New to Blu: May 19-25

Kiwis are getting a stripped-down version of  TV’s sexy supernatural sensation, True Blood: The Complete Second Season, on Blu-ray.

The five-disc set, which goes on sale on Wednesday, retains all the content of the US release but not the lavish, expanded gatefold packaging (it was used here for the first season).

Warner Bros NZ did the same bare-essentials Blu-ray packaging of Rome as well but the upside of this are a lower retail price than in the US and more shelf space.

Early US reviews have praised not only True Blood S2’s audio and video but also the extras, particularly those exclusive to the Blu-ray.

Two other horrors are new to Blu-ray from Wednesday — The Fourth Kind and The Haunting in Connecticut — and some critics would include the comedy, Old Dogs, in that category, too.

Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Emperor make their Blu-ray debuts on Thursday while two other moderns classics have been dusted off with varying results in HD: Armageddon’s transfer is said to be out of this world but Tombstone’s disappointed, not the least because it’s the theatrical cut and not the director’s edit that recently was released on DVD.

Also new on Blu-ray are the animated Astro Boy and, from May 25, a slew of rock and opera titles: Toto: Falling in Between — Live, Return to Forever: Live at Montreux, Earth Wind & Fire: Live at Montreux, Status Quo: Live at Montreux, Carlos Santana: Blues at Montreux, Sergei Prokofiev: The Gambler, Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Henze: Ondine, Donizetti: L’eslier d’amore, William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Wagner: Parsifal and Handel: Admeto.