Monday, November 10, 2008
The Jesus Fist!
The simultaneous Cantonese/Mandarin suggests that this video was encoded from the VCD, which in HK would separate the Chinese languages into the left and right channels. The preferred language would be selected by isolating one or the other. I have this movie (Legend Of The Liquid Sword) on DVD and the picture quality is so bad it might as well be VCD (a pre-DVD, movie on 2 CDs format).
I first saw this on VHS (probably a bootleg), and I think the subtitles were slightly different, with the bearded man (not actually Jesus, but a disciple) threatening to use his Jesus Fist, rather than Jesus Punches. One of my favorite scenes, ever. The movie itself? I vaguely recall it being fun, but that's about it. Also, it has a short appearance by Gordon Liu (Lau Kar Fai).
I first saw this on VHS (probably a bootleg), and I think the subtitles were slightly different, with the bearded man (not actually Jesus, but a disciple) threatening to use his Jesus Fist, rather than Jesus Punches. One of my favorite scenes, ever. The movie itself? I vaguely recall it being fun, but that's about it. Also, it has a short appearance by Gordon Liu (Lau Kar Fai).
Labels: DVD, funny-ass shit, kung fu, Liu Chia Hui, movies, religion, youtube and other video
Friday, October 31, 2008
Lai Ying Demolished!
Lai Ying used to be the spot I'd go to for my Hong Kong DVDs and VCDs in Manhatten's Chinatown. Every few weeks or so I'd make the one hour Long Island Railroad trip to the city and stock up on a handfull of HK movies, and this was the place to go. After years of buying bootleg VHS tapes at various places like a mall on Jamaica Ave. in Queens, and The Karate Center across from the Port Authority terminal as well as tape trading through the mail. A friend of mine hipped me to rental shops in Chinatown. I visited a few (owned by U.E. Enterprises, I think) and rented some tapes, but the trip for me made that option a little on the expensive side unless I needed to be in the city 2 days apart. My friend was working out there, so for him it was no thang.
About ten years ago as I prepared to purchase my first DVD player, I'd discovered a small string of video stores on The Bowery. I don't remember if by chance or if I'd read about them on alt.asian-movies (a usenet discussion group). Or maybe it was while I was searching for the last remaining (not for long) Chinese movie theatre in Manhatten, The Music Palace, which was also on the Bowery.
Anyhow, knowing that the VCD format worked on some DVD players as well as PCs, I started to build up a collection of VCDs, so I'd have a selection to play once I got a player, but could watch right away on my computer.
Lai Lai was the first store I became a semi-regular at. I'd tried a store closer to or on the corner of Canal and the Bowery, and felt like a complete foreigner there. While Lai Lai was a lot smaller, it was a lot less intimidating as well. I'm pretty sure that's where I first met Michelle, who had helped me out when I had to return the DVD of Tai Chi Master. Twice, I think. It wouldn't play, and then another copy was tried in-store and that didn't work either, so I opted for some other movie. I still don't have Tai Chi Master on DVD, and I won't buy Twin Dragons (the U.S. release), though I've seen it.
Lai Ying opened up next door and when I went there was surprised to see Michelle, who I guess was running this operation. Lai Lai might've been her aunt's shop, but I don't remember for sure. Lai Ying was the greatest place for movies for a while, and there was a dude selling HK comics in the back as well. These came packaged with toy swords, which were the main reason I was buying them.
Over time I visited with less frequency due to a lot of factors (the internet, not that interested in Jonhny To movies and the like, not enough new kung fu movies, less time for long trips to buy movies, etc.), but always expected it would be there for me, if I needed it. But no more. It's been razed to the ground by some bastard.
Swiped from Kaiju Shakedown:
That... Is fucked up. I had read that they moved, a little while back at the Kung Fu Cinema forums, but this bit with the 15 minutes to vacate and later on all of her stock being destroyed like that...
RRrrgh!!
I'll have to make it a point to visit the new spot some time in the next few weeks.
About ten years ago as I prepared to purchase my first DVD player, I'd discovered a small string of video stores on The Bowery. I don't remember if by chance or if I'd read about them on alt.asian-movies (a usenet discussion group). Or maybe it was while I was searching for the last remaining (not for long) Chinese movie theatre in Manhatten, The Music Palace, which was also on the Bowery.
Anyhow, knowing that the VCD format worked on some DVD players as well as PCs, I started to build up a collection of VCDs, so I'd have a selection to play once I got a player, but could watch right away on my computer.
Lai Lai was the first store I became a semi-regular at. I'd tried a store closer to or on the corner of Canal and the Bowery, and felt like a complete foreigner there. While Lai Lai was a lot smaller, it was a lot less intimidating as well. I'm pretty sure that's where I first met Michelle, who had helped me out when I had to return the DVD of Tai Chi Master. Twice, I think. It wouldn't play, and then another copy was tried in-store and that didn't work either, so I opted for some other movie. I still don't have Tai Chi Master on DVD, and I won't buy Twin Dragons (the U.S. release), though I've seen it.
Lai Ying opened up next door and when I went there was surprised to see Michelle, who I guess was running this operation. Lai Lai might've been her aunt's shop, but I don't remember for sure. Lai Ying was the greatest place for movies for a while, and there was a dude selling HK comics in the back as well. These came packaged with toy swords, which were the main reason I was buying them.
Over time I visited with less frequency due to a lot of factors (the internet, not that interested in Jonhny To movies and the like, not enough new kung fu movies, less time for long trips to buy movies, etc.), but always expected it would be there for me, if I needed it. But no more. It's been razed to the ground by some bastard.
Swiped from Kaiju Shakedown:
The legendary Lai Ying in New York City has been HQ central for Asian film fans for years and years now. Run by Michelle, this DVD/VCD/CD store was located one door down from the Music Palace, one of the last Chinatown movie theaters in the US, near the corner of Bowery and Hester and it was the place to pick up the latest Hong Kong and Japanese movies. They had an extensive stock, would find anything you were looking for, and their bargain bin ran a "3 for $20" special pretty much non-stop. Michelle and her co-worker Paul really stepped up their game to help serve non-Cantonese-speaking fans and their prices were usually the lowest in town. They were also one of the few people to stand up to Tai Seng's "piracy" raids that were once the bane of Chinatown video stores.
A few weeks ago, the owner of the building in which Lai Ying was located told them that they had to move, despite the fact that they had a couple of years left on their lease. Given 15 minutes to vacate the store, Michelle managed to find a new location at 75 Chrystie Street around the corner. Two days later, however, the building owner reneged on his promise to Michelle to let her staff back in to get her inventory out and he had the building demolished along with her entire stock of DVDs and CDs. He told her to file an insurance claim if she wanted her money. On the one hand, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." On the other: holy cow! This is a massive blow to a small business owner, and Michelle has lost all of her money. More details in the next few days.
That... Is fucked up. I had read that they moved, a little while back at the Kung Fu Cinema forums, but this bit with the 15 minutes to vacate and later on all of her stock being destroyed like that...
RRrrgh!!
I'll have to make it a point to visit the new spot some time in the next few weeks.
Labels: bullshit, DVD, Heroes, kung fu, movies, odd
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Westerns
Probably the granddaddy of genre film, influencing everything from kung fu movies to space opera sci-fi to urban crime dramas. I like a good western. Not just the "Spaghetti" ones, but some John Wayne stuff and others, as well.
Aside from the Leone films (Once Upon A Time In The West in particular), a favorite would be El Dorado with Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. This movie is about as badass as anything made by John Woo in the eighties, or so that's how I remember it. It's been a while since viewing it, though I did watch Rio Bravo, a similar, earlier film also directed by Howard Hawks, for the first time a year or so ago.
Vera Cruz was a film that played on one of the Hi-Def channels several months ago that I dug a lot as well. While there weren't any outright profanity, or obvious bleeding, I was surprised at how rough it seemed for the time it was made (mid-fifties). Also had a very cool cast including Ceasar Romero, Charles Bronson, Earnest Borgnine, and Jack Elam. The leads were good too. Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.
Anyway, I'd watched a small bunch of westerns in the last week or so;
Take A Hard Ride pits the cast of Three The Hard Way (Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly) against the awesome Lee Van Cleef. It's a spaghetti western, but as it's been said by everyone else who's written about it, it doesn't feel like one. This is mostly attributed to the score by Jerry Goldsmith, and the mostly black cast, but I think it's mainly the fact that the cast use their own voices that makes this feel so American. Spaghetti westerns often sound like kung fu movies (I'm sure the same voices were often used). The Goldsmith score, Hal Needham's second unit direction and stunt co-ordination and the story's relatively down to earth characters don't hurt either. The one drawback is that Jim Kelly portrays a mute, so you don't get to hear his trademark "Oooooyyyy!" while he's whippin' up on some ass. Also his jogging while everybody's on horseback got really silly at one point. Other than that, I recommend it. A fun, action packed movie. Better than this trailer makes it appear...
Open Range - Got this cheap on DVD. Robert Duvall is great and so is Kevin Costner as the Badass who tries very hard not to be. I liked it. But even though I didn't need this movie to be longer than it was, I kinda wanted to know a little bit more about the bad guy. Why? Well, there came a point when it became really obvious that he was fuckin' with the wrong people, and yet he just wouldn't let up. This happens occasionally in genre stories, and when it does, I actually want to know why. Otherwise, it taxes my (often generous) suspension of disbelief.
