SCHWARZENEGGER COLLECTION [TOTAL RECALL / RAW DEAL / RED HEAT] [1990 / 1986 / 1988 / 2010] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Get Ready For The Ride Of Your Life!
Dynamic awesome triple bill of action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger that includes:
‘TOTAL RECALL’ [1990] Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser [Arnold Schwarzenegger], a happily married construction worker living in the year 2084, is haunted by a recurrent dream in which he is living with a woman on Mars. Rekall Incorporated offer him the chance to live out his dream through a microchip which implants any memories their client desires into their brain. But something goes wrong during the installation of Doug Quaid's memories of a trip to Mars and soon he lands up on the planet for real, unsure of his true identity and pursued by a gang out for his blood. Douglas Quaid teams up with a group of resistance fighters to uncover a mystery which leads to the highest echelons of the planet's government. The film is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale."
‘RAW DEAL’ [1986] Former FBI agent Mark Kaminsky [Arnold Schwarzenegger] was forced to leave the Bureau due to his excessive brutality. When someone is required to infiltrate Luigi Patrovita's [Sam Wanamaker] crime organisation in Chicago, where Mark Kaminsky is offered a second chance by FBI man Harry Shannon [Darren McGavin] and agrees to take on a job as Luigi Patrovita's bodyguard, and destroy the mob from within.
‘RED HEAT’ [1988] Moscow policeman Captain Ivan 'Iron Jaws' Danko [Arnold Schwarzenegger] is on the trail of Russian drug dealer Viktor Rostavilli [Ed O'Ross] in the USA when he is ambushed by the dealer's gang. When Viktor Rostavilli makes his escape, an American cop is killed. Captain Ivan 'Iron Jaws' Danko teams up with the dead cop's partner Art Ridzik [James Belushi] in a bid to complete his mission, but the resulting culture clash between East and West causes various hilarious problems.
FILM FACT No.1: TOTAL RECALL: 1999 Awards and Nominations: Academy Awards®: Win: Special Achievement Award for Alex Funke, Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin and Tim McGovern. Nomination: Best Sound for Aaron Rochin, Carlos Delarios, Michael J. Kohut and Nelson Stoll. Nomination: Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing for Stephen Hunter Flick. 1991 BAFTA Awards: Nomination: Best Special Visual Effects (To the whole special visual effects production team). 1991 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Best Science Fiction Film. Win: Best Costumes for Erica Edell Phillips. Nomination: Best Actor for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nomination: Best Supporting Actress for Rachel Ticotin. Nomination: Best Director for Paul Verhoeven. Nomination: Best Writing for Dan O'Bannon, Gary Goldman and Ronald Shusett. Nomination: Best Music for Jerry Goldsmith. Nomination: Best Make-Up for Craig Berkeley, Jeff Dawn, Rob Bottin and Robin Weiss. Nomination: Best Special Effects for Dream Quest Images, Eric Brevig, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Rob Bottin, Stetson Visual Services Inc. and Thomas L. Fisher. 1991 Awards of the Japanese Academy: Nomination: Best Foreign Film. 1991 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: Jerry Goldsmith. 1991 Hugo Awards: Nomination: Best Dramatic Presentation for Dan O'Bannon (story/screenplay), Gary Goldman (screenplay), Jon Povill (story), Paul Verhoeven (director), Ronald Shusett (story/screenplay) and Philip K. Dick (inspired by the short story). 1991 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing for Sound Effects. Win: Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing for Dialogue for Scott Hecker (supervising dialogue editor).
FILM FACT No.2: TOTAL RECALL filming took place on location at the Heroico Colegio Militar, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico (Quaid's apartment building and subway entrance). The futuristic subway station and vehicles are actually part of the Subway System, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, with the subway cars painted grey and television monitors added. The Mars Federal Colony and Pyramid mines were filmed at the Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico and the Valley of Fire State Park on Route 169, Overton, Nevada, USA was used for the doubling for Mars landscape.
FILM FACT: RAW DEAL filming was done on location in Chicago, Castle Hayne, North Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina at the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group Studios. The film was originally intended to be called ‘Let's Make a Deal’ and during production and filming this was changed to ‘Triple Identity.’ This referenced the fact that the lead character goes from being an FBI agent, to a small-town sheriff, and then to an undercover operative. In the end ‘RAW DEAL’ was the chosen title, in an attempt to make the film sound more like a regular action film.
FILM FACT: RED HEAT it was the first American film given permission to shoot in Moscow's Red Square—however, most of the scenes set in the Soviet Union, with the exceptions of the establishing shots under the main titles and the final lengthy shot in Red Square behind the end credits, were actually shot in Hungary. Arnold Schwarzenegger was paid a salary of $8 million for his role in the film. The film was based on an original story by Walter Hill and says he conceived of the idea for ‘RED HEAT’ because he and Arnold Schwarzenegger had long wanted to work together.
