Gift Guide 2023: Best of 4K Ultra HD movies

Here’s a selection of top gift ideas for ultra-high definition-loving, cinema connoisseurs in the family.

Titanic: 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 194 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $153.99) — Director James Cameron’s 1997 pseudo-historical romantic drama finally arrives in a stunning ultra-high definition disc format to allow home theater connoisseurs to once again appreciate an epic movie that made more than $2 billion at the box office.

The winner of 11 Academy Awards, including for best director, this perennial favorite showcases in the finest of details, the 1912 accidental sinking by an incompetent crew of a British passenger luxury ocean liner, while weaving a plot about an ill-fated love affair between social Rose DeWitt Bukater and vagabond Jack Dawson

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred as the young lovers and shared the bill with special effects companies Digital Domain and Pacific Data Images that managed to realistically portray the RMS Titanic hitting an iceberg, breaking in half and sinking into the frigid water of the Atlantic.

The once-again remastered visuals (done also in 2012) supervised by Mr. Cameron deliver a pristine 2160p presentation with high dynamic range enhancements that clearly shines when appreciating the scenes within the ship. The film showcases the period costuming and the opulent and ornate designs of the Titanic’s first-class cabins and ballroom.

Best extras: Paramount delivers a definitive look at the film starting with three optional commentary tracks culled from the 2005 DVD release that feature a solo track with Mr. Cameron; a track edited together with more than two dozen cast and crew; and a track with historians Don Lynch and Ken Marschall.

---

SEE ALSO: Blu-ray, 4K and DVD gift ideas for television show lovers

---

A second Blu-ray disc mixes new extras such as the retrospective “Titanic: Stories from the Heart” (35 minutes) with Mr. Cameron; Ms. Winslet and producer Jon Landau; the recent National Geographic special “Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron” (42 minutes) with vintage content spotlighted by the four-part “Reflections on Titanic” documentary (60 minutes); and an hour’s worth of deleted scenes (with optional commentary by the director) for a total of over 15 hours of production deconstruction.

However, the packaging makes this release a serious yet pricy gift for the fans of the film.

Start with a black box cover with the gold title removed to find a white slipcase with a photo of the two young lovers hugging (12 inches long by 8.5 inches wide).

It houses a 32-page, full-color hardcover coffee table-style book that holds the discs and offers production photos and artwork.

Next, a White Star Line envelope contains reproduced goodies such as notes from Jack to Rose, food menus, a blueprint of the liner, a Titanic boarding pass and sheet music for “My Heart Will Go On.”

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated G, 83 minutes, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, $24.99) — Arguably the most influential animated film in the history of cinema finally gets a 4K restoration worthy of its stature.

Disney’s 1937 musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairytale explores a princess escaping from a threatening evil godmother and eventually taking care of a group of pint-sized blue-collar miners while waiting for a prince to save.

The plot arrives with charming songs and dance but even a touch of terror courtesy of a delectable Evil Queen looking to kill her godchild with a poison apple.

All presented in a meticulous hand-drawn style, the classic also featured iconic tunes such as “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “Whistle While You Work” and “Heigh-Ho.”

A new generation can now experience animation history with a transfer offering the cleanest and closest to the source material version of the movie ever available and truly worthy of gifting to those with a home theater library.

Best extras: Viewers get a Blu-ray version of the films with all of the goodies culled from Signature Edition released in 2016.

Highlights include an optional commentary track with Roy E. Disney, historian John Canemaker and legacy recordings by Walt Disney; a 33-minute retrospective on making the movie; and a 30-minute overview of the animation house Hyperion Studios that was renamed Walt Disney Studios.

Indiana Jones 4-Movie SteelBook Collection (Paramount Home Entertainment, rated PG, PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 482 minutes, $111.99) — Once again, Paramount offers for the holidays a collection of films starring George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s iconic archeologist and now packaged in a 5-disc set presenting a perfect gift to fans.

Viewers get 4K remastered versions of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981); “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984); “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989); and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008).

The extreme-action adventures do not disappoint throughout as Indy battles the Nazis, religious fanatics, the Cold War Russians and even extraterrestrials as he journeys around the world.

I’ll note the elephant in the room and that is not including the latest movie “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” in the box, which does not make for a complete Indiana Jones set, but arguably still does contain the best movies of the franchise.

