New to Blu: December 18-24

As a movie, Pain & Gain may owe more to the former than the latter but that’s not true of the Blu-ray.

“Pain & Gain debuts on Blu-ray with a ripped and flamboyant 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that will make screens melt from the sizzling photography of Ben Seresin.

“Gushing with a gaudy array of colors, the picture screams with excitement as sumptuous, pulsating primaries fill the entire landscape, giving the movie an energised and intense feel.”

“This is an excellent transfer in every area, one that feels cinematic from start to finish.”

“The audio is also quite impressive. Presented in Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless – it’s as big as the video.

“Bass is bold, spatial effects are immersive, soundtrack music is well-defined – there really isn’t a damn thing anyone can say bad about the video and audio.”

“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was shot on 35mm film and looks as such on this 2.40:1, 1080p transfer.

“The source format shows in general dynamic ranges and stylised, blooming highlights, though only a few of the scenes feature notable grain and film-based artefacts.”

“The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is good but not as aggressive as top-tier lossless mixes.

“Dialogue is appropriately spaced and mixed with effects and score. Ambient effects make use of the surrounds, and action-oriented effects are bold and crisp.”

“We’re the Millers looks every bit as good as a recent theatrical release should, with a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that’s free from unruliness or unsightly issues of any sort.”

“We’re the Millers is rockin’ a six-channel, 16-bit DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.

“Nothing that’ll redefine the way you perceive the spectrum of sound or anything, but it’s a solid effort just the same.”

About nine minutes distinguishes Argo – Extended Edition from the original.

“A small portion of that time is mostly alternate, extended or reedited footage that’s very easy to miss and has little to no impact on the film.

“A good chunk of the additional footage, however … genuinely add to the emotional impact of the conclusion.”

It also has an hour of new extras, including a “candid, funny, but much too brief Q&A segment” with the cast.

The extended Argo is being released without the fancy slipcover packaging of the US box set while Static 3D is “certainly better than the US release” but lacks the Region A commentary.

Also new are Gambit, Kick-Ass 2, The Following – The Complete First Season, Shameless – The Complete Third Season, Imogene, Man of Tai Chi, The Smurfs 2 and My Neighbor Totoro – 25th Anniversary Edition.