Father’s Day Gift Guide 2024: Best Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD movies

With Father’s Day approaching, here are a few gift suggestions for the dad who loves drama and extreme action and appreciates watching movies in his high-tech home-entertainment cave.

The Departed: SteelBook Edition (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated R, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 151 minutes, $40.41) — Director Martin Scorsese’s multiple Academy Award-winning generational crime thriller from 2006 gets a well-deserved ultra-high definition upgrade that will thrill older film connoisseurs in the family.

Adapting a 2002 Hong Kong film titled “Internal Affairs” and loosely based on the exploits of Boston Irish mob boss Whitey Bulger’s Winter Hill Gang, the plot focuses on a pair of informants.

One, special investigator Staff Sgt. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) secretly working for mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and the other, intentionally disgraced police academy recruit Billy Costigan Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) now infiltrating the Costello gang.

Suffice it to report, the performances excel throughout led by the indomitable and devilish Mr. Nicholson and a powerhouse support cast dripping in Boston accents that includes Mark Wahlberg as a fiery-tempered Staff Sgt. Sean Dignam, Martin Sheen as Capt. Oliver Queenan, Alec Baldwin as Capt. George Ellerby and Vera Farmiga as Dr. Madolyn Madden, a woman caught in the middle of the deceptions.

The 4K remaster was completed with the participation of the film’s Academy Award-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker.

Viewers will appreciate walking the urban streets of a 1980s Beantown while watching the brutality, with almost too-clear clarity, unfold onscreen.

Notable extras: Owners get a brand new, 15-minute retrospective on the film starring Mr. Scorsese as well as a pair of vintage featurettes covering the true story of the south Boston mob (21 minutes) and an overview of the director’s fascination with making gangster films (24 minutes) with plenty of footage from his classics.

The collectible SteelBook has a brush metal grey, textured feel with the front featuring head shots of Costello, Sullivan and Costigan with a large “X” drawn through them and the back a simple line-art illustration of rats.

The interior spread offers a full-color tightly cropped pose of the trio along with Sgt. Dignam.

The Expendables: 4-Film Collection (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 439 minutes, $30.10) — Dads looking to fondly remember some of their favorite action heroes from the past 50 years will now enjoy their latest creakier cinematic exploits with the quartet of films in the high definition format.

Viewers get a full dose of bad acting, dead bodies and explosions instigated by legends such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Antonio Banderas, Eric Roberts, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson fighting with and against one another around the world.

That translates into a ragtag team of mercenaries nicknamed the Expendables led by Barney Ross (Mr. Stallone) performing missions such as stopping plutonium rods from being released to world enemies, saving hostages from Somali pirates and capturing an arms dealer to stand trial.

The men basically unleash a tsunami of testosterone across the screen as they grunt, groan and mumble their dialogue and catchphrases as required.

Despite any miscues in the hairbrained plots or performances, the films from 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2023 are packed with action and any chance to see Mr. Stallone, Mr. Willis and Mr. Schwarzenegger on screen together even for a fleeting moment is certainly a gift that will keep on giving for the “pop” culture fan.

Notable extras: The set offers all of the bonus content from the previous releases of the films on Blu-ray and includes DVD disc versions and a digital redemption code for streaming services.

The generous amount of digital goodies is led by an optional commentary track from the director of the first, second and fourth film spotlighted by Mr. Stallone delivering a solo track on the inaugural effort.

Highlights of the other extras include a 90-minute documentary on the first film; a 45-minute panel from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con; a 25-minute retrospective on 1980s action heroes; and a 51-minute documentary on the third film.

The container offers a framed cardboard package with the Expendables logo on the back that houses a clamshell case and three, double-sided full-color art cards (5.5-inches by 7-inches) spotlighting the heroes Barney Ross, Gunner, Lee Christmas, Caesar, Trench and Luna.

While on the topic of Stallone franchises, Lionsgate offers a stand-alone Walmart exclusive SteelBook edition of his classic First Blood (Rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 93 minutes, $29.96) about PTSD-stricken Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Mr. Stallone) returning home to his small town and not being welcomed by its surly sheriff (Brian Dennehy).

Owners get all of the extras from the 4K release (including a pair of commentary tracks, one solo with Mr. Stallone) and an eye-catching, red-and-black steel case with attack-ready Rambo set in front of a forested backdrop on the front cover and the sheriff in a similar layout on the back.

