2009: The Digital Chivvy

Discussions on Asian cinemas: Japanese, Korean, Thai, ....

2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Mike Thomason » Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:22 am

Though I planned on setting sail into the sunset, as it's not exactly easy to bring up a baby and be an internet geek*, here we are in a New Year! :P

January Purchases

All About Women (Hong Kong) (DVD)
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (US) (DVD)
Beast Stalker (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Beerfest (Unrated edition) (US) (DVD)
The Burning (US) (DVD)
Chocolate (Thailand) (DVD)
Death Sentence (US) (DVD)
The Devil Wears Prada (US) (DVD)
Donkey Punch (UK) (DVD)
Female Yakuza Tale (Japan) (DVD)
Flavia the Heretic (Italy) (DVD)
Forgive and Forget (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Frightened Woman (Italy) (DVD)
Happy Funeral (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Harsh Times (US) (DVD)
House with the Laughing Windows (Italy) (DVD)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (US) (DVD)
The Jess Franco Collection 2 (DVD)**
- Downtown
- Downtown Heat
- The Inconfessible Orgies of Emanuelle
- Macumba Sexual
- Mansion of the Living Dead
- The Sexual Story of O
The Killer Nun (Italy) (DVD)
L for Love, L for Lies (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Matrix Revolutions (US) (2-DVD)
My Bloody Valentine (New SE) (CANADA) (DVD)
My Dear Killer (Italy) (DVD)
The Night Listener (US) (DVD)
The Night Train Murders (Italy) (DVD)
Oasis of Fear (Italy) (DVD)
Phantom of Death (Italy) (DVD)
Ratman (Italy) (DVD)
Sex & Fury (Japan) (DVD)
Stormbreaker (UK) (DVD)
Teeth (US) (DVD)
Torso (Italy) (DVD)
True Women for Sale (Hong Kong) (DVD)
The Vampire Who Admires Me (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Venus in Furs (Italy) (DVD)
What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (Italy) (DVD)
Who Saw Her Die? (Italy) (DVD)
The Wild Geese (UK) (DVD)
Yes, I Can See Dead People (Hong Kong) (DVD)

* I've started my year with the receipt of Jasper Sharp's 400+ page tome to Japanese sex films to review for a website already!

** Being Franco films I won't bother noting the origin of the titles in the box as, realistically, they could be from just about anywhere! :P
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:46 pm

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in . . .

The Digital Chivvy

Works for me . . . :lol:


Got a few newbies late last week (and provided some credits in the Additions Forum for a couple of 'em).

LOST, INDULGENCE
THE VAMPIRE WHO ADMIRES ME
CONNECTED
FORGIVE AND FORGET
BUTTERFLY LOVERS
CHASER (HK edition of Korean movie)
FORBIDDEN LEGEND SEX & CHOPSTICKS (VCD)


Mike Thomason wrote:* I've started my year with the receipt of Jasper Sharp's 400+ page tome to Japanese sex films to review for a website already!


What, this not good enough for ya? :P


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Postby dleedlee » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:06 pm

Got a few newbies late last week (and provided some credits in the Additions Forum for a couple of 'em).

LOST, INDULGENCE


Brian, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this when you watch it. Also curious, assuming you have the HK version, whether the censored scenes were restored or not. I'm guessing not.

No rush, I can't pick this up for ages.
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:22 pm

dleedlee wrote:Brian, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this when you watch it. Also curious, assuming you have the HK version, whether the censored scenes were restored or not. I'm guessing not.


Will do. It's definitely the Hong Kong edition. Grabbed in on a whim, really, (got a freebie fifth disc of my choice if I bought four titles at a local shop--any discount's better than none these days, I guess), so I kinda forgot there might be censorship issues. :(

This reviewer doesn't seem to think much has gone missing, but who knows? Is there a proper list of known cuts somewhere?


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Postby dleedlee » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:36 pm

Is there a proper list of known cuts somewhere?


