Ivan Drago wrote:Those DVDs were terrible. Brian White's statement on the reasons behind the cropping is mind numbingly awful - from DVD Fever
Again you're comparing them against today's standards. I was comparing them against what was out at the time and believe me they were far better.
Sure it's woeful now but back then compared to dodgy vcds and the like it wasn't. Besides that article is so old and moot now when even HKL planned (I doubt they are now) to re-release them.
I don't even buy that article when all the rest HKL titles released around that time weren't cropped.
no offence Brad - your precious remixes
None taken but I've always said give us both.
HKL released 4 heavily cropped movies:
-Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
-Drunken Master
-Dragon Inn
-Legend of a Fighter
I guess it must be SITES then but yes LOAF can go in that list. Dragon Inn isn't cropped, all DVDs are in 1.85:1 or there abouts.
I haven't posted an FS/Joy Sales rant yet. Maybe because they've done nothing wrong.
Except only remastering a select number of titles but double standards allows people to forgive them.
And Tai-Chi Master ? They're gonna call it "Twin Warriors" again.
You know this for sure? Seriously I'm asking.
The title DOES matter.
Not one person has said it doesn't. What we have said is if the DVD is A+ then in reality that's much more important, so why miss out?
thelostdragon wrote:Uhm, Tom? Aren't you the owner of a lot of French DVDs of Asian films where the titles have been changed from the original international title?
As for heavily cropped films, don't forget "Police Story 2".
That's not cropped in the same league as DM or SITES.
bradavon wrote:
Not one person has said it doesn't. What we have said is if the DVD is A+ then in reality that's much more important, so why miss out?
Miss out? On a few Weinstein extras?
..i'll be just fine with the anamorphic, good picture quality, well-subbed, DTS audio, nice coverart HK edition.
Seriosuly guys what makes you think this is going to be so much better? The included english dub?
I doubt the extras will be that fascinating.
Keep in mind i would not be saying this if we were talking about an uncut anamorphic Fist of Legend SE...since that would obviously turn out better then the lovely Ritek dvd...but for SPL, no.
ReconFive wrote:I doubt the extras will be that fascinating.
Well, I am certainly looking forward to the deleted scenes as it is going to feature the 40-second long take in which Donnie and Sammo are having a fist-to-fist combat. They gave all the deleted scenes to Brian and I kinda drew his attention to that scene, so it is very likely to be in there.
Miss out? On a few Weinstein extras?
..i'll be just fine with the anamorphic, good picture quality, well-subbed, DTS audio, nice coverart HK edition.
There's more than a "few" extras. Lets face it if there wasn't a bias to the Weinsteins we wouldn't be having this discussion and you'd be as chuffed as everyone else.
I doubt the extras will be that fascinating.
It has a Bey commentary and I've yet to hear a bad one of those (when he's discussing Chinese films)
Yi-Long wrote:Ow shit, I meant Brian White. Sorry, I'm not good with names. I hope you can forgive me, Hassan... (Seriously, I'm really really bad with names)
Don't worry about it, Fred. 8)
Bradavon wrote:Do you spend your entire life moaning?
I know I do.
Brian White wrote:In addition, had we conformed the feature to 2:35:1 anamorphic standard, most of the nation's DVD players, are currently not equiped to handle this ratio correctly, and therefore the image would be stretched."
That's the biggest load of bollocks I've read in ages.
Tom wrote:HKL released 4 heavily cropped movies
Six if you include Police Story 2 (and I would) and The Magnificent Warriors.
I truly hate when people use this line. I'm the one saying its NOT worth buying this because the HK dvd is FINE in every area.
I wasn't even refering to the title change!
If you want the damn extras that badly then be my guest and throw away the $25...all i'm saying is that it is an unessasary "upgrade" if you already have the HK disc....completly aside from the title change and any other Weinstein gayness it may have.
Lets face it if there wasn't a bias to the Weinsteins we wouldn't be having this discussion and you'd be as chuffed as everyone else.
Not true, although i certainly would not take pride in buying a Weinstein dvd. I don't buy dvds for extras alone.
I already said that if this was FOL we were talking about, it would be a different story
recon what would you advise someone who hasn't got the SPL hk disc then if it transpires the dragon dynasty is uncut etc..? would you still recommend the hk dvd then ahead of the loaded weinsteiner doozy
If you love the film I wouldn't say it's unnesecary
I'd say wait and if all is okay get the R1 (why because of a hatred of Weinstein or title lose out on extras?). It's bound to drop in price very quickly.
ReconFive wrote:I truly hate when people use this line. I'm the one saying its NOT worth buying this because the HK dvd is FINE in every area.
I wasn't even refering to the title change!
Fair enough on the last point but not true on the first. The extras are very limited and suck, as you already know. So not fine in every at all.
If we were talking a few extras then fine but the R1 DVD is stacked with extras. Sure the AV comes first and it alone agreed it's not worth upgrading but AV is only part of the DVD package.
ReconFive wrote:If you want the damn extras that badly then be my guest and throw away the $25...all i'm saying is that it is an unessasary "upgrade" if you already have the HK disc....completly aside from the title change and any other Weinstein gayness it may have.
Personally I never pay any attention to the RRP/SRP or the original price as DVDs drop so quickly.
bradavon wrote:Personally I never pay any attention to the RRP/SRP or the original price as DVDs drop so quickly.
I bet this one will stay static at $18ish US for a good long while. Independent American label produced DVDs tend to stay static with their high price tags. Indie DVD publisher Genius Products is producing the Weinstein Company DVDs. (Source)
Dragon Inn isn't cropped. That myth comes from some reviewer on Amazon. The only problem on the disc is the wrong dialect was used.
Not only is the Police Story 2 cropping excessive, it's dodgy. The box plainly says 2.35:1 - unlike most of their other releases at the time which said 16:9 - and what we get is an image cropped to around 2.00:1 FURTHER cropped top and bottom and squished to around 2.27:1 - so it's STILL not 2.35:1! The theatrical trailer is cropped to 1.85:1 - HKL trying to cover themselves? A disgraceful release - it didn't even have a Bey Logan commentary!
Magnificent Warriors was weird. The restored promo trailer was in 2.35:1 but the release DVD was 2.06:1. What happened there?
And excusing HKL for the cropping by saying it was early days doesn't hold water. MIHK had released excellent VHS tapes in the correct ratio and Eastern Heroes had released Shaolin Temple in the same ratio - OK, that DVD wasn't a very good print but it retained the correct aspect ratio.
If that standard had been maintained by HKL from the start, we would have at least had a scope English friendly Drunken Master with complete Chinese audio and a decent DVD of Legend Of A Fighter. But nooooo, HKL had to get the chavs - or whatever they called them back then, has it really been six years? - to buy them Because of their foolishness, the chances of a decent DVD of LOAF are non existant. Thankfully the mistakes on SITES have been rectified by Columbia and Mei Ah but DM and LOAF still await a good DVD.
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
Woops. Sorry about Dragon Inn.
It is indeed dubbed but not cropped.
Let's get back on topic, this is the Dragon Dynasty thread. If you have any complaints about HKL, please post them in the HKL thread (unless the complaint is specifically Bey Logan-related).
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
Eastern Heroes had released Shaolin Temple in the same ratio - OK, that DVD wasn't a very good print but it retained the correct aspect ratio.
On the other hand you could say it was shit for Eastern Heroes not going to the effort to remaster it. 6 of 1 half a dozen of the other.
You'd prefer uncropped VHS to cropped DVD? I sure wouldn't. Fair points on the rest.
EvaUnit02 wrote:I bet this one will stay static at $18ish US for a good long while. Independent American label produced DVDs tend to stay static with their high price tags.
Good point and thanks.
tom2681 wrote:Let's get back on topic, this is the Dragon Dynasty thread. If you have any complaints about HKL, please post them in the HKL thread (unless the complaint is specifically Bey Logan-related).
Eastern Heroes had released Shaolin Temple in the same ratio - OK, that DVD wasn't a very good print but it retained the correct aspect ratio.
On the other hand you could say it was shit for Eastern Heroes not going to the effort to remaster it. 6 of 1 half a dozen of the other.
You'd prefer uncropped VHS to cropped DVD? I sure wouldn't. Fair points on the rest.
EvaUnit02 wrote:I bet this one will stay static at $18ish US for a good long while. Independent American label produced DVDs tend to stay static with their high price tags.
Good point and thanks.
tom2681 wrote:Let's get back on topic, this is the Dragon Dynasty thread. If you have any complaints about HKL, please post them in the HKL thread (unless the complaint is specifically Bey Logan-related).
Yes boss
Seriously: Agreed.
Last comments then I'll leave HKL to HKL thread
1. Mei Ah DM has incomplete Cantonese track and the branching thing is annoying
2. Uncropped VHS from a decent print is infinetly better to a heavily cropped DVD. Why would you want to watch the film when it's missing a huge chunk of the picture?
3. EH suck, I'm not denying that. Their Jackie Chan/Lo Wei releases are a fraudulent abomination. But they did not see fit to screw around with the ratio on Shaolin Temple, unlike HKL.
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
Dont even talk about it then if you dont care about it, I dont see why you would even bother talking about a dvd if you dont want it anyway. Some of us like extras and will pay for them thats why I want it, the HK dvd is shit for extras. Hence I want a real dvd, not just a crap coaster. I want to see what They are going to do with this comapny and its worth buying their 1st release to see and check if Bey Logans commentaries are the same etc.. no one is forcing you to buy it or even look at the dvd in any way.
Well said Romero exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself (you won't catch me saying that too often )
Doesn't the Mei Ah DM use seamless branching?
As for VHS I just find it so hard to watch any Videos any more the quality is just so bad (it's the same when I try and listen to a cassette tape and video is worse comparatively speaking).
Personally I wish they'd done what CT did and use an alternate dub for the missing Cantonese BUT use the Mandarin audio not English, as least they have more in common.
Which of the two is better CT or Mei Ah? I'm guessing CT but then that does break into English which sounds awful.
Well the CT is seamless whilst the Mei Ah is not. But neither has the original track and the commentary on the Columbia is by Ric Meyers, who is the worst excuse for a film expert I've ever heard. And the HKL is cropped. I'd go for the Columbia if your willing to tolerate an English dub - it's not a bad one though it's loathed by most because it isn't the original.
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
(Seriously, I'm really really bad with names)
But what if you do not? I don't.
Let's get back on topic, this is the Dragon Dynasty thread. If you have any complaints about HKL, please post them in the HKL thread (unless the complaint is specifically Bey Logan-related).