Still, I liked it. I'll have to check out Dances With Wolves one day.
3:10 To Yuma - I got this on Blu-Ray. Some of the gunfights scared the cat outta the room, whereas in Open Range, they merely alarmed him somewhat. I hadn't seen the original, but I knew it was a remake. When I read in the credits that it was based on a story by Elmore Leonard, I was surprised as I assumed the original must've been really old. Holy crap! It is.
And so's he! I had no idea. Anyway, I mostly enjoyed this one, though I was a little confused by an odd change of heart at one point in the flick. Can't say anymore on that without giving shit away, so I won't. Though not a spaghetti western, the movie contains one of the genre's staples, identified by David Walker in an article some years back, as "the evil homosexual in white". Charlie Prince isn't dressed completely in white, but fits the part otherwise.
I'll have to hunt down the original.
Sukiyaki Western Django - This is a Takeshi Miike film, so this could be waaaay crazier than it is. It's not that crazy. A Japanese spaghetti western, with a mostly Japanese cast sounding out the English dialog. I thought watching it on a DVD that had no English subtitles was a bad idea, and it was, kinda, but I was fine. I did miss a bit of dialog, but I don't think it always mattered. I enjoyed it, and Quentin Tarantino's small role (appearing twice) was interesting but a little confusing. And the segment which explains the origin of Bloody Benten almost seems to be making fun of Kill Bill. It was fun, needlessly violent (which is neccessary), and not that crazy. I liked it.
The Proposition is a western from Australia. I haven't seen this one, yet. I've ordered the Blu-Ray and look forward to watching it.
Aside from the Leone films (Once Upon A Time In The West in particular), a favorite would be El Dorado with Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. This movie is about as badass as anything made by John Woo in the eighties, or so that's how I remember it. It's been a while since viewing it, though I did watch Rio Bravo, a similar, earlier film also directed by Howard Hawks, for the first time a year or so ago.
Vera Cruz was a film that played on one of the Hi-Def channels several months ago that I dug a lot as well. While there weren't any outright profanity, or obvious bleeding, I was surprised at how rough it seemed for the time it was made (mid-fifties). Also had a very cool cast including Ceasar Romero, Charles Bronson, Earnest Borgnine, and Jack Elam. The leads were good too. Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.
Anyway, I'd watched a small bunch of westerns in the last week or so;
Take A Hard Ride pits the cast of Three The Hard Way (Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, and Jim Kelly) against the awesome Lee Van Cleef. It's a spaghetti western, but as it's been said by everyone else who's written about it, it doesn't feel like one. This is mostly attributed to the score by Jerry Goldsmith, and the mostly black cast, but I think it's mainly the fact that the cast use their own voices that makes this feel so American. Spaghetti westerns often sound like kung fu movies (I'm sure the same voices were often used). The Goldsmith score, Hal Needham's second unit direction and stunt co-ordination and the story's relatively down to earth characters don't hurt either. The one drawback is that Jim Kelly portrays a mute, so you don't get to hear his trademark "Oooooyyyy!" while he's whippin' up on some ass. Also his jogging while everybody's on horseback got really silly at one point. Other than that, I recommend it. A fun, action packed movie. Better than this trailer makes it appear...
Open Range - Got this cheap on DVD. Robert Duvall is great and so is Kevin Costner as the Badass who tries very hard not to be. I liked it. But even though I didn't need this movie to be longer than it was, I kinda wanted to know a little bit more about the bad guy. Why? Well, there came a point when it became really obvious that he was fuckin' with the wrong people, and yet he just wouldn't let up. This happens occasionally in genre stories, and when it does, I actually want to know why. Otherwise, it taxes my (often generous) suspension of disbelief.
Still, I liked it. I'll have to check out Dances With Wolves one day.
3:10 To Yuma - I got this on Blu-Ray. Some of the gunfights scared the cat outta the room, whereas in Open Range, they merely alarmed him somewhat. I hadn't seen the original, but I knew it was a remake. When I read in the credits that it was based on a story by Elmore Leonard, I was surprised as I assumed the original must've been really old. Holy crap! It is.
And so's he! I had no idea. Anyway, I mostly enjoyed this one, though I was a little confused by an odd change of heart at one point in the flick. Can't say anymore on that without giving shit away, so I won't. Though not a spaghetti western, the movie contains one of the genre's staples, identified by David Walker in an article some years back, as "the evil homosexual in white". Charlie Prince isn't dressed completely in white, but fits the part otherwise.
I'll have to hunt down the original.
Sukiyaki Western Django - This is a Takeshi Miike film, so this could be waaaay crazier than it is. It's not that crazy. A Japanese spaghetti western, with a mostly Japanese cast sounding out the English dialog. I thought watching it on a DVD that had no English subtitles was a bad idea, and it was, kinda, but I was fine. I did miss a bit of dialog, but I don't think it always mattered. I enjoyed it, and Quentin Tarantino's small role (appearing twice) was interesting but a little confusing. And the segment which explains the origin of Bloody Benten almost seems to be making fun of Kill Bill. It was fun, needlessly violent (which is neccessary), and not that crazy. I liked it.
The Proposition is a western from Australia. I haven't seen this one, yet. I've ordered the Blu-Ray and look forward to watching it.
Labels: DVD, HDTV, japanese, movies
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Ong Bak 2!!! I Like Chocolate!!
This shit is gonna be epic! Too early to tell with under a handful of movies (seen by me), but is Thailand gonna be the next 80's era Hong Kong?
I saw Chocolate the other day and loved it. A story about an autistic girl who has nothing but kung fu, and a mother with a gangster past (along with other issues).
Crunchyroll has the entire movie on their site (in four parts), though a fansubbed DVD can be "found" on usenet, and possibly other online resources. Neither option is legal, though the site appears legit. The DVD is PAL video (European), which won't won't play on many NTSC (U.S. & Japan) players. XBox 360 will, PS3 won't. Funny, that.
I saw Chocolate the other day and loved it. A story about an autistic girl who has nothing but kung fu, and a mother with a gangster past (along with other issues).
Crunchyroll has the entire movie on their site (in four parts), though a fansubbed DVD can be "found" on usenet, and possibly other online resources. Neither option is legal, though the site appears legit. The DVD is PAL video (European), which won't won't play on many NTSC (U.S. & Japan) players. XBox 360 will, PS3 won't. Funny, that.
Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., Awesome, DVD, kung fu, movies, PS3, XBox 360, youtube and other video
Saturday, May 31, 2008
2 New Blu-Rays, 1 New DVD, No Crap
Ordered two more Blu-Ray flicks in anticipation of my eventual PS3 purchase. Continuing the pattern of getting one familiar movie and one unfamiliar (unseen), I've ordered Kung Fu Hustle, which I'd seen previously as a downloaded Hong Kong DVD and Tekkon Kinkreet, an Anime based on Black And White, a manga (comicbook) I read a little of some years back in a compilation.
As with DVD, the Hi-Def formats are occasionally abused by studios and labels (publishers?) who put out great movies or shows as badly encoded (or otherwise sucky) discs. In such cases, it's best to either get the standard def version (DVD) if it is decent, or wait for the eventual double dip (special edition, director's cut, etc). I can wait several years if I have to, as I did after the first DVD release of Purple Rain (released in 4:3 instead of widescreen). I held off until 2004 when the special edition came out.
Bladerunner was the film that made me want to get a Laserdisc player (never did) after Siskel & Ebert did a show about pan & scan versus widescreen using a clip from this movie as one example. I'd seen it in the theatre and maybe once on VHS, but after its release on DVD, I held off on it. I think I already knew Ridley Scott was working on another cut, but I don't remember for sure. I got that one last week on Blu.
So, assuming that a movie is gonna look good (or better than DVD) because it's on Blu-Ray isn't practical. It's best to look at a couple of resources.
I order a lot of stuff on Amazon, but their reviews can be less than reliable as they occasionally lump reviews of different versions of the same film together (sometimes without stating so). It was on their forums that I read about Blu-Ray Picture Quality Thread. It's a six tier list from 0-5 with 0 representing the best releases (reference quality) and 5 representing the worst (bottom of the barrel). It's not a complete list plus opinions vary, but it's a good guide to check out titles you're interested in. As of this writing, much of the list is missing, but I'm sure it'll be back up in no time. I wanted to mention a couple of movies I wanted to buy, but didn't because of quality issues, but I've forgotten what they were and can't reference the list.
After checking the PQ list, I do a title search on High Def Digest for blu-ray reviews, skipping the movie review, and going to quality and supplements.
As I mentioned last time, I still buy DVD. There's some stuff, I'm not gonna be able to wait too long on, like a few of the remastered Shaw films (Martial Club in particular), and a two disc set of Curtis Mayfield performances I read about on Undercover Black Man. That one got here yesterday, though I still haven't seen it. Reading about it, it occurred to me that I don't have any of his music in digital (CD or mp3). I had a great cassette tape made from a CD set from the library a decade ago or so, called Anthology. I'm a gonna have to fix that.
