New to Blu: June 29 – July 5

“Zootopia arrives on Blu-ray with the expectedly excellent 1080p presentation from Disney. The movie’s colour palette pops. There are plenty of pastels that make up the broader strokes around the city but a rainbow’s worth of variety and punchier flavors on characters, key backgrounds, and supportive elements.”

“Sharpness is exceptional allowing us to see the intricacies of the hair and fur animation on this complex feature. Colour is gorgeously appointed with bold hues where necessary but with no bleed or blooming. Black levels are beautifully rich and deep.”

“Zootopia‘s Blu-ray 3D 1080p presentation offers a solid enough technical watch, but there’s no sense of wow or dazzle to the presentation.”

“Yes, Zootopia is an animated film for families. But bear in mind that it’s also an exciting buddy cop movie, as well as a thrilling procedural.

“Therefore, it’s not surprising that the DTS-HD 7.1 transfer turns out to be a dynamic experience that takes full advantage of every channel during the film’s many exciting chase and action scenes.”

“Hail, Caesar! is one of those rare modern films that was actually shot on film, and Universal’s 1080p transfer does the source material proud.

“The movie favours a very mild warmth and bronzed period tinge, barely there but just enough to give the mind and eyes an added layer of throwback illusion.”

“The Blu-ray release’s 1080p HD is a must for this film, not least because it means that the occasionally garish Technicolor images leap off the screen.

“The Coens constructed many scenes to directly parallel Hollywood films of the early 50s, and watching those scenes with an enhanced colour palette does make all the difference.”

“The image is consistently crisp and clean. The transfer offers up all sorts of little bits and pieces of detail to appreciate here throughout the movie that add to the fun.”

“Goodnight Mommy‘s 1080p transfer presents the 35mm elements nicely. The picture opens with strikingly bold green stalks and grasses. Colours are never a priority, however, as much of the movie takes place inside, with shades drawn, and clothes, furniture, and accents mostly taking on flat, earthy colours.”

“There’s a very obvious but smooth grain structure from beginning to end with an enormous amount of detail on display.

“The film’s colour palette, which is comprised mostly of blues and grays, is very strong. Black levels, as well as contrast and brightness levels, both have much to offer.”

“Risen‘s 1080p transfer may not be divine, but it’s a solid enough digitally sourced image. The picture presents the basics nicely enough. The digital façade can surprisingly leave some details a little flatter than ideal.”

“The transfer is strong, with sharp detail that reveals just how meticulous the historical production design really is and consistent black levels and flesh tones.”

“The Forest comes to life with a beautiful 1080p transfer from Universal. The digital source photography proves rich and robust, practically passing for film quality and presenting with a healthy, handsome texturing.”

“This is a dreary and moody looking film, which is good, because the subject matter is just as bleak. I wouldn’t say this picture pops at any moment, but is true to the atmosphere it creates, which almost seems filmic at times.”

“Vinyl – Season One was shot digitally on Arri Alexa cameras and is presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Even though these shows are produced with digital cameras, an obvious effort has been made to make each entry look like it was shot on film. Faux grain has been added in post-production, and it’s layered on heavily.”

“Shadow detail can be a bit problematic in the darkest scenes, but in brightly lit environments, detail pops convincingly, offering great looks at the perhaps slightly comical fashions of the 1970s.”

“The 5.1 audio mix, encoded in DTS Master Audio, isn’t quite up to the level of a theatrical movie but works quite well, with dialogue mostly clear and centered.”

Other newcomers include The Knick: Season Two, POD (“video is over bright, the audio is excellent), Cyborg X, Fury – The Tales of Ronan Pierce, WWE: The Us Championship: A Legacy Of Greatness, Eric Bischoff: Sports Entertainment’s Most Controversial Figure, Assassination Classroom – Part 1 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps.