Soulblade's 'Legend of the Wolf'?

[chen lung]

Anyone got it and would like to review the DVD?

[Beat TG]

Seems like the cover has been changed...

http://www.towerrecords.ie/reddvd/large/115127.jpg

Looks much better!:D

[chen lung]

Sendit have artwork for 'Secret Rivals 2'.

Yeah, artwork is nice with that 'golden' look:D .

[jirpy100]

Mmmh.... cool cover, I agree! However, I'm not gonna test the DVD with my hard earned cash.

The R4 DVD is on special for $9.95 (minus 10% if you live outside AUS).

The New Big Boss (http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/228181)

And according to the following review the image quality is not bad at all:

DVD Heaven review (http://web12.dvd2web.de/newbigboss/newbigboss.htm)

The Soulblade release is selling for UK 12.25 at CDWOW:

CDWOW (http://www2.cd-wow.com/detail_results_11.php?product_code=374051)

[chen lung]

Aussie release doesn't have extras, subtitles or the Cantonese soundtrack (maybe Soulblade has anamorphic too!).

[Riceboy2000]

lol looks like the cover to a ps2 game.

[Chinatown Kid]

I remember seeing this film and being rather dissapointed. Something about the action just wasn't very pleasing to me, seems like there were alot of quick edits and to much undercranking from what I remember.

[limubai2000]

You remember right.

[theportlykicker]

:lol Maybe this will jog your memory a little more.

Donnie spoof (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXWT7ZuVFLk)

It's a short fight film made by some guys on the Stunt People board. Watch the whole thing cos there's a priceless Donnie parody moment in there, and it's actually VERY accurate.

[Beat TG]

DAMN!:lol :lol :lol

[jirpy100]

I think I've watched the 2nd last fight, between the monkey guy (never can remember his name) and Donnie, close to 30 or more times. The film is excellent in the way experimental films are; it's not perfect in any one area, but a lot of people absolutely love it. And well, the rest (majority) hate it! You either get it or you don't.

And luckily the English dub is quite good for a change...

quick edits and to much undercranking from what I remember

I happen to like quick edits, I think it injects emotion into a fight scene if done right. I don't usually like the way HK overcranks (especially in fantasy titles-that crazy speed-up rubbish), but I like the way Donnie uses it in LOTW to complement the rhythm of the fights. Plus, there's a bit of mood and appropriate music which really makes it stand out from the standard fare.

For the low budget, the film has a pretty unique look and art direction too. And while I would never call it an art film, many reviewers have noted a bit of depth, and an arty edge, in the film; in fact, the look at the past, and the main character suffering from amnesia (repressed memories?) is quite symbolic and existential... he has to live with the knowledge that he was once another type of person, after finding out about his true past. The part of his life which we see is filled with the best moments, love, yet he immediately loses it all before the week's up.

Although he obviously embraces his violent side after losing the love of his life, it is because of the very person he was, and the consequences thereof that this comes to be. So, one cannot escape fate might be the message here... and one day he will be replaced by someone faster, smarter, like the young assassin who tries to murder him during his later years.

[Chinatown Kid]

I hear ya jirpy, I understand some people like the style of this film but it's never really suited my tastes. Iron Monkey II was another Yen film I really hated because of the way the fights were undercranked and the quick cuts, I just had a hard time telling what the hell was going on. :lol It's probably why i'm a big oldschool kung fu film fan, I love the long take action sequences where you can see the movements clearly and can get a pretty good idea of the martial arts skill of the actor without the fights being chopped up to bad.

[The Running Man]

Iron Monkey 2 had nothing to do with Donnie Yen. He was only there a few days for filming as a favor. That's probably why the fights are so choppy since they needed to get as much footage of him as possible since he wasn't there for that long and they didn't have time to actually put the fights together properly.

[Chinatown Kid]

It may not have anything to do with Donnie Yen, I just brought that film up as an example of the kind of fight scenes I don't like and the way they are shot. I'm not trying to hate on Yen or anything, some of his movies and fight scenes I really enjoy.

[jirpy100]

I know what you mean. I also enjoy the long takes, and am still left speechless by some of the things Liu Chia Liang came up with. The latter is a scientist; he made pure martial arts films.