No, nothing specific that I've come across. I guess I was thinking there might be a deleted scenes feature or something like that.

From the chronology, the Tribeca Festival version might have the pre-edit version.
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/Lost-Ind ... 00135.html

Maybe I'll try to scour the Chinese sites to see if I can get lucky:
Mtime mentions a seduction scene in the bathroom with Karen Mok and the boy.

Mentions sounds from the bathroom, Zhang Yibai says nothing graphic was photographed.
http://www.mtime.com/news/2008/08/23/1394161.html

Image
http://www.mtime.com/news/2008/08/25/1394267.html
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Postby Masterofoneinchpunch » Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:21 pm

Latest acquisitions:

The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3
The Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth)
Adaptation (Superbit Collection) (2003)
The Ghost And Mr. Chicken
The Lizard (1972: Hong Kong)
An American Carol (2008)
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (Unrated Two-Disc Edition) (2008)
Cry of the Banshee / Murders in the Rue Morgue
Deception (1946)
The Grudge 2
Ghost Town (2008)
Duchess (2008)
Supercop aka Police Story 3 (1992: Hong Kong)
In Bruges (2008)
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Postby Masterofoneinchpunch » Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:23 am

lot time:

1 – The Heroic Trio (widescreen)
2 – Executioners (widescreen)
3 – The Killer “Criterion Collectionâ€
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:01 am

Mike Thomason wrote:Chocolate (Thailand) (DVD)


Wondering where you might have picked this one up? I ordered in a "Malaysian" DVD from HKFlix a while back but the poor English subs have kept me from wanting to show it to a couple of people I've told about it. :evil: Wondering if I got somebody's fansub version, which probably shouldn't surprise me from HKFlix. Any chance you've found something better? Saw this with good subs in a theater here late last year and have started wishing I'd smuggled in a video camera for posterity! :lol:




Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:lot time:


Impressive lot! :shock: Criterion even! Good price?


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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Mike Thomason » Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:45 am

Brian Thibodeau wrote:
Mike Thomason wrote:Chocolate (Thailand) (DVD)


Wondering where you might have picked this one up? I ordered in a "Malaysian" DVD from HKFlix a while back but the poor English subs have kept me from wanting to show it to a couple of people I've told about it. :evil: Wondering if I got somebody's fansub version, which probably shouldn't surprise me from HKFlix. Any chance you've found something better? Saw this with good subs in a theater here late last year and have started wishing I'd smuggled in a video camera for posterity! :lol:


I was thinking of buying that very version, but then a British outfit called Cineasia (an offshoot of UK distributor Showbox Entertainment, who don't appear in any way to be related to the South Korean film company), released the following late last year...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Prach ... 170&sr=1-1

...and also on Bluray!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Blu-r ... 170&sr=1-2

Here's some reviews of the discs:

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/69 ... olate.html (DVD)

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/chocolate.html (DVD)

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/chocolate2.html (Bluray)

Hope that helps? :)
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Postby cal42 » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:04 am

Personally, I'd stay well clear of the Blu-Ray:

[quote="cal42"]

The Blu-ray Disc from Showbox is a real disappointment, with a grainy transfer and a hell of a lot of noise on a lot of interior shots. Prior to buying this film, I hadn’t read anything about the disc but reviews are slowly popping up and they tend to be rather dismissive of this problem (but do acknowledge it). Admittedly, at other times (such as the last shot of the film with the wind turbine) the visuals are fantastic, but when there’s something brown on the screen (particularly interior decor), the screen breaks out in big blocky blotches. Very annoying. Oh, and the subtitles are a bit hit-and-miss as well (“Lot’s of moneyâ€
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:47 am

