RZA>Andy Klein 36th Chamber Commentary

[gfanikf]

Seriously, RZA knows his stuff, while Andy Klein doesn't even recgonize Lo Lieh when he appears in the film. RZA starts mentioning the use of trained martial artists in the film as opposed to early Wang Yu films or "Savage Five and other Cheng Cheh films from 72/73".

Worst part is when Andy Klein mentions how he doesn't know anything about Chinese history. Jesus, man I'll mail you one of my books if you want.

Granted this is only the first 7 minutes. I think a lot of people are going to be suprised with the knowledge RZA has (even if common to us) and intensly annoyed with Andy Klein.


EDIT: Well, minus the RZA thinks that Gordon is a real monk, but hey no ones perfect.

He did recognize Chor Yuen, and no one else did. Andy most likely thinks he meant Corey Yuen lol

[killer meteor]

Why the hell do they keep getting people like Klein or Ric Meyers to these things. I could do a better job - plus I'm a lot cuter and have a pleasant Peter Cushing-like voice!

[HONG FIST]

They should have gotten Linn Haynes, Linn Hanyes knows just about everything it seems. :D

[gfanikf]

They should have gotten Linn Haynes, Linn Hanyes knows just about everything it seems.

Defiantly, they need to go and get the RZA and Linn Haynes remix started up. :)

[Chen Zhen]

hey linn, (if ur reading this) i dont suppose uve ever met the Rza before.....?

rza is so passionate about his kung....and hes a purist too....i remember reading an interview with him where he disses the US version of jet li's black mask, and how ridiculous it was that there was all that hiphop in there

[gfanikf]

rza is so passionate about his kung....and hes a purist too....i remember reading an interview with him where he disses the US version of jet li's black mask, and how ridiculous it was that there was all that hiphop in ther

Yeah, thats why when the DVDs were first announced and some people scoffed at RZA being on the DVDs, I said I think you're going to be surprised with what he knows. Funny thing also was how Jess kept telling me to switch the track when AK came on, but how she said RZA had a great voice for the track. Andy Klein also had a habit of just repeating what RZA had just said. Honestly, I wish that had had him with David Chute or Bey. Its like for this track RZA=Bey and Andy Klein=Brett Ratner lol

[PaulyOne]

I was "one of those people" and I still scoff at RZA doing a commentary.
No doubt he is a knowledgeable fan who knows quite a bit, but we all know he was put on the DVD for the same reason they put rap music in The Black Mask... pure marketing strategy.

[gfanikf]

I'll take pure marketing strategy over Andy Klein any day!

[PaulyOne]

go for it man, but youre still stuck with andy klein

[Linn1]

as Klein was part of said stratagy as well. I've never met RZA, but have heard things friend of a friend that he's a good guy and knows quite a bit because he's actually gotten to talk to a lot of the stars. I was surprised as well to hear that his part was so good, but it's nice to hear. There's a chance he'll be at the Philly martial arts expo, so I'm hoping to meet him there. Klein is a different deal. He and I don't see eye to eye on the reason for commentaries. I feel they're a chance to right wrongs and correct mistakes long put out by people like Meyers and the like.

As for myself, thanks for the kind words. I'd be willing to do one if Dragon Dynasty contacted me. That said, I've been contacted by two other companies for various projects, including commentaries and some documentaries,so you'll most likely see or hear from me at some point in the future. IF all goes well, the titles I'd be working on will surprise quite a few people. But you all know how that goes.

BTW, on the commentary, do they mention the alternate ending to 36th Chamber?

[Markgway]

I was "one of those people" and I still scoff at RZA doing a commentary.

Me too. But if he genuinely knows his stuff (apart from that odd assertion that Liu is a real monk(!)) then fair play to him. Klein sounds like a fool (as he was on the Flying Guillotine com). How can anyone not recognize Lo Lieh? But then who do you blame: the muppet himself or the muppets who hired him? I would've done the com track for a lot cheaper. :D

[oldeschool17]

if you see him in philly, ask him why he contributed to those shitty xenon bootlegs. No real fan would have done that.

[Fatty Dragon]

So uhh does this disc have the original eng dub?

[gfanikf]

Fatty Dragon,

Yes it does :) . Sounds better than it ever has before.

[Fatty Dragon]

GREAT! So is this DVD out yet? Or was it the 19th?

RZA is indeed the man!

[gfanikf]

Fatty Dragon,

19th. We got advance copies to review :) . We should have reviews up for all of them in the next couple of days. I'll try and have 36th caps up by late tonight (4AM EST).

[Fatty Dragon]

Cool. Thats what I thought. Thanks again.

[gfanikf]

No problem. Hope you enjoy it!

[oldeschool17]

lookin forward to seeing a review on 36 chambers. hows it coming along?

[gfanikf]

Pretty good. I should have King Boxer and 36th up by 2 PM Monday

[tigerstyles]

cdwow have these up for sale all apart from One Armed..

[chen lung]

'One Armed Swordsman' is there, just a bit more pricy and not part of the 'Dragon Dynasty range'.

Link (http://www13.cd-wow.com/detail_results_14.php?product_code=1977757)

[oldeschool17]

Just wanted to keep everyone updated on my correspondence with Bey Logan.

I wrote:
Dear Bey,
Please use your power to get rid of Andy Klein, Elvis Mitchell, or any other individual that doesnt have a strong grasp of kung fu cinema like you do. Its a shame when RZA is more keyed into the genre then the other mentioned individuals. You guys should do some promos or recruiting of fans that know their kung fu cinema and let them help on the commentary for your dvds. Might I suggest a person like Linn Haynes, who you can easily find on this messageboard going by the screename: Linn1
pub3.ezboard.com/fkungfufandomfrm24 (http://pub3.ezboard.com/fkungfufandomfrm24)
Thanks -Dan

Bey replies:
Hi, Dan,
I hear what you're saying. We gave Quentin a free hand to bring in his own team of commentary experts. To be honest, sales on the titles have been very good. However, for the die hard fans, I should have done additional commentaries on each film, and will in future. Thanks for the contact info on Linn, whose name has already come up! We hope to work with him in the future. Thanks for your continued support of Dragon Dynasty,
best,
Bey
------------------
We're rooting for ya Linn! Hopefully, we'll something good happen in the near future.

[Chen Zhen]

thatll be a GREAT look for Linn if he gets hired for the job! imagine that....Linn and Bey on the same commentary track...

more importantly, im glad that sales appear to be very good, which will increase the chances of more HK classics released properly!

thanx for posting that man

[Linn1]

well Bey has my info if he want's to get me. I've actually been working on getting other Shaw releases out with another company. An announcement will be coming soon. And no problems such as Image had to deal with But I don't think that would keep me from working on the DD discs as well.

[Chen Zhen]

hey Linn....have u ever met bey btw?

[The Running Man]

I like the fact they brought in different people for better or worse.

Always using Bey Logan gets old, especially since I don't fancy hearing him with his defenses of Harvey Weinstein's practices. Plus Bey puts too much of himself in the commentaries giving his opinions on movies that really don't belong in a commentary track that is there to inform the viewer. And sometimes, he makes wild guesses that end up being proved false when you hear people actually involved in the productions say otherwise.

And he certainly has an ego. In his commentaries with Tsui hark, he actually talks over him and dominates the track, even interrupting him when he is going to say something just so Bey can give his opinion on whatever. I don't know what makes Bey think that we rather hear his take on something rather than the people directly involved with the production.

What makes people think Bey is this masterful commentator is that he never stops talking, even though the actual substance of his tracks is not as much as people think. If you hear enough tracks with him, you always hear the same stories along with the same lines over and over again.

So yeah, I want to hear different people.

[gfanikf]

So are you giving big props to Andy Klein now? :rollin

[Chen Zhen]

guess ur invitation to the bey logan fanclub got lost in the mail..

[The Running Man]

So are you giving big props to Andy Klein now?

You know he isn't the only one doing the commentaries on these discs.

And I am just telling it like it is gfanikf. Not blindly kissing Bey Logan's ass like a lot of people out there.

guess ur invitation to the bey logan fanclub got lost in the mail..

Yeah, turns out you can't join if you are already a member of the "I am not sheep" club.

[oldeschool17]

lesser of evils here my friends

[morgoth]

I agree Bey should have let Tsui tlk more, but it was still an enjoyable commentary. I would like to hear Bey instead of Andy Klein and the other guy on the My Young Auntie DVD. Those guys are completely clueless. They should have never released that commentary.

[killer meteor]

Indeed, I prefer Bey's self plugging and over-enthusiasm to a bunch of numskulls!

