2006: The Digital Odyssey

[Brian Thibodeau]

Amassing them is one thing. You'll only be going to fast when you've watched them all! Hope you find the time once your wife's in town! I lost years of precious "watching time" just by dating, which wasn't helped by the fact my girlfriend lived in the same apartment building as me for several years! But it's time well spent nonetheless.

[Mike Thomason]

Small update on the next bout of travel plans: my wife and I have decided to postpone our plans for her move until Chinese New Year. This decision has come about due to the exorbitant price hikes Malaysian airlines has seen fit to put in place with blame being shifted onto escalating petrol prices (instead of their ongoing and debilitating gross mismanagement), as well as sundry additional expenses that were going to be accrued in the short-term that neither of us could afford. Big plus is -- I get to spend CNY with the in-laws! Yay!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah...

Lust for Love of a Chinese Courtesan (R3) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (hooray for Cantonese audio!)
Don't Open Your Eyes (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Samaritan Girl (South Korea) (DVD)

...and my wife picked me up...

A Big Match (South Korea) (DVD)
La Belle (South Korea) (DVD)

[Mike Thomason]

I did plan on catching up with a bunch of Thai films I wanted on DVD, but Thai CD Express have just advised the majority of my order is currently out of stock...thus, the below are the only survivors (marked thus *)... But on the upside, they were able to substitute the out of stock items for some new films, so the updated titles are marked thus (+)

Bang-Rajan (R4 2 disc SE) (Thailand) (DVD)
The Beast & The Beauty (South Korea) (DVD)+
Crazy Cops (Thailand) (DVD)*
The Magnificent Five (Thailand) (DVD)+
Saving Private Tootsie (Thailand) (DVD)*
Som + Bank: Bangkok For Sale (Thailand) (DVD)*
Thai Thief (Thailand) (DVD)+

[Mike Thomason]

Crime Story (Fortune Star remastered edition) (Hong Kong) (DVD)*
Feel It, Say It... (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Rampo Noir (Japan) (DVD)

And from my wife:

So Cute (South Korea) (DVD)

* I've waited forever for a decent quality version of this film, and I was never going to give in and buy the HKL version because those clowns fully ruined the film's colour scheme. The HK DVD will do me nicely!

[Mike Thomason]

I figured I had the first film in the series, so why not the other two?

Hex Vs. Witchcraft (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Hex After Hex (Hong Kong) (DVD)

[Harlock]

nm

[Mike Thomason]

here's my last order

Nice! Let me know how THE AMOROUS LOTUS PAN is, yeah? I've been wanting to see that for some years but never been able to find an English subtitled version. A word or two on PRINCE CHARMING would be nice too...

[Brian Thibodeau]

A word or two on PRINCE CHARMING would be nice too..

If you're referring to the Andy Lau/Michelle Reis version, here's one: charmless.

[Knetan]

hey,

having fallen in love with Yesteryou, Yesterme, Yesterday, I went ahead an ordered the sequel Over The Rainbow, Under The Skirt along with Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.

[Mike Thomason]

A word or two on PRINCE CHARMING would be nice too..

If you're referring to the Andy Lau/Michelle Reis version, here's one: charmless.

That one, I've seen and have here. Harlock ordered the Shaw Brothers original with Kenny Bee and Cherie Chung (a latter day fave of mine) and I've never really seen anyone offer a decent appraisal of it...

[Harlock]

nm

[Brian Thibodeau]

Harlock ordered the Shaw Brothers original with Kenny Bee and Cherie Chung (a latter day fave of mine) and I've never really seen anyone offer a decent appraisal of it...

That's the one I suspected you guys were talking about. I actually have that in my own Shaw pile, having found the VCD just this past weekend. Paid a whole $6 at this gifty-media shop in the Chinese mall, but couldn't resist that cast (well, maybe not Nat Chan) and the location.

[Mike Thomason]

Pre-ordered...

Dating A Vampire (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Love Undercover 3 (Hong Kong) (DVD)

...just for the fun of it, and because I could.

[Mike Thomason]

Have put the B-movie catch ups temporarily on hold until I see what the new Megastar Collection titles are going to be retailing at. Nice to see some of Media Asia's catalogue titles getting re-releases in 16:9 anamorphic editions (I think the only drama for many is that the soundtracks are all obviously going to be carry-overs from the older Universe releases).

If the first batch are released at a low price-point, as I expect they will, then there's a good chance I'll just upgrade a number of titles from the first releases instead of jumping into the B-titles I was originally going to start making progress with...

[Brian Thibodeau]

Speaking of B-movies, here's the VCD quotient of my last trip to Toronto's Chinese neighborhoods. Nearly all of these were found in a little shop that was unloading boxes full of VCDs for $2 CDN each. Tough to resist, even though some of these look like absolute trash (which means they're MY kind of movies!)

