JOSHUA TREE / ARMY OF ONE (Vic Armstrong, 1993)

[Jox]

Yes, this one is locked... (but there are ways around it thankfully)

[Jox]

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/sh ... iled/10941

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/8046/joshua_tree.html

[Jox]

Taïwan laserdisc

[Jox]

So the upcoming Blu-ray:
- is Region A,
- the featurette "A Look Back at the Joshua Tree" runs 24 minutes and does not feature Kristian Alfonso (only Vic, Andy and Dolph of course),
- and the version of the film featured in 2.35 widescreen HD is the first producers cut released: shorter (101 mins) with the happy ending (cheers to you ShawnWatson, I know this will make you happy ).
- The newer alternate ending with the reshoots is featured separately in 4/3 (with commentary).
- the theatrical trailer is 4/3
- sound tracks are 5.1 and 2.0
- English subs

[ShawnWatson]

Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!!

[Jox]

http://www.examiner.com/review/dolph-lu ... to-blu-ray

[Jox]

So the upcoming Blu-ray:
- is Region A,
- the featurette "A Look Back at the Joshua Tree" runs 24 minutes and does not feature Kristian Alfonso (only Vic, Andy and Dolph of course),
- and the version of the film featured in 2.35 widescreen HD is the first producers cut released: shorter (101 mins) with the happy ending (cheers to you ShawnWatson, I know this will make you happy ).
- The newer alternate ending with the reshoots is featured separately in 4/3 (with commentary).
- the theatrical trailer is 4/3
- sound tracks are 5.1 and 2.0
- English subs

Also included as easter eggs are two separate short videos of Vic and Andy talking about their respective careers.

[udar55]

So is this going to be uncut in terms of the violence? This shorter running time scares me.

[Jox]

First BD review:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/8046/joshua_tree.html

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

'Joshua Tree' comes with a stunning 1080p HD transfer presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I can't believe how good this 20 year old film looks.

The detail is extremely sharp. You can make out every hair and piece of stubble as well as the threads and imperfections in the actors' clothing. Closeups are amazing. The colors are bright and vibrant as there are a lot of sky blues, browns, greens, and yellows. Nothing seems muted or soft here. The skin tones are natural and smooth with the black levels running deep and inky with not crushed shadows. They really cleaned this film up as I noticed not one spec of dirt, aliasing, or edge enhancement.

This is a top notch video presentation for a 20 year old action film.

The Audio: Rating the Sound

This release comes with an impressive lossless DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix and well as a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mix. The DTS-HD track sounds great all around. The speakers got a pretty good workout here. The dialogue is always crystal clear and centered on the fronts with no hissing or cracking of any kind. The heavier action sequences use the rears quite a bit and is very loud. The ambient noises and sound effects flow out of the rears and surrounds very nicely with off camera chatter, nature sounds, and gun shots. The impressive score is amazing here. It just sounds incredible and has the right amount of volume, never drowning out the dialogue or sound effects. This was a very solid audio transfer for a film that is 20 years old.

The Supplements: Digging Into the Good Stuff

Audio Commentary - Here Vic and Andy Armstrong provide a fun commentary as they talk about all aspects of making the film. They cover all aspects from how they got on board, to casting the actors, to the fight choreography. You should give this a listen if you enjoyed the flick.

A Look Back at 'Joshua Tree' (HD, 24 mins) - This cool featurette showcases Director Vic Armstrong, Producer Andy Armstrong, and Dolph Lundgren talking about making the film present day in talking head interviews interspersed with film footage. They talk about the stunts, the storyline, and the actors.

Alternate Ending (HD, 11 mins) - Here is the alternate ending for the film, which ends fairly differently than the theatrical release. On the menu, there are two options for the same alternate ending, with one having commentary by the two Armstrongs who talk about the different ending and why it wasn't used in the theatrical run.

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3 mins) - The theatrical trailer for the film, which made me laugh.

HD Bonus Content: Any Exclusive Goodies in There?
There are no HD exclusives.

Easter Eggs

Move your remote cursor to the left to highlight the two headlights on the car from the main menu.

Left Headlight (HD, 4 mins) - Here director Vic Armstrong talks about his film career and memories from his past films, which is quite extensive with some big blockbusters including 'Indiana Jones', 'James Bond', and 'Superman'. Pretty cool.

Right Headlight (HD, 4 mins) - Here producer Andy Armstrong does the same thing and talks about his career, which is also quite extensive as he is a stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director. He is involved with the upcoming 'Amazing Spider-Man' sequel.

[Krom]

Oh man, i need to buy a free region Blu-ray!

[Jox]

The Japanese title means "Vanishing Red" (バニシング・レッド).

