‘American Expendables: The Films Of North American Pictures’ Blu-Ray Review – Discovering The Wonders Of The Video Store

The award winning documentary celebrates some of the unsung action stars of the late eighties and early ninety in the North American Pictures Catalog. From Cynthia Rothrock and Bolo Yeung to Billy Blanks the film explores the martial arts craze in the U.S. and the ferocious appetite of video store customers for these titles. Featuring Lloyd Kaufman (Troma President), John Brennan (The Last Drive-in), Debbie Rochon (Toxic Avenger IV), Tim Kulig (MacLeod) and James Richardson (VHS Massacre Too). From director Thomas Seymour (VHS Massacre 1&2).

For thoughts on American Expendables: The Films of North American Pictures, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

American Expendables: The Films of North American Pictures comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with an enjoyable HD master which presents this documentary within its creative confines. There is a decent amount of newer talking head interviews to complement the slew of archival clips and material to contextualize the legacy of the studio. The more recent interviews are in good shape with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. 

The older material from the films appears to be sourced from stable avenues, although we have seen some top-tier restorations of key titles in recent years that do not necessarily transfer over in this context. Some of the footage can look somewhat rough, but most of this looks at least acceptable. The colors observed in the footage have a decent sense of vibrancy to them. The encoding is in strong shape to help avoid compression artifacts and other such digital shortcomings. This Blu-Ray brings this to life with great care. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with an acceptable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that replicates the film as intended. One of our biggest issues with the film is the messy nature of the voiceover, but this is not an issue with the quality of the audio on the disc. Dialogue emerges from the center channel as you get the history of this endeavor shared in a relatively stable manner. There is not much in the way of unwanted digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. The music from the film comes through with a delightful fidelity that fills the room. This track does what it needs to do. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Director Thomas Edward Seymour and producer/composer Tim Kulig provide a commentary track that delivers some insights into how this film became a reality.

• Additional Material: A selection of material that did not make the final cut is provided. 

• • The Origin Of Lloyd Kaufman (5:13)

• • Lloyd Kaufman On Streaming (2:28)

• • Debbie Rochon On Blockbuster (4:50)

• MacLeod – There Can Only Be One (Mini-Doc): A 24-minute documentary that delves into the work of musician Kevin MacLeod. 

• Fountain Of Death (Feature, 2006): A full 80-minute feature film is provided in HD with lossless audio. 

• Official Trailer (0:45)

Final Thoughts

American Expendables: The Films of North American Pictures more than accomplishes what it promises as you get the lowdown on the purveyors of gloriously over-the-top genre outings that helped shape a generation of video store explorers. The filmmaking itself can feel more in league with a thorough YouTube video rather than a proper documentary setup, but it delivers the basics of what fans will want to know. Some of the interviews are quite rewarding even if we would have loved more. The title runs a bit on the brief side, but those who want to know more about the topic should have a good time. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fine A/V presentation and a stellar amount of supplements. Recommended 

American Expendables: The Films of North American Pictures is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.