Best extras: Viewers will find an extra Blu-ray disc in the case for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” that delivers an avalanche of content from the 2012 “Complete Adventures” Blu-ray set.

Expect not only a four-part retrospective of the films (roughly 2.5 hours long) but a 1981 documentary on the first film (an hour long) and another 14 featurettes (more than three hours in total) covering everything from the stunts, sound, music, effects, women, bugs, props and locations.

As far as packaging, toss aside the slightly flimsy cardboard box and gift receivers will focus on the impressive metal cases housing each of the film discs.

Each Steelbook features Indy (torso and up) in limited hues and in a heroic pose on a stark white cover with a swath of orange color splattered across the region below him and an outline of his coveted object in the field. The back of the case reveals the item in limited color.

The interior spread of each offers lifelike color illustrations of key characters from each film in a collage-style design with an orangish world map behind them.

For example, on the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” case, it features Indy with bullwhip mid-crack on the front and the Ark of the Covenant on the back. The interior highlights close-ups of a determined Indiana Jones, true love Marion Ravenwood and rival Rene Belloq along with a cobra, a few skulls and a German troop transport truck.

Carlito’s Way: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, rated R, 144 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $59.95) — Director Brian De Palma’s stylistic 1993 urban crime drama gets celebrated with a return of a deserved ultra-high definition restoration to showcase the beauty of a seamier 1970s New York City and some dynamic acting performances.

The tale adapted from Judge Edwin Torres’ pair of novels has Puerto Rican heroin king Carlito Brigante freed on a legal technicality after serving five years in prison thanks to corrupted lawyer and good buddy Dave Kleinfeld (an unrecognizable Sean Penn).

Now a legit nightclub owner, all he needs is 75 big ones to get out of the city and retire to the Bahamas, but try as he might to stay clean, he gets pulled back into his old criminal ways.

Mr. Pacino mesmerizes on the screen at all times and is complemented by a beady-eyed Mr. Penn, Penelope Ann Miller as his lover interest Gail, and crime boss Benny Blanco from the Bronx

The 4K digital rebirth of the film highlights Stephen H. Burum’s cinematography packed with visually stunning moments, such as Mr. Pacino in a black leather top coat standing in front of a painted red brick wall; a rainy street at night bathed in blue light; an opening credits scene in stark black and white; and a 10-minute harrowing chase scene during an evening in the Big Apple’s subway system.

Best extras: As expected and appreciated Arrow Video overwhelms with its limited edition, slipcased release that makes for a perfect gift for De Palma and Pacino fans.

Two new optional commentary tracks lead the way with solos by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz and select scene commentary by De Palma biographer Douglas Keesey.

Additional interviews include 13 minutes with Mr. Torres, 17 minutes with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden and a vintage five minutes with the director.

Viewers also will want to look at a 19-minute appreciation by critic David Edelstein and a 35-minute archival overview of the production going back to the 2005 DVD release.

The package includes a 60-page, full-color booklet with new art by Tom Ralston a critical essay by crime-fiction expert Barry Forshaw and the original production notes.

Arrow also tosses in a double-sided poster (16 inches by 20 inches featuring newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck) and six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions.

Rudy: 30th Anniversary SteelBook Limited Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG, 127 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $45.99) — Consistently on critics’ lists as one of the best sports dramas ever created, director David Anspaugh’s 1993 tale of courage and perseverance finally arrives in the ultra-high definition format packaged to gift to fans.

The true story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (played by Sean Astin) comes to light as viewers learn about his obsession to become a college football player for Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish.

Through studying, hard work and overcoming dyslexia, he finally gets accepted to the college. Rudy eventually makes the practice squad and with the entire team behind him, finally gets a shot at his ultimate goal.

The latest “Rudy” package is not just the best that has ever been released, but the movie is a classic tale about dreams coming true and makes a perfect inspirational gift for the holiday season.

The set includes a director’s cut adding more than 10 minutes to the film in a remastered 4K presentation, and the theatrical cut presented in high definition on the Blu-ray disc.

Best extras: Viewers get on the 4K disc a new optional commentary track with Mr. Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo on the director’s cut of the film.

Move to the Blu-ray disc to find a trio of vintage segments originally released back in 2000 covering the production, the real Rudy and Mr. Astin’s portrayal of the title character.

The SteelBook’s full-color presentation features a cover of a full shot of Rudy next to an equipment bag in the middle of an empty football field behind beams of a setting sun. The back has Rudy in full football uniform being carried off the field by his teammates.