Thanks for the tips folks. I probably should have remembered the U.K. version since I read Cal's review of the Blu-Ray ages ago and noted the (rather surprising) issues with picture quality, which seems to be noted at other sites as well. I tempted to get that U.K. DVD, although I suspect there will be a pristine version eventually, so I might just wait for that now that I've already seen it with decent subs on the big screen and gotten burned on one DVD already :( . As for hi-def I've yet to see any Thai movie worth the extra $$ for an HD version, including these popular action pictures, much as I like them. :?
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:18 am

I was in a U.S. Best Buy earlier today and came across another BCI repackaging of what appears to be the remainder of their Rarescope titles as a 10 pack bundled with another 10 pack of BCI's Kung Fu Theatre titles. With their recent shuttering by Navarre, this might be the last we'll see of these. Can't find much about this one online, so best to just look for it instore, since I'm sure it's not a bestseller (the store I was in had four of them). I do recall Shawn here being somewhat bummed at BCI's first Rarescope repackaging ("Flicks With Kicks"), so hopefully there's at least some titles in this new pack he doesn't already have.

Also in the states today, picked up five Dragon Dynasty titles from the 3/$10 bins at a store called FYE. These all duplicate previous editions I own, so I mostly got them for the extras, not so much the commentaries, though at $3.33 a pop, even I could be persuaded to listen to Bey Logan. :lol:

Titles are:
CITY OF VIOLENCE
ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
MY YOUNG AUNTIE (with wrong audio :roll:)
FATAL CONTACT
ABOVE THE LAW.

Still prefer the HK edition of that last one, with both versions of the movie on the same disc, but again, the DD has the extra goodies. FYE also had CRIME STORY in the bin, but I won that on ebay last year for 99¢ so picked up the remake of BLACK CHRISTMAS instead to bring the total to six discs. CITY OF VIOLENCE is probably the best bin title for the money, since it duplicates the excellent Korean 2-disc set and adds subs to the plentiful extras.
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Postby Mike Thomason » Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:46 am

Brian Thibodeau wrote:Thanks for the tips folks. I probably should have remembered the U.K. version since I read Cal's review of the Blu-Ray ages ago and noted the (rather surprising) issues with picture quality, which seems to be noted at other sites as well. I tempted to get that U.K. DVD, although I suspect there will be a pristine version eventually, so I might just wait for that now that I've already seen it with decent subs on the big screen and gotten burned on one DVD already...


Magnolia Pictures are releasing it in the US via their Magnet imprint on SD-DVD and Bluray on Feb. 10, if that's perhaps more of interest...?

http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Yanin-V ... 614&sr=1-1
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:47 pm

Mike Thomason wrote:Magnolia Pictures are releasing it in the US via their Magnet imprint on SD-DVD and Bluray on Feb. 10, if that's perhaps more of interest...?

http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Yanin-V ... 614&sr=1-1


Thanks Mike. I will definitely keep that one wishlisted (and hope that the price comes down a bit since it will technically be a replacement!) :lol:


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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Masterofoneinchpunch » Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:12 pm

Brian Thibodeau wrote: ...
Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:lot time:


Impressive lot! :shock: Criterion even! Good price?
.


Thank you. I wasn't going to put it down until I actually received it. Mostly Universe DVDs with some Tai Seng and Mei Ah. I will write later if the Criterion is a bootleg or not, but still I wanted the bootleg anyway (the boot tends to go from 30 or more). I ended up paying a little over 2 dollars a DVD (205 total with free shipping). I certainly have doubles (and triples) but there are a few I really wanted out of that lot like Plain Jane to the Rescue. Later I might total it (figure out the price of each one and add :D).

Brian, on the BCI set, it is a Best Buy Exclusive and ten of the flicks looks exactly the same as the Flicks with Kicks. I might buy it, I might not (still mad :D). I almost bought it this weekend, but I bought some Disney films instead (you know some of the ones going on memoritorum -- damn Disney)

FYE here in Modesto (and in Turlock) do not have the Dragon Dynasty films in a bin (I did get Nachoes Libres for 2 dollars though this weekend :D).

