New to Blu: September 29-October 5

It’s almost a year late but the 40th anniversary of Easy Rider at last hits the streets here — albeit a little light on luggage.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment was criticised for not including commemorative extras beyond the previous special edition DVD’s commentary by writer/director/star Dennis Hopper and an hour-long retrospective documentary (in 480p) for last year’s US release.

But at least it also came with a 35-page colour booklet that included essays on Easy Rider’s music and the movie’s influence on Hollywood. There’s no such bonus with the local release.

Happily, the quality of the HD transfer should be some compensation: “This Blu-ray never falters in translating the colour palette to wonderful effect” (Blu-ray.com); “the images are sharp with well-rendered textures and details that contribute to the 3D dimensionality” (Hi-Def Digest); “looks great, essentially perfect” (DVD Talk).

Also new from Wednesday is another Sony modern classic, Midnight Express, which was similarly praised for its transfer, and three new releases that aren’t likely to be dusted off for commemorative editions 20 or 30 years from now: The Back-Up Plan, Suck and Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming.