2007: The Digital Scrounge

[Brian Thibodeau]

Further to Ed bringing up the Pinky Violence DVDs, I noticed Deep Discount DVD has just launched an Asian Cinema sale that includes both the box set, the individual releases, and plenty of other goodies. There are some nice titles there, though the savings on some of them may not be as good as the semi-annual 20% off sale. Still, it's worth a look:

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/studio.cfm?mainStudioid=94

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

I agree media should be a small equation when discussing the merits of a film...

I'd go so far as saying that it shouldn't be ANY part of discussing the merits of a FILM; as far as I'm concerned, if you can't separate a film from the medium it was delivered to you through when discussing it then you aren't really in it for "the film". And that's where the trainspotter mentality kicks in and ruins the conversation...

Argh... I actually wrote my post wrong. Yes you are right -- when discussing the merits of a film then yeah the media should not be part of the equation -- "The film is the thing". When discussing the film on a particular media then you can add the media to the conversation. To be honest I can't fault someone to be interested in getting a particular film on DVD and extras can increase a learning process and understanding of film (I'm thinking more MOC, Criterion than DD; yes I understand the irony of this statement ; sorry thinking about a Simpsons quote). So I think some of this can be of interest to a select group of people (not all), but it should be placed in the correct context and place.

But if someone is thinking about bitrate instead of characterization, dialogue, use of camera, how Woo was influenced by Melville*, etc... then they are missing the point of cinema in general.

Recently watched Shogun Assassin, while technically a bastardization of the first two Lone Wolf and Cub and definitely not considered a Japanese film (I definitely recommend the second film, Baby Cart at the River Styx, of six in this series to Chambara fans who have not already seen it ) it has its own merits (creepy kid narrative).

[cal42]

I'm slightly paranoid now, as I generally mention DVD quality in every post I make . Mind you, I'm not too technically minded, so I don't think I fall foul of most of the criticism on here...

One thing I will say, though, is that in my particular case, the ONLY way to see a HK film is on home formats, so I would defend a certain amount of talk on the subject.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I'm slightly paranoid now, as I generally mention DVD quality in every post I make . Mind you, I'm not too technically minded, so I don't think I fall foul of most of the criticism on here...

One thing I will say, though, is that in my particular case, the ONLY way to see a HK film is on home formats, so I would defend a certain amount of talk on the subject.

I wouldn't be too paranoid, as the criticism's largely coming from one person with bad experiences (and there are probably many who feel the way Mike does). And despite my own rantings about the more fanatical elements found at both movie websites and independent video stores, I don't actually mind the mere mention of formats or quibbles over technical details, but I can only get so far with them before clicking somewhere else. While discussion of missing frames and the like might interest some of us to a lesser degree than others, there's still a need for someone to do it, and truthfully, I've found no websites or faux-hipster video stores that restrict conversations to just the content of movies.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Just a little addendum to my post about the Asian sale at Deep Discount. Apparently they've got a surprise 20% off sale on right now (it's currently about 4am Ontario time as I write this), probably due to the launch of their revamped website tonight, and it includes CDs and Books. The code upon checkout is "20percent" so hopefully they'll actually honour it. This definitely makes the sale items worth checking out! (of course, the relaunch appears to have deleted existing wishlists, which REALLY sucks, but perhaps its time to rebuild...)

Enjoy.

[dleedlee]

the relaunch appears to have deleted existing wishlists, which REALLY sucks,

Aaargg.

I tried to go to their site last night and this morning, is it working? I can't get the page to load at all.

...finally, got in, but it is still very slow.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Not sure what time it is where you are, but I just checked the Deep Discount site and it's working fine, but I've been reading at DVDtalk that the CODE IS NO LONGER ACTIVE. Perhaps it was just a test of the new site, which might explain why I ended up placing an order at 5 in the morning.

There seems to be some hope that the sale might be active again within the next day or so, so it might be worth keeping an eye on various forums (like HTF or DVDTalk) to see if anyone has any luck.

The site does seem to slow down for some users whenever they have a big sale, but this one shouldn't have caused as much traffic as the semi-annual 20% off sales because it was unadvertised, as far as I know. But then again, maybe internet word-of-mouth since has created a monster since just a few hours ago.

