Echo Bridge continues its reputation as the GoodTimes Video of Blu-ray with its From Dusk Till Dawn 4 Film Collection that includes all three films plus the documentary Full Tilt Boogie on one BD-50 disc. This is the third time From Dusk Till Dawn has been released on Blu-ray by Echo Bridge in less than two years, and unfortunately, the third time is not the charm.
From Dusk Till Dawn 4-Film Collection
Studio: Echo Bridge
US BD Release Date: November 29, 2011
From Dusk Till Dawn
Original Release Year: 1996
Rated: R (for strong violence and gore, language and nudity)
Running Time: 108 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Subtitles: None
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
Original Release Year: 1999
Rated: R (for strong violence and gore, sexuality and language)
Running Time: 88 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: None
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter
Original Release Year: 1999
Rated: R (for strong violence/gore, sexuality/nudity and some language)
Running Time: 94 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Subtitles: None
Full Tilt Boogie
Original Release Year: 1997
Rated: R (for language, violence and some nudity)
Running Time: 97 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: None
Movie: 3 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3.5 out of 5
The first teaming of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, From Dusk Till Dawn is their first real homage to grindhouse cinema. What starts out as a crime caper with George Clooney and Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers hiding out in a roadside liquor store after a bank robbery, then jumps genres into a road picture with Harvey Keitel as a preacher who has lost his faith and taking his kids (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) on a vacation in the Winnebago as a grieving process after the death of his wife, and then jumps yet again into a gross-out horror fest with vampires masquerading as strippers at an out of the way night club in the Mexican desert feeding on bikers and truckers. The film had many Tarantino trademarks, including lengthy monologues and acts of brutal violence, as well as Rodriguez’s down and dirty filmmaking style. While not a piece of classic celluloid, From Dusk Till Dawn is an entertaining ride.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
Although the first film was a modest success at the box office, it performed even better on home video, prompting a direct-to-video sequel. Trying to follow the formula of the first film, the movie opens with what we eventually discover is a movie-within-a-movie (with cameos by Bruce Campbell and and Tiffani Thiesen as lawyers being attacked by vampire bats in an elevator), then becomes a bank robbery caper with Robert Patrick leading a group of convicts (including The Closer’s Raymond Cruz) in Mexico. They eventually come across the Titty Twister (the bar from the first movie) and meet up with bartender Danny Trejo, and enter the vampire plotline. To say that Texas Blood Money is an unnecessary sequel is an understatement. The movie has the look and feel of a made-for-Showtime movie, circa mid-1980s. Missing is Tarantino’s dark humor and Rodriguez’s pacing. Also missing are any interesting characters.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
When a franchise runs out of steam, go for a prequel. That’s the case with From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter. Set in the early 1900s, the movie tries to tell the tail of the origins of Santanico Pandemonium, the queen vampire from the first film in the series. But it is a long (and tedious) 94 minute ride to that conclusion. Director P.J. Pesce (Smokin’ Aces 2, Lost Boys: The Tribe) tries to make sense out of Alvaro Rodriguez’s meandering screenplay, but there is too much going on for anyone to make sense out of it. The acting is along the lines of dinner theater, making the film even more painful to watch.
Full Tilt Boogie: 3 out of 5
What makes a good documentary? One that has a constant focus and interesting storyline. Full Tilt Boogie almost succeeds, providing a behind the scenes look at the making of From Dusk Till Dawn. The film’s biggest downfall is that the bulk of the footage has the stars of the film and the director mugging for the camera, making a soap opera out of the relationships between the non-union crew members, and trying to make a case for non-union independent films by making IATSE appear as the enemy without letting them tell their story by becoming a nuisance to the union leaders.
Video: 2.5 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is, for the most part, acceptable. Detail is very good for the most part, although a few scenes appear soft. Flesh tones lean towards orange, which I do not recall in prior laserdisc and DVD versions, nor in its original theatrical run. Colors are vibrant, though, never bleeding. Blacks, however, do appear crushed on a few occassions.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is, in a word, awful. The image is overly soft, lacking any detail whatsoever, almost as if it was upconverted from a standard definition source. Colors lean towards yellow, and blacks appear crushed.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is a difficult one to review. The film itself appears to have been filmed through a magenta filter, leading me at first to believe something may be wrong with my display. Add in the overuse of digital noise reduction, varying contrast, and blown-out whites, and you wind up with an image that actually hurts the eyes.
Full Tilt Boogie: 2 out of 5
Much of the footage in this film appears to have been shot in 16mm or on video, and the print used contains specks of dirt and occasional scratches. The 1080p/24 transfer, using the AVC codec, also appears that it may be an upconversion from standard definition. Granted, this was a very low-budget documentary shot using existing light sources, and received a very limited theatrical and home video release. Detail is incredibly soft, and colors are muted.
Audio: 3 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3.5 out of 5
Originally mixed in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) for its theatrical run, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is a bit of a treat. Dynamic range is excellent, with exceptional stereo separation and active surrounds and LFE.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo soundtrack is adequate, with decent fidelity. Dialogue is relegated to the center channel and is usually clear and understandable. Surround activity is minimal, as one would expect from a matrixed surround mix.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a bit more impressive than the previous film in the series, with some discrete surround effects and a more spacious soundfield. Where the track excels is in the film’s score, with added detail especially in the use of guitars.
Full Tilt Boogie: 3 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo soundtrack is adequate for documentary of this sort, providing clear dialogue in the center channel and decent stereo separation in its use of music.
Special Features: 0 out of 5
As with most Echo Bridge Miramax releases, there are no special features whatsoever on this release.