As with DVD, the Hi-Def formats are occasionally abused by studios and labels (publishers?) who put out great movies or shows as badly encoded (or otherwise sucky) discs. In such cases, it's best to either get the standard def version (DVD) if it is decent, or wait for the eventual double dip (special edition, director's cut, etc). I can wait several years if I have to, as I did after the first DVD release of Purple Rain (released in 4:3 instead of widescreen). I held off until 2004 when the special edition came out.
Bladerunner was the film that made me want to get a Laserdisc player (never did) after Siskel & Ebert did a show about pan & scan versus widescreen using a clip from this movie as one example. I'd seen it in the theatre and maybe once on VHS, but after its release on DVD, I held off on it. I think I already knew Ridley Scott was working on another cut, but I don't remember for sure. I got that one last week on Blu.
So, assuming that a movie is gonna look good (or better than DVD) because it's on Blu-Ray isn't practical. It's best to look at a couple of resources.
I order a lot of stuff on Amazon, but their reviews can be less than reliable as they occasionally lump reviews of different versions of the same film together (sometimes without stating so). It was on their forums that I read about Blu-Ray Picture Quality Thread. It's a six tier list from 0-5 with 0 representing the best releases (reference quality) and 5 representing the worst (bottom of the barrel). It's not a complete list plus opinions vary, but it's a good guide to check out titles you're interested in. As of this writing, much of the list is missing, but I'm sure it'll be back up in no time. I wanted to mention a couple of movies I wanted to buy, but didn't because of quality issues, but I've forgotten what they were and can't reference the list.
After checking the PQ list, I do a title search on High Def Digest for blu-ray reviews, skipping the movie review, and going to quality and supplements.
As I mentioned last time, I still buy DVD. There's some stuff, I'm not gonna be able to wait too long on, like a few of the remastered Shaw films (Martial Club in particular), and a two disc set of Curtis Mayfield performances I read about on Undercover Black Man. That one got here yesterday, though I still haven't seen it. Reading about it, it occurred to me that I don't have any of his music in digital (CD or mp3). I had a great cassette tape made from a CD set from the library a decade ago or so, called Anthology. I'm a gonna have to fix that.
Labels: Anime, Anticipay-yay-shun..., DVD, HDTV, movies, music, PS3
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
PS3? My First Blu-Ray Discs!
Okay. So, I've decided that I am getting a PS3. Not simply 'cuz my 360 is out for repair, though it's a factor. Some people have had repeated Red Rings Of Death. If the same is gonna happen with mine, then maybe a back-up game system would be nice to have (The PS2 ain't doin' it for me). And not because some of the shit I said about Sony isn't true anymore. They're still more about making promises than delivering them, and there aren't a whole lot of games I want to play on the system yet.
But I want one anyway.
I'm in no rush. I'm still weighing the plus and minuses of my choices. Used vs. new. 40GB vs 60GB (discontinued) vs 80GB (being re-introduced in June with Metal Gear Solid 4).
Hard drive size is no issue. Unlike the proprietary drives used in the 360, the PS3 allows for certain off the shelf SATA drives to be used in their system for what seems like an easy upgrade. The main differences are backwards compatibility and number of USB ports. The 40GB won't play PS2 games and has 2 USB ports. The 60GB has hardware support for PS2 games and 4 USB ports. The 80GB has software emulation for PS2 games which might be a little spotty, and also 4 USB ports. I believe they all have HDMI outputs, unlike the discontinued 20GB model.
I haven't decided how important PS2 compatibility is, nor if the number of USB ports is something I care about. I was leaning towards a used 60GB, but now I'm looking forward to the MGS4 bundle that includes the game and the Dual Shock 3 controller. That'll be released in June.
Now that I have decided on a machine that'll also play Blu-Ray discs (perhaps it's primary use), it's time for me to start a library of BR discs. Earlier this week, Amazon had a sale on BR discs, 2 for $30. I ordered the 5 disc BladeRunner set and Gattica. I don't plan on replacing most of my DVD collection, so most of my initial purchases will be films I don't have on DVD (like BladeRunner), and movies I hadn't seen at all (Gattica).
Occasionally I'll still buy DVDs as well (After I got my first DVD player, I continued to buy VCDs for a while). I picked up Raising Arizona at the supermarket over the weekend for 8 bucks.
But I want one anyway.
I'm in no rush. I'm still weighing the plus and minuses of my choices. Used vs. new. 40GB vs 60GB (discontinued) vs 80GB (being re-introduced in June with Metal Gear Solid 4).
Hard drive size is no issue. Unlike the proprietary drives used in the 360, the PS3 allows for certain off the shelf SATA drives to be used in their system for what seems like an easy upgrade. The main differences are backwards compatibility and number of USB ports. The 40GB won't play PS2 games and has 2 USB ports. The 60GB has hardware support for PS2 games and 4 USB ports. The 80GB has software emulation for PS2 games which might be a little spotty, and also 4 USB ports. I believe they all have HDMI outputs, unlike the discontinued 20GB model.
I haven't decided how important PS2 compatibility is, nor if the number of USB ports is something I care about. I was leaning towards a used 60GB, but now I'm looking forward to the MGS4 bundle that includes the game and the Dual Shock 3 controller. That'll be released in June.
Now that I have decided on a machine that'll also play Blu-Ray discs (perhaps it's primary use), it's time for me to start a library of BR discs. Earlier this week, Amazon had a sale on BR discs, 2 for $30. I ordered the 5 disc BladeRunner set and Gattica. I don't plan on replacing most of my DVD collection, so most of my initial purchases will be films I don't have on DVD (like BladeRunner), and movies I hadn't seen at all (Gattica).
Occasionally I'll still buy DVDs as well (After I got my first DVD player, I continued to buy VCDs for a while). I picked up Raising Arizona at the supermarket over the weekend for 8 bucks.
Labels: DVD, movies, PS3, video games, XBox 360
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Killshot? Where? When?
I wanna see this movie! Like yesterday. Caught the trailer at the beginning of the DVD for Lucky # Slevin (great movie), and assumed it was made for cable cuz I'd never heard of it.
Also assumed it would already be on DVD considering Slevin isn't new (picked up the DVD cheap at the supermarket a coupl'a months ago). It hasn't been released, neither theatrically (for which it was filmed), nor to video and the flick is like two or three years old. Could it be just be bad? Maybe, but that hasn't stopped 90% of the shit that does get released.
It's been through some audience testing, which means it has been dumbed down at some point and that isn't good, but that can be remedied on a "director's cut".
I'm starting to look underground, but so far, nothing.
Killshot features Micky Rourke, Diane Lane, and this guy, Thomas Jane, who looks and sounds enough like Christopher Lambert, that I almost wonder if he really is The Highlander, and that he changed his name to continue working in Hollywood. Hmmm.
Labels: DVD, movies, youtube and other video
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Warriors Two
Another Leung Tsang* related movie not mentioned in yesterday's post, probably cuz I've never seen it, believe it or not. I'm aiming to fix that. I think Leung Kar Yan is playing Leung Tsang this time. Here's the trailer...
*Spelling varies.
*Spelling varies.
Labels: DVD, kung fu, movies, youtube and other video
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Yuen Biao As Leung Tsan
Last week I finished watching Real Kung Fu, a 20 episode TV drama series starring Yuen Biao, Gordon Liu, Leung Kar Yan, Lo Mang, Yuen Wah and Lee Hoi Seng.
The story seemed to revolve around an unambitious middle age man (Yuen Biao, who I assume is playing his age) who gets caught up in a murder mystery. When Leung Kar Yan (who used to be nicknamed "Beardy") appears as an effeminate ex-opera performer (and kung fu expert) with asthma, I figure it's just a nod to a character played by Lam Ching Ying in Prodigal Son. Even knowing that Yuen played the lead in Prodigal Son, I thought nothing more of it, since the lead character here seemed completely different.
It wasn't until an article on Kung Fu Cinema about a newer series called Wing Chun, did I start to make a connection. I was still in the middle of Real Kung Fu (from 2005), when I read that Wing Chun (2007) was a direct sequel to Prodigal Son that re-united Sammo Hung, the film's director with Yuen Biao who played Leung Jan.
Soon I'd figure out that Leung Tsan from the series I was watching was the same, though the story was different.
Leung Chan (spelling varies) was a Wing Chun expert from the 1800's/1900's. He taught the man (Chan Wah-Shun) who taught Yip Man who was Bruce Lee's teacher in Wing Chun, which I guess makes him Lee's Grand teacher. Had I not been a kung fu school drop out, I would have known this and not had to find this out on Wikipedia, but there it is.
Here's the trailer for Prodigal Son:
The opening theme for Real Kung Fu:
and a scene from Wing Chun:
The article says that Wing Chun (a 40 episode series) will be released on DVD in May by Tai Seng for a suggested retail price of sixty bucks, but it's available now from YesAsia for about forty eight bucks. Of course, it can also be found online, *ahem*. I look forward to watching it.