-GANGS 92 (Aaron Kwok)
-YESTERDAY YOU YESTERDAY ME (is this a sequel by chance? Chinese title suggest it's THIRD in a series, I'm guessing the same one as YESTERYOU YESTERME YESTERDAY or whatever it was called?)
-GIVE AND TAKE...OH s**t! (Elvis Tsui, Simon Loui and Victor Wong)
-FOREVER YOURS - (Amanda Lee, RIcky Hui, Maria Cordero)
-DIAMOND HILL
-TIME AFTER TIME (Stephen Lo; the DB entry for this posts a link to the HKFA website, but I'm guessing I'd be safer to eventually post screen grabs for the credits just to avoid any accusations of plagiarism????)
-POSSESSED (94)
-CITY WARRIORS (Dick Wei; turned out I already had this in a different package! D'oh!)
-DANGEROUS RELATIONSHIP (Vincent Wan)
-TREASURE HUNTER (2000)
-STAY BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE (Francis Ng)
-DEVIL AND MASTER (Alex Fong?)
-ROLLERBLADE KILLER
-FREAKING SPICY KILLER (Waise Lee; Nice title, but it's not in the DB at all! Looks like one to do some screen grabs from)
-A LOVE STORY aka YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (Andy Hui, Josie Ho; I've been wanting this for ages, ever since I saw it on Toronto's Chinese TV channel years ago. Great date movie!)
-SWEET SURRENDER (Frankie Chan, Shirley Lui)
-BLACK DREAM
-BIG MAN LITTLE AFFAIR
-PARKING SERVICE
-ONE DROP OF BLOOD PERSTEP (Max Mok, Lung Fong)
-GHOST MEETS YOU (Anthony Wong, Helena Law Lan)
-WIPE OUT (Francis Ng)
-EDGE OF DARKNESS (John Shum, Alex Man, Chin Siu-ho)
-THERE'S A GHOST IN THE BOYS ROOM (Wayne Lai)
-PERFECT GIRLS
-FATAL PASSION (Alex Man, Cher Yeung)
-CRAZY MISSION (Kara Hui, Dick Wei, Billy Chow)
-SUMMER DREAM (break out the bikinis, girls!)
-GANGS 2001
-THE FINAL WINNER (Jackie Lui, Grace Lam)
-ISLAND FEAR

More to come...

[Mike Thomason]

-GANGS 92 (Aaron Kwok)
-YESTERDAY YOU YESTERDAY ME (is this a sequel by chance? Chinese title suggest it's THIRD in a series, I'm guessing the same one as YESTERYOU YESTERME YESTERDAY or whatever it was called?)
-DIAMOND HILL
-PERFECT GIRLS
-SUMMER DREAM (break out the bikinis, girls!)
-GANGS 2001

I'm amazed how much further down the rung you're prepared to go than me! The above are the only titles I'd even consider looking sideways at, let alone purchasing to watch! Glad you're prepared to take one (or several) for the team!

Yes, YESTERDAY YOU YESTERDAY ME is the third film in a series commenced with YESTERYOU YESTERME YESTERDAY and then followed up by OVER THE RAINBOW, UNDER THE SKIRT (which played Australian Chinese language cinemas as YESTERYOU etc). The central connecting element in all three is John Tang, and part three was a nice, bittersweet tale of growing up and taking those final turgid steps into adulthood.

I will eventually get around to checking out SUMMER DREAM, but only because it has Iris Chai in it and is directed by Aman Chang. Otherwise, I am expecting the usual "shot on DV" masterpiece I have come to expect of those things. DIAMOND HILL is Soi Cheang's first film, and quite a good one by all accounts -- but I've never been able to find it to see it.

Right, I'm off to dig out and watch Alan Mak's STOLEN LOVE! Bye bye now!

[dleedlee]

Diamond Hill is a great little film that was well regarded when released but went under the radar when it only got released on vcd. You won't be disappointed.

I never caught the third Yester film but the first two were winners. They don't make films like these anymore it seems.

[Taijikid]

Brian--

I have seen Diamond Hill, and it is indeed a good film. The plot is very unusual--a boy hidden for years (!!!) under a girl's bed--and the visuals are great. I have seen several of Soi Cheang's movies and have found them all to be intriguing.

Talk about coincidence--I just posted a review of Edge of Darkness this morning on the database. I love the movie and am so jealous that you have found a VCD. My own tape copy is a bit worn, so I will check around to see if I can find a VCD replacement. Don't put this one on your "to-be-watched-sometime-in-the-distant-future" pile. Check it out sooner rather than later, and let me know if you like it as well as I do.

Vicki

[Mike Thomason]

They don't make films like these anymore it seems.

Well, though it's all a matter of personal opinion, I pretty much only look at it all from the "glass half-full" perspective instead of the "glass half-empty" alternative...

[Brian Thibodeau]

Wow! Thanks for the tips folks. I knew DIAMOND HILL as an early Soi Cheang effort but to be honest, I momentarily forget my Hong Kong movie history when I come across a store selling VCDs so cheaply! I thought his next film after this one, HORROR HOTLINE, had a lot of potential, but the BLAIR WITCH overtones pretty much killed my buzz (as did the whole concept of the Big Head Baby, really). His next film NEW BLOOD was, I thought, a strong step in the right direction for Hong Kong horror, but then came THE DEATH CURSE which really could have done without so many pop singers. Haven't seen his films since that one, but I've heard good things about most of them, and in fact have two of them, LOVE BATTLEFIELD and HOME SWEET HOME in the DVD's-to-watch pile!

