New! BULLET IN THE HEAD... EXTENDED CUT!

gojensen · Post by **gojensen** » 23 Oct 2006, 07:28

Oh my!!!

According to Muldoon over at ADVDG JoySales will release the longer festival print (in a manner of speaking) on DVD. This will include the piss drinking scene

Finally!

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 23 Oct 2006, 07:57

Awesome, thanks Gojensen. I will have to double-dip. I highly doubt that the completely tacked on car jousting scene at the end (as impressive as it is) would've been excised though. Tony Leung shooting Waise Lee in the head was a much better ending.

EDIT:

Disc 1 will feature the Fortune Star HD master. Unlike the previous Bullet In The Head DVDs, the viewer will be able to watch the film with either the "car chase" ending or the "boardroom" ending via branching. As much as I would like to take credit for this great idea, it was actually Joy Sales' idea.

Oh that's fucking awesome. This is a must buy for me, being what I feel is the best Woo film from a dramatic point of view.

Yes, the awesomeness just keeps getting better.

Originally the "composite edit" was going to have the "car chase" ending but I suggested that fans would prefer the "boardroom" ending on it. So if disc 2 ends up having the "boardroom" ending, you can blame me.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 23 Oct 2006, 08:22

Definite double dip.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 23 Oct 2006, 12:14

This is REALLY tempting...

Muldoon wrote:I think the HK Video DVD didn't even have the alternative ending.

We have a saying in France:

"When you don't know: shut the hell up !"

Yes, the HK Vidéo disc has the alternative Boardroom Ending.
It's included in the Terence Chang interview.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 23 Oct 2006, 13:16

Gotta disagree about the car joust ending... I much prefer it.

The boardroom ending in comparison is a damp squib.

I love the sense of operatic tragedy where the cars racing towards death are juxtaposed with the friends on bicycles and the iconic moment when Waise forces Tony to shoot Jacky's skull.

When I saw the shorter ending I thought: Is that it?

gojensen · Post by **gojensen** » 23 Oct 2006, 18:53

Yeah I'm torn myself. I like the sudden impact of the boardroom ending... but then again I like juxtaposition (?) of the car jousting... however "over-the-top" it may seem. It just seems like a proper finish when you think back to the beginning of the movie where they were racing and best friends... this is what it's come to...

Ah... very flawed movie in many ways - but so emotional, and one of my fave Woo movies... I love it from beginning to end (whichever one you choose actually

).

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 23 Oct 2006, 19:35

I love this movie. I remember actually crying a bit when Tony had the talk with crazy Jacky in the warehouse... when I saw it for the first time.

Personally, I dont know which ending is better, as I've only ever seen the car-joust scene. didnt have any problems with that. And now that I know how the board-room ending goes, I'm sure it doesnt have the same impact on me as on those people for whom it came as a complete shock.

The only thing bad about this movie, is the performances by some of the actors. Most notably Waise Lee, who is just BAD in this movie. But Jacky Cheung also isnt very good. He's OK and better then in most of his movies, but he just isnt a very good actor, and it shows when it's in a role like this. Which is a real shame cause Tony Leung is amazing, and Simon Yam does a good job as well.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:09

Two things:

* The FS HD Remaster sucks
* But more importantly HK studios aren't exactly known for seamless branching I can see some kind of fucked up integrated branching.

What will be on Disc 2? If Disc 1 has some kind of Branching why the film on both discs?

Which ending does the HKL have? I presume the IVL has the same ending? I've not got around to watching my HKL yet. I presume the HKL, IVL one is the ending most DVDs use?

"Briefly" why were two endings shot? Which is the DC ending?

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:34

@Brad:

According to Terence Chang, the original ending is the car chase. Since the movie didn't do well in previews, they modified the boardroom scene in which Tony Leung confronts Waise Lee. In the "new" edit, the movie ends in that scene.
They hoped that a shorter movie would have better chances at the box-office.

Disc 1 will have the original cut of the movie with both endings available via branching.
Disc 2 will have the now legendary piss-drinking scene that is mentioned by the characters in A Better Tomorrow (making BITH a prequel to A Better Tomorrow).

AFAIK, the HKL, HKV and IVL all have the car-chase ending.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:43

Thanks Tom. So therefore the longer cut is the DC or don't we really know?

Why not integrate the piss drinking scene into the first Disc 1 or doesn't it work that way? I should probably shut up as I've not seen any version as yet.

"making BITH a prequel to A Better Tomorrow" - Interesting.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:49

Apparently the PQ on the extended scene(s) isn't so good, that's why they won't put both cuts on the same disc.

the longer cut is the DC or don't we really know?

I like to call it "original Taiwan-like early cut" (like The Killer / Hard-Boiled).

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:52

bradavon wrote:What will be on Disc 2? If Disc 1 has some kind of Branching why the film on both discs?

See the link in in the first post.

Which ending does the HKL have?

Car jousting ending in the film, meeting room ending as an extra.

"Briefly" why were two endings shot? Which is the DC ending?

Listen to the Bey commentary. It criminal that you haven't done so.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 23 Oct 2006, 20:58

EvaUnit02 wrote:See the link in in the first post.

Like it's clear, Tom's answer is.

Listen to the Bey commentary. It criminal that you haven't done so.

It will be full of spoilers so not something I'm prone to do.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 23 Oct 2006, 23:32

So Brad, you have never watched "Bullet in the Head"? I wouldn't read this thread then as it is full of spoilers as well. Watch the movie and then listen to the commentary track.

gojensen · Post by **gojensen** » 24 Oct 2006, 12:30

I think he said he'd never seen the HKL disc? (How he then get's around to saying everyother disc is shit I don't know...) Let's HOPE he's seen BiTH.

As for the cut/changed ending. That wasn't really because it did poorly at the previews. It was mostly because it was way too long. The film still did poorly with critics and the HK audience. It's not what they wanted/expected me thinks.

As for the JS disc... I don't really care that much if they mess up the branching... I can always go in and make my own disc if they mess it up... so long as the transfers are decent. (And god's know they'll be better than my old VHS dupe)...

But... I'm pretty sure a better print will surface next year... for the super-duper edition

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Oct 2006, 12:41

A major concern of mine is that usually when you watch a DVD with branching it usually pauses for about a second before it loads the deleted scene. I hope this won't happen during a dramatic moment or an action sequence. I mean there is certainly no other way, apart from creating a third disc with the only option to view the film with the scenes already in.

The soundtrack is also likely to sound different during the deleted scenes. Maybe more or less dull or higher or lower.
How about the music in the extended sequences (if there is any)... will it fit in with the music that plays in the original scene, right before it switches to the deleted scene?

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 24 Oct 2006, 14:28

thelostdragon wrote:A major concern of mine is that usually when you watch a DVD with branching it usually pauses for about a second before it loads the deleted scene.

Depends if it's seemless branching in which case you shouldn't see any pause.

Killer Meteor · Post by **Killer Meteor** » 24 Oct 2006, 14:47

Yeah, the R2 Robocop had pauses whilst Alien doesn't

gojensen · Post by **gojensen** » 24 Oct 2006, 15:03

ANd neither did the R1 Robocop

Seriously though... there's no excuse not to have seamless branching. It's just laziness on the part of the DVD author. Back in the day they excused themselves by saying that not all dvd players understood seamless branching (which was bull since it's in the dvd spec, and if a player fails to understand that it's the players fault, not the dvd author).

Anyhoo. If they do it I'll be happy. If not I'll just have to do it myself.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 24 Oct 2006, 17:29

I have the HKL so I think I will DD for the piss drinking part which I've never seen

I much preferred the car chase ending, I really liked the juxtaposition of the car chase with the friendly bicycle race.
I agree about Waise Lee, he was OTT but Jacky Cheung was great in the movie IMO.

gojensen · Post by **gojensen** » 24 Oct 2006, 18:27

There's no reason to wait for that...
http://sb.gojensen.no/bith-piss.html

There it is... in all it's VHS bootlegged gore

I guess perhaps I'll soon need to pull that down from the net... eh?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 24 Oct 2006, 19:13

Why? Leave it there.

thelostdragon wrote:So Brad, you have never watched "Bullet in the Head"? I wouldn't read this thread then as it is full of spoilers as well. Watch the movie and then listen to the commentary track.

What piss drinking and car crash? Yep spoiler heaven. Both mean little to me as I don't know the context behind them.

I won't don't worry. I just checked it out in case a better DVD is coming I should get and watch BITH with that instead.

As I've not seen BITH I can't say how good/bad it is and the new stuff doesn't therefore interest me.

gojensen wrote:How he then get's around to saying everyother disc is shit I don't know...

Screen caps. What's the quality of the film got to do with anything.

thelostdragon wrote:A major concern of mine is that usually when you watch a DVD with branching it usually pauses for about a second before it loads the deleted scene.

Only if they fuck it up and use Integrated Branching like Robocop. T2 and others (I forget which) are seamless.

thelostdragon wrote:I mean there is certainly no other way, apart from creating a third disc with the only option to view the film with the scenes already in.

Nope use Seamless not Integrated Branching, job done but AFAIK most HK companies where they've used branching have messed it up with integrated branching making pointless.

thelostdragon wrote:The soundtrack is also likely to sound different during the deleted scenes. Maybe more or less dull or higher or lower.
How about the music in the extended sequences (if there is any)... will it fit in with the music that plays in the original scene, right before it switches to the deleted scene?

Exactly personally I can see poorly added in scenes not properly done like a western studio would do.

gojensen wrote:ANd neither did the R1 Robocop

Well that didn't use branching at all (MGM learnt from using R2/R4 as guinea pigs :shock: )

gojensen wrote:Anyhoo. If they do it I'll be happy. If not I'll just have to do it myself.

Is it really that easy?

I can see them fucking it up and making it a curiosity instead of the version to watch, so I wouldn't everyone get to excited.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 24 Oct 2006, 20:56

gojensen wrote:I guess perhaps I'll soon need to pull that down from the net... eh?

Oh get real, the police aren't going to be busting down your door for hosting a bloody deleted scene, especially one for a cult Asian movie that no one's really heard of (in the mainstream).

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 24 Oct 2006, 21:13

bradavon wrote:Well that didn't use branching at all (MGM learnt from using R2/R4 as guinea pigs :shock: )

But the Yanks still have to buy 2 dud sequels in order to get the Robocop SE.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 24 Oct 2006, 22:15

I know :shock: . I can't believe they've still not released the Robocop SE R1 on it's own. I'd buy it if they did.