Cal, is your blog down? Can't seem to connect to it today.
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby cal42 » Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:40 pm

Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:
Cal, is your blog down? Can't seem to connect to it today.


I've noticed a few problems recently, but it should be running now. If you can't get into it, let me know and I'll ask the site admin guy. Actually, I hadn't written anything on it for a while as I'd been doing other things, but I stuck a review of Mr Vampire II on there Saturday and I've got a couple of things in the pipeline.

And yeah, that's an impressive list of films :shock: . Quite a few good titles in there, but some I'd not heard of. Angel on Fire? The mind boggles!
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Brian Thibodeau » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:16 am

cal42 wrote:Angel on Fire? The mind boggles!


I think that's one of the latter-day Cynthia Khan pictures, which tended to be mixed bags all around, and often shot on video. Some have their moments. Not sure about this one.

I think this might be it. Looks like it's a Phillip Ko flick (depending on the version according to one of the commentators on the clip below), which means it'll have plenty of moments, actually, just nothing spectacular. He did a few with Khan. No classics, but some good no-budget choreography:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfdkZ9SotcE



And from a second little chivvy on the weekend, from a nearby department store's $2.99 dump bin:

THE WORLD (2004; Canadian release) Wanted to see this one for a long time. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgJgek_sZ8M


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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:16 pm

From last week:

RUNAWAY BLUES (Hong Kong; 1989; Kam & Ronson)
KNIGHT OF KNIGHTS (Hong Kong; 1969; Shaw/IVL)
CYBORG SHE (Japan; 2007; IVL)
BABY SALE (Korea; 1998; Winson)*
DANCE DANCE (Korea; 1999; Sky Ent.)*

*Got these at Galleria, a Korean mega-grocery store down the street where the in-store video rental shop was unloading some ex-rentals, so they're not technically new, but they were real cheap, although a quick skim through them suggests they won't be staying here long. It's still surprises me that many pre-1999 Korean movies can look so dated that they appear to be much older than they really are. :?

Today's my day off, and the weather's seasonal for a change, so I'm contemplating another cycle through the local Chinatowns for newer releases. This paltry list might get a little longer. :D
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:25 pm

This might interest some folks here. Xploitedcinema is going out of business, as some may know, and their 15% off everything sale runs to the end of the month. Probably still some goodies to be had.

If the company's final days are anything like Poker Industries when they went under, there might be larger discounts on the remaining stock after month's end. "XP15" is the coupon code needed at checkout:
http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/index.php
http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/asian ... -25_5.html
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:08 am

From a recent BOGO sale at Deep Discount, 300 movies for US$49.77:

TALES OF TERROR 50 MOVIE PACK
HORROR CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK
SCI-FI CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK
CHILLING CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK
NIGHT SCREAMS 50 MOVIE PACK
NIGHTMARE WORLDS 50 MOVIE PACK


Combined with the Martial Arts and Drive In 50-movie sets that are part of this series, as well as about 11 old Brentwood 20-movie sets still tucked away here somewhere (and which have remarkably little duplication of titles in these new acquisitions), I think I've pretty much cornered the market on public domain garbage! :lol: These will definitely be put on the backburner for awhile!

And from an even more recent BOGOFREE sale at DD, a few more "wanna sees" and "revisits" plugged in, with undoubtedly some being flipped to DVD Planet for pretty much what I paid (US$4.83 apiece):

American Pop (1981)
The Crimson Rivers 2 (2000)
Georgy Girl (1966)
Godzilla - Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Return of the Vampire (1944)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
Runaway (1984)
Spellbound (2002; documentary)
Strait Jacket (1964)
Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Saving Face (2004; Joan Chen) :D
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Postby Mike Thomason » Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:43 am