[Chen Zhen]

Yeah, turns out you can't join if you are already a member of the "I am not sheep" club.

so bey logan fans are all sheep huh? interesting.

FOH with that

[killer meteor]

Logans pros outweigh his cons.

And I resent being called a sheep.

[ironfistedmonk2003]

I think Bey is pretty good, his commentaries flow nicely and he is a wealth of information. When you have done as many commentaries as he has (mostly on the same studios work, GH) you are gonna end up repeating yourself. If my opinion of Bey Logan is shared by many others then I can't help that, I'm not gonna say different just to be "individual"

baaaah!!Bleeeet!!

[Linn1]

a couple of times. He's a nice guy. While I agree that he makes mistakes, who doesn't, he's FAR less prone to it than the people they are currently using on these discs.

[morgoth]

Not only would he be less prone to make mistakes, he actually knows who a lot of the actors are, whereas Andly Klein seems like the kung fu genre is brand new to him. I enjoyed Bey's commentary for killer Clans. I would have liked to hear that kind of info on the My Young Auntie release.

[Mantis FIST]

And he at least admits that he does not know as much about Shaws as others. However, what he does know is still ALOT! Plus he, I assume, does a little research.

[Chen Zhen]

yo bender whats good my dude? havent found u on this site for a minute now....yo ima hit up ur myspace message box sometime soon

[Markgway]

Bey may not be perfect - but then who is? I know you're all thinking "Markgway is, of course!", but yes, even I make blunders. It's been many years since Bey did his first com for HKL and he still the best commentator I've ever heard.

[Chen Zhen]

:rollin

u should do a commentary marky mark, that would be worht the purchase alone

[The Running Man]

so bey logan fans are all sheep huh? interesting.

Don't twist my words around Chen Zhen.

While I agree that he makes mistakes, who doesn't, he's FAR less prone to it than the people they are currently using on these discs.

I just think that the mistakes he makes are far less obvious than the ones that others would make that would invlove basic facts, which is why many won't notice them.

Take for instance his commentary track for Game of Death 2 where he was corrected quite a few times by Roy Horan or Bullet in the Head where almost every major piece of info he said was debunked by the interviews on the second disc by the actors and film makers themselves.

Bey may not be perfect - but then who is? I know you're all thinking "Markgway is, of course!", but yes, even I make blunders.

I don't believe you've made blunders at the level where you make big rants about how Harvey Weinstien is right for what he does and people who think otherwise don't really know what they are talking about and are just simple fanboys.

I find it funny how quickly to the defense people would go to Logan despite how blatent he was in defending what Weinstein does. The fact that when he made these comments over and over again yet got very little noise does say to me that most people who praise Logan aren't actually listening to his tracks. If they did, they wouldn't hold him in such high esteem as they do.

It's been many years since Bey did his first com for HKL and he still the best commentator I've ever heard.

Logan is far from the best I heard.

Aside from many commentary tracks from film makers and actors I have heard, tons of other tracks for other discs ranging from experts like on those Criterion discs or even those Artsmagic releases from Tom Mes and Jaspar Sharp. I care about tracks from people that are obviously prepared and are not there to spread an agenda, but to spread some sort of knowledge into the film at hand away from personal bias.

Again, people take the fact that Logan talks non-stop as a sign that he knows a lot and many times he just doesn't really say a lot. I lost count how many times he makes guesses at something or why something is, which is annoying because that isn't his place to do it. Like on his SPL track where a couple of times he says that a certain shot "doesn't mean anything". How does he know? He didn't direct the film and shouldn't be sitting making comments like that.

[Chen Zhen]

Yeah, turns out you can't join if you are already a member of the "I am not sheep" club.

u were clearly implying that (most) bey logan fans were sheep. otherwise, u would not have used the pharse "i am not sheep". there was no twisting involved, u were crystal clear there...something which ppl could take offense to.

[GwaiLoMoFo]

What makes people think Bey is this masterful commentator is that he never stops talking, even though the actual substance of his tracks is not as much as people think.
I always thought is was because of his smart british accent.

Just because most of the people on the forum enjoy Bey's commentary doesnt make us sheep. We're just not as well informed as you RM. But thankfully we have you to guide us past his smoke and mirrors. You need a hug.

[The Running Man]

u were clearly implying that (most) bey logan fans were sheep. otherwise, u would not have used the pharse "i am not sheep". there was no twisting involved, u were crystal clear there...something which ppl could take offense to.