The story seemed to revolve around an unambitious middle age man (Yuen Biao, who I assume is playing his age) who gets caught up in a murder mystery. When Leung Kar Yan (who used to be nicknamed "Beardy") appears as an effeminate ex-opera performer (and kung fu expert) with asthma, I figure it's just a nod to a character played by Lam Ching Ying in Prodigal Son. Even knowing that Yuen played the lead in Prodigal Son, I thought nothing more of it, since the lead character here seemed completely different.
It wasn't until an article on Kung Fu Cinema about a newer series called Wing Chun, did I start to make a connection. I was still in the middle of Real Kung Fu (from 2005), when I read that Wing Chun (2007) was a direct sequel to Prodigal Son that re-united Sammo Hung, the film's director with Yuen Biao who played Leung Jan.
Soon I'd figure out that Leung Tsan from the series I was watching was the same, though the story was different.
Leung Chan (spelling varies) was a Wing Chun expert from the 1800's/1900's. He taught the man (Chan Wah-Shun) who taught Yip Man who was Bruce Lee's teacher in Wing Chun, which I guess makes him Lee's Grand teacher. Had I not been a kung fu school drop out, I would have known this and not had to find this out on Wikipedia, but there it is.
Here's the trailer for Prodigal Son:
The opening theme for Real Kung Fu:
and a scene from Wing Chun:
The article says that Wing Chun (a 40 episode series) will be released on DVD in May by Tai Seng for a suggested retail price of sixty bucks, but it's available now from YesAsia for about forty eight bucks. Of course, it can also be found online, *ahem*. I look forward to watching it.
Labels: Awesome, downloads, DVD, kung fu, Liu Chia Hui, movies, tv, youtube and other video
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Feasting On The Dead?
Now that it's official that HD-DVD is dead and that Blu-Ray is the victor in the war over next gen movie software formats, what's to be done with unsold players and discs?
Price cuts, of course.
I once thought I'd jump at HD-DVD if the price reached a certain low, but those price drops came only after things got progressively worse for them and defeat almost certain. So, I still held off.
Now comes a rumor that the HD-DVD add on for the XBox 360 will be lowered to about fifty bucks. Close to the $40 I thought it was worth, post format war. Before the end, I would'a considered paying $80. (now confirmed - Feb. 26th, 2008)
I reasoned that I could enjoy a bunch of movies for a while (likely to fall in price as well) and then at some point, take advantage of the notion that the 360 add-on can be made to work on a PC, rip the movies, and eventually burn those to Blu-Ray, once such burners and blank discs became affordable. That's a good plan for those who have already built up a sizable collection of HD-DVD discs (maybe not if their PCs are Mac or Linux, I dunno). Not such a good plan for me. I'd end up accumulating crap, I would eventually have to throw away. Eventually meaning in a year or two. Might not be such a bad thing if disc prices end up being close to that of a rental.
For now I'll continue to buy (and download) DVDs, though not as frequently as before, and maybe slowly start to buy a Blu-Ray disc here and there, so that I'll have a few titles once I get my first player (maybe, ...possibly a PS3, not likely before December).
Prior to getting my first DVD player at the end of 1998 (I think), I made frequent trips to Chinatown and stocked up on VCDs, a movie disc format that never took off here in the U.S., but was very popular in Asia. I was able to watch them on my computer, and knew I would pick a DVD player that would support that format. That allowed me to have a small library (in addition to the first DVDs I purchased) ready. Stephen Chow movies made up a good chunk of that collection. His movies were not as heavily bootlegged (at the time) as a lot of the stuff coming out of Hong Kong in that decade and before, so it was new stuff to me, and a change from Jet Li, Jackie Chan*, Tsui Hark, etc. I almost made Chow's Kung Fu Hustle my first Blu-Ray purchase, but backed out of it. I did order the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Royal Tramp, which contains both 1&2 (based on Louis Cha's Deer And The Cauldron AKA Duke Of Mount Deer). I haven't seen them since watching those VCDs. Though I recently watched a TV series starring Dickie Cheung and produced by Royal Tramp director/producer Wong Jing.
Of course, with Blu-Ray's backwards compatibility, I already have a 400+ strong library of commercial (which means I bought, not downloaded them) DVDs, many of which look good to great on my 37". There is also decent hi-def content on cable, and downloadable rentals on XBox Live (which I'm not that partial to).
While I've yet to make the PC to 360 connection work, for the purpose of streaming video and movies from the computer to the TV in the living room, I can connect a USB hard drive to the XBox 360 to play that content. Same with the PSP (music and video, not games). I've not downloaded hi-def content from the web, yet. At least not in the formats recognizable to the 360 (wmv, mp4, avi). But that seems like a possibility.
In any case, I think I shall leave HD-DVD to rot.
* I once read a review of City Hunter (the live action HK version) that stated that Jackie Chan was trying to make a Stephen Chow film (it was directed by Wong Jing, who'd made a lot of films with Chow at the time). Seeing how that movie made a mockery of one of my favorite 80s anime (and not in an amusing way), I was a little hesitant to experience Chow's wackiness first hand. Once I made the jump, I was hooked.
Price cuts, of course.
I once thought I'd jump at HD-DVD if the price reached a certain low, but those price drops came only after things got progressively worse for them and defeat almost certain. So, I still held off.
Now comes a rumor that the HD-DVD add on for the XBox 360 will be lowered to about fifty bucks. Close to the $40 I thought it was worth, post format war. Before the end, I would'a considered paying $80. (now confirmed - Feb. 26th, 2008)
I reasoned that I could enjoy a bunch of movies for a while (likely to fall in price as well) and then at some point, take advantage of the notion that the 360 add-on can be made to work on a PC, rip the movies, and eventually burn those to Blu-Ray, once such burners and blank discs became affordable. That's a good plan for those who have already built up a sizable collection of HD-DVD discs (maybe not if their PCs are Mac or Linux, I dunno). Not such a good plan for me. I'd end up accumulating crap, I would eventually have to throw away. Eventually meaning in a year or two. Might not be such a bad thing if disc prices end up being close to that of a rental.
For now I'll continue to buy (and download) DVDs, though not as frequently as before, and maybe slowly start to buy a Blu-Ray disc here and there, so that I'll have a few titles once I get my first player (maybe, ...possibly a PS3, not likely before December).
Prior to getting my first DVD player at the end of 1998 (I think), I made frequent trips to Chinatown and stocked up on VCDs, a movie disc format that never took off here in the U.S., but was very popular in Asia. I was able to watch them on my computer, and knew I would pick a DVD player that would support that format. That allowed me to have a small library (in addition to the first DVDs I purchased) ready. Stephen Chow movies made up a good chunk of that collection. His movies were not as heavily bootlegged (at the time) as a lot of the stuff coming out of Hong Kong in that decade and before, so it was new stuff to me, and a change from Jet Li, Jackie Chan*, Tsui Hark, etc. I almost made Chow's Kung Fu Hustle my first Blu-Ray purchase, but backed out of it. I did order the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Royal Tramp, which contains both 1&2 (based on Louis Cha's Deer And The Cauldron AKA Duke Of Mount Deer). I haven't seen them since watching those VCDs. Though I recently watched a TV series starring Dickie Cheung and produced by Royal Tramp director/producer Wong Jing.
Of course, with Blu-Ray's backwards compatibility, I already have a 400+ strong library of commercial (which means I bought, not downloaded them) DVDs, many of which look good to great on my 37". There is also decent hi-def content on cable, and downloadable rentals on XBox Live (which I'm not that partial to).
While I've yet to make the PC to 360 connection work, for the purpose of streaming video and movies from the computer to the TV in the living room, I can connect a USB hard drive to the XBox 360 to play that content. Same with the PSP (music and video, not games). I've not downloaded hi-def content from the web, yet. At least not in the formats recognizable to the 360 (wmv, mp4, avi). But that seems like a possibility.
In any case, I think I shall leave HD-DVD to rot.
* I once read a review of City Hunter (the live action HK version) that stated that Jackie Chan was trying to make a Stephen Chow film (it was directed by Wong Jing, who'd made a lot of films with Chow at the time). Seeing how that movie made a mockery of one of my favorite 80s anime (and not in an amusing way), I was a little hesitant to experience Chow's wackiness first hand. Once I made the jump, I was hooked.
Labels: DVD, HDTV, movies, PS3, wu-xia, XBox 360
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
"Condelicious, is that you?"
Well, now I'm ordering Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle. It can be gotten cheaply on Amazon. Close to the price of a rental from a few of the 3rd party vendors.
Also on the stupid but probably good list? Kung Fu Panda. It's the sequence with the chopsticks that sold me. I'd sworn off mixed animal CGI movies after Over The Hedge (and all the ones that came before). It was alright, but enough already. However I can't pass on a mixed animal CGI movie with kung fu, can I? Not if there's any actual effort being put in the fight choreography.
And Jackie Chan voices the monkey, though I don't think he can be heard in any of the trailers, yet.
Labels: Awesome, DVD, funny-ass shit, good deal, kung fu, movies, youtube
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Media Blasters Shaw Bros DVDs
Old news, but new news to me. And great fucking news at that.
In addition to the releases by Dragon Dynasty and Image Entertainment (not to mention PC only rentals* from Jaman), Classic remastered Shaw Brothers movies will be made available on DVD in the U.S. by Media Blasters.