February Purchases

21 (US) (DVD)
The Alphabet Killer (US) (DVD)*
Bangkok Dangerous (remake) (US) (DVD)
Black Water (Australia) (DVD)
Breach (US) (DVD)
Buried Alive (US) (DVD)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (US) (DVD)
Charlie Wilson's War (US) (DVD)
City of God (Brazil) (DVD)
The Craft SE (US) (DVD)
Les Demoniaques (France) (DVD)*
Devour (US) (DVD)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (US) (DVD)
Eyes of Crystal (Italy) (DVD)
Flightplan (US) (DVD)
Friday the 13th Part 2 SE (US) (DVD)
Friday the 13th Part 3 SE (US) (DVD)
Fur - An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (US) (DVD)
The Good Shepherd (US) (DVD)
Hatchet (unrated) (US) (DVD)
Last House on the Left SE (US) (3-DVD)
Malefique (France) (DVD)
The Midnight Meat Train (unrated) (US) (DVD)
Monster's Ball (US) (DVD)
The Orphanage SE (Spain) (2-DVD)
The Painted Veil (US) (DVD)
The Pianist SE (France) (2-DVD)
Pride & Prejudice (UK) (DVD)
Rec SE (Spain) (2-DVD)
The Scorpion with Two Tails (Italy) (DVD)*
See No Evil (US) (DVD)
The Sick House (UK) (DVD)
Silk (Canada) (DVD)
Storm Warning (unrated) (Australia) (DVD)
The Strangers (unrated) (US) (DVD)
Tears of Kali (Germany) (DVD)
The Terminal SE (US) (2-DVD)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre SE (original) (US) (3-DVD)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre SE (remake) (US) (2-DVD)
Venom (US) (DVD)
Welcome to the Jungle (US) (DVD)
Zombie Strippers (unrated) (US) (DVD)

* review screeners ;)
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:25 pm

Mike Thomason wrote:The Alphabet Killer(US) (DVD)*


Saw this recently. It was a little better than I'd anticipated, but like much of the director's work, it seemed like it could have been even better in more capable hands. In fact, the true story it is based on would have made for a more compelling movie had they simply stuck to it more closely. Also, the packaging looks like soooooo many derivative DTV junk coming out these past few years, which I've largely tried to swear off, although that's obviously a personal quibble. :lol: Would be interested to read your take on it since you're far better versed in these things than I am as far as ownership is concerned!

* review screeners ;)


I know I've asked this before, but where can we find your reviews (not the blog ones, I mean)?
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Postby Mike Thomason » Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:59 am

Brian Thibodeau wrote:I know I've asked this before, but where can we find your reviews (not the blog ones, I mean)?


This is my current print haunt: Screem magazine...

http://screemag.com/index.php

...next issue will see me 'fess up to how Jaws has kept me out of anything much above chest-high ocean water for life, as well as review the above and a couple of old Euro-horror titles. :)

NB: A couple of issues back I interviewed Kim Ki-Duk, if that means much...? :shock:
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Postby Brian Thibodeau » Tue Feb 03, 2009 4:16 pm

Mike Thomason wrote:This is my current print haunt: Screem magazine..


Cool. There's a couple of my regular haunts here in the downtown core that would likely have it in stock, so I'll keep an eye out next time I'm down there. ;)
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby cal42 » Sat Feb 07, 2009 9:30 am

I've finally got Chungking Express on BD! :D Probably not a patch on your Critereon disc, but if it's better than the ultra-poor DVD I have, I'll be happy. I ended up getting a deal on this, £30 for this and Ashes of Time Redux, which I wasn't even aware was available on BD.

I know someone on here advised me to watch the original first, but I started watching the Mei-Ah DVD but gave up after about ten minutes. I think WKW films work best when seen in the best possible presentation.

Anyway, I know what I'll be doing tonight!
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:00 am

Went downtown today for the first time in nearly three months (thanks to family issues that have kept me out of town many weekends the past few months, but increasingly less so these days, thank goodness), and discovered that Chinatown's last good and honest media store has quietly begun a going-out-of-business sale. :cry: The Wa Yi Trading Company is where my lust for Hong Kong cinema kicked into high gear around 1997. Prior to that, I'd been scrounging Hong Kong titles in bits and bites over the course of about 8 years, and had barely been able to scratch the surface, in large part due to my location at the time (far from Toronto), and also due to the costs of getting overpriced laserdiscs and VHS tapes by mailorder.