Chinatown: 50th Anniversary Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 131 minutes, $39.99) — Director Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning neo-noir mystery thriller, considered by critics as one of the greatest films of all time, celebrates a half-century since its release by debuting on the UHD format.

The mighty Jack Nicholson starred as a determined Los Angeles private eye, J.J. “Jake” Gittes, taking on what should have been a routine case of a man cheating on his wife.

After Gittes’ investigation reveals he has been duped by an imposter and when the husband drowns, the overtly inquisitive detective goes down a very sinister path of corruption and dark family secrets tied to the control of California’s very depleted water supply.

Yes, Mr. Nicholson plays quite the self-assured and dapper gumshoe and gets help in his thespian exploits from Faye Dunaway as the grieving real wife, Evelyn Mulwray; John Huston as Evelyn’s entrepreneurial father Noah Cross; and Perry Lopez as former partner, LAPD Lt. Lou Escobar.

The dazzling restoration used the original camera negative and involved meticulous repairs to previously damaged film footage.

The reference quality results are cinematically warm and lifelike to appreciating cinematographer John A. Alonzo and production designer Richard Sylbert work.

Noteworthy are scenes in Echo Park, and the outskirts of a barren Los Angeles as well as the visual smorgasbord of 1930s spiffy fashion and high-class vehicles.

Notable extras: This Paramount Presents limited release delivers the new and vintage digital goodies to the 4K disc.

The new one offers a 15-minute analysis by Sam Wasson, author of the book ” The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood”; six minutes of memories with assistant director Hawk Koch; and two minutes from Mr. Wasson on the potential of a trilogy of films.

The old one, culled from the 2009 DVD Centennial Collection release, starts with an optional commentary track with director David Fincher (“Fight Club” and “Mank”) talking to the film’s screenwriter Robert Towne.

Also, and well worth watching, is an 80-minute documentary on the freshwater aqueduct system built to feed Los Angeles as well as the California water wars in the early 1900s, which was partially a basis for the movie.

Viewers also get the 1990 film “Two Jakes” in the Blu-ray format, which was a sequel to “Chinatown,” and although was not as popular, it did star Mr. Nicholson reprising his role as Jake Gittes.

The Shootist: Limited Edition (MVD Visual, rated PG, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 100 minutes, $39.95) — A fitting tribute to John Wayne’s final on-screen performance arrives in a Blu-ray packaged set filled with digital and hard copy memories of director Don Siegel’s 1976 Western drama.

The movie set in 1901 starred an elder Wayne as J.B. Books, a famed sheriff turned gunfighter facing his final week of life in Carson City, Nevada, after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

As rumors spread of his appearance in the town, those looking to take advantage of him or get revenge arrive making his last days of peace impossible.

A very eloquent, slightly grizzled and dignified Wayne performs as an icon would throughout, aided by a dynamic cast that includes Ron Howard as his young feisty mentee, Lauren Bacall as the owner of the boarding house where Books is staying, James Stewart as his doctor and Harry Morgan as the giddy town marshal.

A new 2K remaster by Arrow Films scanned in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative brings the screen-filling presentation to life spotlighted by the authentic cowboy costuming and the panoramic Nevada locations.

Notable extras: Arrow delivers a welcomed bounty of new digital goodies starting with an optional commentary track with filmmaker and historian Howard S. Berger who provides a steady stream of anecdotes on the production and is not afraid to read tales from other first-person sources.

Next, a quartet of lengthy featurettes offers detailed visual essays with film critic David Cairns covering the movie (28 minutes); Western historian C. Courtney Joyner discussing the novel and production (40 minutes); critic Scout Tafoya dissecting the careers of Wayne and Siegel (22 minutes); and even composer Neil Brand on the score by Elmer Bernstein (26 minutes).

The sturdy cardboard slipcase contains a double-sided fold-out poster featuring new artwork by Juan Esteban Rodríguez and the original movie poster (14 inches by 17 inches); six postcard-sized, full-color lobby card replicas; and a 30-page, full-color, Illustrated collector’s booklet with a new essay “John Wayne’s Farewell to the Screen” by film critic Philip Kemp.

Blue Velvet (Criterion, rated R, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 120 minutes, $49.95) — Easily one of filmmaker David Lynch’s more disturbing films, the Academy Award-nominated effort debuts on the 4K format and is packaged with plenty of informative background goodies for cinephiles to appreciate its bizarreness.