I must say, I almost didn't buy EDGE OF DARKNESS because of the presence of John Shum, an actor whose antics wear me down in many of his comedy roles. I figured for two bucks, though, and the fact that it looked like some kind of dark thriller, it was worth a shot. Glad I picked it up now. Nice review Vicki.

As to the YESTER films, I now have the first and the third. Guess I gotta find the second one before I really dig into those!

And yeah, I think I am willing to venture further down the quality ladder than you, Mike, but that simply has to do with nearby sources of incredible bargains on legitimate product (most of which only occur because of the rampant bootlegging, ironically). I'm sure your local Chinatown gives up its unmissable bargains from time to time!

Actually, the more I look at this most recent (partial) list, I realize there's more OK stuff than trashy stuff on it, but it's a safe bet that my tastes run pretty low sometimes, as my contributions to the "additions" forums in recent months will attest (I mean, really, KUNG FU POLICE? HOOKER'S WORLD? THE RUNNER? Sigh....[by the by, some of these still need some cast members ID'd, in case anyone's got a keen eye])

Appropriately enough, I just started watching a recently-purchased, unsubtitled ( ) DVD of a B-flick called DEVIL KILLER last night. The onscreen title is actually DEVIL BUTCHER, but there's no butcher in the film (I'll post screen grabs later for verification), let alone anything worthy (so far) of the category III rating on the package, which of course features the standard glamour shot of Sophie Ngan and Grace Lam looking all sexy and naked, something I've yet to see in the film itself, not that I was hoping, of course...

[Mike Thomason]

More pre-orders...

Typhoon (South Korea) (DVD)
Re-Cycle (Hong Kong/Thailand) (DVD)
Scarred Memory (Hong Kong) (DVD)

[Knetan]

hey,

I believe Soi Cheang had either one or two DV films under his belt before the excellent Diamond Hill (it should mark his first feature where actual film was involved). Our last Day was one of those prior title, unavailable now on vcd but Tai Seng distributes a pricey tape version.

[Knetan]

hey,

Beginner's Luck
My Dear Son,
God Father (aka See Bar, old CYF movie)
Lethal Panther
Goodbye Hero
Among The Stars
The Killer's Love
Exposed To Danger
Crazy Blood
Cop Of The Town
Naked Poison
One And A Half
Bomb Shell
Last Duel
Rape And Die
Rascal's Tale.

Largely a vcd bender. Learn to love the format.

[Mike Thomason]

And a few from the Megastar Collection range to upgrade from my old Universe DVDs (which I can pass on to my father now)...

The Last Blood (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Lung Fung Restaurant (Hong Kong) (DVD)
A Moment Of Romance II (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Tigers (Hong Kong) (DVD)

...no, no Dragon Family. I always thought that film was arse... (So absolutely no need to upgrade from my Universe disc)

[Knetan]

hey,

I'm keeping my dvd for Dragon Family, only due to the finale. Rest isn't worth much.

Scarred Memory I do recommend, a Cat III film SEEMINGLY but directed with style and thought. Veronica Yip's last film. Only title in the Megastar batch kept in 2.0 mono...for some reason.

[Mike Thomason]

Scarred Memory I do recommend, a Cat III film SEEMINGLY but directed with style and thought. Veronica Yip's last film. Only title in the Megastar batch kept in 2.0 mono...for some reason.

SCARRED MEMORY was only a Cat IIB -- I have the theatrical one sheet here on my wall (framed) that proves it!

As for your second remark -- read my reply over at the Asian DVD Guide forum (if you're operating on a basic level of intellect, you'll figure out which one is me) and that should explain to you just why SM is the only title being released in DD2.0.

Or maybe you could just read this thread...

http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23329

...on a better forum.

Regards,
Mike

[Knetan]

hey,

my vague rating comment from this morning was referring to the film actually having all the style and content for a Cat III film but being a bit more clever and thoughtful in avoiding that. Liked that choice.

[Mike Thomason]

Duel To The Death (Digitally remastered) (Hong Kong)*
The Intimate (South Korea) (DVD)*
Shinobi (Japan) (DVD)
Strange Circus (Japan) (DVD)

* I change my mind a lot, yeah?

[Mike Thomason]

The Deadly Camp (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Doctor No... (Hong Kong) (DVD)
He Is My Enemy, Partner & Father In Law (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Life In Last Hour (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Merry Go Round (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Step Into The Dark (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Suspect (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Time 4 Hope (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Truth About Jane & Sam (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Yes, it looks like The Longest Summer was out of print after all!

[Brian Thibodeau]

So THE LONGEST SUMMER isn't out of print after all? Or did you find someone with copies still available?