Kid
From Kwang Tung
(1982/Blu-ray*)/Prairie
Home Companion, A
(2006/New Line/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Project
A Collection 4K
(1983, 1987/88 Films 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays w/Blu-ray Set/*both
MVD)/Red
Light Bandit
(1968/Severin Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B/B-/B/B- Sound: B- Extras:
C/B-/B-/B- Films: C+/B-/C+/B-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The A
Prairie Home Companion
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for a very mixed set of comedies from all over the place in all kinds
of ways...
Hsu
Hsia's The
Kid From Kwang Tung
(1982) is a comical rehash of Kurosawa's Yojimbo
with more comedy and satire than we had seen before and was part of a
cycle of (too much) comedy in the genre in the 1980s forward for
better (and certain) or worse, with a silly duo (Wong Yu, Chiang Kam)
try to make sure they are not the next to be killed off after an evil
head master (Hwang Jang) kills their teacher.
Not
exactly and outright satire of the Kurosawa classic (soon arriving on
4K disc from Criterion not long after this streets) and too silly to
do so, it is a curio some fans will like more than others and at
least distinguishes itself from the older martial arts films to the
ones to come, often too funny for their own good.
Extras
include four replica lobby cards and a reversible cover, while the
disc adds an Original Theatrical Trailer and Stills Gallery.
Robert
Altman's A
Prairie Home Companion
(2006) is the director's final film and has been given a Blu-ray
release. You can read all about it at this link for our DVD
coverage:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4450/A+Prairie+Home+Companion+(2006
I
liked Garrison Keeler and this was the 'final' broadcast of his
famed, latter-day radio show and definitely Altman's last film and
all serious film fans miss him more than ever. The respect and star
power both were able to get continues to impress and it turned out to
be a fitting final curtain for all. All serious film (and radio
drama fans for that matter) should see it at least once.
Extras
repeat those on the DVD and include a preview of the soundtrack
album, access to the specific music numbers, extras scenes, a behind
the scenes documentary and a really good feature length audio
commentary with Robert Altman and Kevin Kline.
Jackie
Chan's Project
A Collection 4K
(1983, 1987) offers both films in their original Hong Kong versions,
plus an Extended version of the first film and shorter Export version
of the second. Both films are set at the return of the 19th
Century and has Chan and Yuen Biao as a pair of police detectives to
battle pirates on the high China seas, with Sammo Hung in tow as a
helpful thief. David Lam shows up as a new tough cop in the sequel.
More
colorful, elaborate and energetic than expected, the films are
repetitive and a little predictable, but the action, performances,
costumes, use of color and action help make up for those and other
shortcomings. Turns out these films helped establish all, especially
Chan, in Hong Kong action cinema history more permanently than before
and you can see why in these solid restorations. They are still a
for-fans-only affair, but they are worth a look for all to see.
Extras
in this solid box are many and (per the press release) include....
BRAND
NEW 2024 Interview with Stuntman Mars Cheung
Audio
commentaries on the Hong Kong cuts of both films by Frank Djeng and
FJ DeSanto
A
second Djeng commentary on the Hong Kong cut of the first film
Someone
Will Know Me
archival documentary with English dubbing from 1988
Full
Screen Jackie Chan Recording Session
Japanese
Version Ending on first filmmaking
Lunar
Year Introduction
Hong
Kong Trailers
English
Trailer
Export
Trailer
Tai
Seng Trailer
Stills
Galleries
Outtakes
Interview
with Jackie Chan
Interview
with Anthony Carpio
Interview
with actor Lee Hoi San (Master
Killer)
Interview
with actor Yuen Biao (Elusive
Dragon)
Interview
with actor Dick Wei (Pirates
Den)
Interview
with producer Michael Chan Wai-Man (The
Big Boss)
Interview
with composer Michael Lai (Can't
Stop The Music)
Interview
with writer and producer Edward Tang (Plan
B)
LIMITED
EDITION EXCLUSIVE - Perfect-bound book, 98 pages and loaded with
text and images
LIMITED
EDITION EXCLUSIVE - Six Replica Lobby Cards
LIMITED
EDITION EXCLUSIVE - Double-sided foldout Poster
and
LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE - Slipcase with brand-new artwork from
''Kung Fu'' Bob O'Brien.