The titles;
Five Elements Ninjas AKA Super Ninjas!
Heroes Two
The Master
Challenge of the Masters
Martial Club (Oh, Hellz yeah!)
The Deadly Duo
The Brave Archer
The Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
Black Magic 2
Flag of Iron
Great selection of titles. As mentioned in this interview with Linn Haynes, it's a wonder they hadn't been hoarded by DD or Image. Martial Club (sequel to Challenge Of The Masters) is one of my all time favorite kung fu movies. Certainly the best movie starring Gordon Liu Chia Hui and Wang Lung Wei. "Fei Hong! Use your family's kung fu!"
Apparently they start coming out in the spring and will be released one per month, beginning with Heroes Two. No plans for Blu-Ray yet, despite the using Hi-Def masters.
In addition to the releases by Dragon Dynasty and Image Entertainment (not to mention PC only rentals* from Jaman), Classic remastered Shaw Brothers movies will be made available on DVD in the U.S. by Media Blasters.
The titles;
Five Elements Ninjas AKA Super Ninjas!
Heroes Two
The Master
Challenge of the Masters
Martial Club (Oh, Hellz yeah!)
The Deadly Duo
The Brave Archer
The Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
Black Magic 2
Flag of Iron
Great selection of titles. As mentioned in this interview with Linn Haynes, it's a wonder they hadn't been hoarded by DD or Image. Martial Club (sequel to Challenge Of The Masters) is one of my all time favorite kung fu movies. Certainly the best movie starring Gordon Liu Chia Hui and Wang Lung Wei. "Fei Hong! Use your family's kung fu!"
Apparently they start coming out in the spring and will be released one per month, beginning with Heroes Two. No plans for Blu-Ray yet, despite the using Hi-Def masters.
Labels: Awesome, DVD, kung fu, Liu Chia Hui, movies, nostalgia
Sunday, January 13, 2008
HD-DVD Fire Sale?
Prices aren't quite as low as I'd like, but still tempting, even for a dead (?) format. But what to do with the HD-DVDs after eventually (?) moving to Blu-Ray? I still buy DVDs and will be able to play them in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray machines, the same can't be said for HD-DVD discs. The HD-DVD player will play standard DVDs and upconvert them, now at a price similar to decent upconverting standard DVD players. Might not be such a bad thing to use this while waiting for fully spec'd Blu-Ray machines to come down to a reasonable price.
Doesn't matter right now as my wallet is paying attention to some other issues.
Doesn't matter right now as my wallet is paying attention to some other issues.
Labels: DVD, good deal, HDTV, technology
Saturday, October 20, 2007
"All I Do Now Is Dick Around"
Pretty much what I've been doing for a while. This is like my theme song. Comes from a relatively recent album by Sparks, called Hello Young Lovers, which is badass in a Bohemian Rhapsody meets Meatloaf, though not really kinda way. I thought those guys were just a new wave group from the eighties, but there's way more to them than that. I vaguely recall an old Saturday Night Live appearance, where I thought the keyboardist was named Roland because of the prominent logo on the instrument. I also recall they had the movie rights to Mai, The Psychic Girl, and they were gonna make it a musical directed by Tsui Hark. The idea frightened me at the time, but now I wish it got made. Wonder if they went ahead and wrote any songs for it.
I'm still digging Bad Brains' Build A Nation. I used to like the idea of Bad Brains more than I did their records. Now they've made a album worthy of a Punk/Reggae band, though now it's more heavy rock, than punk, in my opinion.
Video Games.
Played through Me And My Katamari on the PSP. The controls are painful compared to We Love Katamari on the PS2, but I love the 8 bit version you get at the end. Sorry if that's a spoiler. Also love the theme, Katamari on the Funk. I doubt I'll get the 360 version (Beautiful Katamari) unless it's cheap and I have nothing better to do, which, I guess, is inevitable. Starting Killzone Liberation on the PSP. Demo was cool so I picked this up a week or two ago (I know it's been out for a while).
Still have to finish We Love Katamari on the PS2. I want to be done with all my games on the PS2 and then say goodbye to them. There's a bunch. I'm bad at finishing games, but lately I'm a bit more into it. Having the XBox 360, it would be easy to move on, but I can't. I won't. Grand Theft Auto 3 was a birthday present dammit! So was Dynasty Warriors 2, I think. And I just bought two or three PS2 games like 6 or 7 weeks ago (Shadow Of The Collossus, Socom II - Socom was used - 5 bucks, and one other?) in addition to a few other decent titles just sitting around like War Of The Monsters. So I will finish them and maybe pass them on to friends.
Finished BioShock and Halo 3 on the XBox 360. Bioshock is the better of the two games, though I've yet to try out the online multiplayer function of XBox Live. I actually let my free one month gold membership lapse without trying it out. Wanted to be a better player first. I can barely shoot straight even at this point, but I'm gonna join up next week or so.
I also play various demos, or Burnout Revenge if I want a quick gaming session. I just bought The Orange Box, primarily for Portal, but it includes Half Life 2 and Team Fortress. Looks like fun. Haven't opened it yet.
Movies.
Transformers was fun, but got annoying during the second hour (I think) with the comedy bit with them searching for glasses while the robots try to hide from the parents and the big bad government goons showing up. Turned into E.T. for a little bit. I was never a fan of the cartoon, though the animated Transformers: The Movie was pretty decent.
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang was awesome, though. Picked it up at the supermarket a while back for six or seven bucks and finally checked it out. Funny as a muh-fug. Really looking forward to Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.
Also went to see Jodie Foster's Death Wish movie, The Brave One. I liked it. Not great, but good enough. Really looking forward to seeing Terrence Howard in some kinda armor in Iron Man or maybe it's sequel.
TV?
Finished Heavenly Sword, Dragon Sabre (2003), which finishes up the Condor Heroes Trilogy, though it's not really a sequel, in my opinion. In the order I watched them, this followed the 1983 version of Legend Of The Condor Heroes and the 2006 Return Of The Condor Heroes (simply called Condor Hero in the U.S. release).
After the 2007 Legend Of is released with subtitles (fansubs perhaps), I may revisit the trilogy, following with the anime version titled Legend Of but which is actually Return Of (I have some but not all of this series) and then cap it off with the 1986 New Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre. I also have a few volumes of the comic book adaptations of Louis Cha's novels. Legendary Couple by Tony Wong is based upon Return, and Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre was adapted by Ma Wing Shing. Both were published in English by Comics One, which went out of business before completing either story.
I've got Heroes stockpiled on my cable DVR, but haven't watched any of this season, yet. I will soon.
Audio Books.
eMusic has a audio books subscription service separate from their music downloading site. I joined, but will probably cancel after my second month. Listened to After Dark by Haruki Murakami and started A Briefer History Of Time by Stephen Hawkins. The first was a novel and was a breeze to get through, despite some audio glitches here and there. The second, not so much. Though meant to be lighter reading (listening) than Brief History, it requires a bit more of my attention than I can give it during a morning commute, or while shopping. I have to take a different approach, and will, later.
My previous experience with audio books was limited to Al Franken's Lies and The Lying Liars That Tell Them. A great audio book, but I didn't hold it up as an example of the medium, because it's a collection of funny stories delivered by a comedian who knows well how to perform his work. I've been told that normally, one should avoid audio books read by the authors themselves. Consider Al Franken an exception to this rule.
Comics.
Blood Sword back issues and the new re-translated, digitally enhanced volumes (Chinese Hero - Tales Of The Blood Sword). I'll talk about those another time, but I'll say the new volumes are great, mostly.
My creative endeavors?
All I do now is dick around, but when I get back to recording, I'll use the Vox page to blog about it rather than only using it for audio links and writing a separate blog.
Labels: comics, dorama, DVD, kung fu, movies, music, music video, PSP, tv, video games, wu-xia, XBox 360, youtube
Friday, September 14, 2007
Did You Stay Out Of The HD Format "War"?
Good! Cause shit is about to get interesting...
Next month will supposedly see the launch of a third format, HD VMD. The players will cost about $150.00 US and use the traditional red laser used in regular dvd drives. If I understand correctly, these are just DVD drives with a different firmware. If this is true, can the XBox 360's regular disc drive (which handles DVDs as well as games) be converted to HD with a mere firmware update? Sounds unlikely, but exciting, especially as I just got a 360 a few days ago. More on that tomorrow or so.
A major drawback is that many studios are allied to either HD DVD, or Blue Ray, so this new format will likely have little Hollywood support at first. But it's very existence will make things more difficult for the "big" 2. People posting comments seem to have little faith that this will go very far, and perhaps they're correct. However, remember when the Wii was still called The Revolution, and so many thought that platform was gonna be way too lo-tech to compete with Sony and Microsoft?
More details at PC World and Team XBox.com
HD VMD would be enough to drive Sony execs to suicide, but there's more: The Chinese. Yes, the Chinese, who brought down the prices of HDTVs with prison labor (just joking - I Think), thus allowing me to own one*, may be about to do the same with their own HD disc format. Check this shit out...
