Any of these Tartan Asia Extreme DVDs worth getting?

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 03 Dec 2005, 19:07

Actually yeah, Hard Target was pretty cool. 8)

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 03 Dec 2005, 20:23

romerojpg wrote:Wow you really like Shiri!

I do. The thing is it's not an out-right action flick, the drama is also very good.

romerojpg wrote:but it has been surpassd by a mile by soo many other Korean movies.

I could believe that.

Markgway wrote:Lol, that's as bad as Romero. Face/Off isn't even John Woo's best American film!!

I don't see how? We'd all agree (I think) that Face/Off is much better than Mortal Kombat.

It is Woo's best American film IMO. Broken Arrow is also good but doesn't come close to Face/Off. Are we ever going to see a Face/Off: SE???

Hard Target is Van Damme tosh, without him it may have had a slim chance but with him it sucked. Cage and Travolta have more acting talent on the end of their pinky finger than Van Damme has managed to accomplish in his entire "so called" career.

Even forgetting the actors the entire execution and making of Face/Off was better.

Anyway back on topic . . .

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 03 Dec 2005, 22:14

bradavon wrote:I don't see how? We'd all agree (I think) that Face/Off is much better than Mortal Kombat.

Yeah, well it has a story for starters. But the acting is woeful. It's like a Hollywood hack doing an impersonation of John Woo. Only the speedboat chase was really impressive. The rest was hammy fodder.

It is Woo's best American film IMO. Broken Arrow is also good but doesn't come close to Face/Off.

To each his own...

Broken Arrow has a great final 15 mins but the script is too silly. In some ways I'd rather watch it than Face/Off though. At least it's a half hour shorter.

Hard Target is Van Damme tosh, without him it may have had a slim chance but with him it sucked. Cage and Travolta have more acting talent on the end of their pinky finger than Van Damme has managed to accomplish in his entire "so called" career.

Utter and Bollocks. :shock:

Even forgetting the actors the entire execution and making of Face/Off was better.

It was bigger budget that's all.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 03 Dec 2005, 22:23

Mark you can't seriously think Van Damme is a better actor than Cage or Travolta?

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 03 Dec 2005, 22:55

bradavon wrote:Mark you can't seriously think Van Damme is a better actor than Cage or Travolta?

No, I don't think that.

But you said "Hard Target is Van Damme tosh"

I strongly disagree. It's a superbly crafted action film.

without him it may have had a slim chance but with him it sucked.

Strongly disagree. I think he was perfectly cast. The critics decided to review the film by looking at the poster.

Cage and Travolta have more acting talent on the end of their pinky finger than Van Damme has managed to accomplish in his entire "so called" career.

They're good, but not THAT good. Besides Van Damme is a better actor than given credit for. It's become fashionable to diss Van Damme regardless as he's an EASY Target. And I'll be honest, Van Damme is much better in Hard Target than either Cage or Travolta is in Face/Off. I was embarrassed watching them.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 03 Dec 2005, 23:14

So IronMonkey can get to what really concerns him:

Old Boy - UK R2. I'm prettty sure the R1 loses most of the extras
2046 - R4 LE or R1 (probably)
Sympathy For Mr Vengeance - R1 for NTSC or UK R2 for Making of. (the R1 loses the Making of. for some reason but keeps the commentary)
Joint Security Area - UK R2
A Tale Of Two Sisters - UK R2 tis gorgeous
Versus - No idea
The Eye - R4 - It has DTS plus some extras. The UK R2 has DTS but is barebones and the R1 has extras but no DTS
The Isle - Is cut by a few minutes due to animal cruelty. Get the Korean SE, the DD5.1 is supposed to be really good
Shiri - R1 or maybe UK R2
Days Of Being Wild & As Tears Go By - R1, the subs on the Asian releases are awful and the UK R2 has the wrong soundtrack + are only single layer (even on the hard to find fixed versions)

JSA it's down to the UK R2 or R4. Both have different extras but the UK R2 has DTS and besides the extras are about the same length.

IronMonkey wrote:and probably 2046 too (because I love Zhang Ziyi!).

I'd wait for the R1 now. It's due out in a few weeks. See it how fairs.

IronMonkey wrote:Does anyone have anything to say about Shiri? I've been wanting to see that for years but held off buying the Korean releases.

Personally I still prefer the Korean DVD for the awesome DTS but most prefer the R1 or UK R2, they look to be clones. Both have DD5.1 + 50 mins of English subbed extras. The R1 is a CT release though so maybe a better choice.

romerojpg wrote:Its no Mortal Kombat man.

Forget the ball park Mortal Kombat isn't even on the same planet as Shiri.

It's up there with the best action films IMO such as Face/Off. I really didn't see the twist coming and the gun fights are flipping awesome. That said I too like Mortal Kombat.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 04 Dec 2005, 12:39

Bradavon remember you never acctually watched all of Hard Target, so for me noone can ever comment on a film until they see it all, you saw half you said and stopped before the last 40 minute massive finale. Maybe if you saw the whole film you would like it and be able to pass comment on it

but hey you may still have hated it.

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 04 Dec 2005, 13:59

Thanks bradavon for clearing that up for me.

I think I'll go for A Tale Of Two Sisters & Shiri as well as Old Boy & Joint Security Area which I've already ordered.

Thanks!

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Dec 2005, 15:12

No worries.

2046 is in the air right now until the R1 comes out.

The R4 LE is definitely the best but it's now very much OOP, which leaves:

* R4 - DTS, Film Guru Commentary from the gorgeous French Master
* UK R2 - DTS, No commentary but the limited extras are at least to do with the cast and is also from the French Master
* HK R2 - The extras are okay but it has no DTS and has inferior PQ

Right now I'd get the UK R2 which looks to be the winner BUT the R1 looks to have much better extras, although misses out on DTS. As for PQ it's a CT DVD BUT the French master is already very good so who knows.