Rogerio
Scanzerla's Red
Light Bandit
(1968) is a film from the little-seen or discussed Cinema
Marginal
movement in Brazil that started in 1966 and eventually, slowly
tapered off by the later 1970s, resurfacing in spurts, having fun
with Underground filmmaking in the U.S., et al, aimed at subverting
Brazilian society and authority. This one is one of the most famous,
loosely based on a real life terroristic crook from the 1960s who
becomes a media hero. This is a few years before The
Harder They Come
from Jamaica helped launch reggae music.
The
difference it that is uses much explicit comedy, some dark comedy and
absurdity that distinguishes itself from similar filmmaking it is
like and top make sure it is not totally counterculture, et al. Also
owing something to Warhol's experimental films, it loves mocking the
Hollywood Western, which itself was becoming more violent by way of
Leone and The
Wild Bunch,
yet any violence here is is always broken up by the purposely choppy
editing that can look like cut-up black and white fliers.
The
rest you have to see to believe and I still take its political
commentary seriously. Likely a classic of cinema in Brazil, it is at
least a minor classic from there and in the genres it plays with and
is worth a look.
Extras
(per the
press release) include:
Cinema
Marginal:
Interview With Producer And Film Conservationist Paulo Sacramento
The
Anti-Muse:
Interview With Actress Helena Ignez
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Short
Film: COMICS By Rogerio Sganzerla
Short
Film: HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Jairo Ferreira
and
an introduction To HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Filmmaker Dennison
Ramalho.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on the Project
A 4K
films not only look good and are the best transfers here as expected,
but are even better than I expected with a few demo shots here and
there, great color, detail and depth. These are also the best any
pre-Hollywood period Chan films have looked on home video to date and
even fans will be impressed. The 1080p Blu-ray versions are just
finer for the format, but cannot match the 4K performance in either
case. Both films were shot with TechnoVision anamorphic lenses
(Apocalypse
Now,
Ladyhawke,
The
Last Emperor,
Chan's Supercop
and Rumble
In The Bronx,
The
Neverending Story,
Cimino's Sunchaser,
Disney's The
Black Hole,
Beatty's Reds,
Besson's Leon:
The Professional)
and shooting on both have some lens-related flaws, but not as bad as
many other Hong Kong productions from the period. Shots look better
than not for the most part.
The
sound has been upgraded to lossless Cantonese and Mandarin (separate
mixes) in Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems)
from the original theatrical monophonic sound, also included as
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mixes (including more than
on in Cantonese in Mono for the sequel!) that are all fine for their
age, but the Atmos versions really push it and only can get so far
with the age and limits of the original recordings and mix. The
English variants of all are poorer and too forward, but there for
those who need them. Otherwise, the mono and parts of the Atmos
original language soundtracks are as good as these films will ever
sound.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on Kwang
Ting
is also looking good, the second best presentation behind the Chan
titles with nice color, clarity, depth and it is said to be the first
Shaw Brothers film to use Steadicam (guess they skipped Panaglide,
but the anamorphic lenses are older and have their usual flaws and
distortions) giving it a new look that separates it from the many
such films they made before. I like the compositions too. The
Cantonese PCM 2.0 Mono is a step above the English PCM 2.0 Mono dub
and is as good as this film will ever sound.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Companion
is an improvement over the decent DVD, but is still early HD and as a
result, has its faintness and watery look that is limited visually
overall. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is also a nice improvement
over the lossy DVD Dolby sound, so this looks and sounds as good as
it ever will and I doubt we'll see a 4K edition.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Red
Light Bandit
can show the age of the materials used, but the footage is often
rough on purpose and is simply sourced from many rough places, so it
is representing it and its Agit-Prop style as well as possible. The
Portuguese PCM 2.0 Mono sound also as good as it can be with so many
various rough and often monophonic sources, so the combination is as
good as this will will also ever look or sound.
To
order the A
Prairie Home Companion
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo
