Question for Jay (DVD) Spree

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

I was just wondering what would be some of the better ones to obtain first. In addition, I was wondering if I should get the Bruce Lee 30th Anniversary box that's coming out, or buy those movies seperately. Because a few of the movies that are included in the boxed sex are only single-disc editions now, whereas when they were first released, they were two-disc. Did they cut any content from the discs that were formerly two-discs to shave them down to one?

[Guest Karnage]

From what I heard, they made The Big Boss 5.1 instead of stereo or something but I'm not sure, I guess its best to wait for Spree to reply.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Sorry guys - haven't been on in a couple of days.

 

You should definitely pick up the Bruce Lee boxset if you don't already own the individual HKL films, namely because it's cheaper and you get the exclusive HKL bonus disc loaded with extra features, interviews and articles about the late, great Little Dragon.

 

Every film included in the set is exactly the same as its original HKL release - with the exception of Game of Death, which is a two-disc platinum edition, every film is the original single-disc edition, and nothing has been cut from them. HOWEVER, Way of The Dragon (Return of The Dragon) has been re-released as a two-disc platinum edition alongside the set. I haven't picked up the disc myself as I'm in a pissy about the whole situation, but it's loaded with more extras (obviously a whole disc's worth) and, from what I hear, an improved transfer. I don't know as it's worth holding off on the whole set just because of that, but it's worth bearing in mind; personally, if I hadn't already bought them all separately, I'd get the box set.

 

As for other HKL releases, it really depends. A good place to start would be the An Intorduction to HKL DVD which is available for £3.99 (about $7). It's a GREAT DVD, because not only does it include about 18 minutes worth of featurettes on the HKL restoration and DVD authoring process, but it also includes DVD trailers for all of the HKL titles up to that time, AND it includes the Jet Lie movie The Hitman in full - not bad at all. That should give you a good idea of titles to look at.

 

Personally, Bey Logan is my favourite DVD commentator, so I would buy a DVD on the strength of his commentary, and largely regardless of the feature itself. He is pretty much the signature HKL commentator, although in some of the earlier releases there are other guys on the track who are okay, but can't touch Bey.

 

The Once Upon A Time In China series have been given a great treatment by HKL (they're available as a box set trilogy from certain e-tailers), but bear in mind that the BBFC has made a few small cuts in the UK editions. HKL discs are released in Holland as well, so it might be worth looking into possible European editions of the flicks.

 

From what I've heard, The Story of Riki/Riki O is a great HKL release, again, largely due to Bey's commentary. Jackie Chan's Project A was another Platinum Edition, and that distinction from HKL is one of the very few that mean anything in DVD releases, alongside labels like Infinifilm. Hong Kong 1941 is a really good Chow Yun-Fat film that's really more drama- and story-driven, and Chow truly shines in the flick. And I'm quite partial to Purple Storm, as it's a great example of how Hong Kong action films can compete with Western releases from a quality standpoint.

 

One HKL release I would urge caution towards is John Woo's The Killer. While Bey provides a typically awesome commentary and the disc is full of extras, a lot of people have taken issue with the subtitling, which actually changes the names of a couple of characters. Something HKL have been simultaneously praised and derided for is their in-house developing of new, more accurate subtitles. This is great for older HK films where the subs were often terrible - riddled with spelling errors, bad grammar etc. - but in more modern films like The Killer, they were okay to start with and people had gotten used to the character names, even if they were a little off. In addition, there are said to be a couple of cuts to the film (not due to the BBFC's UK regulation, but it is a cut of the film missing certain things), so just bear these in mind before picking up what should be a sure-thing DVD.

 

http://www.bulletsnbabesdvds.com is a good place to read reviews for HKL titles, although the site is seldom updated any more and from what I remember, was hell to search for anything. http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk is a great all-round site, but they have a lot of news and reviews of HKL stuff, so head on overthere and check out their reviews.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

Every film included in the set is exactly the same as its original HKL release - with the exception of Game of Death, which is a two-disc platinum edition, every film is the original single-disc edition, and nothing has been cut from them. HOWEVER, Way of The Dragon (Return of The Dragon) has been re-released as a two-disc platinum edition alongside the set. I haven't picked up the disc myself as I'm in a pissy about the whole situation, but it's loaded with more extras (obviously a whole disc's worth) and, from what I hear, an improved transfer.

