New to Blu: June 8-14 (Movies)

Three westerns — a re-make and two re-issues — contribute to a bonanza week for Blu-ray releases.

The Coen Brothers’ take on True Grit scored universal “Yahoos!” for its HD audio and video specs.

Blu-ray.com hailed the transfer “as faultless as the movie. Clarity is striking in every single frame, allowing detail to shine and the image to appear absolutely pristine in every shot.”

DVD Beaver concurred it was “flawless … It is so good at times that I found myself watching the beauty of the visuals than, actually, following the film. This Blu-ray reproduces the theatrical experience sublimely.”

“This is what a western should be like on Blu-ray,” argued Blu-ray Definition.

“The Coen Brothers’ film uses a variety of palettes, from the sepia-toned opening and the more muted colours when the story hits the trail, to the brilliant flashes of colour over the horizon of the open prairie during the film’s closing scenes … Utterly satisfying.”

And DVD File said the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound mix “earns its keep as well, providing a stellar atmosphere for the movie’s visual palette.

“Dialogue is clear from top to bottom, the movie’s subtle score comes through with heft and finesse, and surrounds are utilised to great effect, really enveloping viewers into the movie’s narrative world.”

Also new, for a budget price, is the controversial 1970 western, Soldier Blue, and the Johnny Depp black-and-white oddity, Dead Man.

Online reviews haven’t been posted of the former but DVD Beaver damned the French Blu-ray of the latter as “a bit of a puny single-layered Blu-ray – not worthy of the film. Contrast is a better, detail as well – but not enough.”

Also out this week for fans of modern action are Unstoppable andThe Green Hornet.

The runaway freight train thriller, Unstoppable, was praised for a transfer that was “stellar” (High-Def Digest) and “quite stunning” (The Cinema Laser), while the audio’s “a totally immersive and LFE-laden experience that is easily one of the best of its kind” (The Digital Bits).

The superhero adventure, The Green Hornet, which is out in 2D and 3D editions, also knocked ‘em dead with its transfer:  “Sparkling … exactly how you’d expect a modern day action movie to look” (High-Def Digest); “a mighty hi-def disc” (DVD Verdict); and “spectacular, effortlessly crisp, crystal-clear” (Blu-ray.com).

The rest of the week’s releases range from direct-to-BD thrillers (Caught in the Crossfire, Dear Mr Gacy) and comedy (Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day); to anime (Chobits Collection), martial arts (Reign of Assassins) and rock music (Foo Fighters – Back and Forth); to back-catalogue (The Golden Compass, Happy Feet, Inkheart, Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Undead).