3 of our favourite Oscar-nominated hits are about to come out on 4K Blu-ray
Including one swanky steelbook
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I was lucky enough to watch the vast majority of the Academy Award for Best Picture nominees in the cinema, although it did involve a fair amount of hurried trips to squeeze some of the stragglers in before the big night earlier this month.
If you didn't manage to watch many on the big screen and have been holding out for a physical release, then there's good news for you. That's right, some of our favourite Oscar nominees are about to come out on 4K Blu-ray, so you can enjoy them in the comfort of your home in the best quality possible.
All of the discs below are available to rent or stream already from the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, but holding out for the physical release means you will be treated to better audio and picture quality.
Article continues belowThat's because the bitrate of 4K Blu-rays is higher than even the best of that which streaming services can offer. This allows 4K Blu-rays to deliver a more detailed picture overall. On top of that, streaming requires an internet connection capable of delivering the requisite speed (Netflix recommends a 25Mbps connection per device to watch in 4K, while a 115Mbps connection will give you the best experience with Sony Pictures Core).
And, even if you have a sufficiently speedy connection, it will still be impacted by other internet activity.
With all that out the way, let's take a look at the Oscar-nominated successes about to hit 4K Blu-ray very soon...
Marty Supreme
Considering Marty Supreme follows one of the most well-known losers in sporting history, it seems rather apt that the film itself didn't score a single win at the Oscars. But it's still very much worth a watch, in large part thanks to its mesmerising score.
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The film follows Marty Mauser, an aspiring table tennis champion who puts his personal and professional life at risk to make it big. Timothée Chalamet takes up the titular role, portraying a witty but deeply unlikeable protagonist who throws his everything into the sport.
Composed by Daniel Lopatin (also known as Oneohtrix Point Never), the soundtrack sounds like you have stepped foot in a stressful arcade game from the eighties, reflecting Mauser's unstable and erratic life choices.
And, with the upcoming 4K Blu-ray being released in Dolby Atmos, you can experience the track with an extra level of immersion.
The film's unpredictable nature will have you on the edge of your seat for the whole run-time, and is certainly worth a watch if you haven't managed to already. I doubt it will make you want to take up table tennis, though...
Pre-order Marty Supreme on 4K Blu-ray at HMV
Hamnet
I have already written plenty about how Chloe Zhao's Hamnet is a beautiful way to test your TV's sound and picture quality. But, to keep it brief, the film is visually stunning, featuring sprawling green forests and sparsely-lit Tudor interiors, all delivered in natural colours and subtle detail – an ideal challenge for projectors and TV screens.
It's not a cheery watch. The film follows William and Agnes Shakespeare, as they come to terms with the loss of their 11-year-old child, Hamnet.
But each scene is portrayed with a delicacy and rawness that will stay with you long after the film has finished. That is helped by Max Richter's touching score, an effective, ethereal accompaniment that only appears in the most gut-wrenching of scenes.
Jessie Buckley stars in the leading role of Agnes, portraying the character with excellent strength and subtlety that rightfully meant she scored a win in the Best Actress category.
Pre-order Hamnet on 4K Blu-ray at HMV
One Battle After Another
Where Marty Supreme did not score a single win at the Oscars, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another absolutely blew the competition out of the water. At both the Oscars and the BAFTAs, the film picked up the hallowed prize for Best Picture.
Leonardo DiCaprio's Bob is a former revolutionary, now living off-grid in the US with his daughter, Willa (played by relative newcomer Chase Infiniti). When Willa disappears, Bob must face his enemy who has resurfaced after 16 years.
The entire film's picture looks immersive yet textured, thanks to Anderson's decision to shoot it in VistaVision, a high-resolution 35mm motion format that has mostly been overlooked. In fact, it's the first movie in decades to be both shot and shown in VistaVision with Marlon Brando's The One-Eyed Jacks in 1961 being the most recent example.
The 4K Blu-ray disc for One Battle After Another is already out, but a collector's edition complete with exclusive bonus content is hitting HMV's shelves on the 1 June. That includes a 50-minute making-of featurette which will be a welcome addition for hardcore fans.
Pre-order One Battle After Another at HMV
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Robyn Quick is a Staff Writer for What Hi Fi?. After graduating from Cardiff University with a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism, they have worked for a variety of film and culture publications. In their spare time, Robyn can be found playing board games too competitively, going on cinema trips and learning muay thai.
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