RED SCORPION (Joseph Zito, 1988)

[Moltisanti]

Entertainment Weekly did a brief write-up for the Blu-ray. Would have been nice if they had taken 10 seconds to confirm M. Emmet's Walsh current mortality status:

[Coligion]

Jox, any news on whether or not the release date in the U.S. has been pushed back? I pre-ordered from Best Buy and got an e-mail saying the original date had now been pushed back until June 26th.

[Moltisanti]

I got the same email. I checked a couple other sites and Amazon still has it listed as 6/12. Also looked on Walmart.com and they have the release date as 7/10.

[Jox]

Not as far as I know but I'll check with Synapse!

[Jox]

There should be no delay.
Here's the response from Don May Jr, Synapse's "dot-it-yourself" owner:

That’s news to me. No idea what that’s all about. All the orders shipped out last week.
Maybe it’s because Best Buy can’t get them to their main warehouse and send them out fast enough? We never pushed anything back. Maybe there was a delay in their shipping?

[Jox]

Here's a teaser clip from the 40 mins (!) Dolph interview
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=421654801199241
(a second one later)

[Jox]

The Amazon price just dropped (temporarily) at $14.99
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Scorpion-Blu- ... 850&sr=1-4

[Jox]

There should be no delay.
Here's the response from Don May Jr, Synapse's "dot-it-yourself" owner:

That’s news to me. No idea what that’s all about. All the orders shipped out last week.
Maybe it’s because Best Buy can’t get them to their main warehouse and send them out fast enough? We never pushed anything back. Maybe there was a delay in their shipping?

Holy Smokies! Amazon is already sold out of our RED SCORPION release. The price point + fans + the Entertainment Weekly mention seems to have boosted sales beyond our expectations. Thanks to all who ordered!

I asked our distributor about Best Buy and they told me BB decided to bring it in on that specific date for whatever reason. Something about their "open to buy" quarterly sales figures. Hey, I'm just happy BB us selling it, even if only online. Now we gotta convince them to bring it in store!

[Coligion]

The Amazon price just dropped (temporarily) at $14.99
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Scorpion-Blu- ... 850&sr=1-4

Yeah, for those who did not pre-order, I think that is a good price. However, Amazon now states delivery in "1 to 3 weeks," so it looks like that June 26th date is now looking like the real one.

[Jox]

My Red Scorpion Blu-ray from Synapse Films arrived in the mail today. I've watched some of it - and a couple of the bonus features - and I have to say: it looks terrific. Synapse did a fantastic job and put together a pretty definitive edition of this laye-80s Cold War actioner. I'll be finishing it up later tonight, and should have a full review posted at DVD Late Show soon.

http://atomic-pulp.blogspot.fr/2012/06/ ... l-now.html

Full review + captures
http://www.rockshockpop.com/forums/cont ... d-Scorpion

Video/Audio/Extras:

Red Scorpion hits Blu-ray in an AVC encoded 1.78.1 widescreen 1080p high definition transfer and the results are impressive. Detail looks solid throughout and the movie’s arid looking color palette is reproduced very nicely. Black levels are strong and deep and there’s no evidence of edge enhancement or noise reduction, the movie looks appropriately grainy, just as it should. Skin tones look nice and lifelike, there weren’t any noticeable issues with shimmer, banding or contrast blooming and both detail and texture consistently impress. That scene where Dolph is lying face down with the scorpions on his back? You can see the pilling on his tank top and the dirt on his face and neck as clear as you could hope for. There are no compression artifacts either – Red Scorpion looks really, really good here. Not every shot is as razor sharp as the next (close up shots show more detail than some of the long distance panorama shots out in the desert, for example) but all in all this is a pretty huge step up from previous DVD releases and a very fine transfer all around.

Audio options are offered in English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo Master Audio with optional English closed captioning. Both tracks sound very good here, offering clean and clear dialogue and some nice channel separation. Purists will opt for the 2.0 mix while surround enthusiasts will appreciate the added dimensionality that the 5.1 track provides. Bass response is strong across the board, with the explosions packing some welcome punch and gun shots offering some nice wallop, while the is mixed in nicely, never overpowering the performers in the mix. No complaints here, Red Scorpion sounds great.