Meanwhile in the comments, people who have already invested in their already dead formats continue their silly war as if it still mattered. They should'a read this article from last year, 10 Reasons Why High Definition DVD Formats Have Already Failed. I think I disagree with #10, though. I'll talk about that when I talk about the 360.
Stick with DVDs for the time being.
November 26th, 2007 - HD-VMD players appeared for a short while on Amazon, but not at the $150.00 price point. Was more like $200-250. As of this writing they're not available on Amazon, but are through their own site.
Now that HD-DVD players are available in the $200 and below price range, there is no advantage to HD-VMD except for the availability of Bollywood films on that format.
I don't know that the price drop for HD-DVD can offset Blu-Ray's main advantage of being built into PS3s, but I was tempted for a second. I held off. For now, I continue to stick with DVDs. But for how long? How long?
*Apparently my set is American made. If that's true, go Olevia!!! Screen's made out of plastic, though. Still happy with it.
Next month will supposedly see the launch of a third format, HD VMD. The players will cost about $150.00 US and use the traditional red laser used in regular dvd drives. If I understand correctly, these are just DVD drives with a different firmware. If this is true, can the XBox 360's regular disc drive (which handles DVDs as well as games) be converted to HD with a mere firmware update? Sounds unlikely, but exciting, especially as I just got a 360 a few days ago. More on that tomorrow or so.
A major drawback is that many studios are allied to either HD DVD, or Blue Ray, so this new format will likely have little Hollywood support at first. But it's very existence will make things more difficult for the "big" 2. People posting comments seem to have little faith that this will go very far, and perhaps they're correct. However, remember when the Wii was still called The Revolution, and so many thought that platform was gonna be way too lo-tech to compete with Sony and Microsoft?
More details at PC World and Team XBox.com
HD VMD would be enough to drive Sony execs to suicide, but there's more: The Chinese. Yes, the Chinese, who brought down the prices of HDTVs with prison labor (just joking - I Think), thus allowing me to own one*, may be about to do the same with their own HD disc format. Check this shit out...
Meanwhile in the comments, people who have already invested in their already dead formats continue their silly war as if it still mattered. They should'a read this article from last year, 10 Reasons Why High Definition DVD Formats Have Already Failed. I think I disagree with #10, though. I'll talk about that when I talk about the 360.
Stick with DVDs for the time being.
November 26th, 2007 - HD-VMD players appeared for a short while on Amazon, but not at the $150.00 price point. Was more like $200-250. As of this writing they're not available on Amazon, but are through their own site.
Now that HD-DVD players are available in the $200 and below price range, there is no advantage to HD-VMD except for the availability of Bollywood films on that format.
I don't know that the price drop for HD-DVD can offset Blu-Ray's main advantage of being built into PS3s, but I was tempted for a second. I held off. For now, I continue to stick with DVDs. But for how long? How long?
*Apparently my set is American made. If that's true, go Olevia!!! Screen's made out of plastic, though. Still happy with it.
Labels: DVD, funny-ass shit, HDTV, XBox 360
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Death Proof On DVD (Coming Soon)
I'm kinda excited about this half of the Grindhouse double feature from a little while back. I struggled to maintain consciousness during Planet Terror, the first half, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and even lost that struggle a couple of times. But I did enjoy Death Proof, Quentin Tarantino's car chase drama with Kurt Russell.
A lot of people are bitching about the two films being released separately on DVD (this should'a been mentioned in the ads for the film - more people would'a gone to the theatre), and before I saw it in the theatre, I did too*. Now that I've seen both films, I only need Death Proof. However, I don't need Death Proof with any missing reels, nor with the fake scratches and faded film effects. Since they're doing away with the Grindhouse concept (the name appears on the cover: Grindhouse Presents...), might as well treat this as a general movie release.
One review on Amazon claims that the "missing reel" will be included, but other places I checked indicate that this will be the case with Planet Terror. Maybe it's true for both. I'll wait for an actual review of the disc before making any purchase.
Kill Bill is another story. That should be a single release with a crap load of extras. I saw both at the theatre, but passed on buying the DVDs. I downloaded them instead.
A lot of people are bitching about the two films being released separately on DVD (this should'a been mentioned in the ads for the film - more people would'a gone to the theatre), and before I saw it in the theatre, I did too*. Now that I've seen both films, I only need Death Proof. However, I don't need Death Proof with any missing reels, nor with the fake scratches and faded film effects. Since they're doing away with the Grindhouse concept (the name appears on the cover: Grindhouse Presents...), might as well treat this as a general movie release.
One review on Amazon claims that the "missing reel" will be included, but other places I checked indicate that this will be the case with Planet Terror. Maybe it's true for both. I'll wait for an actual review of the disc before making any purchase.
Kill Bill is another story. That should be a single release with a crap load of extras. I saw both at the theatre, but passed on buying the DVDs. I downloaded them instead.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
HD-DVD Vs. Blu-Ray. DVD Wins!
Most commercial DVDs look great on my 38" LCD. About as good as the HDTV channels I get through cable, without the annoying pixelation during fast scenes. So until prices come down significantly, and there's a single format, I have no need to upgrade.
There's the chance I'll get a PS3 at some point. Then again, maybe not.
There's the chance I'll get a PS3 at some point. Then again, maybe not.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Watching...
On TV
Craig Ferguson
is what David Letterman was like, about twenty years ago and Conan O'Brien was less than ten years ago (before Andy Richter left). Funny. A guy trying to make the best of what the network will spring for.
Apparently, multiple shows are recorded on the same day (which ruins the topicality of some shows). Also it's not shown in HD, which might be a good thing as Hi-Def has made Conan harder to look at (Dude looks ghastly).
No complaints about Jay Leno's show which is a solid, entertaining late night show in the tradition of Johnny Carson, whom he replaced. I have way more respect for the guy now than I did when he first took over The Tonight Show. I don't really make it a point to watch the show, though. If I think I can stay up, it passes the time till CF comes on.
The Showbiz Show With David Spade
here's where showbiz news belongs, aside from Entertainment Tonight, which isn't quite as funny. He should be on five nights a week.
The Sopranos
Do I keep HBO now that it's done? Hmmm. Maybe, if not, I'll need another HD movie channel. I thought it was a great ending. It won't please everybody, though.
The Daily Show and sometimes The Colbert Report.
House M.D.
I normally come in during the last ten - fifteen minutes. There's no way I'm gonna guess what's wrong with the patient anyway.
On PSP
Return Of The Condor Heroes (2006)
The box set in U.S. stores is simply called Condor Heroes, but it's based on the sequel to Legend Of The Condor Heroes, a serialized novel by Louis Cha. The anime, which is titled Legend Of... pulls the same trick, though in that case it isn't only the U.S. version, but the Japanese version as well that's mis-titled.
Anyway, it may not be completely necessary to see the prequel to enjoy this, but if you don't, you might get the impression that West Venom, Ouyang Feng is simply a crazy, funny old guy as I did when I first encountered the character in The Legendary Couple (only read the first four volumes), a comicbook adaptation of Return from a few years back (It only lasted 8 volumes in the U.S.). It remains to be seen (by me) whether his true colors re-emerge.
Prior to this, I watched the fifteen disc (59 episode) 1983 version of Legend, and decided to follow with the 2006 version of Return, instead of the eighties version with Andy Lau (which I don't have, anyway). I was gonna wait for the 2007 version of Legend, but said eff it, and bought the DVD set of the 80s version instead. Great series, but it didn't need 59 episodes to tell that story.
I downloaded the 2006 Return of... from usenet, and the 2004(?) version of the third part of this story, Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre, from D-Addicts, which I'll watch next. I also have a 1986 version of HSDS starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, but I'll save that for another time.
I'm up to episode eight (of forty-one). I stopped for a bit, and re-read the first four volumes of the comicbook, 'cuz I remembered some other stuff happening near the begining that didn't seem to be covered here, particularly, Yang Guo's relationship to Guo Jing's and Huang Rong's daughter, the Wu brothers, and his first meeting with Ouyang Feng. I'm seeing some of that stuff pop up in dialog and flashbacks now. Also, I found watching Yang Guo (Yang Gor) as a young boy annoying with all the crying and what not. I thought we'd be past that when he grew up (end of ep 3), but at this point he's still wandering around yelling for his Gu-gu. Otherwise, it's starting to get pretty good, though confusing with all the characters popping up outta nowhere.
I'm concerned about what's gonna happen when he finds out who killed his father, the douche-bag, Yang (Wayan) Kang. Also, that thing that happens to Gu-gu/Mistress Dragon is pretty disturbing both here (ep 6?) and at the end of vol. 4 of the comic.
The effects are very well done, but the action is a bit floaty.
Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils (1982)
TV series also based on a serialized novel by Louis Cha. A few of the episodes I had of Return Of The Condor Heroes were found to be corrupted (particularly the subtitles), so while I searched for replacements and re-read The Legendary Couple (the four volumes I had), and started this series. I now alternate between this and Return.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a prequel the Condor Heroes trilogy, but the Beggar Clan figures prominently as well as their two well known techniques, The Dog Beating Stick and The Eighteen Dragon Repelling Palms (passed on to Huang Rong and Guo Jing in Legend Of). It clearly takes place during the Song Dynasty, where Condor is close to the end.
