time for the first big movie adventure of the most famous bear to hail from deepest, darkest Peru to hit 4K Ultra HD – hooray! Grab some

SEVEN SAMURAI One of the most influential movies to have ever

graced cinema screens – from The Magnificent Seven to Star Wars to A Bug’s

marmalade toast and settle in for adventure as the ever-so polite Paddington hits London and finds a home with the Brown family. But there’s danger afoot when a taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) sets her sights on our little friend… There’s certainly no danger with this HDR10-enhanced transfer, nor the new Dolby Atmos sound mix. Meanwhile, three featurettes and a gallery should satisfy those with cravings for extras. Out Apr 9

Life - wends its way to 4K Ultra HD in an impressive, bonus filled package. Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 epic tale of samurai hired by a farming village to protect them from bandits arrives on 4K via a Dolby Vision/HDR10 enhanced native transfer, with Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese audio and English subtitles. Inside the 70th anniversary hard box there’s also a bonus-filled Blu-ray, a 16-page booklet, a double-sided poster, and a selection of six art cards. Out Apr 30

16 APRIL 2025

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