As far as the supplements go, things start off strong with an audio commentary featuring director Joseph Zito and moderated Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson. This is a solid track, with Thompson doing a fine job of keeping Zito talking about this picture throughout. As this was a fairly troubled production in terms of shooting and location, Zito’s got some good stories to share but he’s also got a pretty laid back attitude about all of this and a sense of humor about himself as well. One of the more interesting aspects of the talk occurs when the two discuss the Zito’s approach to realism in this film, and how to set audience expectations in order to accept a certain amount of or lack of believability in a movie like this. Of course we also hear about casting, Abramoff’s involvement, political issues that wreaked havoc on the production schedule and more, resulting in quite a well rounded and interesting discussion of the film, its history, its place in Zito’s filmography and its reception.

Up next is a twenty-four minute featurette entitled Hath No Fury – Dolph Lundgren And The Road To Red Scorpion which is a pretty great sit down chat with the star of the film who talks about how he got into acting while working as a bodyguard on a James Bond film and through his relationship with Grace Jones. From there we learn about how he was cast in Rocky IV, which leads to his taking the lead in Masters Of The Universe and then Red Scorpion. Dolph is pretty candid about this and other movies he has starred in over the years, noting that this movie basically launched him as an action hero, a role he has managed to play time and time again over the years. He comes across as a really nice guy, very good natured and down to Earth and it’s a kick to hear him reminisce about the early years of his moviemaking career. He also discusses how he wound up doing a lot of his own stunts, what it was like working in Africa and an alternate opening scene that was considered for the film but never made.

Equally interesting is a fourteen minute interview with producer Jack Abramoff entitled Assignment Africa in which the former Washington lobbyist discusses how he was initially approached by a documentary film crew who wanted to get his input on a project they were making about the issues going on in Africa in the eighties. This eventually took him on an interesting trail that landed him in the producer’s spot on Red Scorpion. He talks about the film’s politics, what the ideas were based on, and what it was like working with Zito and Lundgren and he shares a few interesting experiences about some of the issues that the cast and crew ran up against on this project.

Tom Savini is up next in a featurette entitled Scorpion Tales (get it?) where he discusses his makeup effects work on this picture, the major set piece being towards the end where a certain character loses his arm. He talks about how he did what he did on the movie, what it was like working in Africa, and some of the complications that arose and how they eventually lead to budget issues which meant that some of his effects work wasn’t used. Savini also contributes some behind the scenes footage that he shot on the set of the film during the production, most of which centers around the parts that Savini would have been involved in like the shoot outs and the aforementioned arm scene. It’s kind of cool to get to see this stuff, it gives us a glimpse into what the set was like and how the cast and crew prepared for some of the more action intensive moments in the film.

Rounding out the extras is an animated still gallery containing a load of home video cover art, promotional art and stills, a trailer for the feature, and a bunch of TV spots for the feature. All of the extras are in high definition and as this is a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack release, a regular DVD version of the movie and the extras is included in the same case. Also included in the same case is an insert booklet of liner notes written by Jérémie Damoiseau who runs the Dolph – The Ultimate Guide website that give a nice history of the production and distribution of this particular film. Last but not least, it’s also worth noting that the cover art for this release is reversible.

The Final Word:

Synapse Films has done a very fine job with this release of Joseph Zito’s Red Scorpion. Not only is the movie a blast and one of Dolph Lundgren’s finest moments but it appears on Blu-ray in excellent quality, impressing in both the audio and video departments. Maybe just as importantly, however, the film is presented with some excellent extra features - all killer and no filler! The commentary and featurettes help to put this one in its proper historical context and do an excellent job of filling in the story behind the movie, really leaving no stone unturned. All in all, this is the total package and fans of the film really ought to consider this one a must own.

[Jox]

Here's a teaser clip from the 40 mins (!) Dolph interview
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=421654801199241
(a second one later)

Here's a the second clip
(I don't know what's up with the audio at the begnning, quicktime video works fine, it's the upload... )
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=421995767831811

[Jox]

And another review (not much on the extras but a great review by someone who just discovered the film)
http://zombiesdontrun.net/2012/06/red-s ... vd-review/

[Moltisanti]

Glad to see it getting so many good reviews.

Had it originally ordered from Amazon but then cancelled it to order from Best Buy because I have gift cards for there. Since Amazon is back down to $15 I may put in another order with them, wait to see who ships it first, and then cancel the other order.

[Mosquito]

Just placed my order. Estimated delivery: July 20 to August 16. Can't wait! Fist time I'll see it in HD quality. Dolph in full glory.

[Jox]

Review from Ain't Cool News infamous Harry Knowles

This Blu Ray is crazy – because not only is there a great transfer, but there’s a whole lot of extras, including Lundgren kind of going through his entire career leading up to the film – and it’s great! Love this film. It is funky as hell, but it has M. Emmet Walsh! It has Brion James!!!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/56345