Wikipedia places Demi-Gods at the 11th Century, Legend at the 12th, Return at the 13th, and Heavenly Sword at the 14th.
Initially, I wasn't sure if this show would hold my interest, but now that Leung Kar Yan has shown up (as Beggar chief Master Kiu), things have gotten much more interesting. Especially the fighting.
Tuen Yue who was the focus, up until recently (I'm somewhere around ep 18), is a bit annoying to me. He does have a fascinating dilemma, though; His father was such a player, any girl Yue meets is potentially his half sister. This has only ruined one relationship, so far, but I doubt it'll be the last...
edit: I should mention that the above shows aren't available for the PSP (that I know of). They had to be converted from the DVDs to MP4s using XviD4PSP by Winnydows. There are other tools out there. This is the one I use.
Craig Ferguson
is what David Letterman was like, about twenty years ago and Conan O'Brien was less than ten years ago (before Andy Richter left). Funny. A guy trying to make the best of what the network will spring for.
Apparently, multiple shows are recorded on the same day (which ruins the topicality of some shows). Also it's not shown in HD, which might be a good thing as Hi-Def has made Conan harder to look at (Dude looks ghastly).
No complaints about Jay Leno's show which is a solid, entertaining late night show in the tradition of Johnny Carson, whom he replaced. I have way more respect for the guy now than I did when he first took over The Tonight Show. I don't really make it a point to watch the show, though. If I think I can stay up, it passes the time till CF comes on.
The Showbiz Show With David Spade
here's where showbiz news belongs, aside from Entertainment Tonight, which isn't quite as funny. He should be on five nights a week.
The Sopranos
Do I keep HBO now that it's done? Hmmm. Maybe, if not, I'll need another HD movie channel. I thought it was a great ending. It won't please everybody, though.
The Daily Show and sometimes The Colbert Report.
House M.D.
I normally come in during the last ten - fifteen minutes. There's no way I'm gonna guess what's wrong with the patient anyway.
On PSP
Return Of The Condor Heroes (2006)
The box set in U.S. stores is simply called Condor Heroes, but it's based on the sequel to Legend Of The Condor Heroes, a serialized novel by Louis Cha. The anime, which is titled Legend Of... pulls the same trick, though in that case it isn't only the U.S. version, but the Japanese version as well that's mis-titled.
Anyway, it may not be completely necessary to see the prequel to enjoy this, but if you don't, you might get the impression that West Venom, Ouyang Feng is simply a crazy, funny old guy as I did when I first encountered the character in The Legendary Couple (only read the first four volumes), a comicbook adaptation of Return from a few years back (It only lasted 8 volumes in the U.S.). It remains to be seen (by me) whether his true colors re-emerge.
Prior to this, I watched the fifteen disc (59 episode) 1983 version of Legend, and decided to follow with the 2006 version of Return, instead of the eighties version with Andy Lau (which I don't have, anyway). I was gonna wait for the 2007 version of Legend, but said eff it, and bought the DVD set of the 80s version instead. Great series, but it didn't need 59 episodes to tell that story.
I downloaded the 2006 Return of... from usenet, and the 2004(?) version of the third part of this story, Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre, from D-Addicts, which I'll watch next. I also have a 1986 version of HSDS starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, but I'll save that for another time.
I'm up to episode eight (of forty-one). I stopped for a bit, and re-read the first four volumes of the comicbook, 'cuz I remembered some other stuff happening near the begining that didn't seem to be covered here, particularly, Yang Guo's relationship to Guo Jing's and Huang Rong's daughter, the Wu brothers, and his first meeting with Ouyang Feng. I'm seeing some of that stuff pop up in dialog and flashbacks now. Also, I found watching Yang Guo (Yang Gor) as a young boy annoying with all the crying and what not. I thought we'd be past that when he grew up (end of ep 3), but at this point he's still wandering around yelling for his Gu-gu. Otherwise, it's starting to get pretty good, though confusing with all the characters popping up outta nowhere.
I'm concerned about what's gonna happen when he finds out who killed his father, the douche-bag, Yang (Wayan) Kang. Also, that thing that happens to Gu-gu/Mistress Dragon is pretty disturbing both here (ep 6?) and at the end of vol. 4 of the comic.
The effects are very well done, but the action is a bit floaty.
Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils (1982)
TV series also based on a serialized novel by Louis Cha. A few of the episodes I had of Return Of The Condor Heroes were found to be corrupted (particularly the subtitles), so while I searched for replacements and re-read The Legendary Couple (the four volumes I had), and started this series. I now alternate between this and Return.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a prequel the Condor Heroes trilogy, but the Beggar Clan figures prominently as well as their two well known techniques, The Dog Beating Stick and The Eighteen Dragon Repelling Palms (passed on to Huang Rong and Guo Jing in Legend Of). It clearly takes place during the Song Dynasty, where Condor is close to the end.
Wikipedia places Demi-Gods at the 11th Century, Legend at the 12th, Return at the 13th, and Heavenly Sword at the 14th.
Initially, I wasn't sure if this show would hold my interest, but now that Leung Kar Yan has shown up (as Beggar chief Master Kiu), things have gotten much more interesting. Especially the fighting.
Tuen Yue who was the focus, up until recently (I'm somewhere around ep 18), is a bit annoying to me. He does have a fascinating dilemma, though; His father was such a player, any girl Yue meets is potentially his half sister. This has only ruined one relationship, so far, but I doubt it'll be the last...
edit: I should mention that the above shows aren't available for the PSP (that I know of). They had to be converted from the DVDs to MP4s using XviD4PSP by Winnydows. There are other tools out there. This is the one I use.
Labels: comics, dorama, downloads, DVD, kung fu, PSP, tv, wu-xia, youtube
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
300, The Host, etc.
Went to the movies today to check out 300, the digital movie adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book. I caught an Imax showing in NYC, not expecting that a Tuesday afternoon screening could be so crowded. Getting a bad seat at any movie theatre sucks. Getting a bad seat at an Imax theatre really sucks, and as I sat there trying to watch the Spiderman 3 trailer, with every body's faces stretched thin at the top, because I'm sitting way too close to the screen, looking up, it occurs to me, "this was a really bad idea." And what's the fucking point anyway? Do I need to see the images that big? No. Though, once I caught an interesting editing glitch at the end of Matrix Revolutions, that I might not have seen on a normal but decent sized movie screen.
I thought the movie was great. Screen issues didn't hurt at all, though I'd noticed some distorted big heads or figures every now and then. Though it's making more than enough money at the box office, I'm thinking of seeing it again (getting to the theatre earlier, this time).
Much is being made of the parallels between events in the film and current events, and why not? I think it works well as pro-war propaganda, and we've needed a good pro-war film (as opposed to just a good war film) for a long time.
It also works as a critique of our weaknesses. The politics and perceived self interests that hold us from doing what must be done (mentioned by numerous others), on the side of the Spartans (or maybe not so much on their side), as well as the overconfidence and arrogance that ultimately hinders our ability to truly be victorious, represented by the antagonists. Despite Xerxes origin in a familiar eastern locale and the fight against "mysticism and tyranny", our enemy is ourselves, as Pogo may've been quoted.
None of this was likely intended by the film-makers or by Miller himself, as far as I know. Like most critics, sometimes I like to bring my own baggage to the table.
Did I mention it was a good movie? It is. Go see it.
I also watched The Host and Curse Of The Golden Flower on DVD.
The Host is an amusing black comedy about a dis-functional family (of course they're dis-functional) who hunts a monster that took their daughter/niece/grand-daughter from them. The special effects in this movie from Korea are surprisingly good, and for the most part would've impressed me in much larger budgeted Hollywood flicks. There's a subplot I didn't quite get, that appears to be suggesting that America sorta pulled the whole bird flu scare out of it's ass, and for no reason. Despite that, I enjoyed it a whole lot.
I didn't like Curse Of The Golden Flower. I thought it was a depressing and pointless piece of shit. Kinda like The Banquet (which also sucked), but more colorful. The kung fu wasn't bad, but more of it wouldn't have helped.
I thought the movie was great. Screen issues didn't hurt at all, though I'd noticed some distorted big heads or figures every now and then. Though it's making more than enough money at the box office, I'm thinking of seeing it again (getting to the theatre earlier, this time).
Much is being made of the parallels between events in the film and current events, and why not? I think it works well as pro-war propaganda, and we've needed a good pro-war film (as opposed to just a good war film) for a long time.
It also works as a critique of our weaknesses. The politics and perceived self interests that hold us from doing what must be done (mentioned by numerous others), on the side of the Spartans (or maybe not so much on their side), as well as the overconfidence and arrogance that ultimately hinders our ability to truly be victorious, represented by the antagonists. Despite Xerxes origin in a familiar eastern locale and the fight against "mysticism and tyranny", our enemy is ourselves, as Pogo may've been quoted.
None of this was likely intended by the film-makers or by Miller himself, as far as I know. Like most critics, sometimes I like to bring my own baggage to the table.
Did I mention it was a good movie? It is. Go see it.
I also watched The Host and Curse Of The Golden Flower on DVD.
