| Nov 09 2008 |
The Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty label has announced its first release of 2009 and it's going to be...a two-disc special edition of Jackie Chan's POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP. Hitting the streets on January 13, this special edition features interviews with co-stars Chan and Michelle Yeoh as well as interviews with director Stanley Tong and a bunch of other extras. This will complete the Dragon Dynasty Police Story trilogy, and kudos to them for finally releasing versions of Jackie Chan's modern-day masterpiece in these nice, special edition versions.
POLICE STORY III: SUPERCOP, finally on
a special edition Region 1 DVD.
On the bummer side of things, The Weinstein Company has been getting hammered with bad news recently: their lawsuit over "Project Runway" isn't going very well and may kill the show's momentum if things turn into a protracted legal battle, long-time executives are leaving, and they moved a bunch of their films from 2008 to 2009. The latest bit of bad news is that Genius, the video distributor of which they own 70%, is seeing its shares trade at 6 cents, down from $2.50 a year ago. That's pretty bad for a company that distributes home video for ESPN, WWE, Sesame Street, Dimension and IFC among other big-name labels.
There are rumors that this is part of a bid by TWC to buy out the remaining 30% of the company and take the whole thing private, and that's a possibility, but why on earth they'd want to spread themselves this thin is a mystery to me. There are also rumors that some of the labels distributed by Genius are shopping around for distribution elsewhere, and Tartan's new owner, Palisades, has said as much publicly. I don't know a lot about the machinations of clever businesspeople and all their strange maneuverings, but with the departure of Michelle Krumm, who picked up a lot of Asian movies for TWC, the current bad news hitting the Weinstein Company and Genius suddenly selling their stock at cut-rate prices, it might be wise to grab any discs you wanted to pick up sooner rather than later.
(Variety has actual reporting on Genius)
© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Bookmark with..
Comments (19)
The Running Man: Kudos for them? Kudos for nothing...
Dragon Dynasty has been churning out half ass discs for sometime now. Their Tai Chi Master release looked and sounded like crap (weird issues with the image where the picture blurs almost after every cut and the "original" Chinese mono track was nothing more than a downmix of the 5.1 track). Their much anticipated Fist of Legend DVD release turned out to be a huge disappointment since it was nothing more than a 16:9 release of the cut Dimension version and even had worse colors than the old Dimension DVD. It also had issues with the picture similar to Tai Chi Master.
And now early artwork suggests that Dragon Dynasty is releasing "My Father Is A Hero" with the same horrible Dimension title of "The Enforcer" which must be a sign they are taking the cheap route like they did with Fist of Legend and just use the old Dimension master of the cut version.
On the same subject of early artwork, it seems Dragon Dynasty is releasing Police Story 3 Super Cop as just "Supercop". Why? That makes no sense. They have the rights to the first two and have released them but they can't be bothered to put the third one out with the original name that connects it to the previous two?
I'm sorry but Dragon Dynasty is a mess. This doesn't even include their many other blunders. One of my recent favs is how they managed to have subtitles on their Flash Point DVD that are actually worse than the subtitles on the HK DVD!
I see this whole possibility of them going under as retribution. Not only for Weinstein and his deeds but also for the former HKL crew and Bey Logan (especially Logan) for essentially selling out. For all that nonsense Logan was spewing defending Weinstein and his practices on alterations on Asian cinema in his HKL commentaries and even actually claiming in interviews he has met no one who was more passionate about Asian cinema than Harvey Weinstein! It really demonstrated his true colors when the promise of "mo' money" and fame came knocking his way.
And now early artwork suggests that Dragon Dynasty is releasing "My Father Is A Hero" with the same horrible Dimension title of "The Enforcer" which must be a sign they are taking the cheap route like they did with Fist of Legend and just use the old Dimension master of the cut version.
On the same subject of early artwork, it seems Dragon Dynasty is releasing Police Story 3 Super Cop as just "Supercop". Why? That makes no sense. They have the rights to the first two and have released them but they can't be bothered to put the third one out with the original name that connects it to the previous two?
I'm sorry but Dragon Dynasty is a mess. This doesn't even include their many other blunders. One of my recent favs is how they managed to have subtitles on their Flash Point DVD that are actually worse than the subtitles on the HK DVD!
I see this whole possibility of them going under as retribution. Not only for Weinstein and his deeds but also for the former HKL crew and Bey Logan (especially Logan) for essentially selling out. For all that nonsense Logan was spewing defending Weinstein and his practices on alterations on Asian cinema in his HKL commentaries and even actually claiming in interviews he has met no one who was more passionate about Asian cinema than Harvey Weinstein! It really demonstrated his true colors when the promise of "mo' money" and fame came knocking his way.
1
November 10, 2008
Rhythm-X: ...
Running Man saved me the trouble. Screw these clowns. It was within their grasp to live up to the promise of the label, but stubborn laziness and much of the same sort of idiocy nobody liked when they were Miramax (THE PROTECTOR? KILL ZONE?) won the day. Won't be missed.
