Twilight Time to Release "Gun Fury" on BluRay 3D

How on Earth is it that "Beauty & the Beast" - a $1+ billion dollar worldwide hit - manages to come to the states without a proper BluRay 3D release but "Gun Fury" - an obscure 1953 western starring Rock Hudson - actually manages to get a release despite being limited to 3,000 units?  I have no idea.  I ask myself questions like that all the time.  More than I would like.  I don't complain...not really.  I find it odd that the more obscure stuff that has low demand gets releases while mainstream stuff is largely hit-or-miss these days, but such is the world we live in.  Such is the state of the business.  I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it does make me wonder about the state of film on disk in general.  Anyway, the movie is going to be sold exclusively on Twilight Time's website and will street on 9/26 (if my e-mail is correct).  I will update you all with a direct link to purchase it when it is made available.

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Warner Bros. Solicits "Wonder Woman" on BluRay 3D

"Wonder Woman" is the surprise hit of the year.  Not because it features a female superhero, but, rather, because it is part of the DC Extended Universe, a franchise that was on the verge of collapsing until this movie came along.  Warner Bros. has not been shy about releasing BluRay 3D's of their films (they just released "The LEGO Batman Movie" in the format when most theaters wouldn't even project it in 3D), so the fact that they will do the same for one of the biggest hits of the year is unsurprising.  You can pre-order it at most online retailers, but I'll link to the one that makes the boldest statement: Warner Bros. official website!  And, don't worry, this is one DC movie that's worth getting.

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IMAX Screws "Cars 3" with Non-3D Limited Release

It's hard to believe there was a time when IMAX was a great place to go for animated movies.  "The Polar Express," "How to Train Your Dragon," Beowulf," and "Kung fu Panda" are some of the best theater experiences I've ever have had, and other audience members who experienced them would likely tell you the same.  The last time IMAX was serious about animation was with "Zootopia."  Since the release of "The Lorax" though they have largely been wishy washy in releasing animated movies in the states.  "Kung fu Panda 3," "Tangled," "Despicable Me 2," "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," and many other movies have had international IMAX releases, but not domestically (despite how financially successful they were).  "How to Train Your Dragon 2," "The Secret Life of Pets," and "Inside Out" all got IMAX releases, but they got them in VERY limited screen numbers (heck, "Inside Out" - the best film of the year - was just on two nationwide while "Jurassic World" kept the vast majority of the screens despite being in its third week).

This has been bothersome because animated films are routinely some of the highest grossing films of the year, and 3D fits the vast majority of these movies like a glove.  Trouble started a few months ago when "The LEGO Batman Movie" (which is available on BluRay 3D this week) was released on about 500 IMAX screens.  Of the 500, I counted three that projected the movie in 3D (none of them in CA or NY).  This was a strange thing to do and I couldn't figure out why they would largely only be projecting it in 2D when a perfectly serviceable 3D version was available.  It turns out this wasn't an oversight though: IMAX seems to be deliberately avoiding screening animated movies in 3D.  Pixar's "Cars 3" is opening wide tomorrow in theaters.  Less than 300 IMAX screens will be showing the movie with most opting to keep "Wonder Woman" around for a third week of release (yikes, I'm getting a feeling of deja vu here).

This time, NONE of the IMAX screenings are in 3D!  This is especially bizarre and troubling.  Like I stated before, 3D and animation tend to go hand-in-hand with each other, so it's especially bad to watch the movie without the extra effect.  What's stranger though is that kids tend to LIKE 3D!  What's more, IMAX 3D costs the exact same as a regular IMAX ticket, so why would the chain not project it in this way?  It doesn't even cost the theater anymore to project in 3D as opposed to 2D.  I've reached out to IMAX Corporation for clarification on why they are releasing animated movies this way and if this is a new policy, but they have not returned my e-mails.  In the meantime this is a disappointing trend.  For the first time in a LONG time, I will be passing up seeing a movie in IMAX for a standard theater!  IMAX theaters are supposed to present the movies in the best possible way.  By excluding the 3D for movies that were shot with 3D in mind, they are, in effect, crippling the movie, and I can't support that.

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CORRECTION: "Smurfs: The Lost Village" NOT Coming to BluRay 3D

Sorry guys...I have to post a correction: "Smurfs: The Lost Village" is NOT coming to BluRay 3D despite my initial report that it was!  In all fairness, I wasn't the only one who announced this.  Digital Bits, High def Digest, and BluRay.com all reported that Sony was bringing the animated box office disappointment to BluRay 3D, and Sony themselves mentioned it in an early press release.  They even announced that it would be packaged with the UltraHD combo pack.  However, as of today that appears to no longer be the case, and there is no word of a 3D version.  This is especially disappointing because when you watch the teaser for the movie, it was pretty obvious the 3D effect was maximized, and to watch it in 2D will result in a disjointed picture.  How weird is it that Sony is starting to backtrack on the format while Warner Bros. and Paramount remain dedicated?  I don't know.  Here's a sad fact though: The live action Smurf movies get 3D releases with upconverted video while the natural, animated Smurfs movie gets a 2D only release.  Great...

Gee, can you tell this was made for 3D?

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