The Host is an amusing black comedy about a dis-functional family (of course they're dis-functional) who hunts a monster that took their daughter/niece/grand-daughter from them. The special effects in this movie from Korea are surprisingly good, and for the most part would've impressed me in much larger budgeted Hollywood flicks. There's a subplot I didn't quite get, that appears to be suggesting that America sorta pulled the whole bird flu scare out of it's ass, and for no reason. Despite that, I enjoyed it a whole lot.
I didn't like Curse Of The Golden Flower. I thought it was a depressing and pointless piece of shit. Kinda like The Banquet (which also sucked), but more colorful. The kung fu wasn't bad, but more of it wouldn't have helped.
Labels: comics, DVD, kung fu, movies, politics
Thursday, February 08, 2007
D-Addicts Chinese Drama series Of The Month: Magic Sword Of Heaven & Earth
This series is shorter at ten episodes than most of this genre (Wu-Xia), which tend to go on for about 30-50 eps. Don't know anything about this one (cast, story, etc.) except that it's widescreen, which will look good on my PSP. I also notice it's available (with English subtitles) at quite a few online retailers, at around twenty bucks, which isn't bad.
Speaking of interesting online deals, I noticed a price difference for the 1983 series, Legend Of The Condor Heroes at the global and U.S. site for YesAsia. The global.YesAsia site, which in this case mentions "United States - English" at the top of the page, lists the series at $162.50 for the fifteen disc uncut set. (I get to this site through a link at Kung Fu Cult Cinema).
The US.YesAsia.com site lists the English subtitled set (also as "uncut" and fifteen discs) at $73.50. I normally wouldn't spend $75.00 in one shot on a single DVD series, but this is sounding like a good deal to me. I may have to pick this up...
02/17/07 - ordered it a few days ago. The prices on the global.yesasia.com site adjusts once you setup your location.
Speaking of interesting online deals, I noticed a price difference for the 1983 series, Legend Of The Condor Heroes at the global and U.S. site for YesAsia. The global.YesAsia site, which in this case mentions "United States - English" at the top of the page, lists the series at $162.50 for the fifteen disc uncut set. (I get to this site through a link at Kung Fu Cult Cinema).
The US.YesAsia.com site lists the English subtitled set (also as "uncut" and fifteen discs) at $73.50. I normally wouldn't spend $75.00 in one shot on a single DVD series, but this is sounding like a good deal to me. I may have to pick this up...
02/17/07 - ordered it a few days ago. The prices on the global.yesasia.com site adjusts once you setup your location.
Labels: bittorrent, dorama, downloads, DVD, good deal, kung fu, online retailers, tv, wu-xia
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
On Dreamgirls...
"Then again, there's always the possibility that the movie was bedeviled by a cliche rise-and-fall story, hopelessly generic pop tunes that sound nothing like Motown, and a thick lacquer of sheer Liberace-sings-R-&-B camp."
From a sidebar in today's New York Post (I think), trying to figure out why it wasn't nominated for a best picture Oscar.
I watched a screener* yesterday, and while it wasn't a horrible movie, the quote above sums up my feelings almost exactly.
*Screeners are copies of movies either on DVD or VHS that are sent to academy voters to get them to consider their films come Oscar/Golden Globe time. Apparently even movie folks don't like going to the movies that much anymore. These screeners inevitably end up on the internets.
From a sidebar in today's New York Post (I think), trying to figure out why it wasn't nominated for a best picture Oscar.
I watched a screener* yesterday, and while it wasn't a horrible movie, the quote above sums up my feelings almost exactly.
*Screeners are copies of movies either on DVD or VHS that are sent to academy voters to get them to consider their films come Oscar/Golden Globe time. Apparently even movie folks don't like going to the movies that much anymore. These screeners inevitably end up on the internets.
Labels: downloads, DVD, movies
Friday, November 24, 2006
Speaking Of "Condor Heroes"...
Looks like Wong Kar Wai is going back into the editing room for his classic film, Ashes Of Time. I look forward to seeing a decent DVD of this. Hopefully, this time we can actually see some of Sammo Hung's choreography. Why did they hire the guy if they weren't gonna use his stuff?
Kung Fu Cinema calls it "one of the greatest wuxia pian ever made." I can't agree with that, though I did enjoy the film on my second viewing.
Ashes Of time provides some backstory to the world of Louis Cha's Condor Heroes.
Kung Fu Cinema calls it "one of the greatest wuxia pian ever made." I can't agree with that, though I did enjoy the film on my second viewing.
Ashes Of time provides some backstory to the world of Louis Cha's Condor Heroes.
Labels: DVD, kung fu, movies, wu-xia
Monday, January 30, 2006
Purple Rain, Purple Rain
Couple of nights ago I dreamt Prince was trying to kill me. I don't remember why. I only remember the end of the dream. Prince had a gun, and he was gonna bust a cap upside my head. I manage to get a door in between me and him, but it didn't seem like it was gonna be enough. It seemed hopeless, but I was optimistic that there was some way out. Luckily, the cavalry came to the rescue in the form of "Morris day: NYPD".
End of dream.
I figured it was time I dusted off the Purple Rain DVD I bought in 2004 and give it a look see. I'd watched Graffiti Bridge and Under The Cherry Moon not long after I bought them, and made it a point to watch them first because they would likely pale in comparison to the movie that made Prince a star. Though I took a look at some of the special features on disc two, I hadn't before yesterday, watched this DVD. It's also been years since I watched the film in any form, despite being a huge Prince fan. The VHS copy I bought when it first came out (one of the first films released at a "sell through" price of $19.95) was loaned to someone I barely knew and was never returned. A DVD was released by Warners, but was full screen. While I'd been willing to put up with that shit with video tape, it wasn't happ'nin' for me on DVD, so I avoided that copy.
In 2004 Warners decided to put out some decent editions of Princes movies (except Sign O' The Times - available through amazon.ca) and I bought them all (except Sign*).
Purple Rain stars Prince as the son of an ex-cop turned failed musician (Clarence Williams III reprises his role as Linc Hayes from the Mod Squad, now known by his stage name, Francis L.). Linc spent a short career doling out beatdowns during the sixties and apparently suffered a breakdown of sorts. He retired from the force, settled down with some chick he must've met on a case and moved to Minnesota. He tried to leave the violence behind him, but he finds, not only do old habits die hard, but also that his son may inherit his curse, despite his efforts to raise him as a girly-man.
Visually the film is quite the spectacle (thanks to director Albert Magnoli), with Prince doing what he does best; sing, play guitar, dance and being a complete ass to the people around him. His acting would be easier to criticise if not for Appolonia Kotero and Jill Jones. In their defence, they do look hot (who was the chick next to Jill Jones during Computer Blue?) and I don't remember complaining about them when I saw this movie three times in 1984. Morris Day was potentially a star in the making, but didn't live up to that potential. Ditto Jerome Benton. If Morris had played Christopher Tracey in Under the Cherry Moon, that would'a been the shit.
Yes, this is Prince's film, but to me, this is a standout role for Clarence Williams III, who shows a willingness to commit 300% of his energy to Francis (Linc) Hayes despite an obviously shitty script. Good actors
End of dream.
I figured it was time I dusted off the Purple Rain DVD I bought in 2004 and give it a look see. I'd watched Graffiti Bridge and Under The Cherry Moon not long after I bought them, and made it a point to watch them first because they would likely pale in comparison to the movie that made Prince a star. Though I took a look at some of the special features on disc two, I hadn't before yesterday, watched this DVD. It's also been years since I watched the film in any form, despite being a huge Prince fan. The VHS copy I bought when it first came out (one of the first films released at a "sell through" price of $19.95) was loaned to someone I barely knew and was never returned. A DVD was released by Warners, but was full screen. While I'd been willing to put up with that shit with video tape, it wasn't happ'nin' for me on DVD, so I avoided that copy.
In 2004 Warners decided to put out some decent editions of Princes movies (except Sign O' The Times - available through amazon.ca) and I bought them all (except Sign*).
Purple Rain stars Prince as the son of an ex-cop turned failed musician (Clarence Williams III reprises his role as Linc Hayes from the Mod Squad, now known by his stage name, Francis L.). Linc spent a short career doling out beatdowns during the sixties and apparently suffered a breakdown of sorts. He retired from the force, settled down with some chick he must've met on a case and moved to Minnesota. He tried to leave the violence behind him, but he finds, not only do old habits die hard, but also that his son may inherit his curse, despite his efforts to raise him as a girly-man.
Visually the film is quite the spectacle (thanks to director Albert Magnoli), with Prince doing what he does best; sing, play guitar, dance and being a complete ass to the people around him. His acting would be easier to criticise if not for Appolonia Kotero and Jill Jones. In their defence, they do look hot (who was the chick next to Jill Jones during Computer Blue?) and I don't remember complaining about them when I saw this movie three times in 1984. Morris Day was potentially a star in the making, but didn't live up to that potential. Ditto Jerome Benton. If Morris had played Christopher Tracey in Under the Cherry Moon, that would'a been the shit.
Yes, this is Prince's film, but to me, this is a standout role for Clarence Williams III, who shows a willingness to commit 300% of his energy to Francis (Linc) Hayes despite an obviously shitty script. Good actors