2
November 11, 2008
Max K.: I would miss Dragon Dynasty.
Yes its true, the image quality on DD discs could be inconsistent, some look great, some look crap (Rob-B-Hood).
Yes its true, the subtitle quality on some DD discs weren't so great (dubtitles on the City of Violence disc, for example).
Yes its true, there were sometimes weird technical issues with their movies (Hard Boiled was slightly cropped and stretched compared to earlier releases, slightly).
Yes its true, their release schedule has been a little odd, that their box covers and trailers kinda suck, many of their DVD extras are consist of too-long talking head interviews, and that Bey Logan needs very badly to switch to decaf. These are all true.
I would still miss Dragon Dynasty, because even though it is far from perfect, and is the whole operation is obviously underfunded, they still do a better job at bringing over Asian genre films to America then almost anybody else is right now.
Who else is gonna do it? Seriously, who else? Sony? Didn't they hack the looooooong delayed domestic release of Jackie Chan's The Myth to bits, and then used the newly truncated footage as "deleted scenes" as an extra feature.
The sad truth is that the state of foreign language films in America, of any genre, of any language, anything where people talk dat non-American funny talk, is pretty dire. You can argue The Wienstien Company helped make it that way, but I don't see anybody else picking up their slack, aside from an occasional neglected pickup from one of the big boys (Universal's Miramax-esque treatment of Dororo, Magnolia and IFC's minuscule releases for Johnny To's films).
Would I like Dragon Dynasty to do a better job then they do now? Of course I would. But I would be acting untruthfully if I didn't also mention that some of their releases don't suck in any way, in fact, a decent number of their releases I really don't have anything but only minor complaints for.
And also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that their selection of films they release has been pretty dang good so far. They've got the Infernal Affairs trilogy, PTU, some very good Jackie Chan films, as well as a healthy dollop of classic martial arts films that nobody was rushing to make available to the West in an non-embarrassing version(Come Drink With Me, Heroes of the East, Last Hurrah for Chivalry, etc.).
And the non-classic stuff they've put out hasn't been bad either. They've got damn good latter-day action movies out like Flashpoint and Fatal Contact, and even putting out the underwhelming movies like Dragon Squad (especially Dragon Squad) at least gives greater Western exposure to the stars in the film and helps build a foundation for any other company brave enough to release a subtitled action movie.
And their future looks kinda decent. In addition to Police Story III and My Father is a Hero, they've got Protege coming out, sure the cover will probably be photoshopped to make it look like Daniel Wu is some sort of cut-rate Chow Yun-Fat, but hey, its a good, classy movie that deserves some wider exposure.
also, I wouldn't worry about the titling/lame covers you're seeing on hkflix.com, very often their earlier postings of their future DD releases didn't actually pan out.
so to sum things up, yeah, DD ain't perfect, but its on the whole, not terrible (we've had terrible, we've had really terrible), to compare things now to the dark days of only five years ago is to be a little hyperbolic IMO. So lets all chill and step off the hate train, its more fun to be off the hate train and on the happy bus.
(waves hello from happy bus)
Yes its true, the subtitle quality on some DD discs weren't so great (dubtitles on the City of Violence disc, for example).
Yes its true, there were sometimes weird technical issues with their movies (Hard Boiled was slightly cropped and stretched compared to earlier releases, slightly).
Yes its true, their release schedule has been a little odd, that their box covers and trailers kinda suck, many of their DVD extras are consist of too-long talking head interviews, and that Bey Logan needs very badly to switch to decaf. These are all true.
I would still miss Dragon Dynasty, because even though it is far from perfect, and is the whole operation is obviously underfunded, they still do a better job at bringing over Asian genre films to America then almost anybody else is right now.
Who else is gonna do it? Seriously, who else? Sony? Didn't they hack the looooooong delayed domestic release of Jackie Chan's The Myth to bits, and then used the newly truncated footage as "deleted scenes" as an extra feature.
The sad truth is that the state of foreign language films in America, of any genre, of any language, anything where people talk dat non-American funny talk, is pretty dire. You can argue The Wienstien Company helped make it that way, but I don't see anybody else picking up their slack, aside from an occasional neglected pickup from one of the big boys (Universal's Miramax-esque treatment of Dororo, Magnolia and IFC's minuscule releases for Johnny To's films).
Would I like Dragon Dynasty to do a better job then they do now? Of course I would. But I would be acting untruthfully if I didn't also mention that some of their releases don't suck in any way, in fact, a decent number of their releases I really don't have anything but only minor complaints for.
And also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that their selection of films they release has been pretty dang good so far. They've got the Infernal Affairs trilogy, PTU, some very good Jackie Chan films, as well as a healthy dollop of classic martial arts films that nobody was rushing to make available to the West in an non-embarrassing version(Come Drink With Me, Heroes of the East, Last Hurrah for Chivalry, etc.).
