New to Blu: December 26-January 8

It’s brawn versus brain this week, with the release of The Expendables 2 being overshadowed by art house movies Moonrise Kingdom, The Front Line and A Royal Affair. 

“Moonrise Kingdom has a fantastic old-timey cinematic look to it because [director Wes] Anderson filmed the movie with Super 16.

“The choice to go with 16mm might frighten some, since the film stock can be overly grainy sometimes.

“Don’t fret though, because Anderson, under the watchful eye of his accomplished cinematographer Robert Yeoman, has created a rich film that looks great in HD.”

“The A/V presentation is superlative given the source material. Wes Anderson intentionally shot the film using 16mm film stock, which means less fine detail, softer images and a high level of grain.

“Having said that, it’s amazing just how much detail cinematographer Robert Yeoman squeezes into the presentation.”

“The Front Line can be a visually striking film at times, and the director presents a few truly memorable shots and sequences that really do shine on Blu-ray.

“Some minor artifacts are noticeable in the transfer, and the film’s inherent style does lead to a few inconsistencies, but the overall video remains strong.”

“Captured in high definition on a Red One camera at 4.5K resolution, The Front Line comes to Blu-ray … in an AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement that is clean, sharp and rich with details and textures.

“While this particular film doesn’t look quite as filmic as I have seen some other productions done with the Red, it is still very good.”

A Royal Affair’s “detail is outstanding from start to finish, clarity excellent, and depth during the panoramic shots quite impressive.”

“The opulent production designs and period detail are done full justice with an impeccably clean presentation demonstration superb contrast levels and clarity.”

From the sublime to … The Expendables 2.

“The transfer boasts exceptional shadow detail and features a very filmic presentation which boasts a very natural look.

“Colours are very nicely saturated and often quite robust, especially in the many outdoor location sequences.”

“The DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio mix is absolutely top notch.

“The Expendables 2 is a movie filled with a ton of directional effects and surround moments and this sonically aggressive track is a perfect match for the big brawny visuals.”

Also new are a double-feature of The Expendables 1 & 2 and the direct-to-disc Bayou Outlaws.