Come the new year we'll know if the UK R2 or R1 is the best. Of course the French R2 is the ultimate release with even more extras than the R4 LE but nothing has English subs

romerojpg wrote:Bradavon remember you never acctually watched all of Hard Target, so for me noone can ever comment on a film until they see it all, you saw half you said and stopped before the last 40 minute massive finale.

Fair point but I was bored and it's surprising I lasted that long. To clarify I didn't think it was complete tosh just tosh

. I think if you're bored then the film hasn't succeeded in entertaining me and ergo is probably tosh

It's better than Drunken Master on the boredom meter, which is probably one of the most dull films ever made.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 04 Dec 2005, 15:19

Brad wrote:It's better than Drunken Master...which is...one of the most dull films ever made.

Funniest thing I've ever heard !

"Drunken Master = Dull"

*HAHAHAHAHA !*

You crack me up Brad !

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 04 Dec 2005, 15:25

I have my uses

Some other titles IronMonkey to consider, only based on Play sales:

* Brotherhood - £5.99 using this voucher code BXJZRBQFWV
* Bad Guy is supposed to be decent, also part of the Tartan sale -

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=prom ... tle=169358

It looks to be the best version with DTS, Making of. and Commentary but is a NTSC to PAL DVD if that bothers you. Although according to DVD Beaver the Korean DVD isn't much better.

Most of the rest of the titles in the Tartan Play sale look to be older back-catalogue titles and many are duffers.

I've just ordered Hard Boiled: SE it's about time I upgraded.

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 04 Dec 2005, 16:23

Thanks for the heads up bradavon but I've already got Taegukgi and in fact I'm going to watch it for the first time tonight! It's a pity I hadn't waited for the sale - I paid about £12 a couple of months ago...

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 07 Dec 2005, 20:24

Should I lock this now or leave it open?

romerojpg wrote:Bradavon remember you never acctually watched all of Hard Target, so for me noone can ever comment on a film until they see it all, you saw half you said and stopped before the last 40 minute massive finale.

Two words - Nine Songs

Busted

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Dec 2005, 09:17

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 08 Dec 2005, 09:32

He he he!

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 14 Dec 2005, 01:46

bradavon wrote: Nine Songs

Jesus, that film was terrible and I sat through the entire thing (fast forwarded alot of it ie the footage of the fucking terrible bands).

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 14 Dec 2005, 12:50

So you basically just watched the porn.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 14 Dec 2005, 14:02

Markgway wrote:So you basically just watched the porn.

I fast-forwarded most of them too, Margot Stilley is fucking ugly. I didn't fast-forward the talky bits or when the dude is brooding in the Antarctic wasteland.

WTF happened to you Michael Winterbottom? You went from making good films like The Claim and 24 Party People to peddling badly shot amateur porn with footage of rubbish bands.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 14 Dec 2005, 14:25

FYI: The bands Eva are very popular in the UK. Not that I've seen Nine Songs and doubt I will.

It's not got one good review.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 14 Dec 2005, 17:42

bradavon wrote:Should I lock this now or leave it open?

romerojpg wrote:Bradavon remember you never acctually watched all of Hard Target, so for me noone can ever comment on a film until they see it all, you saw half you said and stopped before the last 40 minute massive finale.
Two words - Nine Songs

Busted

Not at all, the conversation was not about the "film" but content from the film and issues raised by them scenes, totally different and you obviously missed the whole point of the porno in mainstream films information I and others posted. If Hard Target featured tripple anal penatrations then that also would be fucking not a film I ever want to see.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 14 Dec 2005, 18:19

The only penetrations in Hard Target are from bullets. :shock:

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 14 Dec 2005, 19:09

Over and Over and Over and Over again

Hard indeed.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 14 Dec 2005, 20:51

romerojpg wrote:Not at all, the conversation was not about the "film" but content from the film and issues raised by them scenes

Now you're splitting hairs to get out of the hole you've buried for yourself. The content is the film, they're one in the same thing. Take the content out of Nine Songs and you don't have the same film and we don't have a discussion.

Stop saying I missed the point because I didn't. I happen to disagree with your point which I explained at the time.

The fact is you said and I re-quote:

"Bradavon remember you never acctually watched all of Hard Target, so for me noone can ever comment on a film until they see it all"

You were effectively reminding me that I shouldn't comment on said film until I've seen it all to give the film a full chance, to give it the credit it may deserve and to put the acting etc . . . in context of the film as a whole NOT to base it on the segments I'd seen.

Ergo shouldn't you do the same for Nine Songs? (How is it different? You're on thin ice if you think it is) You've not seen Nine Songs as a whole yet you seem to think it's porn? I come back to naked bodies doesn't immediately constitute porn. If so topless women on the beach is soft porn, is it not?

And even if it is porn you were slamming the entire film I seem to remember as being tosh when all you've seen is the "so called" porn sections. For all you actually know the other parts could be fantastic examples of film-making. I could cite many examples where the general consensus is it's tosh but you Romero think it's a great film. That's being hypocritical!

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 14 Dec 2005, 20:51

Back on topic (kind of) what is the track record of Optimum Asia? What are there DVDs like?

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 14 Dec 2005, 21:21

bradavon wrote:Back on topic (kind of) what is the track record of Optimum Asia? What are there DVDs like?

Not good, thus I haven't bought any.

I really wanted FIRE DRAGON but the buggers made in non-anamorphic!

I'd be interested to know how their new SWORDSMAN II DVD is though...