I did manage to pick up a few things, and the discount code definitely worked, although it's NOT reflected in the prices below, only off the total:

AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON $6.28
(this is part of a nice sale on Universal titles they have going on)

STARLITE DRIVE-IN THEATRE - POM POM GIRLS/THE VAN - $7.07

GOING MY WAY (a gift, don't ask!) - $6.28

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2007 - $7.64

DRUNKEN DRAGON (Rarescope) - $5.99

ALONG COMES A TIGER (Rarescope) - $5.99

SPACE ACADEMY - THE COMPLETE SERIES - $16.32

Merchandise Total: $55.57
Tax: $.00
Shipping & Processing: $.00
Discount: - $11.11-

Total for this Order: $44.46

Incidentally, the coupon is a one-time-use-only affair, so choose wisely (not that I did!). The coupon code also works on PRE-ORDERS which is a first!

Still kinda pissed about the loss of my wish list though. That's gonna be tough to rebuilt, although there is talk that they are porting over wishlists from the old site later today. Where was it when I needed it!!!

[cal42]

I've only seen Amazon Women on the Moon. Bit of a disappointment on the whole, but does have a couple of good moments

[Brian Thibodeau]

I've only seen Amazon Women on the Moon. Bit of a disappointment on the whole, but does have a couple of good moments

Yeah, I'd agree with you on that one. I think it's more of a guilty pleasure for me, but watching CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON, the old sci-fi movie it primarily rips off, is just as much fun! I actually have AMAZON WOMEN on DVD already, but it's the old Image version, so I thought for $5 it would be worth upgrading to the "special edition"

Overall though, my haul ainh't that impressive (outside of the Rarescope titles), mainly because it was 5 in the morning and my wish list was gone! Probably a good thing, because I likely would have gone broke. I REALLY gotta stick to the $2 Hong Kong VCD boxes. Best value around!

By the way, I've edited my last post to reflect the fact that the coupon code has apparently expired, but it could come back in the hours ahead, so folks might wanna keep their eyes peeled around other forums just in case.

[dleedlee]

That's gonna be tough to rebuilt, although there is talk that they are porting over wishlists from the old site later today. Where was it when I needed it!!!

I tried to be good and didn't splurge during the y/e big sale so my wish list was pretty large. I was saving up titles for the summer(?) sale.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Just found out about another deal, if anyone's interested.

Paypal, if you have an account, will give you a $15 rebate off a purchase of $30 or more (!!) at any site that uses them as a payment option in Canada and the U.S. Good until the end of March.

https://paypal.promotionexpert.com/greatshopping/signup/200702/misc_s.html?route=misc.s

Yesasia accepts Paypal as an option, so this might be a nice alternative to the screwy Deep Discount thing.

Here's a few other places (but not all) that apparently accept Paypal for purchases:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/cps/general/NewConsumerSafe-outside

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

RE: Brian's purchases ...

I actually liked Along Comes A Tiger by Wu Ma, it definitely helps (or not) watching Once Upon A Time in the West before you watch that film. Above Taiwanese film for that time (not as good as 7 Grand Masters).

Ever seen a shirt make a phone call? hee hee a few good skits in that film and some bad ones.

Nothing wrong with Going my Way (as long as you are talking about the Bing one).

[Brian Thibodeau]

I actually liked Along Comes A Tiger by Wu Ma, it definitely helps (or not) watching Once Upon A Time in the West before you watch that film. Above Taiwanese film for that time (not as good as 7 Grand Masters).

Good to hear that. I've got six of these Rarescope releases so far (out of 8??), but I'm not overly familiar with any of them. Supposedly there's a box set coming that contains all eight from the first waves, so I probably could've waited, but I bought them so far at the Deep Discount sales, so hopefully things will even out.

Went out to get groceries today, and wouldn't you know, I pop into Wal-Mart and there's a $4.93 display of catalogue Columbia Tri-Star discs, so I couldn't help but grab...

FIST OF THE RED DRAGON (1993)

...which I recall someone here long ago telling me was a retitling of HERO OF HEROES. Not a bad price, that. Most of the other stuff is the same-old same-old that's been turning up in bargain bins over the years (GATTACA, THE TOY, REPLACEMENT KILLERS, STARMAN, etc). Not sure if this is just in Canada, so you Americans might wanna keep your eyes peeled.


And yeah, GOING MY WAY is the Bing version. Not a bad movie, but FATHER TED's more my style when it comes to religious programming. That, or LIFE OF BRIAN, but like I said, it's a gift.

Anyhoo, I'm off to mourn Anna Nicole Smith now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1KfDFfckc4



....

[MrBooth]

Went out to get groceries today, and wouldn't you know, I pop into Wal-Mart and there's a $4.93 display of catalogue Columbia Tri-Star discs, so I couldn't help but grab...