And the non-classic stuff they've put out hasn't been bad either. They've got damn good latter-day action movies out like Flashpoint and Fatal Contact, and even putting out the underwhelming movies like Dragon Squad (especially Dragon Squad) at least gives greater Western exposure to the stars in the film and helps build a foundation for any other company brave enough to release a subtitled action movie.
And their future looks kinda decent. In addition to Police Story III and My Father is a Hero, they've got Protege coming out, sure the cover will probably be photoshopped to make it look like Daniel Wu is some sort of cut-rate Chow Yun-Fat, but hey, its a good, classy movie that deserves some wider exposure.
also, I wouldn't worry about the titling/lame covers you're seeing on hkflix.com, very often their earlier postings of their future DD releases didn't actually pan out.
so to sum things up, yeah, DD ain't perfect, but its on the whole, not terrible (we've had terrible, we've had really terrible), to compare things now to the dark days of only five years ago is to be a little hyperbolic IMO. So lets all chill and step off the hate train, its more fun to be off the hate train and on the happy bus.
(waves hello from happy bus)
4
November 11, 2008
The Running Man: Re: Max K
"Yes its true, the subtitle quality on some DD discs weren't so great (dubtitles on the City of Violence disc, for example). "
There were no dubtitles for City of Violence. The subtitles were just bad and again, worse than the original subtitles. Hard Boiled, which you mention next, was the one with dubtitles.
"they still do a better job at bringing over Asian genre films to America then almost anybody else is right now. "
Nope. Tai Seng, Magnolia, Media Blasters (directly comparing their Shaw Brother releases), Animego and one or two others all do superior releases to Dragon Dynasty's output.
And with BCI's upcoming releases of Shaw Brother movies and their pick up of the Asian titles that Weinstein left behind at Miramax, things are actually looking up for the future.
"You can argue The Wienstien Company helped make it that way, but I don't see anybody else picking up their slack, aside from an occasional neglected pickup from one of the big boys "
Considering the companies I just pointed out, you feel this way because you just aren't looking around.
Also, a big reason why a lot less titles come out here is because Weinstein helped make it that way thanks to his business tactics back in his Miramax days. Back when he was with Disney, he would pay more than originally demanded to HK companies for the rights. Now this has made companies become accustomed to demanding those type of numbers making it harder for other companies to pick up titles.
"as well as a healthy dollop of classic martial arts films that nobody was rushing to make available to the West in an non-embarrassing version(Come Drink With Me,"
First of all, everyone was trying to pick up those Shaw Brother titles. So I don't know what you mean by "that nobody was rushing to make available". And in fact, there are at least like what? Close to 5 companies releasing Shaw Brother movies in the US?
Also, it's ironic you write "non-embarassing version" and use their release of Come Drink With Me as an example. Have you actually seen it? The subtitles are atrocious. Not "weak". Atrocious. They barely make sense at times and like Flash Point, are actually worse than the subs found on the HK DVD.
"So lets all chill and step off the hate train, its more fun to be off the hate train and on the happy bus. "
It's called being "realistic" son. Looking at the situation as is and not contorting as something else. Dragon Dynasty is one of the worst companies putting out Asian movies. What prevents some from seeing this is the shallow fact that they have extras and all the hype that other companies don't have the luxury for thanks to their Weinstein money. But when it comes to the basics, the presentation of the films, they fail in spades.
Best to have them leave and have other companies, especially the ones I mentioned before to release these titles instead.
There were no dubtitles for City of Violence. The subtitles were just bad and again, worse than the original subtitles. Hard Boiled, which you mention next, was the one with dubtitles.
"they still do a better job at bringing over Asian genre films to America then almost anybody else is right now. "
Nope. Tai Seng, Magnolia, Media Blasters (directly comparing their Shaw Brother releases), Animego and one or two others all do superior releases to Dragon Dynasty's output.
And with BCI's upcoming releases of Shaw Brother movies and their pick up of the Asian titles that Weinstein left behind at Miramax, things are actually looking up for the future.
"You can argue The Wienstien Company helped make it that way, but I don't see anybody else picking up their slack, aside from an occasional neglected pickup from one of the big boys "
Considering the companies I just pointed out, you feel this way because you just aren't looking around.
Also, a big reason why a lot less titles come out here is because Weinstein helped make it that way thanks to his business tactics back in his Miramax days. Back when he was with Disney, he would pay more than originally demanded to HK companies for the rights. Now this has made companies become accustomed to demanding those type of numbers making it harder for other companies to pick up titles.
"as well as a healthy dollop of classic martial arts films that nobody was rushing to make available to the West in an non-embarrassing version(Come Drink With Me,"
First of all, everyone was trying to pick up those Shaw Brother titles. So I don't know what you mean by "that nobody was rushing to make available". And in fact, there are at least like what? Close to 5 companies releasing Shaw Brother movies in the US?
Also, it's ironic you write "non-embarassing version" and use their release of Come Drink With Me as an example. Have you actually seen it? The subtitles are atrocious. Not "weak". Atrocious. They barely make sense at times and like Flash Point, are actually worse than the subs found on the HK DVD.
"So lets all chill and step off the hate train, its more fun to be off the hate train and on the happy bus. "
It's called being "realistic" son. Looking at the situation as is and not contorting as something else. Dragon Dynasty is one of the worst companies putting out Asian movies. What prevents some from seeing this is the shallow fact that they have extras and all the hype that other companies don't have the luxury for thanks to their Weinstein money. But when it comes to the basics, the presentation of the films, they fail in spades.
Best to have them leave and have other companies, especially the ones I mentioned before to release these titles instead.
5
November 11, 2008
Stan Glick: ... http://asiancinefest.blogspot.com
I've reviewed quite a few of the Dragon Dynasty releases on my blog and I've been pretty happy with them. Maybe I'm not as discerning as some (or is it picky?), but I've found the transfers to be acceptable at worst, and usually quite good. Sometimes bad video on DVD is due to the source material and the fact that it's not financially sound to throw big bucks on a fancy restoration. Not every film, esp old Hong Kong films, warrants The Criterion Treatment!
Same goes for subtitles. Seems to me that those for "Come Drink With Me" were the original Hong Kong subtitles, which I like to refer to as "Chinglish." For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot -- and "new, improved subtitles" as an option. But again that costs bucks.
And Dragon Dynasty has really given good value -- again, in my opinion -- in terms of extras, particularly on the 2-disc releases. I've found Bey Logan's contributions, in both commentaries and separate special features, to be very informative.
Compare the typical Dragon Dynasty release with, for example, the Image Entertainment no-frills, no-extras single disc release of "The Magic Blade" and perhaps you'll appreciate DD a bit more. Sure there's room for improvement, but overall I think Dragon Dynasty has done pretty well for us Asian film fans. I can't see anyone else stepping in to do as well if DD should vanish, which I really hope won't come to pass.
Same goes for subtitles. Seems to me that those for "Come Drink With Me" were the original Hong Kong subtitles, which I like to refer to as "Chinglish." For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot -- and "new, improved subtitles" as an option. But again that costs bucks.
And Dragon Dynasty has really given good value -- again, in my opinion -- in terms of extras, particularly on the 2-disc releases. I've found Bey Logan's contributions, in both commentaries and separate special features, to be very informative.
Compare the typical Dragon Dynasty release with, for example, the Image Entertainment no-frills, no-extras single disc release of "The Magic Blade" and perhaps you'll appreciate DD a bit more. Sure there's room for improvement, but overall I think Dragon Dynasty has done pretty well for us Asian film fans. I can't see anyone else stepping in to do as well if DD should vanish, which I really hope won't come to pass.
6
November 13, 2008
The Running Man: Re: Stan Glick:
"Maybe I'm not as discerning as some (or is it picky?),"
Or maybe you just aren't a good enough reviewer.
"Sometimes bad video on DVD is due to the source material and the fact that it's not financially sound to throw big bucks on a fancy restoration. Not every film, esp old Hong Kong films, warrants The Criterion Treatment! "
All their "best" transfers are the more recent films which are nothing more than just carbon copies of what's found in the original Asian DVD releases. They didn't touch them. The Shaw Brother DVDs all used masters that were created back in the Miramax days. They really didn't do anything with those either.
Now that leaves the stuff they actually work on. You have a theory that it's down to the materials. Well, here's an example that debunks that theory:
The previous Dimension DVD release of Tai Chi Master, under the stupid name Twin Warriors, had better picture quality than the current release from Dragon Dynasty. That transfer mind you, was non-anamorphic.
Here's another: Dragon Dynasty's Police Story transfer is inferior not only to the HK release, but also on a sample clip of the film that New Line put out on their Mr. Nice Guy DVD which was made 6-7 maybe 8 years ago.
That tells you one thing... the team working on the transfers are not good at what they do.
"Same goes for subtitles. Seems to me that those for "Come Drink With Me" were the original Hong Kong subtitles"
They weren't. And even if they were, there's no excuse to have poor subtitles on a DVD created and released for an English speaking market.
You also completely ignored the point that I made which was that they are WORSE than the subtitles found on the HK DVD.
"For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot --"
That is not true. You are confusing Shaw Brother movies with every other Hong Kong movie you have seen before. Original Shaw Brother subtitles are actually not that bad and were noted to be typically better than what was generally seen at the time. The current subtitles on the Celestial DVD are new ones and most of them are pretty poor. Dragon Dynasty did those subs one up by creating all new subs on Come Drink With Me that were actually worse.
"and "new, improved subtitles" as an option. But again that costs bucks. "
To at the very least check them so they make sense?? No, that only costs integrity, strive for quality and an honest desire to give a damn. Those things DD obviously lacks.