This is basically what I was worried about. So if I have the loot, should I pick up the boxed set AND this Way of the Dragon re-release? From what I read on the site, it sounds like the bonus disc that comes with the box set would include the extras that are on the second disc of the Way of the Dragon re-release, but I could be wrong.

 

Actually, what is on the extra disc that comes with the boxed set? Is it the same as the BRUCE LEE DOCUMENTARY DOUBLE PACK that comprises, on a single disc, the celebrated documentaries BRUCE LEE: THE LEGEND and BRUCE LEE: THE MAN AND THE LEGEND? I get the feeling I'm gonna have to buy Way of the Dragon AND the documentaries DVD to get those features.

 

I'm already in possession of the An Introduction to Hong Kong Legends disc and as you said about the BMWfilms.com DVD, The Hire, I love it to bits.

 

As for titles I was looking at purchasing I was definitely getting the Once Upon a Time in China trilogy, Magnificent Butcher, Magnificent Warriors, Armour of God and Iron Monkey. I'm not that big of a Jackie Chan fan but I will go back and pick up the rest of his available work there eventually. Another possibility is The Killer but who knows since I already own the Fox/Lorber AND Criterion versions. Think it'd be worth it? I'll do a little more research on Purple Storm before purchasing and I already own the US version of The Story of Riki. I didn't enjoy it that much frankly, would it be worth it to obtain the HKL version? Especially since I read that Bey Logan, in fact, didn't do the commentary for it but rather Hong Kong Stuntman Jude Poyer and Movie Critic Miles Wood did.

 

Thanks for the help, Spree and I had one more question. Isn't there a HKL version of Drive, the flick with Mark Dascoscos, Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy? Maybe it's not HKL, but I've DEFINITELY seen a "director's cut" floating around the UK. Any info on that would be appreciated.

Edited July 29, 2003 by Crucifixio Jones

[Guest DVD Spree]

No probs dude – glad I can help.

 

If you do have the cash, you could certainly do worse than picking up the boxset as well as the WoTD Platinum Edition. However, the extra disc of the WoTD set will mainly be of interest to real Bruce Lee diehards, as the main point of interest is a gallery of rare Lee photographs, and interviews with various people from the Golden Harvest camp/co-stars (Andre Morgan, Russell Cawthorne, Jon Benn, Anders Nelson). To be honest, if you’re just a casual fan, or you really want to pick up the DVDs for the movies themselves and the Bey Logan commentary, you’re not missing out on the second disc. If it was me buying the DVDs for the first time, I’d just get the box set and forget about the WoTD Platinum. There’s some neat stuff on there, but it’s by no means urgent.

 

The bonus disc in the box set is MUCH more valuable and meritworthy. It contains a wealth of interviews and retrospective thoughts from Lee’s friends and family, as well as co-stars and other Hong Kong movie legends like Sammo Hung. In addition, there are a number of essays/articles included on the disc by prominent martial arts writers, as well as some nice galleries – it’s a great disc, plus you get a little booklet written by Bey Logan, which is always gold. It’s a brand-new, completely different doc from the LEGEND and MAN AND THE LEGEND docs, which are both pretty old and fluff piece in nature – I wouldn’t bother with them. Get the box set, then make me a copy of that bonus disc!

 

Both the Intro to HKL disc and The Hire are awesome for what are essentially freebies/throwaway promotional discs, and I’m really glad that people are taking the time to pick them up out of curiosity just to see what they’re all about.

 

The specs for the Once Upon A Time In China series are as follows:

 

Once Upon A Time In China:

* Audio commentary

* Trailers

* Biographies

* Interview gallery with the leading stars

* Photo gallery

 

Once Upon A Time In China - Part 2

* Audio commentary from Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan

* UK promotional trailer

* Original theatrical trailer

* Interview with Donnie Yen and Jet Li

* Animated biography showcase for Jet Li

* Stills gallery

 

Once Upon A Time In China - Part 3

* Audio commentary from Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan

* Animated biography showcase for Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan

* Original theatrical trailer

* K promotional trailer

* Interview gallery with Rosamund Kwan and Tsui Hark

* Behind the scenes footage

 

