New to Blu: May 25 – 31

May 25, 2016 0 Comments

“The Hateful Eight retains its epic presentation even on the home format. Detail is outstanding, lapping up every nuance of the wider shots, which were designed to better appreciate the ensemble cast despite the inherently restricted locale, with many of them sharing the screen at the same time for key sequences.”

“Presented in its original ultra-wide 2.76:1 aspect ratio, The Hateful Eight looks gorgeous on this 1080p transfer; those with projectors will love it, while anyone with less than a 40″ TV will be squinting pretty hard.”

The Hateful Eight is a great Blu-ray, but a puzzling misstep of a movie from a great director. Watch it for the amazingly indulgent but beautiful visuals … Every detail of 70mm shows brightly here, from the individual flakes of snow in long shots to even the stirring of dust in the interiors. Much of the film takes place in low lit settings, but there is no grain or compression evident, thanks to the space offered by Blu-ray.

“Detail is routinely fantastic throughout the film, where magical little moments like backlit snow (even in quite dark sequences) are beautifully detailed and precisely rendered.”

“The aural impression, via dialogue, effects and, especially, the soundtrack and Ennio Morricone’s Oscar-winning score, is quite strong.

“Rarely has wind made such a looming impact based largely on sound. The Blu-ray uses a DTS HD-MA 5.1 track as the default and it sounds outstanding.”

“Goosebumps isn’t the most robust Blu-ray in the wild, but its largely flat, digitally sourced 1080p transfer gets the job done. The movie sees a fairly even split between well lit sequences and dark nighttime exteriors.”

“Detail levels are exquisite allowing for the right amount of image clarity to give the movie a ‘film-like’ quality to it without looking overly ‘video’.

“Colours are bright and beautiful giving the primaries their day in the sun. For the most part colors skew towards warmer, golden summer tones, but flesh tones look normal and healthy.”

“Goosebumps 3D giveth depth, and it taketh depth away. Whereas the 2D-only disc contains a Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack, the 3D version of the film serves up only a less immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

“It’s an unfortunate compromise, adding visual depth, as negligible as it may be, and reducing aural depth in return.”

“The Danish Girl is presented in a 1.85:1 1080p AVC transfer (avg 35 mbps) that brings out a great deal of lovely period European detail – both in the locations and the sumptuous costumes.”

“The Danish Girl‘s digital source translates into a striking 1080p transfer that lacks the texture of film but captures its underlying essence with extraordinary attention to detail and robust coloration.”

“With a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track, The Danish Girl features a strong and beautifully spacious mix. Every scene features a rich sense of dimensionality and atmosphere.”

“The Lady in the Van features a stable, consistent, and thoroughly enjoyable 1080p transfer. Sony’s 1.85:1-framed image, sourced from a digital shoot, presents vivid colors and complex details with ease.”

“The detail is rather sharp and vivid in both wide shots and closeups. The British setting looks amazing with a ton of detail in the weathered brick and stone that cover the houses.”

“Only the one track: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround, and for a film principally about the dialogue there is a surprising amount of envelopment. The surround speakers are used throughout to add plenty of ambience to the soundscape.”

Also new are Extraction (“generally very sharp and well detailed”), Victor Frankenstein (“a technically impressive presentation with excellent colour reproduction”) and:

Night of the Living Dead
Orange is the New Black: Season Three
Lego Scooby Doo! Haunted Hollywood
WWE: The Rock vs John Cena: Once in a Lifetime
WEE: Wrestlemania 32
WWE: Straight Outta Dudleyville: The Legacy Of The Dudley Boyz.