The 1986 noirish, psychological horror thriller plunges viewers into the much seamier side of a small town in North Carolina after college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) returns home to take care of a sick father.

After he finds a severed ear in a field and does not get much help from a police detective, he stupidly decides to investigate the origins of the body part with help from the detective’s daughter, Sandy (Laura Dern).

That poor choice sends young Jeffrey down a dangerous path and ultimate encounter with the f-bomb-dropping, gas-inhaling, psychotic drug-addicted dealer Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) who goes beyond human decency to control femme fatale nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini).

The stylishly violent and brutal film offers the ultimate character-building exercise for the actors who live the source material, of course, led by the insane schizophrenic performance of Hopper.

Suffice it to report, viewers will never listen to Bobby Vinton’s 1963 version of “Blue Velvet” ever the same again.

The 4K disc presents Criterion’s 2019, 2160p restoration of the movie supervised by Mr. Lynch and, no surprise, looks better than it ever looked in theaters, thanks to close-up details and high dynamic range enhancements.

Specifically, from the opening scene of vivid red roses set against a crisp blue sky popping from the screen to neon blues and reds bathing scenes, the rich visual choices of Mr. Lynch and cinematographer Frederick Elmes will keep mature viewers riveted to the screen.

Notable extras: As expected with any Criterion release, the package offers of plenty digital information to deconstruct what has become a cult classic.

The set offers a 4K and Blu-ray disc with the latter containing all of the extra content led by a pair of vintage documentaries delivering 2.5 hours on the making of the film that includes German filmmaker Peter Braatz’s on-set footage from 1985.

Next, viewers get almost an hour’s worth of deleted footage and alternate takes as well as interviews with composer Angelo Badalamenti and a 2019 short featurette revisiting the film with crew such as makeup supervisor Jeff Goodwin, stunt performer Mark Fincannon and second assistant director Ian Woolf.

The package also contains a 30-page, full-color, illustrated booklet spearheaded by excerpts from the chapter on “Blue Velvet” from of Mr. Lynch’s biography “Room to Dream.”

The Crow: 30th Anniversary SteelBook Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 1:85:1 aspect ratio, 102 minutes, $30.99) — Director Alex Proyas’ 1994 romantic gothic fantasy comes back to life in a welcomed UHD restoration to give hardcore fans the best-looking version of the film ever released.

Based on the sequential art creation of James O’Barr, the movie chronicles the plight of rock musician Eric Draven (portrayed by Brandon Lee, son of famed martial artist Bruce Lee) after being viciously murdered along with his fiancée on Devil’s Night in Detroit.

A mythical crow resurrects Eric as an unstoppable super-heroic force to take revenge on the gang that destroyed his life, one year later.

Lee offered an authentic and emotional recreation of the vigilante within a stylistic production design, but the film will, unfortunately, always be remembered for the on-set death of the budding superstar Lee, killed by a bullet from a prop gun.

The debut on 4K shines through vivid color enhancements especially bloody interior reds, a burnt-orange evening sky and fiery explosions along with a clarity to define the violence and soaring urban architecture in many a rainy nighttime scenes.

Notable extras: Viewers get a vintage optional commentary track with the director from 2011 and a newly released track with producer Jeff Most and screenwriter John Shirley.

Also new is a three-part, 25-minute retrospective on the film discussed by production designer Alex McDowell.

And, probably most important, the 4K disc offers a vintage and very personal, 33-minute interview with Mr. O’Barr as he discusses his heartbreaking motivations for creating the sequential art masterpiece.

The metal case shines with a front cover using a white plastic slipcover featuring a crow with Draven’s head peeking through a translucent area.

Remove the cover to reveal a dark blue and rainy scene with the upper body of Draven as an angel, with black wings exposed and a guitar slung over his shoulder, and the words “real love is forever” in white.

The back offers a classic photo of Draven dressed as the Crow in full view walking forward ready to strike, and the interior spread has an intricately illustrated symbol of the Crow with human eyes glaring from the wings.

Red: 2 Film Collection, SteelBook Edition (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 227 minutes, $34.96) — Fathers in need of a dose of black ops CIA shenanigans will not be disappointed with a pair of action films from the 2010s packed with a legendary cast.

Rereleased in the 4K format and in a collectible steel case, the films cover the exploits of retired and still extremely dangerous (RED) agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) who survived a U.S.-sanctioned assignation squad and then was accused of being a Cold War terrorist, causing him to seek out his former cohorts and find out why he has become a target.