[Jox]

It seems that the garage "Hard-Boiled-esque" shoot-out rip-off/hommage was done under the request of producer Moshe Diamant who was making John Woo's HARD TARGET with JCVD that same year...

[Jox]

Blu-ray.com review and captures
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Joshua-Tr ... 13/#Review

Joshua Tree Blu-ray, Video Quality

Joshua Tree arrives on Blu-ray with an imperfect but generally satisfying high definition transfer. Shout! Factory's image does often display a rather smooth, inorganic texture. Light grain remains in spots, but there's definitely a glossy, lightly waxy look to some elements. While details remain quite strong -- faces and clothes and the rocky, sandy desert terrains seen throughout all look rather good -- they lack the more pure, film-like texture some fans will demand. Colors, however, a fairly bright and accurate; there are plenty of exterior, sun-drenched scenes that display even the brightest reds on Dolph's shirt and car with natural precision. Black levels do look a hair washed out early on, but nighttime shots later in the film are stable and deep. Flesh tones are accurate throughout. In addition to a slightly processed, smoothed over look, Joshua Tree also shows slight banding and the occasional edge halo. Despite its flaws, this is still a positive viewing experience and certainly the best the film has ever looked on home video.

Joshua Tree Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Joshua Tree makes its Blu-ray debut with a proficient, oftentimes hearty DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 losses soundtrack. There's a big, natural presence to music and good clarity; Joel Goldsmith's score sounds fantastic throughout the film. It's supported by a positive low end foundation that sends just the right balance of bass into the stage for every scene. The track makes use of a rather wide, fairly natural stage throughout and beyond music; whether the rumbling of Santee's and Turner's big rig at the beginning of the film or a light din of insects in desert exterior scenes, most atmospheric elements are handled nicely. An exception is a police station interior that takes on a harsher, more garbled, almost canned sort of flavor. Otherwise, the track delivers its wares nicely. Gunfire sometimes sounds a bit crunchy, but when the action really opens up later in the film, shotgun blasts and full auto fire prove quite impressive as the gunplay sounds deep and heavy and Action movie proficient. Dialogue plays clearly and remains focused up the middle. This is a good all-around track, not perfect, but a solid performer that should please fans of the film; it really opens up the movie and supports it nicely.

Joshua Tree Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

Joshua Tree contains a commentary track, a retrospective featurette, an alternate ending, and a trailer.

Audio Commentary: Directors Vic Armstrong and Producer Andy Armstrong offer a balanced commentary in which they cover a nice mixture of broad film elements and more in-depth anecdotes. They discuss plot specifics, details of the shoot, filming locales, cast, the film's themes, its action and stunts, and plenty more. This is a well-rounded track fans will enjoy.
A Look Back at The Joshua Tree (HD, 24:05): Cast and crew discuss the quality of the work that went into the movie, Vic Armstrong's stunt background, the film's depth beyond action, cast performances and the film's place in their careers, the picture's scope that extends beyond its means, making the action scenes and car chases, character qualities, and more.
Alternate Ending (SD, 4x3, 11:15).
Alternate Ending (SD, 4x3, 11:15): Included with audio commentary from Directors Vic Armstrong and Andy Armstrong.
Joshua Tree Trailer (SD, 4x3, 2:34).

Joshua Tree Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

Joshua Tree isn't really a benchmark film, but it is a rock-solid genre entry that does everything right within the confines of its focused style. The movie is built around violence and the depiction thereof; toss in hot cars and hotter women, and Joshua Tree boils down down to the basics and almost nothing but. It's the perfect mixture of 80s muscle and violent grit with the 1990's faster and sleeker Action stylings. The film wastes no time with needless exposition, excess character nuance, or dramatic heft; it's all there but in just the right quantities to maintain a steady pulse and a high yield of action. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Joshua Tree features good video and audio. A nice little assortment of extras are included. Recommended.

[Jox]

I wrote it before but it doesn't seem clear to everybody:
the version featured on the Blu-ray/DVD combo is the first ending (same as the UK, Japanese and U.S. R-rated VHS ending):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrVSHzWVnpU&t=6m0s



DVD Talk review:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/58798/joshua-tree/

The Blu-ray:
Video:
Joshua Tree debuts on Blu-ray in its proper 2.35.1 widescreen aspect ratio in a really nice looking AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer. There's the odd speck here and there but overall the picture s quite clean and shows very nice color reproduction - the reds of Dolph's shirt are bright and bold without looking artificially boosted or bleeding all over the place. Black levels aren't quite reference quality but they're certainly strong and while the image does look like the product of the early nineties that it is, there's nothing wrong with that. Detail consistently surpasses what standard definition can offer as does texture. You'll notice this not only in the close up shots of the cast throughout the movie but throughout the background as well - case in point, check out the shot where Kristian Alfonso heads into the speed shop and sees the pictures on the wall, you can almost feel the grit and dust build up. There are no obvious problems with compression artifacts and if there's any noise reduction applied here, it's minor. Edge enhancement never really pops up and all in all, fans of the movie should be pretty happy with how it looks on Blu-ray.