"Compare the typical Dragon Dynasty release with, for example, the Image Entertainment no-frills, no-extras single disc release of "The Magic Blade" and perhaps you'll appreciate DD a bit more."
Ironic. Even though they don't retranslate them, Image at least checks the subtitles they are given and make sure they make sense. DD don't even bother to do that.
" I can't see anyone else stepping in to do as well if DD should vanish,"
I've already mentioned companies who have and mentioned one that is about to. Perhaps you should check those out and you'd appreciate a bit more where we are coming from.
Or maybe you just aren't a good enough reviewer.
"Sometimes bad video on DVD is due to the source material and the fact that it's not financially sound to throw big bucks on a fancy restoration. Not every film, esp old Hong Kong films, warrants The Criterion Treatment! "
All their "best" transfers are the more recent films which are nothing more than just carbon copies of what's found in the original Asian DVD releases. They didn't touch them. The Shaw Brother DVDs all used masters that were created back in the Miramax days. They really didn't do anything with those either.
Now that leaves the stuff they actually work on. You have a theory that it's down to the materials. Well, here's an example that debunks that theory:
The previous Dimension DVD release of Tai Chi Master, under the stupid name Twin Warriors, had better picture quality than the current release from Dragon Dynasty. That transfer mind you, was non-anamorphic.
Here's another: Dragon Dynasty's Police Story transfer is inferior not only to the HK release, but also on a sample clip of the film that New Line put out on their Mr. Nice Guy DVD which was made 6-7 maybe 8 years ago.
That tells you one thing... the team working on the transfers are not good at what they do.
"Same goes for subtitles. Seems to me that those for "Come Drink With Me" were the original Hong Kong subtitles"
They weren't. And even if they were, there's no excuse to have poor subtitles on a DVD created and released for an English speaking market.
You also completely ignored the point that I made which was that they are WORSE than the subtitles found on the HK DVD.
"For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot --"
That is not true. You are confusing Shaw Brother movies with every other Hong Kong movie you have seen before. Original Shaw Brother subtitles are actually not that bad and were noted to be typically better than what was generally seen at the time. The current subtitles on the Celestial DVD are new ones and most of them are pretty poor. Dragon Dynasty did those subs one up by creating all new subs on Come Drink With Me that were actually worse.
"and "new, improved subtitles" as an option. But again that costs bucks. "
To at the very least check them so they make sense?? No, that only costs integrity, strive for quality and an honest desire to give a damn. Those things DD obviously lacks.
"Compare the typical Dragon Dynasty release with, for example, the Image Entertainment no-frills, no-extras single disc release of "The Magic Blade" and perhaps you'll appreciate DD a bit more."
Ironic. Even though they don't retranslate them, Image at least checks the subtitles they are given and make sure they make sense. DD don't even bother to do that.
" I can't see anyone else stepping in to do as well if DD should vanish,"
I've already mentioned companies who have and mentioned one that is about to. Perhaps you should check those out and you'd appreciate a bit more where we are coming from.
7
November 13, 2008
Stan Glick: Re: Running Man Re: me http://asiancinefest.blogspot.com
"Or maybe you just aren't a good enough reviewer."
Dude,you really got a rag on. I mean, my website was identified there in my comment. You could've gone to it and searched for any of my reviews of Dragon Dynasty releases simply by typing "Dragon Dynasty" in the search blog box. Then you could've decided for yourself whether or not I'm a decent reviewer. Thomas Weisser, the editor/publisher of Asian Cult Cinema, thinks I'm decent enough to have had my own column in the magazine for several years now.
But no, actually reading at least something that I've written about some Dragon Dynasty releases apparently was too much of a bother for you. It's just easier to insist that you've got the "one true viewpoint."
The bottom line for me is that whatever faults Dragon Dynasty has, they put out a pretty decent product with some terrific extras. And while I don't know the entire library of the distributors you've mentioned, from what I am familiar with I'd say that DD provides many more releases and a greater variety of product. Examples: the 2 disc DD releases of "Invisible Target," "Flash Point," "Legend of the Black Scorpion" {orig title: "The Banquest"), "The Royal Tramp Collection" of 2 Steven Chow films, "Fatal Contact," and the Vietnamese film "The Rebel."
Lighten up, Running Man, and show some tolerance for the opinions of others.
Dude,you really got a rag on. I mean, my website was identified there in my comment. You could've gone to it and searched for any of my reviews of Dragon Dynasty releases simply by typing "Dragon Dynasty" in the search blog box. Then you could've decided for yourself whether or not I'm a decent reviewer. Thomas Weisser, the editor/publisher of Asian Cult Cinema, thinks I'm decent enough to have had my own column in the magazine for several years now.
But no, actually reading at least something that I've written about some Dragon Dynasty releases apparently was too much of a bother for you. It's just easier to insist that you've got the "one true viewpoint."