When an old friend moved to Toronto in the mid-90's, it was suddenly much easier to visit the city with free room and board, and I could snoop around the various Chinatowns to see what they had. Obviously, lots of folks who lived here permanently had probably been doing that for years already, but for me, it was like stumbling on a gold vein that only I knew about! :lol: And Wa Yi was the mother lode. I don't even wanna think about how much money I dropped in there when VCDs were $10 - $16 CDN a piece, and DVDs, when they started appearing, were routinely $30 and up. I tended to hold out for price drops on the latter, but those VCDs were like the purest Hong Kong crack. Well, 12 years later, and it appears Wa Yi is throwing in the towel thanks to the proliferation of bootleggers surrounding them (despite the ongoing crackdown here, pirates selling Asian rips seem to be left alone :evil:), and the dwindling support for packaged media in the age of streaming and downloading.

I'm sure it will be a sloooooow process, as not everything's on sale right now, new stock is still arriving, and the signs on the walls are not too loud, but there's some good deals to be had out of the gate, and they have a LOT of stock to peruse. Right now, all their VCDs are Buy One Get One Free (prices range from $2.99 to $7.99, with a few stragglers still floating up around $10 or $11). The only DVDs on sale are the Shaw DVDs, at 30% off, but not much selection.

(so Cal, if you're still planning on coming to Toronto, you might need to keep this place in mind! :lol: )

Today's finds:

Buy One Get One Free Shaw VCDs (or 2 for $8)

LADY GENERAL HUA MULAN (came with a value-added embroidered pouch)
DISCO BUMPKINS
A MAD WORLD OF FOOLS
LET'S MAKE LAUGH II (fairly certain I already have this, but was too far from home to check)
SPRING BLOSSOMS
HELL HAS NO BOUNDARY (kinda surprised I missed this one the first time around)
THE NEW GAME OF DEATH
MOTHER VS. MOTHER


Buy One Get One Free $2.99 VCDs, mostly some lesser known odds 'n ends (and largely because I was low on cash)

RED PANTHER (1983; Deltamac)
A MODERN LOVE STORY (1993 Taiwan; Mei Ah)
SKETCH (1983; Mei Ah)
THE UNBEARABLE (19__?; Mei Ah) This one's not in the DB (unless this is a retitle), but it stars Ben Ng, Dick Wei and Cheung Kwok-keung (1). Not sure of its providence, but will post credits eventually.

And some new releases (though no discounts)
BEAST STALKER (Joy Sales)
TRUE WOMEN FOR SALE (Mei Ah)
NOBODY'S PERFECT (Gold Label)
ALL ABOUT WOMEN (IVL) Did credit grabs from this tonight; will post later.
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Brian Thibodeau » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:06 am

Brian Thibodeau wrote:I was in a U.S. Best Buy earlier today and came across another BCI repackaging of what appears to be the remainder of their Rarescope titles as a 10 pack bundled with another 10 pack of BCI's Kung Fu Theatre titles. With their recent shuttering by Navarre, this might be the last we'll see of these. Can't find much about this one online, so best to just look for it instore, since I'm sure it's not a bestseller (the store I was in had four of them). I do recall Shawn here being somewhat bummed at BCI's first Rarescope repackaging ("Flicks With Kicks"), so hopefully there's at least some titles in this new pack he doesn't already have.



Another visit home and another visit to the good ol' USA this weekend, so I finally decided to pick up this 20-pack for posterity, now that BCI is pretty much finished.

