Asian Cinema on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Rich Malloy]

Any idea if the new DVDs with the complete "HERO" cut will be region-free?

[I'm hoping to encourage everyone to avoid the Miramax disc, if it's ever released.]

 

[jason:g]

Yes, the "HERO" Chinese DVD releases are region-free, but they are PAL video format, so U.S. Americans will have a problem with playing the disc, unless they have a multi-region player with built-in NTSC-PAL convertor.

 

[David Lawson]

The Hero extended edition is available for preorder at both DDDHouse and Layoyo. It comes in three versions: a DVD-5, a DVD-9, and a DVD-9 Special Edition. As Jason says, they are listed as R0 PAL with a Dolby Digital track, apparently non-anamorphic.

 

[ChrisBEA]

Has there been anyword on the image quality of the new cut? I am thinking of putting in order for the SE in the wood box. I LOVED this film.

Also I saw an ad for ADV films releasing 2009 Lost Memories, any idea if this will be cut in any way?

I just watched the first Gun Crazy, it's a pretty cool little action flick.

 

[jason:g]

Original running time: 136min

BTW if you want to know the scenes in the uncut version, visit my site http://cinemasia.net/

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

From Jason:G's www.cinemasia.net

Extended Scene #2: Right after AHN Joon-Geun killed ITO Hirobumi, Sakamoto was going to destroy the templestone with dynamites and a woman approached to him. She is the girl who was in Sakamoto's vision and later became a member of Korean Independence Group whose photo was hanged in Korean Indenpendence Museum in the ending scene. Actually, she originally informed the KRA that Inoue changed the history. In the theatrical version, this scene is missing and it cannot be explained why the woman and Sakamoto were in the photo. The girl was already shot before Sakamoto passed through the temple stone.


Parts of the ending contribute to a fairly big point of contention for many people who've seen the film and argue that parts of the climax don't make sense. Indeed, without these bits of info, the presence of the "mystery woman" who meets Sakamoto and turns up in the museum photo is never really answered. Not sure why the filmmakers were compelled to cut that scene. Perhaps for length? Hopefully ADV will include subtitled versions of the extended scenes on their release. Can't remember if the Korean DVD subs them.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Looks like another Hong Kong director, Leung Po-chi (HE LIVES BY NIGHT, HONG KONG 1941), has gone slumming in the direct-to-video action market, this time with the portentiously titled OUT OF REACH, starring Big Steven Seagal. Tony Ching Siu-tung came the closest of any of Seagal's post-career directors to making an entertaining piece, but considering Leung is somewhat of a hack even on his own turf, plus the fact that I'm not even sure he's done anything in the last decade, I can't say I'm holding out much hope for this.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...v=glance&s=dvd

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

In case anyone wanted to satisfy their curiosity about the darker side of Japanese cinema, UK label Salvation, purveyors of the Eurotrash Redemption line a few years back, have unveiled Sacrament, a series of Japanese "Pink" films very similar in tone and content to the "babe-in-a-box" films I discussed back in Post #180 near the bottom of page 6 in this thread.

Here's the link, but you have to click the "sacrament Japanese Cinema" link in the left-hand directory box to see the titles:

http://salvfilm.valuehost.co.uk/index2.html

The titles are RAIGYU, TOKYO X EROTICA, EMPTY ROOM, SNOW/WOMAN, DESPITE ALL THAT and LUNCH BOX. These are all fairly recent titles, most likely shot on video as were many of their early 80's genre-mates, but perhaps older titles might come down the road. Again, though, this stuff's an acquired taste, and even I won't be seeing these unless I can rent 'em somewhere.

As I mentioned way back, this stuff is NOT hardcore, despite the filmmakers meticulous attempts to make you think it is. These films, in spite of their dizzying mix of sex, violence, depravity, peppered with telling social and political commentary, are nonetheless quite challenging and an extremely legitimate segment of Japanese cinema. Excellent histories of Pink films can be found in Patric Macias' book TOKYOSCOPE and Lee Server's ASIAN POP CINEMA.

 

[ChrisBEA]

I saw over at DDDHouse, while placing an order for Hero, there is a remastered edition of the Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy. Wondering if anyone had any word on how these look? I have the C/TS releases, and they aren't that good looking...