No, it wasn't.

I'm not gonna sit here and break down a joke I made and argue with you about what I meant. If wanted to say that everyone who likes him is sheep, I wouldn't have any fear to do so. I would have made that very clear without the need of beating around the bush.

Notice I made a comment to Markgway about something he wrote and I didn't call him anything other than just comment. Plus, he didn't get offended cause what I wrote wasn't meant to be.

Don't twist my words around.

[Chen Zhen]

If wanted to say that everyone who likes him is sheep, I wouldn't have any fear to do so. I would have made that very clear without the need of beating around the bush.

it was pretty clear to myself and other forum members of ur implications. otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion.

once again, its no word-twisting. anyone reading that wouldve made the same assumption that i did. and some members have, so im not delusional.
so like KM state, use an emoticon nexttime :)
--------------------------------------------------

now back to our regular scheduled program...

[killer meteor]

If you make a joke, please use an emoticon! Sarcasm is hard to understand on the net!

[Austin Jones]

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2277/dontfeedthetrolldt9.jpg

[chen lung]

You come from 'Logan-Ville':rollin ?

:b

[killer meteor]

Frankly, I prefer a decent set of liner notes or a small documentary to a commentary. The only commentary I've really enjoyed to the point where I can repeatedly listen to it is Scott McQueen's very well researched and presented commentary for the 1925 Phantom Of The Opera

[The Running Man]

it was pretty clear to myself and other forum members of ur implications. otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion.

We are having this discussion because you keep pushing at it.

Trust me, if I wanted to lash insults at everyone, I wouldn't have thought twice.

Don't twist my words around man.


And hey Austin Jones, you look really sad in that picture. Kinda strange though you don't want anyone to feed you.
I mean, are you sure you don't want us to give you at least a little something to munch on? You look a bit unhealthy ya know? ;)

[Linn1]

get back on track guys.

[The Running Man]

I'll be the first to try to get things back on track.


I like puppies. They're so f'n cute. Who's with me? :D

[morgoth]

I wouldn't mind hearing puppies on the commentary rather than Andy Klein and that Elvis guy.

[Markgway]

u should do a commentary marky mark, that would be worht the purchase alone

The first ever Scot to do an Asian Cinema commentary I would presume? ;)

I don't believe you've made blunders at the level where you make big rants about how Harvey Weinstien is right for what he does and people who think otherwise don't really know what they are talking about and are just simple fanboys.

That's true. I did curse Bey out for that one.

Logan is far from the best I heard. Aside from many commentary tracks from film makers and actors I have heard, tons of other tracks for other discs ranging from experts like on those Criterion discs or even those Artsmagic releases from Tom Mes and Jaspar Sharp.

I was limiting my scope to Asian audio commentaries -- and on that score Bey is the best; not that I've heard much in the way of competition (just some of the guys HKL used, etc)

EDIT: Actually, I like John Carpenter's audio commentaries, especially when he's paired with Kurt Russell. These guys are a hoot together.

[Chen Zhen]

word up. i apologize running man, that ish was childish of me.

now back to our regular scheduled program.....

[Mantis FIST]

Im like 40 minutes in to the commentery and so far so good. RZA, you can tell, is excited to be doing this! Great passion he has! I dont mind Andy either. While he does not know as much as RZA he at least admits to that.

[Austin Jones]

You come from 'Logan-Ville' ?

Yeah, you know it?

Austin Jones

[chen lung]

Yeah, you know it?
Nope, was just funny because we were discussing Bey Logan :) .

[Mantis FIST]

Just finished listening to the commentary track on 36 chambers. I thought it was good. Man, RZA was really inspired from this movie...

Anyone else dig this?

[mr HKmovie]

I felt like I was doing the commentary as I listened to RZA. Just substitute Philly for NYC in my case. The dance move he talked about being taken from 36th Chamber, I had always thought was taken from Crippled Avengers. Kuo Chui does the move without wires, just like the Kid N' Play do it. Who else but him could have brought that kind of insight into the commentary?

[Mantis FIST]

Yo what up mr hk? I agree totally with what you are saying!!! RZA is the MAN on this disc! I guess I am bais as he is my favorite hip-hop producer EVER! And Wu-Tang Clan is my all time favorite hip-hop group!!! So.... HA!

[Chen Zhen]

^^cosign!