The interior spread is a full-color image of Rudy running onto the field in full uniform and helmet with a blurred stadium of spectators behind him.

The Last Picture Show (Criterion, rated R, 126 minutes, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $59.95) — Director Peter Bogdanovich’s multiple Academy Award-winning, black-and-white, coming-of-age drama returns to the 4K format to offer a meticulous character study of the citizens of a fading small oil town in Texas.

Set in 1951 and centered around good friends and high school seniors Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges), the semi-autobiographical story, based on 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry, introduces the bleak soap-operatic micro-universe of Anarene, memorializing a transitional time in an America losing its morality.

The ensemble cast features the Oscar-winning performances of Cloris Leachman as Ruth Popper, the adulterous wife of the high school sports coach and Ben Johnson as Sam the Lion, the town’s popular businessman.

Additionally, Cybill Shepherd, in her first role, plays the flirtatious rich girl Jacy Farrow (messing up with Sonny and Duane and most of the men in town); Ellen Burstyn as Jacy’s mother Lois; Eileen Brennan as waitress Genevieve; and Randy Quaid as townie and Jacy sucker Lester Marlow. 

Equally potent is the film’s soundtrack with classics such as “Blue Velvet” by Tony Bennett, “Hey, Good Lookin” by Hank Williams and “Anything That’s Part of You” by Eddy Arnold.

The new remastering using the 35mm original camera negative of the 1971 film embraces a screen-filling presentation and cinematographer Robert Surtees’ moody lighting exposing viewers to a town visually crumbling around the edges.

The artisan perfectly captured the dusty textures and Americana memories of a 1950s Southwest down to a “Smoke Camels” sign, cracked sidewalks, scuffed cowboy boots, wood grains, tin ceilings, faded jeans and paint-chipped walls.

The three-disc set offers the director’s cut of the film (adding seven minutes) and also includes an exclusive black-and-white extended edition of Bogdanovich’s 1990 sequel “Texasville” rebuilt in collaboration with cinematographer Nicholas von Sternberg.

Best extras: Criterion never disappoints with its homage to cinema masterpieces and begins its look at “The Last Picture Show” with two vintage optional commentary tracks; a solo with Bogdanovich and one with the director and cast members Ms. Shepherd, Mr. Quaid, Leachman and Frank Marshall.

Next, viewers will focus on an hourlong retrospective from 1999 with Bogdanovich, Ms. Shepherd, Mr. Bridges and other key cast and crew; a 42-minute documentary on Bogdanovich; a 13-minute interview with Bogdanovich; and a 16-minute documentary on “Texasville” that includes interviews with townsfolk from Archer City, Texas, that inspired the films.

The packaging also includes a 24-page, black-and-white booklet featuring an essay by film critic Graham Fuller and excerpts from an interview with Bogdanovich about “Texasville.”

Mission: Impossible — 6-Movie Collection (Paramount Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 1.90:1 to 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 770 minutes, $83.99) — Viewers looking to appreciate Tom Cruise defying death in nearly every “Mission Impossible” blockbuster will love this collection of films starring the unstoppable actor.

Specifically, owners get the first six movies of the $4 billion franchise in a stunning ultra-high definition format — “Mission: Impossible” (1996), “Mission: Impossible II” (2000), “Mission: Impossible III” (2006), “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (2011), “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” (2015) and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2016).

For those unaware, Mr. Cruise plays Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt who along with his team, including mainstay tech specialists Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), delivers more than 10 hours of nail-biting action tied to some incredible stunts played out around the world.

Best extras: The 13-disc set includes Blu-ray copies of the films and that is where the vast majority of digital goodies exist.

Most important are the optional commentary tracks featuring director John Woo in “Mission: Impossible II”; Mr. Cruise and director J.J. Abrams on “Mission: Impossible III”; director Christopher McQuarrie and Mr. Cruise on “Rogue Nation”; and Mr. McQuarrie and Mr. Cruise as well as Mr. McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton for a pair of tracks for “Fallout.

Some of the worthy production featurettes include 34 minutes with key cast and crew for the shooting locations in Prague and Dubai for “Ghost Protocol” and 12 minutes on the first film and comparisons to the television show.

Additionally, “Fallout” adds a second Blu-ray with over another hour’s worth of extras such as an overview of a helicopter chase sequence.