FIST OF THE RED DRAGON (1993)

...which I recall someone here long ago telling me was a retitling of HERO OF HEROES. Not a bad price, that.

Isn't it English dubbed only? (sorry for raising a media-issue )

[Brian Thibodeau]

Isn't it English dubbed only?

Unfortunately, yes. But for under $5, it'll do. I didn't call the thread "the digital scrounge" for nothing!

sorry for raising a media-issue

Considering this is a thread about DVDs, I was fully expecting it to include discussion of format issues.

While Mike's concerns seem to run much deeper than mine, probably because of his participation at so many of these forums in the past, I don't really have an issue with tech talk at moderate lengths (like here!), so much as with folks who seem to let hundreds of worthy (and not-so-worthy) Hong Kong movies pass them buy in the seemingly endless search for the "ultimate" versions of favourites. Oh yeah, and the clerks in independent video stores...they just bug me.

But, if it'll make things feel proper in Mike's absence, I can always give you one of these:

[MrBooth]

Whoops, I did it again :-p

V-IVL108440 Opium And The Kung Fu Master (Shaw Brothers) (1984) 76.00
V-JSDVD3029 Haunted Cop Shop (Fortune Star) (1987) 40.00
V-JSDVD4018 Peking Opera Blues (Fortune Star Digitally Remastered) (1986) 82.00
V-IVL108266 Jade Raksha (Shaw Brothers) (1968) 85.00
V-D88287 Battle Of Wits A (Regular Edition) (2006) 101.00
V-IVL108402 Full Moon Scimitar (Shaw Brothers) (1979) 76.00
V-IVL108419 Black Lizard The (Shaw Brothers) (1981) 76.00
V-IVL108396 Brothers Five (Shaw Brothers) (1970) 76.00
V-IVL108372 Justice My Foot (Shaw Brothers) (1992) 85.00
V-JSDVD3056 Big Heat The (Fortune Star) (1988) 40.00

And somehow totally forgot to order what I went there for, which was Fearless (Director's Cut)

[Brian Thibodeau]

Whoops, I did it again

Me too.

I finally put through an order with the Poker Coupon yesterday and just got shipping confirmation (I was actually hoping they'd hold off a bit, but no...).

All but one are Shaw VCDs that were already reduced to $4.99, so the 30% discount put them on par with the prices I pay at the Chinatown shops here. The majority of these are contemporary-set films, which I tend to enjoy more than the period stuff (though I've got a lot of that, too).

The Girlie Bar
Guess Who Killed My Twelve Lovers
Diary Of A Lady-Killer
Hong Kong Playboys
Gun Brothers
Love With The Perfect Stranger
Billion Dollar Legacy
Carry On Con Men
The Casino [1972]
Cherie
Crazy Bumpkins
Disco Bumpkins
Fallen Petals
Girl With The Long Hair
Naked Party
Farewell My Love
Hong Kong 73
Hong Kong Hong Kong
Murderer Pursues
King Cat
Let's Have A Baby
Gossip Street 1
Secret Service Of The Imperial Court
Sex, Love And Hate
Melody Of Love

If anyone's seen any of these, recommendations up or down are always welcomed.

[MrBooth]

Heh, looks like our Shaw Brothers collections are (nearly) mutually exclusive

[ewaffle]

For those interested the Poker Industries 30% coupon is still good--or at least it was as of about 9:30 AM EST (1430 GMT). The number as originally posted by Brian is GETTA020807

I am filling in some of the gaps in my Jade Leung and Carrie Ng collection.


The 18 Bronzemen Part 2

The 82 Tenants

Black Mask

Close Escape

Could You Kill My Husband Please?

Disciples Of The 36th Chamber

Dragon's Claws

Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger

Girl With The Diamond Slipper

Operation Pink Squad

The Peeping Tom

Perfect Match [1989]

Police Confidential Poker Blow-Out

Raging Angels

Velvet Gloves

Yes Madam 5

With free shipping (my order came to $100.84 without trying) and the discount the listed VCDs and DVDs cost me just over US$70.00.

[dleedlee]

The 'Fear of the Chirp' has kept me from buying any Shaw titles the past couple of years (and saved me some $$). But there are a few titles I'd like to see and I think vcd is the way to go. Another plus for vcds!