The bottom line for me is that whatever faults Dragon Dynasty has, they put out a pretty decent product with some terrific extras. And while I don't know the entire library of the distributors you've mentioned, from what I am familiar with I'd say that DD provides many more releases and a greater variety of product. Examples: the 2 disc DD releases of "Invisible Target," "Flash Point," "Legend of the Black Scorpion" {orig title: "The Banquest"), "The Royal Tramp Collection" of 2 Steven Chow films, "Fatal Contact," and the Vietnamese film "The Rebel."
Lighten up, Running Man, and show some tolerance for the opinions of others.
8
November 13, 2008
The Running Man: Re: Stan Glick
"Dude,you really got a rag on. I mean, my website was identified there in my comment. You could've gone to it and searched for any of my reviews of Dragon Dynasty releases simply by typing "Dragon Dynasty" in the search blog box."
Just like how you "suggested" that people like me are probably nothing more than "picky" I simply "suggested" that someone like you is probably nothing more than a review who isn't " good enough".
Besides, you made comments here that are good enough to judge on.
"And while I don't know the entire library of the distributors you've mentioned, from what I am familiar with I'd say that DD provides many more releases and a greater variety of product. "
Ironic you preach to me about only having one viewpoint yet here you are demonstrating it in spades. Why make such an assessment if you admitted you are unfamiliar with anyone else? All the companies I mentioned offer just as much if not MORE variety of Asian cinema than Dragon Dynasty, as well as a far more consistently product.
"Examples: the 2 disc DD releases of "Invisible Target," "Flash Point," "Legend of the Black Scorpion" {orig title: "The Banquest"), "The Royal Tramp Collection" of 2 Steven Chow films, "Fatal Contact," and the Vietnamese film "The Rebel." "
1) Unnecessary and shameless exploitative retitle for The Banquet.
2) Flash Point includes horrible subtitles that are WORSE than the ones found on the HK DVD.
3) The Royal Tramp films include inferior picture to the HK DVD and again, WORSE subtitles than it which on top of that, are censored. The Spanish subtitle track is even worse with lines and dialogues timed for totally incorrect places in the film.
None of that is about being "picky" or about intolerance. It's about reality. Choosing to ignore huge errors, missteps, blunders, bad management, carelessness, idiotic decision making, etc... and still sing praise of how this company is the "best" is wrong. Wrong because there are other companies who do a better job and don't get any of this praise or promotion.
Just like how you "suggested" that people like me are probably nothing more than "picky" I simply "suggested" that someone like you is probably nothing more than a review who isn't " good enough".
Besides, you made comments here that are good enough to judge on.
"And while I don't know the entire library of the distributors you've mentioned, from what I am familiar with I'd say that DD provides many more releases and a greater variety of product. "
Ironic you preach to me about only having one viewpoint yet here you are demonstrating it in spades. Why make such an assessment if you admitted you are unfamiliar with anyone else? All the companies I mentioned offer just as much if not MORE variety of Asian cinema than Dragon Dynasty, as well as a far more consistently product.
"Examples: the 2 disc DD releases of "Invisible Target," "Flash Point," "Legend of the Black Scorpion" {orig title: "The Banquest"), "The Royal Tramp Collection" of 2 Steven Chow films, "Fatal Contact," and the Vietnamese film "The Rebel." "
1) Unnecessary and shameless exploitative retitle for The Banquet.
2) Flash Point includes horrible subtitles that are WORSE than the ones found on the HK DVD.
3) The Royal Tramp films include inferior picture to the HK DVD and again, WORSE subtitles than it which on top of that, are censored. The Spanish subtitle track is even worse with lines and dialogues timed for totally incorrect places in the film.
None of that is about being "picky" or about intolerance. It's about reality. Choosing to ignore huge errors, missteps, blunders, bad management, carelessness, idiotic decision making, etc... and still sing praise of how this company is the "best" is wrong. Wrong because there are other companies who do a better job and don't get any of this praise or promotion.
9
November 14, 2008
Rhythm-X: ...
"For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot"
Yeah, the hell with an actual translation, I want a laff riot of typos. You AREN'T a good enough reviewer if you'd even type that.
"Thomas Weisser, the editor/publisher of Asian Cult Cinema, thinks I'm decent enough to have had my own column in the magazine for several years now."
LOL! Say no more. If the magazine is comparable to his book, then that's all I needed to hear about that. Is he still claiming that Gordon Chan is a Jackie Chan AKA? What really matters is what Ric Meyers has to say about all of this.
Yeah, the hell with an actual translation, I want a laff riot of typos. You AREN'T a good enough reviewer if you'd even type that.
"Thomas Weisser, the editor/publisher of Asian Cult Cinema, thinks I'm decent enough to have had my own column in the magazine for several years now."