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TOTAL RECALL Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mel Johnson Jr., Michael Champion, Roy Brocksmith, Ray Baker, Rosemary Dunsmore, David Knell, Alexia Robinson, Dean Norris, Mark Carlton, Debbie Lee Carrington, Lycia Naff, Robert Costanzo, Michael LaGuardia, Priscilla Allen, Ken Strausbaugh, Marc Alaimo, Michael Gregory, Ken Gildin, Mickey Jones, Parker Whitman, Ellen Gollas, Gloria Dorson, Erika Carlsson, Benny Corral, Bob Tzudiker, Erik Cord, Frank Kopyc, Chuck Sloan, Dave Nicolson, Paula McClure, Rebecca Ruth, Milt Tarver, Roger Cudney, Monica Steuer, Sasha Rionda, Linda Howell, Robert Picardo (Voice of Johnnycab), Kamala Lopez (Additional Voices), Morgan Lofting (Additional Voices), Patti Attar (Additional Voices), Bob Bergen (Additional Voices), Joe Unger (Additional Voices), Karlyn Michelson (Additional Voices), Andy Armstrong (uncredited), Frank Allen Forbes (uncredited), Allan Graf (uncredited), Peter Kent (uncredited), Joel Kramer (uncredited) and Bennie Moore (uncredited)
TOTAL RECALL Director: Paul Verhoeven
TOTAL RECALL Producers: Andrew G. Vajna, Buzz Feitshans, David Rodgers, Elliot Schick, Mario Kassar, Robert Fentress and Ronald Shusett
TOTAL RECALL Screenplay: Dan O'Bannon (screen story/screenplay), Gary Goldman (screenplay), Jon Povill (screen story), Ronald Shusett (screen story/screenplay) and Philip K. Dick (short story/inspiration)
TOTAL RECALL Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
TOTAL RECALL Cinematography: Jost Vacano, B.V.K. (Director of Photography)
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RAW DEAL Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathryn Harrold, Sam Wanamaker, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, Ed Lauter, Darren McGavin, Joe Regalbuto, Mordecai Lawner, Steven Hill, Blanche Baker, Louise Robey, Victor Argo, George P. Wilbur, Denver Mattson, John Malloy, Lorenzo Clemons, Dick Durock, Frank Ferrara, Thomas Rosales Jr., Jack Hallett, Leon Rippy, Jay Butler, Norman Max Maxwell, Tony DiBenedetto, Tom Hull, Mary Cannon, Gary Houston, Gregory Noonan, Steve Holt, Cedric Guthrie, Gary Olsen, Brooks Gardner, Pat Miller, Jery Hewitt, James Eric, Ralph Foody, Howard Elfman, John Hateley, Joel Kramer, Jeff Ramsey, Bill McIntosh, Ted Grossman, Kent Hays, Greg Walker, Clifford Happy, Michael Adams, Dean Smith, Alex Ross, Socorro Santiago, Richard McGough, Sharon Rice, R. Pickett Bugg, John Clark, Scott Blount, Phil Adams, Chuck Hart, Larry Holt, Ken Sprunt, Scot Coker Free (uncredited), Peter Kent (uncredited), Robert J. Maxwell (uncredited), Robert Minkoff (uncredited), Brian Parry (uncredited), Dimitrius Pulido (uncredited), Sven-Ole Thorsen (uncredited) and Kim Weeks (uncredited)
RAW DEAL Director: John Irvin
RAW DEAL Producers: Dino De Laurentiis (uncredited) and Martha De Laurentiis
RAW DEAL Screenplay: Gary DeVore (screenplay), Luciano Vincenzoni (story) Norman Wexler (screenplay) and Sergio Donati (story)
RAW DEAL Composers: Albhy Galuten, Chris Boardman and Tom Bähler
RAW DEAL Cinematography: Alex Thomson, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
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RED HEAT Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Gina Gershon, Richard Bright, J.W. Smith, Brent Jennings, Gretchen Palmer, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Mike Hagerty, Brion James, Gloria Delaney, Peter Jason, Oleg Vidov, Saveliy Kramarov, Gene Scherer, Tengiz Borisoff, Roger Callard, Gábor Koncz, Géza Balkay, Zsolt Körtvélyessy, János Bán, Tiger Chung Lee, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Norbert Növényi, Istvan Etlenyi, George Gati, Peter Marikovsky, Gábor Németh, Istvan Vajas, Peter Kis, Atilla Fási, Eric Mansker, Lew Hopson, Jason Ronard, Gigi Vorgan, Allan Graf, Kurt Fuller, Bruno Alexander, Christopher Mankiewicz, Bob O'Donnell, Marjorie Bransfield, Luis Contreras, Christopher Anthony Young, William McConnell, Ed DeFusco, Joey D. Vieira, Michael Adams, Jonathan Tate, Greg Anthony (uncredited), Kevin Bassett (uncredited), Jorga Caye (uncredited), Alexander Conte (uncredited), Nay K. Dorsey (uncredited), Eric Humphrey (uncredited), Jenifer Lewis (uncredited), Michael Markovina (uncredited) Robert Minkoff and (uncredited)
RED HEAT Director: Walter Hill
RED HEAT Producers: Andrew G. Vajna, Gordon Carroll, Mae Woods, Mario Kassar and Walter Hill
RED HEAT Screenplay: Harry Kleiner (screenplay), Troy Kennedy-Martin (screenplay) and Walter Hill (story/screenplay)
RED HEAT Composer: James Horner
RED HEAT Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
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Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / 2.35:1 / 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
German: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, French and German
Running Time: 113 minutes / 105 minutes / 104 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 3
Studio: Carolco Pictures / TriStar Pictures / Optimum Home Entertainment / STUDIOCANAL
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Here at last we have at last three of Arnold Schwarzenegger dynamic awesome action packed films in one package entitled the SCHWARZENEGGER COLLECTION, which includes ‘TOTAL RECALL,’ ‘RAW DEAL’ and ‘RED HEAT,’ via the might of TRISTAR PICTURES, CAROLCO and STUDIOCANAL, now brings us something Arnold Schwarzenegger fans will have a field day in having a massive Arnold Schwarzenegger mega viewing session. On top of all that, the good news is that this is a very highly enjoyable triple cinema bill treat, and the price tag is an even massive bonus incentive to purchase this Arnold Schwarzenegger Blu-ray film package.
This excellent TRISTAR PICTURES and CAROLCO Blu-ray package includes the brilliant Paul Verhoeven sci-fi film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ takes you on a journey to the inhospitable red planet of Mars that has a massive hidden secret that eventually gets revealed in the most dramatic and mind blowing special effects ever and is a totally real tour de force action sci-fi adventure. Based on the very intelligent Phillip K. Dick short story, the plot is very well thought-out and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the film, and has lots of twists and turns, and is more original than your standard sci-fi blockbuster feast, and the effects and design is a totally eye popping extravaganza. The film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ is set in 2084, and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser, a happily married construction worker who learns that his entire existence, his personality, his experience, his memory, has been prefabricated. In truth, he used to be somebody else, but any knowledge of that other life has been wiped away. So Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser reclaims his identity and gets even with the people who hijacked it and decides to head for the planet Mars to find out the truth, so Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser journeys to Mars to solve the mystery of his identity, where he finds Mars has become an off-world mining colony staffed by biologically deformed “mutants.” As Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser begins to pick up clues on his journey into the unknown, but at the same time Douglas Quaid aka Carl Hauser is pursued by a vicious thug Richter [Michael Ironside] who works for Vilos Cohaagen [Ronny Cox], who is a ruthless capitalist dictator of the Martian colonies and events eventually turns into a violent, existential chase thriller and eventually you experience one of the best special effects ever, that makes you feel you are actually on the planet Mars. Director Paul Verhoeven visualises the Red Planet as a glowing psychedelic wasteland, with urban centres housed under see-through domes that offer protection from the deadly Martian atmosphere. The visual-effects expert Rob Bottin is a mad genius, and his extravagantly over the top creations are featured throughout the film, and they make you feel that the film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ gives you the feeling of a brilliant otherworldly texture. In the end, director Paul Verhoeven hauls out the big guns, making him a great action director who knows how to stage chases and fights so that nothing feels choreographed. The result of this film is very heavy-duty bravura that never lets you down and keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end of the film. ‘TOTAL RECALL’ is a story about a man totally confused between two identities, also the sci-fi film turns into a fantastically typical Arnold Schwarzenegger picture and a sci-fi film on steroids on all levels and achieves all you seek and desire in an action packed sci-fi film of this calibre.
With the Arnold Schwarzenegger second film ‘RAW DEAL,’ we find that certain people are making efforts to prosecute mob boss Luigi Patrovita [Sam Wanamaker] are repeatedly derailed thanks to a mole inside the FBI, the only choice is to bring in a rogue outsider, specifically, Mark Kaminsky [Arnold Schwarzenegger], who is a disgraced FBI agent who leaps at a chance for reinstatement back into the force. The film tells the story of an elderly and embittered high-ranking FBI chief, Harry Shannon [Darren McGavin], who wants to get revenge against a Mafia organization to hunt down the mobsters who killed his son, and so sends a former FBI agent and now small-town sheriff Mark Kaminsky to destroy the organization from the inside, and so Mark Kaminsky fakes his own death and re-emerges as an ex-con named Joseph P. Brenner, who goes undercover and is accountable to no one, the former Federal Law Officer tears up the mob from the inside and expect to be more entertaining now than it was then, if you haven’t watched in a while. Arnold Schwarzenegger of course is in character doing what he does best, single-handedly annihilating large numbers of people in this story of an FBI man unfairly dismissed and in the end the Mafia organisation wish they had never been born and especially when Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to give out loads of painful payloads of violence that is heading their way, in the form of the disgraced FBI agent and as usual Arnold Schwarzenegger is out to show that the Mafia organisation is about to get their ultimate comeuppance and the Mafia organisation can no longer rule the waves. Though the language is over the top in a vulgar way, the macho posturing is as usual over the top and some of the plotting inscrutable. The film delivers every punch it promises and, though the violence is spectacular and totally ridiculous, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's character is a self-loving, paranoid sadist, who enjoys his own kind of justice that Arnold Schwarzenegger is so good at in these types of films. The former Mr. Universe wears well as a film personality, partly because there's something comic about the massiveness of his frame and the genteelness of his manners where appropriate. There are no fancy gimmicks here, only brawn and guns galore that only Arnold Schwarzenegger can deliver with his character in this film, because he looks MASSIVE in this film. Also I liked the soundtrack in this film, especially in the scene where Mark Kaminsky pops in a Rolling Stones tape cassette into the car stereo and blasts “(I can’t get no) Satisfaction” loudly as he drives around a quarry shooting at the bad guys, is awesome and yes everyone… I said a tape cassette, and not a compact disc, this is after all, the mid 1980s remember? Of course with the usual staple diet of an Arnold Schwarzenegger film, you know you are going to get a big helping of cheesy one-liners, and with this film there is no exception, especially in one of the early scenes of the film, where he comes home to find his wife, drunk out of her skull, baking a cake and of course it ends in an argument and you see his wife throwing the cake at him and he just calmly looks at her and says: “You should not drink and bake!” This entertaining exercise in crash-bang policing comes from director John Irvin, whose only previous action assignment was the less-than-inspiring ‘Dogs of War.’ Fresh from the critically panned film ‘Red Sonja,’ Arnold Schwarzenegger was probably keen to get back to the old routine and here stars as an ex-FBI agent who goes undercover to nail a Chicago mobster. The film is populated with your typical stereotypes and Arnold Schwarzenegger dispatches a great many bad guys with his usual lack of expression and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of bullets, but if you can suspend your disbelief you will have a ball with this over the top action packed film.
With the third and final Arnold Schwarzenegger film ‘RED HEAT,’ here we find a USA and Soviet Buddy movie with a Chicago Backdrop to add to the unforeseen complication of misunderstanding from both men. The initial sequence of Walter Hill's film ‘RED HEAT,’ is set in the unisex steam room of a Russian foundry, all of whom, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, appear to be past, present or future candidates for the Mr. Universe title and are dressed in loincloths for people of a nervous disposition. Eventually Arnold Schwarzenegger is challenged by another man who feels his character does not have the hands of a foundry worker and eventually a fracas ensues, and both men go crashing through the steam room window to carry on their fight in the snow and in this way begins glasnost's first buddy film begins. The film ‘RED HEAT’ is set mostly in the dirtier streets of Chicago, and is about the grudging friendship that develops between Moscow's foremost homicide cop [Arnold Schwarzenegger] and his Chicago equivalent [Jim Belushi], when the Soviet officer comes to the United States of America to extradite a notorious vicious drug dealer. The two main characters of this film are of course, the kind of opposites that is typically required in a typical buddy type scenario. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a clean-living, self-sufficient stoic, appalled by the excesses of capitalism. Whereas the Jim Belushi character is living testimony to what happens when a fellow has the freedom to choose between junk food and bean sprouts, who at the same time is an overweight slob, but he is also a very canny, self-mocking and fast on his feet, which could go flat at any minute. When the chips are down, as they are more or less throughout the film, each man in the end must respect the others foibles. Though Jim Belushi is supposedly the comedian in this film, the most consistently comic performance is given by Arnold Schwarzenegger, especially with jaw squared and his face is straight laced, and moves through the plot with the serenity of a battleship pushing its way through a fleet of sailboats. Even his Russian translation via English subtitles, sounds as authentic as need be for this kind of thing. The film ‘RED HEAT’ is otherwise very well noteworthy, especially for its ultimate climactic sequence in the end of the film, in which Jim Belushi and Arnold Schwarzenegger join forces to destroy many of the material rewards offered by the profit system, and the final shot, that is taken in Red Square in Moscow and especially seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing his Russian policeman's uniform, stands at the centre of the frame, apparently none the worse for his very brief fling in the so called corrupt West. The film ‘RED HEAT’ is as schematically structured around this principle of Big Business in the USA. Whereas the key difference is that ‘RED HEAT’ has a somewhat more subtle ideological agenda, with an attempt to counterbalance the usual right-wing elements of the police thriller and the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film that might have a scenario of a relatively pro-Soviet bias, that is for you to decide to either agree or disagree, that ball is in your court, but in the end, just sit back and enjoy the ride with a U.S.A and Soviet Buddy film with a Chicago Backdrop, is a film just made for the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Bulishi and all the U.S.A and Soviet complications of misunderstanding on both parties, but as always with films of this genre, everything works out in the end.
TOTAL RECALL / RAW DEAL / RED HEAT MUSIC TRACK LIST
MUTANT DANCING (Written by Bruno Louchouarn) [Performed by Bruno Louchouarn]
RUBBLE CITY (Written by Bruno Louchouarn) [Performed by Bruno Louchouarn]
RUNNING OUT OF AIR (Written by Bruno Louchouarn) [Performed by Bruno Louchouarn]
JA, VI ELSKER DETTE LANDET (uncredited) (Written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson)
ONE WAY RIDER (Written by Rodney Crowell) [Performed by Ricky Skaggs]
(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION (Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards) [Performed by The Rolling Stones]
KAMINSKI STOMPS (Written by Claude Gaudette, Tom Bähler, Chris Boardman and Albhy Galuten)
TRAPPED (Written by Colonel Abrams and Marston Freeman) [Performed by Colonel Abrams]
I’VE SEEN THAT FACE BEFORE (Libertango) (Written by Astor Piazzolla, Barry Reynolds and Dennis Wilkey) [Performed by Grace Jones]
CANTATA FOR THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION Op.74: "The Philosophers" (Written by Sergei Prokofiev) [Arranged and Conducted by James Horner]
DISKO YUK (Written by Michael Welsh) [Performed by Michael Welsh]
NEW AGE AGAIN (Written by Michael Welsh) [Performed by Michael Welsh]
JACKIN' NATIONAL ANTHEM (Produced and Written by Mickey Oliver & Cheese)
STRANGER ON THE SHORE (Written by Acker Bilk and Robert Mellin) [Performed by Acker Bilk]
Blu-ray Image Quality – STUDIOCANAL brings three films in very clean spot on a 1080p image presentation and with the three films, the first two are in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio and third film is presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. You also get to view bold colours and dark blacks, and the skin tones of the characters are very realistic and look also very healthy especially in the film ‘TOTAL RECALL.’ In some of the other two films that features night shot scenes are also very clear and although well-lit, so that detail can be seen. There is definitely no sign of grain or dropouts with any type throughout the three films, especially considering the age of these three action packed films. Where you get a few glimpses of city shots in daytime scenes, they look bright and the background buildings are hazed out slightly to represent distance, the three films have a pretty good balance of the exterior and interior shots, as well as the indoor scenes of apartments, offices, casinos and shops, which all look adequate for all the scenes you view and the results in the end was a very enjoyable visual experience. Overall, all three films will make you have a very special action packed enjoyable experience. But one note of criticism, when it comes to the film ‘RED HEAT,’ and especially when it comes to the actors speaking in Russian, the white subtitles can only just be read as half of it disappears below the screen and whoever was supposed to this job, did not have very professional outlook in their attitude and I could of done a far more professional job. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – STUDIOCANAL brings you these three films in a glorious 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience. In all three films we feel the energetic aspect of the action you view in the films, so creating a highly engaging and broad soundstage. We also get delivered crystal-clear dialogue with the centre speaker, but we also get very pleasingly fluid sound movement of the background activity that is convincing from the back speakers. Dynamic acoustics are very well detailed and very sharply pronounced, especially where gun fire and explosions are very striking clarity and where explosions occur, it is without any distortion. The low bass audio experience is accurate and appropriately responsive throughout all three films, and never feels exaggerated. What is also outstanding is the awesome composed film music by three very professional composers and of course the Jerry Goldsmith composition for the film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ is totally awesome. You also get to experience a range of dynamic audio experiences and is utilised very effectively in several key sequence scenes in all three films. So all in all, the three films will definitely satisfy all you Arnold Schwarzenegger action film fans, and especially, as I am one of them.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
TOTAL RECALL EXTRAS:
Audio Commentary with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Director Paul Verhoeven: Here we are first introduced to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who informs us very tongue in cheek, that he is the horse galloping towards us, and then Paul Verhoeven introduces himself and informs us he is the director of the film and where the two of them narrate most of what you are seeing the on-screen action, and at the same time you can definitely feel the conversation is clearly one that both of them enjoy each other’s company and now and again make a few funny off the cuff remarks. This is of course the same audio commentary from previous video releases and sometimes it is full of fun, but at one point it became too informative, where Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about "waking up" next to Sharon Stone with not many clothes on. But on this particular scene, where Arnold wakes up from his very vivid dream of being on the red planet of Mars, well in reality, Arnold, Sharon and a third person had to book a room in a hotel to do some rehearsing of that particular scene, but the hotel staff gave them a very funny look when handing over the key to the room, as they imagined they were going to get up to some kinky pursuits. When you see Arnold Schwarzenegger running away from the bad guys in the subway and you see him smash the window on the underground train, well Arnold really cut his hand really badly and had to have several stitches in that hand. When Arnold Schwarzenegger eventually arrives on the red planet Mars, he says that every time he views this film, he really feels the special effects were very spectacular and was at the time state of the art and he also says that we had the best people working on it 24/7 and were also the most talented crew working to create all the visual effects and also the special effects. When Douglas Quaid / Carl Hauser and Melina head for the Martian reactor and they come up against nasty Vilos Cohaagen’s military guards and the evil henchman Richter and luckily Douglas Quaid / Carl Hauser has the hologram item on his wrist, and Arnold feels this is one of his favourite scene in the film, as it was a lot of fun filming it, especially with the massive killing spree shootout and working with Rachel Ticotin and felt they were a good team at that point in the film. Both Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger love to talk a great deal at what they are viewing, but the one criticism I had with Paul Verhoeven is that he keeps repeating that certain scenes were filming with “Blue Screen” and it started to get very monotonous and also stating the obvious. Both of them pretty much narrate the film as it moves along and there are also the occasional titbits about the production, special effects and general thoughts about the plot of the film. But in general, neither provide a great deal of insight though Paul Verhoeven does from time to time offers some worthwhile and interesting information, and also provide about upcoming spoilers to later events that happen in the film, which of course is wise that you first view the film first of all, but only rarely reveal some interesting anecdotes about making the picture. This is quite a good audio commentary, and is also an audio track that is decent enough for big fans of the director Paul Verhoeven and also the star Arnold Schwarzenegger. But most of the time, this is a blast to listen to these two remember working on the film together and you certainly get delivered a constant dialogue of varied details of their shared journey together on a film that had some very tricky technical problems. As we get near to the end of the film, especially with the scene where Douglas Quaid / Carl Hauser kisses Milena, and the film fades to white, Paul Verhoeven comments that in reality that Douglas Quaid / Carl Hauser’s brain has been lobotomised in the end, especially if you follow the dream story scenario and again that is why Paul Verhoeven wanted the film to fade to white, and not as what happens in the majority of films where it fades to black. Arnold mentions that this audio commentary was recorded in 2001 and also mentions the film was released in 1991, which is technically wrong, but despite this, Arnold is so amazed they are doing this particular audio commentary after a 10 year gap, which again is not quite right, in fact it is a 9 year gap, and again he is amazed how the film still holds up today, especially with the fact that the special effects technology was very basic, compared to the CGI special effects that are created in today’s films, and also is amazed how well everyone acted in the film, and can understand why the film was such a massive box office success around the world, as well as getting great reviews. Arnold also feels this film was pivotal towards his career and was at the time the biggest action film he was involved in, which of course led to the Terminator film franchise. At this point, the end credits has finished and of course the audio commentary also finishes and for me personally it was a really great and interesting audio commentary and I loved the way the two of them bounced off each other and I found some of the information that was revealed about the ins and outs of the film fascinating and is well worth a listen and gets a 5 out of 10 star rating from me.
Special Feature: Interview with Director Paul Verhoeven [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1/1.37:1] [34:47] Here they warn us “GET READY FOR THE BONUS FEATURE OF YOUR LIFE.” In this all-new interview with director Paul Verhoeven, he touches on quite a few aspects of the filmmaking process, especially with the film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ and discusses the problems he had with the third act of the script, and how much he enjoyed working with the Mexican crew, the storyboards used for the film, and with Rob Bottin’s expert help, especially their insistence that Arnold Schwarzenegger had to appear in the film or the project would be cancelled, despite the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger was not very well known at the time. Paul Verhoeven talks about walking the tightrope between dream and reality in the film. Paul also informs us that at the time he was after making a special film and in his apartment in Los Angeles read many scripts that were not suitable, then out of the blue the script for ‘TOTAL RECALL’ arrived by courier and was warned that he had to give a reply in three hours to go ahead with the filming that he was keen on the script, but after a quick read he felt there was a problem with the third act problems in the film, and informs us that there had been previously 41 drafts of the script and this script was No.42 and was very intrigued, as it felt like a European film in style and substance. Now and again we get to view rare behind-the-scene filming, as well as viewing very intricate storyboard illustrations and Paul also comments that despite Arnold Schwarzenegger was not a trained actor, but compensated in having a big personality and would not moan about doing certain dramatic scenes and were very enthusiastic about the film and instigated in sealing the deal to make the film. The only thing is that working in Mexico, everyone got sick for a couple of days, which of course helped to hold up the filming. Paul was informed that Sharon Stone had to be in the film, despite not knowing any information about her, but Sharon Sone turned out to be so ideal for the part in the film, it was later on that he found out that Sharon Stone had appeared in some right old turkey terrible films, but of course late on used her as the main character in his film ‘Fatal Attraction.’ When the film was finally released, Paul was not sure whether the film would be a success or not, so on the first day of the release Paul hired a limousine and with other guests drove around Los Angeles where the film was being shown and saw a big massive ques and knew there and then he had a massive box office hit on his hands. After that, he was sent other scripts on the same sci-fi theme and turned them down, as he wants to make films that are totally different in style and substance, that makes him feel insecure and to step into the unknown. Overall, this is a very interesting special feature and a must watch.
Special Feature: MODELS & SKELETONS: The Special Effects of ‘TOTAL RECALL’ [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1/1.37:1] [23:15] Here we get to view an in-depth really interesting look at the then state of the art of special effects for the film ‘TOTAL RECALL,’ as it was all very new territory. Mark Stetson informs us that it was their first project for his company Stetson Visual Services Inc. in 1989, but began his film career in 1978 as a model maker on ‘Star Trek – The Motion Picture.’ Mark Stetson was fortunate to spend his first decade working for visual effects luminaries Robert Abel, Douglas Trumbull, and Richard Edlund, learning the arts and techniques of visual effects as the industry transitioned from triumphs of clever mechanical gizmos and photochemical alchemy into the liberation of the digital age. Despite being 45 miles from the film studio, they had to travel to Dream Quest Images, who was the primary vendor and they hired Stetson Visual Services, headed by Mark Stetson, to create the miniatures for the film ‘TOTAL RECALL.’ Stetson Visual Services built in their shop in Los Angeles and delivered to be assembled where Dream Quest Images was and when Mark Stetson arrived with the pieces, assembled the miniature model sets on the stages at Dream Quest Images. Then MetroLight handled the X-ray sequences in the film. When you see Arnold Schwarzenegger on the train on Mars, what they did was film him and then they did a rear projection onto a tiny screen, to make you think he was actually on a real train. We again get lots of rare behind-the-scene filming, especially Paul Verhoeven being very animated directing the scenes. By the way, Tim McGovern was one of four men on the special effects team who went home with Oscars for their work on the ‘TOTAL RECALL’ film. All in all this is a very interesting and fascinating special feature, Contributors include: Mark Stetson [Miniature Effects Co-supervisor] and Tim McGovern [CGI Director].
Special Feature: Making of ‘TOTAL RECALL’ [1990] [480i] [1.37:1] [8:03] Here we get to view a vintage promotional feature at the making of the Arnold Schwarzenegger spectacular special effects science-fiction hit ‘TOTAL RECALL,’ which includes clips from the film playing out in between cast and crew interviews. This made-for-TV documentary treats us science fiction fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘TOTAL RECALL’ where Paul Verhoeven's film is about an ordinary man who suddenly discovers he has memories of being part of an interplanetary resistance movement, who share their experiences from working on the project, as well as discussing the special efforts that went into bringing it to completion. We get to see the Make-Up Artists at work, as well as seeing again the intricate storyboard illustrations. Contributors include: Paul Verhoeven [Director], Ronald Shusett [Co-Screenwriter], Eric Brevig [Visual Effects Supervisor], Rob Bottin [Special Make-Up & Effects Department], Michael Ironside [Richter], Ronny Cox [Vilos Cohaagen], Arnold Schwarzenegger [Douglas Quaid], Sharon Stone [Lori], Vic Armstrong [Second Unit director], William Sandell [Production Designer] and Rachel Ticotin [Melina].
Special Feature: Imagining ‘TOTAL RECALL’ [2001] [1080i] [1.37:1] [30:12] With this featurette by ARTISAN Home Entertainment, presents us with another vintage documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew all describing their years of work to bring the story to the film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ to the screen, and take the audience on a journey into the unknown. They talk about how the film came to fruition when they came across the short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by American pulp fiction writer Philip K. Dick, that was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in April 1966 and it features a melding of reality, false memory, and real memory. We here that seven directors were approached to make the film and most of them thought it was a film impossible to make, but when director Paul Verhoeven read the script he was well up for the challenge to film it. A few years before filming started, Arnold Schwarzenegger had read the script and was very enthusiastic and was keen to get it off the ground, despite the fact he was not very well known in the film industry, but pulling a few strings and backing it 100%, got the go ahead with the project and of course the deal was that Arnold Schwarzenegger had to play the main character in the film. We again get lots of behind-the-scene filming. Jerry Goldsmith really loved working with the director Paul Verhoeven as he understood what the composer wanted to achieve with the composed film music score for the film ‘TOTAL RECALL’ and really enjoyed the experience, especially not wanting the music to sound pedestrian. When the film was released, a certain minority complained about the violence in the film, but of course in reality it is just a fantasy film, not reality, and of course with any film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, you of course will get violence in 90% of his films, but of course those people who complained were proved wrong, as the film was again a massive box office hit around the world. Contributors include: Ronald Shusett [Co-Screenwriter], Gary Goldman [Co-Screenwriter], Paul Verhoeven [Director], Arnold Schwarzenegger [Douglas Quaid], William Sandell [Production Designer], Frank J. Urioste [Editor], Eric Brevig [Visual Effects Supervisor], Rachel Ticotin [Melina], Sharon Stone [Lori], Tim McGovern [Special Visual Effects], Rob Bottin [Special Make-Up & Effects Department], Jerry Goldsmith [Composer], Rachel Ticotin [Melina] and Tim McGovern [Special Visual Effects].
Special Feature: Restoration Comparison [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1] [5:13] Here you get a selection of short clips presented as a slide show, where you get to see the old 1990 inferior images, where you a get a white line that slide across the images to reveal the 1080p pristine director approved HD transfer restoration, where you see a massive difference in quality.
Special Feature: Photo Gallery [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:03] Here you get to view loads of wonderful promotional publicity images throughout the slide show, but a very big bonus, is that you get to hear the glorious and brilliant composer Jerry Goldsmith’s ‘TOTAL RECALL’ composed film music score in the background.
Theatrical Trailer [1990] [1008i] [1.78:1] [2:02] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘TOTAL RECALL,’ but sadly the quality is not as good as the film print. Despite this, it is an extremely good promotional theatrical trailer for the film.
RAW DEAL EXTRAS:
Special Feature: Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Man Who Raised Hollywood [2010] [1080p] [2.35:1/1.78:1] [15:38] At the start of this special feature, we get a statement saying, “It was very difficult. Agents said to me that my body was too strange. That I had a weird accent and that my name was too long. Everywhere I went, they told me that I will never succeed” and this was a statement by the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a very good way to start an in-depth look at this Austrian actor, in that we get to hear views of people who have worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger in all aspect of his long career and who was once the Governor of California, and hear about his transformation from a famous bodybuilder into a famous movie star. A number of different directors share their thoughts about Arnold Schwarzenegger and the type of films they enjoyed working with him and found him totally focused and very professional in his attitude with his craft. We get a nice comment by Peter Hyams when working with Arnold on his film ‘End of Days,’ where the Director had a to fire a gun to start a complicated scene in the film and afterwards Arnold, very tongue in cheek says, “It is so good to see a Democrat with a gun.” We also get lots of clips from the Arnold Schwarzenegger films, that include ‘Conan The Barbarian’ and ‘Red Heat.’ With two of the people interviewed, they only speak in French, and so of course you get the English subtitles. Contributors include: Arthur Allan Seidelman [Director of ‘Hercules in New York’ 1970], Peter Hyams [Director of ‘End of Days’ 1999], Michel Ferry [Assistant Director of ‘Red Sonja’ 1985], Edward Pressman [Producer of ‘Conan The Barbarian’ 1981], Yannick Duhan [Director/Journalist] and Stéphane Moïssak [Screenwriter/Journalist].
