New to Blu: June 27-July 3

It’s a hallowed week for Hollywood on Blu-ray.

Releasing alongside this year’s best picture Oscar-winner, The Artist, are Woody Allen: A Documentary and such seminal classics as Chinatown, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, To Catch a Thief, Sabrina and Funny Face.

Don’t try to adjust your set with The Artist: the silent movie homage was shot in black-and-white and has a 1.37:1 aspect ratio.

“This is a rich, steady, visually captivating sort of transfer that serves up impressive detailing and clarity throughout.”

“Detail is very good throughout and despite the obvious attempt at offering up a ‘classic’ look reminiscent of the times, there’s no overwhelming softness, and no digital defects and edge enhancement.”

Also new from the multiplex are Shame and Happy Feet Two.

“Shame sports a very cinematic appearance, with a pristine looking 1080p transfer from the 35mm source … The movie simply looks great in high-def.”

“Colour has been desaturated throughout, thus giving the entire movie a look of coolness and possessing almost an antiseptic quality.

“Sharpness is generally excellent, and black levels are very good, but contrast is occasionally a little milky.”

“Happy Feet Two comes with a near flawless 1080p presentation that allows one to appreciate every bit of CGI eye-candy that the movie offers up.

“Like other Blu-ray releases that are mastered off the original digital computer files, Happy Feet Two produces a superb picture with outstanding clarity, dimensionality and detail.”

Seasons one of Hell on Wheels and two of The Walking Dead also are being rolled out this week.

Unusually, the latter is being released here two months ahead of the US and the UK while the former “very impressively captures the look and feel of the mid 19th century American Midwest.”

“The images are very crisp, and surface textures are very well-rendered giving a superb sense of reality. Colours are well-saturated, dealing with interiors and exteriors equally satisfactorily.”

Completing a big week for back catalogue titles from Universal and Paramount are Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Failure to Launch and School of Rock.

Paul Simon: Under African Skies spearheads a Blu-ray music slate that includes Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here, Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City and Kasabian: Live at the O2.