The OUATIC Trilogy was exclusive to http://www.play.com for a time, but is now out of stock there and I don’t know of any other e-tailers that currently stock it. So, if you want to pick up the DVDs individually, you might want to pick up Once Upon A Time In China And America as well, although it isn’t an HKL disc and I can’t vouch for its quality:

 

OUATICAA

* Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer

* US Theatrical Trailer

* Exclusive 30 Minute 'Making Of' Featurette

* Fully Interactive Moving Menus

* Scene Selection

* Extensive Biographies & Filmographies of Cast and Filmmaker

* The Legend Of Wong Fei Hung

* Exclusive 'Behind the Scenes' Stills Gallery

* Official Production Stills Gallery

 

Iron Monkey shapes up as follows:

* Photo Gallery

* Animated Biography Showcase

* Theatrical Trailer

* UK Promotional Trailer

* Interview with Donnie Yen

* Interactive Menu

* Scene Access

It’s a great movie, and a classic of the genre, but unfortunately the DVD is hurting from the lack of extras, not least of which a Logan commentary which would have been gold.

 

Magnificent Butcher

* Audio commentary from Bey Logan

* UK Promo Trailer

* Original Theatrical Trailer

* Interview with Sammo Hung

* Interview with Yuen Biao

* Sammo Hung Biography Showcase

* Stills Gallery

* Interactive Menu

* Scene Access

This isn’t a flick I’ve ever seen, although the Hung/Biao teamups are usually great, and Bey’s commentary will be worth the price alone.

 

Magnificent Warriors

* Animated Biography Showcase Of Star Michelle Yeoh

* Original Theatrical Trailer

* Interview With Michelle Yeoh

* UK Music Promo

* Hidden 'Easter Egg' Bonus Feature

* Interactive Menu

* Scene Access

Again, this isn’t a flick I’ve seen, and it’s lacking a commentary of any sort. That said, remember with all HKL releases that, even if they’re not extras-heavy, they’ve been given awesome anamorphic and usually 5.1 audio treatment, and are basically the ultimate audio-visual presentations of the films available anywhere.

 

Armour of God

* Digitally re-mastered and restored Asian version containing footage not available in 'International Print'

* International gallery with key cast members

* UK Promotiona Trailer

* Original Theatrical Trailer

* Animated Biography Showcase

* Interactive Menu

* Scene Access

The big appeal of this disc is the footage from the Asian print that has long been removed from international cuts. Again, the disc is sadly missing a commentary track, but is your usual Jackie action adventure.

 

And yes, HKL do a superb version of Drive, which is the Director’s Cut featuring about 16 mins of additional footage, a documentary, an audio commentary by the director, Dacascos and his co-star as well as the choreographer, an interview gallery, BTS and outtakes, deleted scenes, promo reel… and best of all, http://www.play.com are currently offering it for only £5.99 (about $9), which is a total bargain.

 

Out of all those flicks, I’d recommend Drive because it’s awesome and a total bargain right now, the Bruce Lee boxset (sans WoTD Platinum and the Double-documentary DVD), the series OUATIC and Iron Monkey. Purple Storm is a pretty cool HK action movie with some nice shootouts and a strong plot, especially for an HK romp. It’s got a great commentary by Bey Logan and the film’s star (whose name escapes me), and is a pretty loaded disc. I think http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk have a review up, but I could be wrong.

 

Hope that helps – feel free to ask about anything else.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

You are a life (and money) saver, Spree. I can't thank you enough. Should I ever acquire a DVD burner (which should be soon, actually) you'll be the first person to get a copy of that bonus disc.

 

Dammit. I just tried to order Drive from Play.com and it doesn't look like they deliver to the US. Fuck.

Edited July 29, 2003 by Crucifixio Jones

[Guest Karnage]

Jay, didn't you say a while ago in a TuesDVD update that Purple Storm stops halfway through the movie? I'm thinking about getting that DVD.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

One HKL release I would urge caution towards is John Woo's The Killer. While Bey provides a typically awesome commentary and the disc is full of extras, a lot of people have taken issue with the subtitling, which actually changes the names of a couple of characters. Something HKL have been simultaneously praised and derided for is their in-house developing of new, more accurate subtitles. This is great for older HK films where the subs were often terrible - riddled with spelling errors, bad grammar etc. - but in more modern films like The Killer, they were okay to start with and people had gotten used to the character names, even if they were a little off. In addition, there are said to be a couple of cuts to the film (not due to the BBFC's UK regulation, but it is a cut of the film missing certain things), so just bear these in mind before picking up what should be a sure-thing DVD.