Special Feature: RAW DEAL: A Generic Gangster Film [2010] [1080p] [2.35:1/1.78:1] [9:00] With this very short special feature, in which Dave Saunders, author of "Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Movies," discusses in-depth about the film ‘RAW DEAL’ and its production history. Dave Saunders also informs us that he feels this film is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s less regarded and well-known of his films, that did not do well with the critics or the public, and the easy reason for this is because Arnold Schwarzenegger goes undercover among Chicago gangsters, and is extremely generic, and doesn't seem particularly tailored for Arnold Schwarzenegger's abilities and style, especially regarding his huge frame standing out in his tailored suits, and especially as there are large stretches of it that are rather dull, especially the intrigue in the second act to do with some thinly-drawn nasty bad guys who look like they have strayed from a gangster film of the 1930s, whereas only actor Robert Davi as Arnold Schwarzenegger's rival among the gangsters makes any kind of impression. As usual, we get lots of clips from the film ‘RAW DEAL.’ Despite this special feature being quite short, Dave Saunders was quite informative about the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his part in the slightly flawed film ‘RAW DEAL’ and why it was a box office failure.
Theatrical Trailer [1986] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:46] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘RAW DEAL.’ For some strange reason they masked the 2.35:1 film, so that some of the words were masked off either side of the screen and it was also a very bad quality print.
RED HEAT EXTRAS:
Special Feature: Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Man Who Raised Hollywood [2010] [1080p] [2.35:1/1.78:1] [15:38] Here once again we have a repeat of this special feature for some reason, how lazy of STUDIOCANAL. Again at the start of this special feature, we get a statement saying, “It was very difficult. Agents said to me that my body was too strange. That I had a weird accent and that my name was too long. Everywhere I went, they told me that I will never succeed” and this was a statement by the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a very good way to start an in-depth look at this Austrian actor, in that we get to hear views of people who have worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger in all aspect of his long career and who was once the Governor of California, and hear about his transformation from a famous bodybuilder into a famous movie star. A number of different directors share their thoughts about Arnold Schwarzenegger and the type of films they enjoyed working with him and found him totally focused and very professional in his attitude with his craft. We get a nice comment by Peter Hyams when working with Arnold on his film ‘End of Days,’ where the Director had a to fire a gun to start a complicated scene in the film and afterwards Arnold, very tongue in cheek says, “It is so good to see a Democrat with a gun.” We also get lots of clips from the Arnold Schwarzenegger films, that include ‘Conan The Barbarian’ and ‘Red Heat.’ With two of the people interviewed, they only speak in French, and so of course you get the English subtitles. Contributors include: Arthur Allan Seidelman [Director of ‘Hercules in New York’ 1970], Peter Hyams [Director of ‘End of Days’ 1999], Michel Ferry [Assistant Director of ‘Red Sonja’ 1985], Edward Pressman [Producer of ‘Conan The Barbarian’ 1981], Yannick Duhan [Director/Journalist] and Stéphane Moïssak [Screenwriter/Journalist].
Special Feature: Political Context of ‘RED HEAT’ [2010] [1080p] [1.78:1] [9:57] Here once again we get another short special feature from Dave Saunders, author of "Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Movies," discusses in-depth about the film ‘RED HEAT’ and its production history. Dave Saunders also feels this film is a typical “Buddy Movie” that was very prevalent in the 1980s, and even more so with this scenario with a Russian Cop and an American cop trying to work together and especially as their characters are total opposites, but eventually seem to come together, to battle against a very nasty evil Russian mobster, who of course eventually gets his comeuppance and brings two cultures closer together by the end of the film. Dave says that Arnold wanted to show a positive side of Russia at the time the film was made and was a great coup; especially being able to make part of the film in Moscow, and Dave reckons Sylvester Stallone was slightly jealous in not being able to make a film in Russia at the time. Dave reckons also that ‘RED HEAT’ was a pivotal moment in Arnold’s career, because his next film project was to appear in the film ‘TWINS’ and a complete turnaround for this Austrian actor. Despite this special feature being quite short, Dave Saunders was quite informative about the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his involvement in the film ‘RED HEAT’ and being Austrian and such a strong accent, gets away in his character as a Russian and also doing what he does best in this action packed film.
Theatrical Trailer [1988] [480i] [1.33:1] [2:08] This is the original Theatrical trailer for the film ‘RED HEAT.’ Unfortunately, the quality of the print of atrocious, but on the other hand, it is a very presentation of the film.
Finally, this SCHWARZENEGGER COLLECTION [TOTAL RECALL / RAW DEAL / RED HEAT] is a real steal for anyone who digs these kinds of Arnold Schwarzenegger films and does not already own any these films on a Blu-ray disc. So go out there and purchase this brilliant thought provoking package, and eat up this glorious entertainment, and indulge in some guilty pleasure, I know I did. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