[Brian Thibodeau]

Heh, looks like our Shaw Brothers collections are (nearly) mutually exclusive

Possibly, but I couldn't list my Celestial/Shaw martial arts movies as they predate this thread! I just tended to amass those first because they were the ones the Chinese shops seemed to stock the most, then I started looking a little closer at the contemporary stuff like the ones I picked up at Poker. Now I just have to find the time to plow through them all! Thank goodness it's winter up here!

For those interested the Poker Industries 30% coupon is still good

I did NOT need to know this! Must...resist....

[MrBooth]

The 'Fear of the Chirp' has kept me from buying any Shaw titles the past couple of years (and saved me some $$). But there are a few titles I'd like to see and I think vcd is the way to go. Another plus for vcds!

The IVL Shaw Brothers DVDs have all had original mono tracks for the past year or so (probably more to cut costs in the face of declining sales than because they realised how bl**dy awful the remixed/violated 5.1 tracks were).

[dleedlee]

The 'Fear of the Chirp' has kept me from buying any Shaw titles the past couple of years (and saved me some $$). But there are a few titles I'd like to see and I think vcd is the way to go. Another plus for vcds!

The IVL Shaw Brothers DVDs have all had original mono tracks for the past year or so (probably more to cut costs in the face of declining sales than because they realised how bl**dy awful the remixed/violated 5.1 tracks were).

Hmmm, just what my wallet needs to hear. Thanks, maybe I'll try one or two again.

[Taijikid]

Ed--

Regarding your Carrie Ng collection, you might consider a quick purchase of Call Girl 92 from Poker, which lists the DVD as out of print and very limited stock. It was one of my Poker sale buys last week. I am a sucker for "hostess dramas," and the movie was quite good, as those things go. The three main story lines thankfully did not have Cinderella endings, and the ensemble of actors all played their roles with conviction. Carrie, of course, was unbelievably sexy, which is as good an excuse as any for sitting through the movie. All in all, a pretty good film for the money.

Vicki

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Finally saw Harakiri for the first time and was completely amazed on how good this film is. Only the third film I’ve seen from Masaki Kobayashi though the end is a bit reminiscent of his other great film Samurai Rebellion (I still need to see The Human Condition series). Tatsuya Nakadai is excellent (I am a fan of his though) as Hanshiro Tsugumo a ronin who wants to commit seppuku at Iyi’s manor. The reasons behind his wanting of sacrifice and the structure of flashbacks of his past make this an intriguing story. Even after one watching I would put this in my top ten jidai geki films. The deliberate story pace might not satisfy chambara fans.

Media note: I have the Criterion edition which is excellent set with a good introduction by Donald Richie though there is no full-length commentary (all three of his Criterion films lack a commentary).

Also picked up The Lost Sword Ship this weekend (4 rarescope owned; 4 to go) and Internal Affairs Trilogy online for Dragon Dynasty (apparently there will be commentary without Bey Logan, but I may be wrong).

[Brian Thibodeau]

and Internal Affairs Trilogy online for Dragon Dynasty (apparently there will be commentary without Bey Logan, but I may be wrong).

They ported over the cast/crew commentary from the HK disc for Part 2 and subbed it, presumably so we can hear Edison Chen expound upon his limitless talents, yo! I don't believe the other two have commentaries.

----------------------

After those intriguing comments on HARAKIRI, I'm almost embarrassed to bring the level of discourse back down to the Drive-In by admitting I watched a movie called TREASURE HUNTER (2001) last night and loved it! I'd seen this VCD in the stores for years and could never tell whether it was some shot-on-video cheapie with a deceptively impressive sleeve, or an actual film. Turns out it's the latter, and it's the only film directed and written (to date) by John Cheung Ng-long, a veteran Shaw Bros. actor from the 70's, and despite an obvious low-budget and a surplus of characters and intrigue, he makes it look like a lot pricier than it probably was! It's like a movie from the year 2001 made by folks pining for the gonzo action movie glory days of, say, 1990!

Chin Siu-ho was in some turkeys around this time (especially the dreadful PURSUIT OF THE KILLER, where his hair did all of the acting), but he's quite good in this one, paired up with Benny Lai as a couple of laid-back marine salvage specialists who unwittingly come into possession of a gadget that can cripple the world's defense systems! Boat chases, car chases, gunfights and some rather explosive and bloody demises for most of the cast (and not just the bad guys!) are soon the order of the day.

