New to Blu: February 27-March 5

Oscar-winners Argo and Searching for Sugar Man headline a suite of sweet-as Blu-rays.

“Though there is certainly some mixed media in the film, Argo looks just as good as any new to Blu-Ray movie should.”

“Some may not consider this to be reference quality, but if your definition of ‘reference’ means having a pristine presentation of the source, then this release will undoubtedly leave you marvelling at all of the careful artistic decisions.”

“The film arrives with an outstanding audio and video presentation and worthwhile bonus features, making this Blu-ray highly recommended.”

“Headlining Argo’s supplemental package is an excellent picture-in-picture experience that features interviews with the survivors of the Iran hostage crisis and other notable participants.”

Sugar Man’s 1.78:1 1080p image is “nothing less than wonderful …

“However, it should be noted that a certain amount of archival footage (including home movies) is shown at 1.33:1 and the quality is watchable but understandably variable.”

Also of a “very high quality” is the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack.

“Songs really dance through speakers, playing with pinpoint accuracy and faultless clarity, presenting listeners with crystal-clear notes that reveal the tiniest musical details, solid body, and a soothing, relaxing presence.”

Frankenweenie missed out on the best animation Oscar but the 2D and 3D Blu-rays sound award-winning.

“This film’s hi def presentation is a knockout.

“The depth of the image is superb, with many deep, dark shadows transposed against lighter objects with amazing clarity and detail.”

“Tim Burton’s latest gothic fairy tale dazzles and sparkles on 3D Blu-ray with a reference-quality MVC-encoded transfer.”

Also new are Killing Them Softly, which offers “excellent video and outstanding audio” but is “let down by the disappointing lack of extras”, Mental and Death Race 3 (“the image looks more life-like and like video than it does filmic, but it is clean and detailed nonetheless”).