New to Blu: June 16 – 22

It’s a smokin’ hot week for new and classic releases on Blu-ray and 4K-UHD.

As well as the 4K-UHD box set of the Indiana Jones movies, Speed is being re-issued in the higher resolution format and the Smokey & the Bandit trilogy is out on a bargain Blu-ray box set.

Jerry Maguire’s also been spruced up for a Blu-ray re-issue with new extras while a raft of modern classics is out under ViaVision’s Imprint label.

Also new are the crime thriller Nobody and the supernatural natural horror The Unholy.

The former is for sale on both 4K-UHD and Blu-ray, and, like The Unholy, lands here a week ahead of the US. Here’s the Universal Pictures media release:

Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, The Post, Nebraska) stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life’s indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody. When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe, The Shack), is disappointed in him and his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman), seems to pull only further away.

The aftermath of the incident strikes a match to Hutch’s long-simmering rage, triggering dormant instincts and propelling him on a brutal path that will surface dark secrets and lethal skills. In a barrage of fists, gunfire and squealing tires, Hutch must save his family from a dangerous adversary (famed Russian actor Aleksey Serebryakov, Amazon’s McMafia)—and ensure that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again.

Nobody is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry), from a script by Derek Kolstad, the narrative architect of the John Wick franchise, and co-stars legendary Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd as Hutch’s father and multi-hyphenate musician-actor RZA as Hutch’s brother, whose own hidden talents aid Hutch in his quest for vengeance.

The film is produced by Kelly McCormick, p.g.a, and David Leitch, p.g.a., the filmmakers of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde, for their company 87North, by Braden Aftergood, p.g.a. (Hell or High Water, Wind River), for his Eighty Two Films, and by Bob Odenkirk and Marc Provissiero (Hulu’s PEN15) for Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Derek Kolstad, Marc S. Fischer, Annie Marter and Tobey Maguire.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• • English Dolby Atmos TrackFeature Audio Commentary with Actor/Producer Bob Odenkirk and Director Ilya Naishuller
  • Breaking Down The Action – Featurette
  • Just A Nobody – Featurette
  • Hutch hits Hard
  • Deleted Scenes

“Speed‘s 4K UHD presentation offers a good fundamental upgrade over the existing Blu-ray which is now over 13 years old,” Blu-ray.com said.

The 2160p/HDR specification brings the movie to the screen in full command of its visual wares, boasting an impressively filmic veneer by way of a pleasantly natural and consistent grain structure that’s tighter and more finessed than that found on the old 1080p release. The result is a picture that is fresh and clean, straight out of theaters, essentially, looking not a day older than its debut in 1994.

Concurred AVForums: “Speed looks absolutely stunning, with the native 4K image drawing out a noticeable amount of fine detail, background texture, clothing weaves, hair – you name it – and really giving the feature a new lease of life on the format.

“Sure, the Blu-ray was hardly a slouch but it was also hardly the sharpest tool in the box, with this new remaster pulling out a significant amount more in terms of detail across the board.”

Smokey & the Bandit also is out on 4K-UHD in the US but isn’t on Universal’s NZ schedule.

Said High-Def Digest of the Blu-ray: “Smokey is certainly an above average presentation that exceeds expectations. However, it can’t compete with modern high definition.”