Oddly, a coveted second disc of digital goodies that was originally available for the third, fourth and fifth films during past releases is absent.

Also, worth noting and exclusive to this package is “Ethan Hunt’s Case File” booklet providing two-page, full-color spreads of six missions such as “Chimera” and “Cobalt” with each featuring photos of the team members, explanatory text, maps and background on key adversaries.

The Guns of Navarone: Steelbook Limited Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated, 161 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $45.99) — Carrying the mantle as one of the most memorable war dramas as well as best action films in the history of cinema, director J. Lee Thompson’s multiple Academy Award-nominated epic returns again in the 4K format but encased in illustrated metal and just in time for the holidays.

Starring Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, the fictionalized film from 1961 chronicles a specialized team of Allied soldiers on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a Nazi-occupied fortress off the Greek island of Kheros and disable two long-range field guns to help rescue thousands of trapped British soldiers.

Viewers get the film with an optional ability to add an intermission card.

The impressive meticulous restoration does a masterful clean up and color balance referenced in the outside scenes of Greece and the World War II period uniforms resurrecting the original film source material.

Best extras: Sony provides a Blu-ray version of the film that contains an expansive amount of digital treats from the 2011 high definition release.

Highlights include a pair of solo optional commentary tracks with the director and film historian Stephen J. Rubin; a 30-minute retrospective on the film with cast and crew comments; a 25-minute overview of the production with historical context of the story; and a rare interactive feature offering a table filled with files and photos clickable to text and video snippets about the war and the movie.

The steel packaging is also the highlight showcasing a metallic dark-blue backdrop on both the front and rear of the case.

The cover illustrates the field guns embedded in the mountain with a moonlit ocean and a couple of fighter planes buzzing the area. The back simply shows a small boat in front of the moon and atop the ocean dead center on the space. Unfortunately, there is no art in the interior spread.

Also available from Sony, director Ridley Scott’s Academy Award-winning war film Black Hawk Down: SteelBook Limited Edition (not rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 152 minutes, $45.99) delivers the 1993 true story about an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers sent to Somalia to capture a violent warlord.

The movie depicts the disastrous Battle of Mogadishu and stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Jason Isaacs, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Tom Hardy.

The overwhelming amount of extras including a director’s cut and 151-minute, six-part documentary on the making of the film is as impressive as the metal casing.

The Way We Were: 50th Anniversary Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG, 118 minutes, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $40.99) — Irresistible chemistry and powerful performances by Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand brought novelist Arthur Laurents and director Sydney Pollack’s romantic period piece to life back in 1973.

Now given a new life in the 4K format, the roughly 15-year odyssey (between the 1930s and 1950s) twinged in politics and flashbacks covers a pair of ideological opposites struggling to stay in love — liberal Jewish activist Katie Morosky (Ms. Streisand) and the politically agnostic Hubbell Gardiner (Mr. Redford) — as they careen toward a denouement in their relationship that will not leave a dry eye in the house.

Although one of the classic romantic dramas of all time, the movie will also be remembered for the haunting Academy Award-winning title song written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch and sung by Ms. Streisand.

The restoration from the original camera negative will not disappoint, bright and crisp with period costuming colors from World War II and showcasing Ms. Streisand’s shocking blue eyes and Mr. Redford’s blinding white teeth.

The anniversary package even adds an extended cut of the film in collaboration with Ms. Streisand, adding roughly five minutes and a pair of crucial scenes to further explain the film’s ending. 

Best extras: Found on the included Blu-ray version of the film, Sony offers the digital treats originally presented in the 2013 high definition release of the film.

Specifically, an optional commentary track with the director, recorded in 1999 and an hourlong retrospective on the film, although it’s missing Mr. Redford’s input.

Scrooged: 35th Anniversary Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 101 minutes, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $25.99) — Director Richard Donner’s 1988 comedic homage to Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” gave perpetually sardonic funnyman Bill Murray a chance to create a holiday staple for families with a wry sense of humor.

Now debuting in remastered 4K format, the story focuses on a mean-spirited television executive Frank Cross (Mr. Murray) bah-humbugging his way through the holidays and getting a visit with the message to lighten up from the aggressive Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Besides Mr. Murray in his prime, the film’s main ghosts, Carol Kane and David Johansen, are a riot.