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

The ONCE UPON A TIME trilogy (which really should include parts 4 and 5 to be fair) is another Fortune Star release, in keeping with their BETTER TOMORROW and BULLET/KILLER and ULTIMATE BRUCE LEE sets, so it's a safe bet these films will look the best they ever have thanks to Fortune Star possessing the best extant materials. Mind you, I've heard the extras in the BETTER TOMORROW set are generally quite lame, so who knows what those on the ONCE UPON A TIME set will be like, but overall the low prices make them a decent deal.

 

[ChrisBEA]

Thanks Brian!
Guess I'll toss that in with my order for Hero.
I'm also hitting the cheap sale for The Ilse, Pulse, DOA2, and Uzumaki.

I'm holding off on the Woo and ABT sets, for now anyway....

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Cool, DOA 2 wasn't in there last time I looked. Guess I might have to place an order myself!

Thanks for the heads up! I've only got DOA3 on DVD so far.

 

[ChrisBEA]

I had gotten a used copy of DOA a while back, it was the rated version though, I haven't gotten around to getting the unrated yet.
I figured at the low price I could afford to check out the rated see if I liked it, which I did.

I still haven't watched my copy of Twilight Samurai!

Looking forward to seeing nice copies of OUATIC!

 

[ChrisBEA]

Can anyone comment on the Elite release of Uzumaki?
I saw it at Media Play, but I just ordered the Universe release through DDDHouse. Just wondering if anyone nows which is the better disk, quality wise.
Thanks!

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

The trailer is out for the Takashi Shimizu's American remake of JU-ON THE GRUDGE.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_p...ge/medium.html

Despite the fact that not one Asian actor is credited in a movie SET in friggin' Japan is a little alarming, but overall this looks like a decent remake, moreso since Shimizu has been allowed to take the reins. It's interesting to see how many "hits" in this trailer are from the original film, shot-for-shot.

Also available is the trailer for the US release of the Original JU-ON, from Lion's Gate.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/ju-on.html

Personally, I like this trailer better. More chills and a better sense of the dread that pervades the original film. Had to laugh at the announcer, though: "From the creators of the international award-winning 'Ringew' "

"Ringew" ?!?

Sigh. Yet another mispronunciation of the Japanese transliteration to fuel all kinds of useless internet debate.

 

[jason:g]

Not many people know how to speak Japanese
So they pronounce it in English.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

The problem with Dreamworks adding the "U" to the end of the title was that it led to a myriad different pronunciations, including the one in the JU-ON trailer. I've read they did it to differentiate it from their release of the remake, but it fueled alot of debate about Japanese-to-English transliterations and, in particular, cases where the English spelling simply sounded strange and needlessly complicated.

From my limited experience with the language, the Japanese pronunciation - based on the original Japanese characters for the title - was simply the word "ring" with a clipped, hard "G" sound. That this became "Ring-Goo", "Ring-Gew" and "Ring-You" in discussions, video-store transactions and now trailers for other films is testament to the confusion Dreamworks started by adding a letter that didn't really need to be there, effectively "spelling out" the tiny exhalation that follows a hard "G" at the end of a word.

RING makes sense. RING-GEW sounds like bad translation by a tourist.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Found a handy reference guide for HK completists

It's the Hong Kong Filmography (courtesy of the Hong Kong film Archive) and it lists every film made from 1913 to 2003. It's largely in Chinese, but the titles and release dates are in English. It's 577 pages long, so you might not want to print it, but it's worth a look.

Click here, then scroll to the bottom for the link to the PDF file:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalSe...chivefct4.html

 

[David Lawson]

Just a thought...

Is everyone holding on to everything they import from DDDHouse, etc.? I realize some of the discs are almost disposable at those prices, but I wonder if it would be worth it to start an "Official International FT/FS" thread, similar to the one DVD Talk maintains.

Most of the stuff that would be offered for trade should have a recommendation somewhere in this thread, so it couldn't be all bad.

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Good idea.

I generally donate all the ones I'm not interested in watching twice to the local library, but obviously, movies with Rape in the title (of which Hong Kong seems to produce a great many), naked women holding their arms over their breasts (ditto) or virtually any Category III stuff are not particulary welcomed by the Mrs. Grundys over there, so they sit on the shelf until I can figure out what to do with them (the ones I don't keep, naturally!). Of course, not everything I have is sleazy...