UHD New Releases, Reissues and Upgrades

[nicolas]

Pusher Trilogy (Magnolia) - unsurprisingly the same SDR masters Second Sight received from NWR’s production company but with slightly worse encoding. As a budget-friendly alternative with different extras it’s definitely recommended. Check your discs for scratches as they stacked them on top of each other in a slim case.
The Walk (Sony) - review by Randy Miller III.

[nicolas]

Bridesmaids (Universal) - caps
Stray Dog (Criterion) - audio analysis and cap comparison between the Criterion 4K, BFI BD and Toho 4K

[cdnchris]

Honestly, after watching it, based on how the BFI BD looked, the 4K for Stray Dog looks pretty strong, much better than I was expecting at least.

[Finch]

Looking at those caps, I find the Toho 4k indistinguishable from the BFI Bluray.

[Finch]

Mona Lisa (Arrow)

AV review

Having recently rewatched the still very good 1080p release for comparison, I was not expecting a significant visual upgrade with this new 4K restoration…I was wrong.

The slight darkening of the colour palette with the new WCG/HDR grades suddenly seems to add another layer of detail and immersion into the picture. Now, those dark night times punctured solely by neon or those dreary overcast half-light early mornings or dusks feel more alive with authenticity. Skin tones are gorgeous, the subtlety in colour detail of Hoskins’ atrocious leather jacket/Hawaiian shirt combo is sublime and those all-important blacks go deep. But it’s the now huge variations in colours that stand out – the reds of the Peep Show as Genesis’ classic In Too Deep plays now have a much richer, darker saturation to them than the previous 1080p SDR grade, helping them stand out so much more than those more neutral, toned down colours of the Brighton seaside against the morning skies. It’s a gorgeous colour reproduction from top to bottom.

Detailing is also tightened up significantly – again, the 2K picture was good, but this improves on that with keener lines, sharper edges and a greater sense of delineation in those finest of fine details that add an extra little touch of depth to the picture. Add to this another beautiful grain presentation – with organic looks and movement throughout - and it’s an image where its edges match the brilliance of its colouring.

To round things off, there’s not a hint of source damage (but there wasn’t on the previous 2K image) and the encode – courtesy of Fidelity in Motion – is absolutely rock solid. Hope were not high for this over the very good 2K edition, but I am very pleased to say that those hopes were well and truly exceeded: Mona Lisa on 4K looks absolutely stellar

[nicolas]

Diabolique (HanseSound) - AI upscale
Renegades (HanseSound) - AI upscale
The Mothman Prophecies (Filmjuwelen) - AI upscale

Avoid both labels in general. Filmjuwelen will release Tarkovsky's Stalker and Solaris in 4K soon - no doubt they're going to be upscales as well.

[nitin]

is it just me or is the HDR grade on A New Leaf the typical VS overcooked grade?

The included blu ray has so much better colour balance IMHO(despite being flatter and not having as much dynamic range etc due to SDR).

[therewillbeblus]

I liked it better than the Fun City BD but I was disappointed by it too. I found the grading almost obnoxiously vibrant, and I'm ready to sell it on if or as soon as someone betters it with a UK release. I was also irritated with the occasional lobster skin tones on VS's Southern Comfort UHD (again hoping that either Second Sight or Arrow will eventually provide a more convincing grade), to the point that I'm not willing to blind buy any Vinegar Syndrome 4K anymore and going to wait for reviews instead.

I'm really happy with the grading on Married to the Mob - I didn't notice anything overly vibrant like usual in most scenes. There were a couple of 'rosy cheeks' moments early on, but otherwise skin tones etc. looked natural and the grain was rendered well. It's definitely nice to see the film lush with color again after Fun City's toned-down look

[nicolas]

is it just me or is the HDR grade on A New Leaf the typical VS overcooked grade?

The included blu ray has so much better colour balance IMHO(despite being flatter and not having as much dynamic range etc due to SDR).

It’s not just you. I feel the same about most of VS’ grades and prefer the BDs as well.

[nitin]

Thanks Nicolas, good to know I am not crazy!

Have you seen their Breathless 4k? Not sure if its sheer luck since its a luridly coloured film or whether they had a different colorist for that one but, although it's still quite punchy, the HDR grade there seems much better

[nicolas]

I’ve seen Breathless and agree with you. While still not what I’d call ideal, it’s one of their better grades. The colorist is the same but maybe the director had some input as well. I still have the Fun City BD and quite like it. Of the two masters theirs is probably the more accurate one to the original prints while the VS master emphasizes the style of the film.

[Finch]

TWWB, I didn't like the drab look of the Fun City Blu-Ray of Married either but I did feel very early on in my viewing of the 4K that Vinegar Syndrome overcorrected too much in the opposite direction. Their grades run too hot for my liking.

[thebatman97080]

Any chance someone overseas will release an improved 4k of Married To The Mob? And fwiw, I thought the CIN BD was a nice middle ground between the FCE BD and the CIN 4K and will be preferred watching experience for the time being.

[therewillbeblus]

TWWB, I didn't like the drab look of the Fun City Blu-Ray of Married either but I did feel very early on in my viewing of the 4K that Vinegar Syndrome overcorrected too much in the opposite direction. Their grades run too hot for my liking.

It's interesting because there were shots where I still felt that skin tones looked cooler rather than warmer, so it kinda went in both directions, but either way never strayed far in the manner some of their 4Ks can and do, so I'll take it

[nitin]

on my (calibrated) system the Married to the Mob UHD looks atrociously colour boosted, the included blu is much much better colour balance wise like thebatman97080 mentions

[Finch]

Speed Racer (Warner)

[nicolas]

I’ve had the Fight Club 4K in the mail today and am not that enthusiastic about the new master due to Fincher’s tinkering and image processing. The upgrade to the BD is smaller than I thought and Disney’s 4K has some noticeable chroma blocking. I haven’t seen this film in years and never on disc, so I’m not qualified to answer whether my observations are true for the entirety of the disc. Geoff D will receive his copy soon and surely post about it.

[Finch]

Fincher had been futzing with his films for their Blu-ray releases already, right? I don't know what to think though when he removes a mole from Helena Bonham-Carter's face for the 4K and makes the house they're living in look even more dilapidated. That on top of adding lights and buildings into shots etc.

[hearthesilence]

tbh it's partly why I haven't bothered to upgrade any of my Blu-rays of his films to UHD. I only have four titles and IIRC they were more or less finished in 2K (and three were early digital, before he began using 4K cameras). They feel like a really good reflection of what I saw in theaters, so I was always pretty happy with them.

[Finch]

Invaders From Mars (BFI tied with Ignite)

[rberrios15]

Is there a consensus view on Almost Famous (Paramount)? Imagine the Sony import might be better but seems like only the extended cut is available these days.

[therewillbeblus]

The only post talking about it on this site is from the first page of the archived thread, where a user praised it. I don't have reputable UHD eyes, but I think my copy looks great

[Lowry_Sam]

Is there a consensus view on Almost Famous (Paramount)? Imagine the Sony import might be better but seems like only the extended cut is available these days.

Is this a case similar to Amadeus where the shorter original theatrical release is better than the longer revised director's cut?

[andyli]

For Almost Famous I'd stick with the longer, "bootleg cut".

[nitin]

maybe I am not searching properly but I don't see a rating/grouping for Imprint's Midnight Cowboy or The Last Seduction on the first page?

Anyone know of reputable comments on these?