Overall: 2.5 out of 5
Trying to squeeze four movies onto one BD50 is never a good idea, and fans of the original From Dusk Till Dawn must still wait for a fully-loaded Blu-ray release that ports over all of the special features from the DVD and laserdisc special editions.
US BD Release Date: November 29, 2011
From Dusk Till Dawn
Original Release Year: 1996
Rated: R (for strong violence and gore, language and nudity)
Running Time: 108 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Subtitles: None
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
Original Release Year: 1999
Rated: R (for strong violence and gore, sexuality and language)
Running Time: 88 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: None
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter
Original Release Year: 1999
Rated: R (for strong violence/gore, sexuality/nudity and some language)
Running Time: 94 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Subtitles: None
Full Tilt Boogie
Original Release Year: 1997
Rated: R (for language, violence and some nudity)
Running Time: 97 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: None
Movie: 3 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3.5 out of 5
The first teaming of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, From Dusk Till Dawn is their first real homage to grindhouse cinema. What starts out as a crime caper with George Clooney and Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers hiding out in a roadside liquor store after a bank robbery, then jumps genres into a road picture with Harvey Keitel as a preacher who has lost his faith and taking his kids (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu) on a vacation in the Winnebago as a grieving process after the death of his wife, and then jumps yet again into a gross-out horror fest with vampires masquerading as strippers at an out of the way night club in the Mexican desert feeding on bikers and truckers. The film had many Tarantino trademarks, including lengthy monologues and acts of brutal violence, as well as Rodriguez’s down and dirty filmmaking style. While not a piece of classic celluloid, From Dusk Till Dawn is an entertaining ride.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
Although the first film was a modest success at the box office, it performed even better on home video, prompting a direct-to-video sequel. Trying to follow the formula of the first film, the movie opens with what we eventually discover is a movie-within-a-movie (with cameos by Bruce Campbell and and Tiffani Thiesen as lawyers being attacked by vampire bats in an elevator), then becomes a bank robbery caper with Robert Patrick leading a group of convicts (including The Closer’s Raymond Cruz) in Mexico. They eventually come across the Titty Twister (the bar from the first movie) and meet up with bartender Danny Trejo, and enter the vampire plotline. To say that Texas Blood Money is an unnecessary sequel is an understatement. The movie has the look and feel of a made-for-Showtime movie, circa mid-1980s. Missing is Tarantino’s dark humor and Rodriguez’s pacing. Also missing are any interesting characters.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
When a franchise runs out of steam, go for a prequel. That’s the case with From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter. Set in the early 1900s, the movie tries to tell the tail of the origins of Santanico Pandemonium, the queen vampire from the first film in the series. But it is a long (and tedious) 94 minute ride to that conclusion. Director P.J. Pesce (Smokin’ Aces 2, Lost Boys: The Tribe) tries to make sense out of Alvaro Rodriguez’s meandering screenplay, but there is too much going on for anyone to make sense out of it. The acting is along the lines of dinner theater, making the film even more painful to watch.
Full Tilt Boogie: 3 out of 5
What makes a good documentary? One that has a constant focus and interesting storyline. Full Tilt Boogie almost succeeds, providing a behind the scenes look at the making of From Dusk Till Dawn. The film’s biggest downfall is that the bulk of the footage has the stars of the film and the director mugging for the camera, making a soap opera out of the relationships between the non-union crew members, and trying to make a case for non-union independent films by making IATSE appear as the enemy without letting them tell their story by becoming a nuisance to the union leaders.
Video: 2.5 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is, for the most part, acceptable. Detail is very good for the most part, although a few scenes appear soft. Flesh tones lean towards orange, which I do not recall in prior laserdisc and DVD versions, nor in its original theatrical run. Colors are vibrant, though, never bleeding. Blacks, however, do appear crushed on a few occassions.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is, in a word, awful. The image is overly soft, lacking any detail whatsoever, almost as if it was upconverted from a standard definition source. Colors lean towards yellow, and blacks appear crushed.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
The 1080p/24 high definition transfer, using the AVC codec, is a difficult one to review. The film itself appears to have been filmed through a magenta filter, leading me at first to believe something may be wrong with my display. Add in the overuse of digital noise reduction, varying contrast, and blown-out whites, and you wind up with an image that actually hurts the eyes.
Full Tilt Boogie: 2 out of 5
Much of the footage in this film appears to have been shot in 16mm or on video, and the print used contains specks of dirt and occasional scratches. The 1080p/24 transfer, using the AVC codec, also appears that it may be an upconversion from standard definition. Granted, this was a very low-budget documentary shot using existing light sources, and received a very limited theatrical and home video release. Detail is incredibly soft, and colors are muted.
Audio: 3 out of 5 (average)
From Dusk Till Dawn: 3.5 out of 5
Originally mixed in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) for its theatrical run, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is a bit of a treat. Dynamic range is excellent, with exceptional stereo separation and active surrounds and LFE.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money: 2 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo soundtrack is adequate, with decent fidelity. Dialogue is relegated to the center channel and is usually clear and understandable. Surround activity is minimal, as one would expect from a matrixed surround mix.
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter: 2 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a bit more impressive than the previous film in the series, with some discrete surround effects and a more spacious soundfield. Where the track excels is in the film’s score, with added detail especially in the use of guitars.
Full Tilt Boogie: 3 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo soundtrack is adequate for documentary of this sort, providing clear dialogue in the center channel and decent stereo separation in its use of music.
Special Features: 0 out of 5
As with most Echo Bridge Miramax releases, there are no special features whatsoever on this release.
Overall: 2.5 out of 5
Trying to squeeze four movies onto one BD50 is never a good idea, and fans of the original From Dusk Till Dawn must still wait for a fully-loaded Blu-ray release that ports over all of the special features from the DVD and laserdisc special editions.