LOL! Say no more. If the magazine is comparable to his book, then that's all I needed to hear about that. Is he still claiming that Gordon Chan is a Jackie Chan AKA? What really matters is what Ric Meyers has to say about all of this.
10
November 14, 2008
Stan Glick: Seems some opinionated folk can't read http://asiancinefest.blogspot.com
I'm bailing on this bruhaha with the following comments. 'The Running Man' and 'Rhythm-X' are free to have the last word.
Unlike them, I don't have the time or inclination to do a word by word rebuttal of statements made. But I'm totally ticked that they both so freely distort and misquote what I've said. Here are one example for each of them:
My writing that I wasn't familiar with the entire library of certain distributors but that I was familiar with some of their offerings is NOT ADMITTING that I am "unfamiliar with anyone else," as 'The Running Man' wrote in his response. As I indicated, I am familiar with a fair number of DVDs from the distributors other than DD that were mentioned. I based my QUALIFIED STATEMENT on what I've actually seen and other DVDs that I've looked over in the bins at a store that has a good selection of Asian martial arts movies.
And for 'Rhythm-X' to say that I'm not a good enough reviewer because I'd dared to type "that it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot" is bizarre to say the least. WHAT I ACTUALLY WROTE WAS that "For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot -- and 'new improved subtitles' as an option." Both original and new subtitles, not just the old ones. I think it would be great if both the original subtitles and grammatically better new ones (what i believe Rhythm-X refers to as "an actual translation') were available for us viewers to chose from, depending on our mood at any particular viewing.
I thought we'd all be getting a break from gross distortion of the views and statements of others now that the Presidential race is over. Seems some people who write on the web are still in that frame of mind. Too bad for those of us who'd like to engage in a reasonable, civil exchange of thoughts and ideas.
Unlike them, I don't have the time or inclination to do a word by word rebuttal of statements made. But I'm totally ticked that they both so freely distort and misquote what I've said. Here are one example for each of them:
My writing that I wasn't familiar with the entire library of certain distributors but that I was familiar with some of their offerings is NOT ADMITTING that I am "unfamiliar with anyone else," as 'The Running Man' wrote in his response. As I indicated, I am familiar with a fair number of DVDs from the distributors other than DD that were mentioned. I based my QUALIFIED STATEMENT on what I've actually seen and other DVDs that I've looked over in the bins at a store that has a good selection of Asian martial arts movies.
And for 'Rhythm-X' to say that I'm not a good enough reviewer because I'd dared to type "that it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot" is bizarre to say the least. WHAT I ACTUALLY WROTE WAS that "For old Shaw Brothers films and such it would be really nice to have the orig subtitles -- which are often a hoot -- and 'new improved subtitles' as an option." Both original and new subtitles, not just the old ones. I think it would be great if both the original subtitles and grammatically better new ones (what i believe Rhythm-X refers to as "an actual translation') were available for us viewers to chose from, depending on our mood at any particular viewing.
I thought we'd all be getting a break from gross distortion of the views and statements of others now that the Presidential race is over. Seems some people who write on the web are still in that frame of mind. Too bad for those of us who'd like to engage in a reasonable, civil exchange of thoughts and ideas.
11
November 14, 2008
logboy: ...
i feel kind of happy that i never laid down any cash for any DD releases, and i don't plan on doing so. i left them too it, just kept getting on with what matched my taste - and if anything they released matched my taste, i'd already bought the HK edition (for the few HK films i watch) - but i'm not at all surprised to see that in the background, given all track records associated with weistein involvement in licensing foreign films for america, that things were messy-but-predictable in an expected "told you so" (bad) way. if they go - fine. if they stay - no biggy. there are much better companies doing releases for similar films getting a lot less attention out there - always have been, it seems.
12
November 15, 2008
Coolflix: The words "Thomas Weisser" speak volumes, unfortunately . . .
While I appreciate your love for Asian and Hong Kong cinema as much as anyone else's here, your association with Thomas Weisser seriously taints one's perception of you as a reviewer. Your blog's alright, but you'd be far better off ditching the references to Weisser, his rag or his book (not to mention the free "listings" of Dragon Dynasty releases that rival the descriptions that can be found on retail sites like Amazon - that just looks like shilling, although considering you get their releases prior to street date, I'm not surprised at the fawning treatment).
If your reviews are in his book, I sincerely hope they don't include some of the several hundred errors I've recorded in that book over the past decade. Yes, several HUNDRED (please ask me to post some. Pleeeeze!). That such an error ridden book is still distributed in major bookstores some 10 years after it's publication, and with nary and correction in sight, should be appalling to any true fan of Hong Kong cinema. Bad enough Weisser and his fart-catchers single-handedly shunted Hong Kong (and much Asian) cinema to an undeserved "cult" ghetto through repeatedly referring to an entire culture's cinema as "cult" and "trash." Pathetic.