Wait...so then what is the definitive release of The Killer? Is there one? I always assumed it was the HKL release and was planning on picking it up, but if it's a different cut of the film...hmmm, here's where it gets interesting, because aren't all English-subtitled versions of The Killer cut to a degree? I'm not really totally sure what I'm talking about here, but I remember reading somewhere about a Mandarin-language version that's got a lot of extra footage but has never been subbed/received an English language release. Is that anywhere near right?

[Guest DVD Spree]

Should I ever acquire a DVD burner (which should be soon, actually) you'll be the first person to get a copy of that bonus disc.

That's wicked, dude. Of course, if you can hook your DVD up to the VCR, I'll take a VHS copy... I'll PayPal you some cash, too!

 

Dammit. I just tried to order Drive from Play.com and it doesn't look like they deliver to the US. Fuck.

Ah, yeah, they changed things a little bit. They still ship to the US, but you have to go to their other website now, http://www.playusa.com and order through that. At a glance, it looks like you can only order R1 DVDs from that site, which is kinda weird since the idea of Americans buying American discs from England seems a bit expensive. I know they used to sell a lot of Region 2 titles to American customers, so it might be worth dropping an email to customer service, as it looks like a bizarre oversight on their part.

 

Jay, didn't you say a while ago in a TuesDVD update that Purple Storm stops halfway through the movie? I'm thinking about getting that DVD.

 

Yeah, I had a couple of copies that came off a bad batch, but my friends have got discs that work just fine. I was unlucky I guess - just a production error that made the disc spin out about 1'20" into the flick. But like I said, I've borrowed some that work no probs.

 

Wait...so then what is the definitive release of The Killer? Is there one? I always assumed it was the HKL release and was planning on picking it up, but if it's a different cut of the film...hmmm, here's where it gets interesting, because aren't all English-subtitled versions of The Killer cut to a degree? I'm not really totally sure what I'm talking about here, but I remember reading somewhere about a Mandarin-language version that's got a lot of extra footage but has never been subbed/received an English language release. Is that anywhere near right?

I'm not a huge John Woo mark, so I don't know as much as some guys, but I think the definitive translated version of the flick is still the OOP Criterion release. Now, I don't know how much of this deleted footage is on this version, but it does include five deleted scenes from the first cut of the film as extras. It also includes one of Criterion's awesome commentary tracks with John Woo, who is actually really good fun to listen to.

 

That said, the Criterion version looks pretty piss poor with a fairly damaged transfer, and it's only in mono. MONO! That's Criterion's whole "preserving the film the way it was seen" gimmick, but still. The problem is that the HKL version is anamorphic, has a pretty clean transfer, and is I believe 5.1 - but it's got all those other problems. There are Mandarin-only DVDs that have the film exactly intact, as everyone remembers it, but with shitty transfers and no subs, and no extras. A good place to look through these would be http://www.hkflix.com, who have a huge range of HK product.

 

To my knowledge, there is NO English-language DVD that has got everything right, which is a real bastard. Your best bet is to start off wading through the HK titles at HKFlix and seeing if any of them have English subs. You could try eBay to track down the Criterion

edition, which usually sells as a two-pack with the Criterion version of Hard Boiled for about $50. If you want an awesome audio-visual presentation of the film, but can live with different character names and a bit of missing dialogue/footage, HKL is probably the easiest to live with.

[Guest Karnage]

This website might help on choosing which version of The Killer is best.

 

Btw, a new remastered version of Hard Boiled came out in Hong Kong a month ago, its Region 0 and looks to be the best version out if you don't care about extras.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Btw, a new remastered version of Hard Boiled came out in Hong Kong a month ago, its Region 0 and looks to be the best version out if you don't care about extras.

It's SUCH a shame it's barebones. If they'd have just put a few goodies on there, it'd be a must have.