Simon Loui plays the millionaire villain in this, and while I fully expect to be ridiculed by both Simon Booth and Ms. Fan for unwittingly (I swear!) picking another movie with the guy in it, he's actually pretty cool in this. When the Papparazzi chase him to get pictures of him with starlet girlfriend Sherming Yiu, he has henchman on motorbikes firebomb their car and kill them! You don't see THAT in Hong Kong movies anymore! Moments later, on his boat, he has a pair of underdressed trannies give Sherming a Clintonian "cigar treatment" just for kicks (though we don't see much)! He pretty much goes through the entire cast with a sadistic glee.

One thing that sets this apart from so many HK B-pictures is the phenomenal underwater photography, supervised by the director himself, who must be a diving pro in real life. I'm not sure where they shot it, but the plot seems to indicate it's near Hong Kong, but the water is so clear and blue! Cheung even choreographed the underwater action, to boot, so I'm guessing the guy simply decided to put his expertise to good use.

Definitely a keeper.

[MrBooth]

Darn it, you just made me want to watch a Simon Loui film

[Brian Thibodeau]

Darn it, you just made me want to watch a Simon Loui film

I'm trying to start a cult. You can pick up your druid robe and hood at the front desk.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I'm beginning to think I need a limited weekly allowance to help control these bargain bin binges.

Picked up this lot today at a movie & music wholesaler I used to frequent all the time, until everyone else's prices started dropping because of the bootleggers and theirs didn't. Over the past couple of years, they've been steadily halving the price of their VCDs to the point where they're all now $2.50 each (CDN). DVDs are around $10, but I tend to find the real goodies in the VCD racks, like these:

SEVEN KNIGHTS (1982; Taiwan, Universe) Cool cast, category III, REALLY cool sleeve art

IF YOU WERE HERE (1994, Mei Ah) one of about two filmed affairs from the director of my cherished Bond's Angel's DV series! And another Cat. III flick

GATES OF HELL (1995 Mei Ah) Chan Kwok-bong, Strawberry Yeung Cat. III (quite a few of these today!)

IT'S NOW OR NEVER (1992, Mei Ah) Sharla Cheung Man, Cynthia Khan, and yup, Cat. III, although I'm curious to know what earned it that rating considering the top-shelf cast!

LEGAL INNOCENCE (1993, Ocean Shores) Francis Ng, Cecilia Yip. According to our reviews, this Cat. III thriller is based on the same true-life story as REMAINS OF A WOMAN, although I'm hoping the boiling puppy one reviewer mentions is faked!

SECRET SIGNS (1993, Mei Ah) Max Mok, Gigi Lai Chi. A Cat. III triad movie

ONCE UPON A TIME IN 2040 1 (Universe)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN 2040 2 (Universe)
Only the first one of these is in the DB, so it looks like I'll be doing some screen grabbing on this pair.

MR. MUMBLE (1996, Panorama) Michael Chow, Jessica Suen

STING OF THE SCORPION (1992, Universe) I've been wanting this for ages. Tried to get the Mainland DVD at the Poker sale, but it was finally sold out, as was the sequel MURDER MADE TO ORDER. Oddly, MrBlue's review mentions this runs only 67 minutes, leading me to think that, if he was watching the mainland DVD, it might have been cut. I'm certainly hoping this VCD isn't...

....


WOW, talk about dumb luck....

I'm typing this as I go through the pile, and the next one down was a Waise Lee/Maggie Shaw flick with no English title on the packaging. I just popped the disc into my laptop to see if there was an English title on the film, and lo and behold, it's

MURDERS MADE TO ORDER (1992, Universe).

Very cool.

And a few more...

ON FIRE (1996, Fitto) Francoise Yip, Louis Koo

TO KISS IS FATAL (1998, City Laser) videogramme starring Lam Man-lung, Jacqueline Law, Yukari Oshima. Not in the DB, so screengrabs will be done sometime down the road.

PROFILE IN ANGER (1984, Megastar) Leung Kar-yan, Michael (Raymond ) Chan Wai-man

VENDETTA (1993, Mei Ah) Ray Lui, Kent Cheng.

and last but not least...

LEGEND ABOUT HUNTING GHOST - HORROR NIGHT (2002, City Connection). Did a quick (and mostly futile) web search on this and discovered it's either part 2 or 3 of a five part series of zero-budget single-disc horror movies with, as far as I can tell from the sleeve, actresses of little to no talent.

I'll be watching this one first.


Thoughts and opinions are always appreciated on this stuff...

[bkasten]

Darn it, you just made me want to watch a Simon Loui film

I'm trying to start a cult. You can pick up your druid robe and hood at the front desk.

They already have that, remember? It's called the SCA.