His assembled team includes Mr. Moses’ CIA mentor Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), retired agent Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), retired MI6 assassin Vicky Winslow (Helen Mirren) and retired Soviet agent Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox).

The movies also shine through a supporting cast that included Mary-Louise Parker as Mr. Moses’ girlfriend, Richard Dreyfuss as an arms trafficker, Karl Urban as black ops agent William Cooper, Ernest Borgnine as a CIA records keeper, Anthony Hopkins as a bomb-building physicist and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Russian major general.

Both films mirror the 2017 4K release to offer a clean and bright upscale to UHD from a 2K transfer and deliver detailed and colorful spotlights on some fantastic close-quarters combat and extreme, explosive action scenes.

Notable extras: By far the highlight of the four-disc set (which includes Blu-ray versions of the film) is an optional commentary track on the first film with a retired CIA field officer, Robert Baer, who offers a pointed and intelligent take on what’s happening on screen and the liberties taken with reality to explore his dangerous field of work.

Also, a rare picture-in-picture interactive on the first film features cast and crew interviews, trivia and commentary on CIA protocols.

The impressive Walmart exclusive SteelBook presents a plastic slipcover recreating the RED dossier, slightly burned in the corner, seen in the film, with Mr. Moses peeking through the translucent red lettering of the title.

Remove the slipcover to reveal an orangish, metallic red front with Mr. Moses posed from his chest up and the London bridge behind him. The colors carrying over to the back featuring his friends and enemies in shadowy views in front of other darkened skylines.

The interior center spread offers Mr. Boggs’ famed pink plush pig with a grenade launcher, pistol and bullets popping out of its stomach area.

Ocean’s Trilogy (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 2:39:1 aspect ratio, 363 minutes, $59.11) — Director Steven Soderbergh’s trio of heist movies starring some of the coolest cats in Hollywood in the early 2000s gets a UHD lift to further appreciate the high-tech pilfering.

The three films — “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004) and “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007) — spotlight ex-convict Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his determination, together with roughly 11 other trusted team members, to steal from vengeful owners of casinos on the Las Vegas strip and also battle one of the greatest thieves in the world.

The Rat Pack of a cast includes Brad Pitt as Danny’s best friend Rusty Ryan, Don Cheadle as explosives expert Basher Tarr, Elliott Gould as casino owner Reuben Tishkoff. Carl Reiner as con man Saul Bloom, Matt Damon as expert pickpocket Linus Caldwell, Bernie Mac as con man Frank Catton, Casey Affleck as mechanic Virgil Malloy and Julia Roberts as Danny’s ex-wife Tess Ocean.

The core cast gets supplemented with stars including Andy Garcia and Al Pacino as nasty casino owners, and even Bruce Willis stops by as himself in “Ocean’s Twelve.”

All of the box-office winning movies are a slow simmer but always resolve with a clever win for the con men and sure to put a smile on pop’s mug.

The 4K upgrades show off in splendid color and detail plenty of the interiors of Vegas casinos and outdoor landmarks as well as such gorgeous locales around the world as Amsterdam, Rome, Monet Carlo and Lake Como, Italy.

Notable extras: First, each film gets a welcomed optional commentary track with Mr. Soderbergh accompanied by the screenwriters, and “Ocean’s Eleven” also gets a very enjoyable track with Mr. Damon, Mr. Pitt and Andy Garcia (who played a nasty casino owner of the Bellagio).

Next, highlights from featurettes compiled from previous releases, such as the 2014 trilogy Blu-ray set that even had an extra disc of supplemental material, include: a production documentary for each film (averaging 30 minutes each); a 14-minute look at the original Rat Pack that starred in the 1960 film (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop); and a 44-minute documentary on four of the most memorable heists and cons in history.

Glory: SteelBook Edition (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 1:85:1 aspect ratio, 122 minutes, $45.99) — Considered one of the best American Civil War movies of all time, director Edward Zwick’s 1989 epic about the Union Army’s 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment returns to the UHD format and now packaged in a steel case for a home entertainment aficionados’ collection.

The horrors of war and prejudice came to light as viewers learn of abolitionist Capt. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) near death at the Battle of Antietam and getting assigned to command the 54th, a company of all-volunteer Black soldiers, which he eventually leads into the fateful Second Battle of Fort Wagner.