Thomas Weisser has done more harm to Hong Kong cinema than good. From his books to his bootleg video company Video Search of Miami (where virtually every movie costs the same flat price - go figure!) he's pulled the wool over the eyes of newcomers to this great cinema for far too long. It's unfortunate that those of us who know the truth have little recourse to set things right.
Yet.
If your reviews are in his book, I sincerely hope they don't include some of the several hundred errors I've recorded in that book over the past decade. Yes, several HUNDRED (please ask me to post some. Pleeeeze!). That such an error ridden book is still distributed in major bookstores some 10 years after it's publication, and with nary and correction in sight, should be appalling to any true fan of Hong Kong cinema. Bad enough Weisser and his fart-catchers single-handedly shunted Hong Kong (and much Asian) cinema to an undeserved "cult" ghetto through repeatedly referring to an entire culture's cinema as "cult" and "trash." Pathetic.
Thomas Weisser has done more harm to Hong Kong cinema than good. From his books to his bootleg video company Video Search of Miami (where virtually every movie costs the same flat price - go figure!) he's pulled the wool over the eyes of newcomers to this great cinema for far too long. It's unfortunate that those of us who know the truth have little recourse to set things right.
Yet.
13
November 16, 2008
James Lee: DD
Dragon Dynasty suffers from uneceassary meddling, just as the UK company Hong Kong Legends did, and that was from the same team of Brian White and Bey Logan
The Tai Chi Master DVD is an atrocious case of false advertising and it seems they've been getting away with it for far too long because reviewers and buyers cut them too much slack. Imagine if Criterion went around cropping films, and adding horrible remixes with no way to listen to the original soundtrack. We'd be up in arms
In the case of Tai Chi Master and Fist Of Legend, I have made my own DVDs using the superior masters from the French DVDs. That Dragon Dynasty is both lazy and meddlesome is very irritating
The Tai Chi Master DVD is an atrocious case of false advertising and it seems they've been getting away with it for far too long because reviewers and buyers cut them too much slack. Imagine if Criterion went around cropping films, and adding horrible remixes with no way to listen to the original soundtrack. We'd be up in arms
In the case of Tai Chi Master and Fist Of Legend, I have made my own DVDs using the superior masters from the French DVDs. That Dragon Dynasty is both lazy and meddlesome is very irritating
14
November 22, 2008
akita: Wait, what?
Lol, having Thomas Weisser validate your reviews is like having Ric Meyers write an kung fu movie encylopedia.
15
November 23, 2008
Arttemis: That's their problem...
"In the case of Tai Chi Master and Fist Of Legend, I have made my own DVDs using the superior masters from the French DVDs. That Dragon Dynasty is both lazy and meddlesome is very irritating"
And there's absolutely no reason that should have to be the case.
And there's absolutely no reason that should have to be the case.
16
November 25, 2008
TonyRo19: Dragon Dynasty fan
I feel like the lastest DVDs coming from DD have been sub-par to say the least. I was especially mad that I got duped by buying Fist of Legend at Wal-Mart instead of any other retailer that carries the full special edition and not just a single disc edition.
However, I think it was started with the best of intentions. I really enjoyed their first few releases and even some of the later ones. Being someone that isn't as into the Asian cinema world as a lot of other people I feel glad that someone out there made movies like SPL and THE PROTECTOR and FLASHPOINT available. I wasn't a hardcore fan of Hong Kong cinema to start off with, but I think it was the DD line that really got me into it.
Also Bey Logan isn't as big a problem to me as he is to some people. I know he's the major force behind DD and all, so I guess I can be thankful for that. I do hope they keep up with the line though, I'd love to see what else they have in store for us.
However, I think it was started with the best of intentions. I really enjoyed their first few releases and even some of the later ones. Being someone that isn't as into the Asian cinema world as a lot of other people I feel glad that someone out there made movies like SPL and THE PROTECTOR and FLASHPOINT available. I wasn't a hardcore fan of Hong Kong cinema to start off with, but I think it was the DD line that really got me into it.
Also Bey Logan isn't as big a problem to me as he is to some people. I know he's the major force behind DD and all, so I guess I can be thankful for that. I do hope they keep up with the line though, I'd love to see what else they have in store for us.
17
December 04, 2008
James Lee: yes
I really like Logan for his commenataries and contagious enthusiasiam. He's a pretty lousy actor though...
18
December 10, 2008
The Ruining Man: ...
OMG!!!! DD is so gay! F-U Harvey Handjob and Bey Blow-hard! Seriously, why buy DD's inferior products when you can get HKL's better subs! Subtitles sell units! Brett Ratner and great bonus materials didn't sell a single unit of Police Story! Why buy DD's crappy Shaw Bros. releases when you can get Image's superior single layered, interlaced, sometimes even non-anamorphic transfers? Thanks for everything DD!
19
December 29, 2008
Write comment
There is a problem with the comment system, or you do not have javascript enabled.
Variety Asia RSS
Kaiju Shakedown RSS