Sound:
DTS-HD Master Audio options are provided in English in your choice of 2.0 Stereo or 5.1 Surround Sound with optional subtitles offered up in English only. Both tracks sound pretty nice, offering clear dialogue and properly balanced levels. The 5.1 mix predictably makes the action scenes a bit more fun by using the rear channels for some of the sound effects and to spread out bits and pieces of the score as well, while the 2.0 mix is probably closer to what the movie would have sounded like theatrically. Either way, both tracks offer decent depth and are free of any hiss or distortion. The 5.1 mix might not compete on the same level as a modern action blockbuster but for a twenty year old picture made on a modest budget, it sounds good.

Extras:
Extras kick off with a commentary track from director Vic Armstrong who is joined by his brother, producer Andy Armstrong. This is a pretty fun track and not surprisingly given Vic's background, there's a lot of talk about the stunt work in the movie. The pair also discuss reception to the film, shooting on location in the desert, interacting with the cast and crew and various ideas that were thought of but never wound up being put into the picture. Vic and Andy also show up in a featurette that also includes input from leading man Dolph Lundgren. Clocking in at roughly twenty-five minutes this retrospective featurette covers some of the same ground as the commentary but having Dolph on board makes it completely worthwhile. There's a fair bit of focus here on where Dolph was at career wise when they made this movie, how he first met Vic Armstrong, the stunt work and the car chase scenes. It's quite interesting; laid back enough to be a decent watch but informative enough and structured enough to be genuinely informative.

Also included on the disc is an alternate ending for the movie that is available with optional commentary from Vic and Andy Armstrong. It's definitely different from the direction they took with the theatrical ending and a nice addition to the disc. The commentary form Vic and Andy explains why it wasn't used. Additionally we get a trailer for the feature, animated menus and chapter selection. As this is a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, a regular DVD version of the movie containing identical extras is also included inside the keepcase.

Final Thoughts:
This isn't going to appeal to anyone who doesn't have a preexisting love for the B-action movies of yesteryear but for those who do, Joshua Tree is gold. Yeah, fine, it's predictable and riddled with one cliché after another but Dolph is pretty solid here, offering a strong performance alongside a few fun supporting players. The movie goes at a good pace and features loads of action and stunts sans CGI, making them all the more impressive. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray is a really nice package overall, offering up the movie in its proper aspect ratio in a nice transfer with good audio and some cool extras as well. Highly recommended.

[Jox]

http://www.dvdsnapshot.com/2013/02/josh ... my-of-one/

Our Take:

I don’t know how I’ve never seen Joshua Tree, but man did I have fun with it. Previously called Army of One, the film, to be honest, is pretty terrible. It’s full of bad stereotypes (especially to Asians), over the top explosions, over the top acting and cheesy dialogue, but I damn near loved it.

Why? Because it’s everything bad that made action movies great back in the day. Hot cars? Check. Bad one liners? Check. Nudity for the sake of nudity? Check (and can I say, man was Kristian Alfonso 90’s hot, the hair, the high jeans, the high rise shirt). You got Dolph Lundgren being all Dolph Lundgren. A ridiculous car chase between two Italian sports cars. A shoot out of about 30 to 1 with explosions coming out of nowhere. Dolph kneecapping people with shotguns and shooting up Asians on a conveyor belt. If none of this sounds good, this film is clearly not for you. But if this sounds like the greatest movie you’ve never seen, you’re probably right.

Audio & Video:

The Blu-ray transfer looks really good. For a 20 year old film converted to Blu-ray it looks real sharp. It’s not perfect like today’s digital films, but the explosions were bright, the colors of the desert were crisp and clean. Nice job on this conversion. Audio was top notch too. All the explosions and gun shots were loud and filled your room.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Director Vic Armstrong and Producer Andy Armstrong
Alternate Ending with Commentary by Vic Armstrong and Andy Armstrong
New Interviews with Vic Armstrong, Andy Armstrong and Dolph Lundgren
Theatrical Trailer

Conclusion:

Remember how awesome the 1990’s were? Well, relive it by buying Joshua Tree on Blu-ray. This was so over the top fun that I live tweeted and texted while watching it I was having so much fun. What a surprise find! How have I never seen this gem before?!

Overall Picture:

Movie: B+
Video: B+
Audio: A
Extra Features: B+