Titles in each ten pack, in case anyone's interested in picking it up, are:

RARESCOPE 10 PACK:
Kings of Fists and Dollars; A Sword Named Revenge; The Dream Sword; THe Chinese Godfather; Duel of Karate; Amazons and Supermen; Hero of the Time; Big Rascal; 18 Shaolin Riders; Fast Fists
(Gave a couple of these a quick spin; as with the FLICKS WITH KICKS 10-pack, they've simply repackaged what I assume are the remaining Rarecope single releases/double features, including all attendant extras. Definitely a good selection of stuff in this one. One of the titles I previewed, A Sword Named Revenge, is a decent widescreen print dubbed in English with English subs :? I guess there's only so much to work with on these titles!)

KUNG FU THEATER 10 PACK:
Ninja Thunderbolt; Invincible Hero; Attack of the Venoms; Men on the Hour; Land of the Brave; Great General; Chinese Dragon; Everlasting Duel; Chinese Hercules; Mantis Fists & Tiger Claws of Shaolin
(These appear to be dubbed and fullscreen; Chinese Hercules is widescreen)

And a couple $1 DVDs from a department store bin in my home town:
CHAN IS MISSING (1982; VSC ) wanted to see this for ages, so a nice find.
MARTIAL ARTS DOUBLE FEATURE: HONG KONG KARATE HATCHET MEN / THE CHANG GANG

(aka: Duel of the Brave Ones / Assault of Final Rival)
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Mike Thomason » Fri Feb 27, 2009 4:01 am

And finally, my last purchase for the month...

A 106cm (42") Samsung HD Plasma TV

...thought it was about time I joined the 21st century, proper like :P
http://eyeswidescreen.wordpress.com/ (Due for a sporadic return throughout 2010)
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby Brian Thibodeau » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:45 pm

Another trip to Wa Yi yesterday. Still plenty of stock (and plenty of titles I've never seen), so I'm hoping to pick away at it over the next few months. For now, some more 2-for-1 VCDs:

Legendary Collection titles:
CRAZY NUTS (1981)
A BOOK OF HEROES (1986)
THE LADY KILLER (1977)
THE MID-NIGHT WHISPER (1988) (aka Midnight Whispers)
WHO'S THE CROOK (1986)
UNITED WE STAND (1986)

Other VCDs:
CAGEMAN (1992; MeiAh)
97 LAN KWAI FONG (1997; Ocean Shores)
HAPPY HOUR (1995; Fitto)
BOYS ARE EASY (1993; Mei Ah) Probably already have this in the bins somewhere :lol:


. . . and then over to the Music & Movie Wholesale in my end of the city for more 2-for-1 DVDs ($5 each, no tax; where the hell were these deals when I had tons of cash to spare?!? :lol:)

Legendary Collections:
HAPPY GHOST IV (1990)
HAPPY GHOST V (1991)
BEACH OF THE WAR GODS (1973)
THE HURRICANE (1972)
BACK ALLEY PRINCESS (1973)
THE COMET STRIKES (1971)
SUNSHINE FRIENDS (1990)
RAINBOW IN MY HEART (1978)
KISS ME GOODBYE (1986)
UNDERGROUND EXPRESS (1990) aka Long Arm of the Law 4
PLAY CATCH (1983)
WALKING BESIDE ME (1986)
HIRED GUNS (1981)
PASSION (1986)
DARK NIGHT (1986; Taiwan)

Other DVDs:
BEAST STALKER (2008; Hong Kong; 2-disc) Noticed the commentary on this is subtitled in English. Very nice!
FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (1998; Taiwan)
ATTACK ON THE PINUP BOYS (2007; Korea)
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Re: 2009: The Digital Chivvy

Postby cal42 » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:49 pm

Seriously, Brian, how much money do I need to bring with me if and when I come to Toronto? :shock: This could be really expensive!

I'm interested in Beast Stalker - let me know what it's like when you see it as there aren't any reviews in the DB yet.
Heroes of the East - the only blog in the world with the world famous Lam Suet-o-meter!
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