Ballistic Kiss and LOTW were good attempts at original, stylized HK fare. I see them both as progressive films, an attempt at reinventing the genre of HK action, in two respective fields of martial arts and gun battles. It surely impressed Francis Ford Coppola who would’ve struck a deal for making a couple of low-budget Chinese films, but it fell through because of dealings with Coppola’s studio, the one providing the backing. But I’ll agree that it had little effect on the industry as a whole, although it was good step in his personal development. His recent awards for choreography prove that he is truly a master in the field.

And comparing them to some of his earlier 90’s films like Cheetah on Fire you’ll see the improvements he made. Take City of Darkness (1999) for instance, it had some of the best fight scenes coming from HK at the time, yet it is a fairly unknown film. His fight with Ngai Sing is the film’s highlight.

[chen lung]

Comparison (http://web12.dvd2web.de/newbigboss/newbigboss.htm)

[The Running Man]

Wow...that's some "remastering". :lol

Great way to drop the ball Soulblade.

[jirpy100]

Aaarrg! All they needed to do was take the print Force (R4) used and add a Cantonese track and English subtitles. How could they get an even worse print? Oh, well. Guess I'll be getting the superior, and super cheap, R4 version...

[BKarza]

I found his fight against Billy Chow and Kim Mare Penn's stuff to be the highlights.

[Beat TG]

disappointing indeed!

[chen lung]

R4 sure is superior with no Cantonese/subtitles or extras.

[jirpy100]

Let's put it down to a personal choice then. Would I rather pay R167 for a tape-sourced-looking dvd with subtitles of unknown quality, or pay less than half the price, R79, for a much better looking print, with an English dub which happens to be above average, and one that I'm familiar with at that? I see no justification to support Soulblade in this case-as much as I'd like to experience the film in Cantonese.

[BKarza]

here's the thing. If you have the Jumbo Plain version(FS) and a tv that does 16:9 enhanced, you get the 1:78:1 effect. I always watch it that way. It's always lbx that way. It doesn't really matter, as it's not 2:35:1.
That Soulblade looks like c-r-a-p. Funny, they have the BEST looking dvd box and the WORST dvd version.

[jirpy100]

I understand what you mean in regards to presentation, but the fact of the matter is you don't have the same amount of picture visible in the original HK release as on the subsequent two releases.

[The Running Man]

R4 sure is superior with no Cantonese/subtitles or extras.

You're damn right it is. And for the price that Soulblade is charging for their disc they should be ashamed of themselves. Out of the three discs, their disc is the worst picture-wise. And they dare call it a "Special Edition" that's "remastered"? It's the one with the less detail, worst colors, and to top it off, they pulled a HKL by unnaturally stretching the image out (look at the shot of Donnie's close-up for the best example).

This means, that anyone with either the old Chinese disc or Aussie disc should just keep them and if they don't own them, then those are the versions they should seek. The only way I would even consider buying the Soulblade disc is if they actually hired a Cantonese speaker to retranslate the English subtitles from scratch (which is highly unlikely) and even then I wouldn't pay the full price they are asking.

What a crappy company.

[Markgway]

Jeez, that Soulblade image is awful.

Yes, the Force is easily the best image-wise, but I'd probably still be tempted by Jumbo's Cantonese track/subs.

Either would be preferable to the Soulblade mess, mind.

Luckily it's not a choice I have to make.

[dyenboy]

wow..after seeing that..force video made the best remastering..

[jirpy100]

I know some of you have contacts at Soulblade, please direct them to this thread. LOTW has a strong cult following amongst many new and old-school fans, and if they release a decent subtitled copy they will find the audience! Did they do any market research before releasing the current over-priced disc? If so, they need to fire the researcher's ass! I doubt that they'll sell more than a few hundred copies - if that many!
After Ballistic Kiss Donnie gained many Japanese fans, and that's a very rich market. So what are they waiting for? More bootlegs to do the rounds? Release the film in 1.85 (or is it 1.78?) with a mono Cantonese track and the original English dubbed track, if possible, and 1st rate subtitles. Let us see the film in all its sepia-toned glory!!!
I'd personally pay between 10-15 UK pounds for a decent release. I'm not expecting reference quality, due to my knowledge of the original elements, but at least a decent (8/10) anamorphic presentation.

[chen lung]

WWDVD Forum (http://www.worldwidedvdforums.com/kb.php?mode=article&k=540)

BBFC (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/6BB1ACA0237A91F6802566C6002B5BD3?OpenDocument) - No reports of cuts unless either that website are mistaken (misidentifiing this with the EH version) or Soulblade precut it.