New to Blu: November 25 – December 1

One of this country’s most iconic movies at last can be seen at its best on Blu-ray.

Utu Redux will be released in several special editions on Tuesday, two-and-a-half-years after it was digitally restored for showcasing on the film festival circuit and in a limited theatrical run.

Andrew Armitage of Wellington’s Aro Video is handling sales with Graeme Cowley, who was Utu’s cinematographer and is the producer and distributor of the new editions.

The two-disc collector’s edition includes a DVD of Gaylene Preston’s Making Utu documentary, Revisiting Utu featurette with Cowley and director Geoff Murphy, trailer, promotional scene clips and a 12-page booklet.

There’s also a three-disc limited edition with a CD soundtrack composed by John Charles.

“Self/Less features a slick and smooth 1080p transfer. While there’s a noticeable digital flatness to the movie, there’s not a lost detail or unrefined texture to be found.

“Outside of a few modestly soft moments in more challenging nighttime and low light action scenes, the image dazzles with its complex and effortless attention to detail.”

“The film has plenty of action that gets the surround channels going … Music is nice and crisp, and dialogue sounds fine throughout.”

“Ted 2‘s 1080p transfer is uniformly excellent. The HD video source material never pushes more than a hair glossy or flat, resulting in a crisp, amazingly clear, and expertly coloured and textured image.”

“The lossless soundtrack competently delivered the elements present in the recording. Dialogue was well intonated with crystal clarity and good room penetration.

“The presentation offered an open soundstage across the front with definitive channel separation and good dynamic range.”

“Despite landing on a small BD-25 Blu-ray disc, Madame Bovary features a great 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video transfer.

“Although it’s not perfect, at least it’s not riddled with the compression flaws that you’d expect from a disc this size – which is most likely due to the fact that there’s not a single space-filling special feature included on the disc.”

“The image is firmly detailed and often effortlessly so, presenting with a fine grain structure and a natural sense of vitality and crispness to everything from intimate facial details to medium-distant terrain.”

“Paper Towns’ makes for a pleasing home video entry on Blu-ray with this 2.40:1 1080p transfer. This film either takes place in the dark or during the amber hues of late spring early summer daylight … Detail throughout the film is spot on and looks wonderful.”

“Sharpness is quite pleasing without the razor-edged crispness that some transfers of modern films boast, and colour is likewise controlled and appealing without bursting forth with excessive brightness.”

Also new are two Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, season four of Once Upon a Time, Roger Waters: The Wall, Jeff Lynne’ ELO – Live in Hyde Park and Queen – A Night at the Odeon.

Missing out on BD releases are seasons two of Brokenwood Mysteries (the first is out on BD in the US) and Getting On, and three of Strike Back.