Performances by Denzel Washington (in an Academy Award-winning effort) as a gruff Pvt. Silas Trip, Morgan Freeman as Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins and Andre Braugher as Cpl. Thomas Searles contribute to Mr. Zwick’s nearly authentic effort.

The 2160p scan of the original camera negatives (supervised by Mr. Zwick) allow the screen-filling presentation to shine throughout, especially during the harrowing battle scenes, as viewers appreciate cinematographer Freddie Francis’ Academy Award-winning effort.

Notable extras: The 4K disc offers a rare and welcomed picture-in-picture video commentary with Mr. Zwick, Mr. Broderick and Mr. Freeman.

A small square pop-up box appears in the right (Mr. Zwick or Mr. Broderick) or left (Mr. Freeman) corner of the screen, and the memories and history ensue.

Viewers then move to the included Blu-ray version of the film disc to find vintage content from 2009 including an optional commentary track with Mr. Zwick; an interactive map that highlights some of the key battles throughout the Civil War (with help from historians video commentary); and a 45-minute documentary “The True Story Continues,” narrated by Mr. Freeman and offering historical insight into the 54th Regiment as well as the plight of Black soldiers during the war.

The SteelBook also disappoints with a front cover featuring a recreation of the movie’s poster highlighted by several silhouetted soldiers awash in blood-red color with an ominous blue dawn sky in the background.

The rear panel continues the color scheme and reveals a full-bodied version of a determined Pvt. Trip, rifle in hand, charging during the Fort Wagner battle.

The interior spread shows a photo of the 54th Regiment marching with explosions around them.

Saw: 10-Film Collection, 25th Anniversary Edition (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rated R, 2.39:1, 1.85:1, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 1,020 minutes, $79.99) — James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s extreme horror franchise that helped launch what some may consider the unwelcomed genre of splatter torture films arrives in a new 23-disc mega-set collecting the mythology and exploits of the mysterious serial killer John Kramer nicknamed Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his fiendish apprentices.

Owners get a Blu-ray and DVD version of “Saw” (2004), “Saw II” (2005), “Saw III” (2006), “Saw IV” (2007), “Saw V” (2008), “Saw VI” (2009), “Saw 3D” (2010), “Jigsaw” (2017), “Spiral” (2021) and “Saw X” (2023). There are seven unrated cuts of the films highlighted by a Blu-ray director’s cut of the fourth and sixth films and the “uncut” edition of the first film in DVD.

Of course, the movies are hit-and-miss distinguished by a stream of mini morality plays testing a human’s appreciation of life and survival instincts when forced to escape potential deadly or disfiguring puzzle traps that delivered a twisted brand of justice in the finest traditions of Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price’s iconic revenge killer).

The first film was the best and more of a mystery thriller.  Equally entertaining were the movies that spend more time exploring the origins of the killer (“Saw II,” “Jigsaw” and “Saw X”) and less showing the complex traps he used to abuse and murder victims, though expect a liberal supply of gore throughout.

As one of the more popular horror franchises in the history of cinema, “Saw” certainly deserved a 20th anniversary set. 

However, consider “Saw XI” will be hitting theaters in September of 2025, and the lack of 4K disc presentations (although, one could argue that dads do not need that level of color and clarity when it comes to seeing the human body violently dismantled), collectors will definitely not be getting the definitive set.

One note: Those redeeming the included code to own and access all of the films on the Fandango streaming service will get the high definition versions and only the theatrical cuts.

Notable extras: The unwieldy clamshell case slides out from a study box splattered with blood that also contains three double-sided art cards (5.5 inches by 7.5 inches) showing Billy the puppet, Amanda (Shawnee Smith) in a trap, a screaming Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes), Evan (Chester Bitington), John Kramer and a pig-masked minion.

All of the digital extras are culled from previous releases led by 18 optional commentary tracks spotlighted by Mr. Wan and Mr. Whannell teaming up on the first and second films.

Highlights of the multiple hours’ worth of featurettes include a 60-minute 2012 retrospective on the legacy of the original film; an 80-minute documentary on Jigsaw; a 90-minute production exploration on “Saw X”; and the original, 10-minute short film that offered a blueprint for the franchise.

Also, the three extra DVDs offer some featurettes that will require old-school controller navigation (i.e. moving around Jigsaw’s lair and clicking on items such as a bloody lamp shade) to access the goodies, a nice touch.