Legend Robert Mitchum as network head Preston Rhinelander, Karen Allen as former girlfriend Claire Phillips and Bobcat Goldthwait as disgruntled employee Eliot Loudermilk complement Mr. Murray in the wintery shenanigans.

The 2160 screen-bursting presentation excels at spotlighting the vivid colors of the holiday as well as some breathtaking views of New York City at night.

Suffice it to report, in its latest pristine iteration, “Scrooged” should be mandatory Christmas viewing every year.

Best extras: Paramount truly offers fans of the movie a gift by including a collection of never-before-released digital goodies.

The greatest is a full optional commentary track with an amusing Donner and four featurettes covering the making of the film (roughly 45 minutes long).

Barbarella: Limited Edition (Arrow Video, not rated, 98 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $59.95) — Director Roger Vadim’s 1968 movie, adapted from French sequential art creator Jean-Claude Forest’s legendary sci-fi hero, returns to home theaters still drenched in campiness and psychedelia.

Now restored and released, the boxed set makes a perfect gift for any B-movie enthusiast’s collection.

Jane Fonda, at her most sexually liberated, stars as the title character, most likely rethinking why she became an actress during the production, wearing as little clothing as possible and forced to recite some simplistic, damsel-in-distress dialogue.

The bare-as-bones plot takes place in the 41st century and has our hero Barbarella summoned by the president of Earth (Claude Dauphin) and asked to capture evil scientist Durand Durand (Tony Award-winner Milo O’Shea) who is building a weapon of mass destruction called the positronic ray in the city of Sogo.

“Barbarella” gets a new ultra-high definition cleanup using the original negative that beckons for the days when LSD and marijuana were required for maximum viewing pleasure.

The results have somewhat grainy enhancements, but vivid colorful costuming and otherworldly set designs are found throughout, referenced by Barbarella’s golden shag carpeted spaceship; the opening credits of the heroine disrobing from a spacesuit; and an army of mechanical dolls with razor-sharp teeth attacking her and watching a winged man fly.

Best extras: Arrow Video delivers an impressive, slipcased boxed set loaded with digital and physical goodies.

Start with an optional commentary track by film critic Tim Lucas and follow up liberally with a 23-minute appreciation by New York Times film critic Glenn Kenny; a 15-minute behind-the-scenes 1967 featurette by Paul Joyce shot in Rome (including scene rehearsals, make-up application and special effects); 31 minutes on Jacques Fonteray’s costuming from film fashion scholar Elizabeth Castaldo; and a 15-minute video essay by Italian film historian Eugenio Ercolani on the career of producer Dino De Laurentiis.

For those looking to kill two hours, Mr. Lucas joins comic book creator Stephen R. Bissette via video conference to completely explore every detail about the French comics and the film.

The full-color illustrated package also contains a double-sided fold-out poster (16 inches by 20 inches) of newly commissioned artwork by Tula Lotay; six double-sided collector’s postcards; and a massive, full-color 120-page book featuring a vintage campaign guide to the movie’s release and new essays on the film by Anne Billson, Paul Gravett, Véronique Bergen and Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén.

Enter the Dragon (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated R, 102 minutes, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $23.99) — Martial arts master and pop culture icon Bruce Lee died far too young 50 years ago, but fans can now appreciate one of his classic movies resurrected in the 4K format.

The tale focuses on Lee (Lee), a man grieving the death of his sister and entering a mysterious martial arts tournament. Working with British intelligence, Lee’s ultimate mission is to help stop narcotics crime lord Han who runs the tournament and was also responsible for Lee’s sister’s murder.

All leads to some incredible close-quarter combat scenes with help from actors proficient in the fighting forms such as John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Bob Wall and the beefy brute Sammo Hung Kam-bo.

The movie arrives sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and brings cleanly and colorfully to light many a special moment of a muscular Lee in attack mode, especially during outdoor matches.

Best extras: Viewers get the theatrical version and a slightly longer Special Edition (with an optional introduction by his widow Linda Lee Cadwell) on a single 4K disc.

The disc also includes an optional commentary track with producer Paul Heller and writer Michael Allin (literally phoning it in), making the track much less personable but still a first-person resource for deconstructing the film.

Despite the addition of a streaming digital code and minimal extras, the release falls short of the massive amount of goodies found in the 2016 Criterion release, but this “Enter the Dragon” still delivers a high level of action in the best presentation available.