El Mariachi & Gang Shoot ‘Em Up on Blu-ray!
You read about it in Rebel Without A Crew and now for the first time EVER, Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi comes home to the Blu-ray format on January 4th. Actually, all three movies in the trilogy will see a same day Blu-ray release. Exciting, huh?! I have been waiting a long time to see El Mariachi and I’m sure glad now that I held out for the definitive Bluy-ray version (that I’m sure it will be). Check out the full press release below from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and pre-order your Blu-ray set now!
Bring Home the Epic Gun-Slinging Adventures of
Robert Rodriguez’s Quintessential Films
EL MARIACHI, DESPERADO &
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO
Blu-ray™ Box Set Debuts on Jan. 4, 2011
With a Cast that Packs the Heat Including Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino and Danny Trejo
Special Features Include New “The Cutting Room” Allowing Fans to Cut Their Own Piece of the Action and Share it via BD-Live as well as a Director Commentary, Deleted Scenes and Seven Featurettes
Culver City, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2010) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents an edgy trilogy of action-adventure shoot-outs, El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon A Time in Mexico, newly-remastered on Blu-ray arriving on Jan. 4, 2011 for the SRP of $19.95. The three cult favorites showcase director Robert Rodriguez’s raw and gritty filmmaking style in visually-stunning high definition. Now you can own the ultimate Robert Rodriguez experience!
Each Blu-ray includes the all-new special feature “The Cutting Room,” which puts fans in the director’s chair and allows them to cut together a video using clips and music from the movies, which they can then post to BD-Live for others to view and rate. All three films include director’s commentary and movieIQ. Additional blazing features for Once Upon A Time in Mexico include eight deleted scenes with commentary, four featurettes and two short films.
El Mariachi Synopsis
All he wants is to be is a mariachi, like his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather before him. But the town he thinks will bring him luck brings only a curse of deadly mistaken identity. Forced to trade his guitar for a gun, the mariachi (Carlos Gallardo, Desperado and Bravo) is playing for his life in this critically-acclaimed film debut from writer/director Robert Rodriguez. Financed with earnings from a month-long stay in a research hospital, this astonishing action adventure was shot with no second takes, using borrowed equipment and a talented cast of unknowns. The riveting result is a wild bullet-dodging ride through a world of bandito violence, from the suspense of the opening shoot-out to the tragedy of the unexpected conclusion. With little more than a great story and a lot of heart, Rodriguez has created pure movie pleasure, setting new standards for independent filmmaking, and establishing himself as an unquestionable talent.
El Mariachi has a running time of 81 minutes. The picture is rated R for strong violence.
Desperado Synopsis
Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zorro), Joaquim De Almeida (Holy Money), Salma Hayek (Frida), Cheech Marin (Grindhouse), Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs) and Quentin Tarantino (From Dusk Till Dawn) star in this stylish shoot-’em-up described as a south-of-the-border Pulp Fiction. Director Robert Rodriguez follows up his legendary debut film, El Mariachi, with this sexy sequel about a mysterious guitar player (Banderas) searching for vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend.
Desperado has a running time of 106 minutes. The picture is rated R for strong violence and for language.
Once Upon A Time in Mexico Synopsis
Leaping back into action, gun-slinging, guitar-toting hero “El Mariachi” is back in town in Once Upon A Time in Mexico, as director Robert Rodriguez delivers the epic final chapter of his pulp Western trilogy. Starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Enrique Iglesias and Willem Dafoe. Once Upon A Time in Mexico is a full-frontal assault.
Once Upon A Time in Mexico has a running time of 102 minutes. The picture is rated R for strong violence and language.
Blu-ray Special Features
El Mariachi/Desperado:
Blu-ray Exclusive:
- The Cutting Room
o Create your own video with clips from both El Mariachi and Desperado and upload your cut to BD-Live for others to view and rate
- Commentary with Director Robert Rodriguez for El Mariachi and Desperado
- · MovieIQ
- · 10 Minute Film School
- Robert Rodriguez’s Student Film: “Bed Head”
- 10 More Minutes: Anatomy of a Shootout
- Los Lobos with Antonio Banderas – “Morena De Mi Corazón”
- Tito & Tarantula- “Back To The House That Love Built”
Once Upon A Time in Mexico includes:
Blu-ray Exclusive:
- The Cutting Room
o Create your own video and upload your cut to BD-Live for others to view and rate
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
- Ten-Minute COOKING School
- Film is Dead: An Evening with Robert Rodriguez
- The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX
- Commentary with Director Robert Rodriguez
- Ten-Minute Flick School
- Inside Troublemaker Studios
- The Anti-Hero’s Journey
I always love watching this trilogy, even “Once Upon,” which I’ve always thought had one of the best DVD picture transfers. Looking forward to see these and more Rodriguez films transferred to Blu Ray.
I haven’t seen any of them, but I’m most eager to check out El Mariachi after reading Rodriguez’s book earlier this year.
You haven’t seen Desperado? Modern 90s action Classic!
Day 1!!!!!!!
Overrated but it was impressive to see what he could do on the first movie with hardly any movie. I’ve seen the first two and didn’t care for them much but I am interested in the third one.
That should read money not movie. It’s too early in the morning.
If you didn’t like Desperado (I don’t know why you wouldn’t) then Once Upon A Time From Mexico probably wont do it for you either. I like it, and so does Gerard, apparently, but I know that many regard it fairly low on Rodriguez’s action filmography.
Once Upon Time has great special features. It’s the debut disc (even though Spy Kids 2 was released first) where we are taken directly into Troublemaker Studios. It’s like a junior Lucasfilm complex. Everything is done in-house, etc…
El Mariachi is classic, because if you read that book or know the tale, will blow your mind as to how resourceful RR was.
Desperado can be considered a sequel-remake of sorts. I had the LD on that one, and in regular surround sound, the bass was amazing.
I’ll give Desperado another shot but as I remember it, I thought it was too much style and not enough substance.
I mean, these aren’t the deepest films, they’re about escapist action fun, with really slick direction from Rodriguez.