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fred wrote:Sparrow, which looks totally amazing.

Indeed it does. I wonder if that might also get theatrical releases in the UK and US - I certainly hope so. I'm equally excited for Mad Detective.

I would love to finally see The Mission, but there was a speculation by a poster on the "Awful teaser" thread that A Hero Never Dies might be a possibility, and that would also be nice seeing as how the HK disc is bad. Anyway, nice website (for Mad Detective)!

So MoC is starting to release on Blu-Ray?? The brouhaha over Criterion Blu-Rays seems to be overshadowing this news!

codam wrote:The brouhaha over Criterion Blu-Rays seems to be overshadowing this news!

I love MoC; but, for one thing, they could've have let us know with an email or press release. Like Criterion.

Well this is based on the word of Amazon, who can't always be trusted in my view I'm sure an announcement is not far off and also MoC aren't a huge company like Criterion, it's not as if they have a regular email bulletin in order to make such an announcement. On this note when can we expect new catalogues, Nick; surely an ideal place for such an announcement? Why do I get the feeling catalogues won't come, is this something you're abandoning? I would imagine they're expensive.

Two questions for peerpee:

1) will the case be shorter than the regular DVD cases?

2) will this be region coded?

I really hope their releases aren't region coded.

Please don't region code these! Just buying the bottom of the line region 1 player is going to break my bank!

Luke M wrote:I really hope their releases aren't region coded.

I fear MOC will not have any choice but to use region coding -- but let's see what happens.

Michael Kerpan wrote:

Luke M wrote:I really hope their releases aren't region coded.

I fear MOC will not have any choice but to use region coding -- but let's see what happens.

I guess I'll have to put a Blu-ray drive for my HTPC on my Xmas list.

I didn't know where to put this so...

I finally watched Running on Karma, and it was great. One of his best films, and I'm ashamed it took me so long to buy it, especially since I've been a fan of his for four years. Can't wait for the MoC of this.

I do however wonder how To's comedies are, especially Love on a Diet, which I think should be his best. Are they just regular HK fluff, since he mainly makes them for money?

I'd also like to hear some reports on The Sparrow, it seems pretty great too.

To's comic romances are not, in general, his very best work -- excepting the historical/fairy tale-esque Wu Yen. I would say that Needing You is the best of the lot (but my copy of the US Tai Seng DVD has a flaw -- that required me to re-master my own DVD if I wanted to see the whole film). I found Love on a Diet pretty entertaining -- the lead performances by Lau and Chen (in fat suits) were wonderful. My Left Eye Sees Ghosts and Turn Left, Turn Right are also pretty decent. Love For All Seasons was mostly pretty silly.

Running on Karma is the film that made me into a To fan (and begin to really take Buddhist concepts seriously).

I also think Running on Karma is one of his best, though not as great as Throwdown. As for the comedies, a couple are really weak, like Help!!! and Love for All Seasons, but most of them are really good, a few are great. In a way I have more affection for the comedies in general than for the pure action films, at least sometimes anyway. The best are Yesterday Once More (more romance than comedy) and My Left Eye Sees Ghosts. Fat Choi Spirit is actually fantastic, as are Love on a Diet and Wu Yen to a slightly lesser degree. Personally I don't think Needing You is one of the best, but even weak ones like Love for All Seasons have something to offer (the opening on the roof top, just as an example).

Also, I'm just curious, what makes you think Love on a Diet should be his best?

Love on a Diet...well probably because Lau wears a suit in it, just as he does in Running on Karma, so it was stuck in my head at the moment.
Do his comedies actually look as good as other Milkyway stuff?

Curiously I think Throwdown is one of his lesser films, mainly because of the ending. The side character of the girl wasn't handled too well either, that is her relation to her dad.

Throw Down is (or was) To's own personal favorite -- and I would be loath to disagree with him.

Yes -- the romantic comedies generally look quite good -- though rarely as flashy as some of the other works.

Speaking of gorgeous To films.....

One very neglected To-related film:

Memories of (the) Youth (John CHAN Kin Chung, 2004)

This Johnnie To-produced Ghibli-esque (and sweet-natured but a little improbable) live action film is utterly charming -- and utterly obscure (and ignored). Not even a legit English title -- or any IMDB listing (and not even mentioned in passing in a recent book on To). The director here is primarily a writer (scripting films for both To and Ann Hui, among others), but shows a pretty sure hand. This tale of "first love" in middle school (set around 1928 in the port city of Qingdao) is a lovely looking film -- and its young heroine (not sure of her exact name, alas) is a charmer. The Mei Ah DVD looks quite nice.

Maybe my enjoyment would increase if I loved Kurosawa, or at least had seen more of his work.

Skritek wrote:Maybe my enjoyment would increase if I loved Kurosawa, or at least had seen more of his work.

Well, I dislike Kurosawa, so I'm not sure that has much to do with "getting" Throwdown. Though obviously Sanshiro Sugata was an inspiration for the film. Like with Running on Karma, like with all his films, much of it is in the all-encompassing feeling of it's space, the lyrical movements of the camera, and the eccentric rhythms in the editing, that create a strange sense of almost "floating."

Coming out on BR on July 21 - Mad Detective (Blu-ray) (Hong Kong Version)...

Cheers!
Peto

According to picture on Amazon this will be blu-ray spine number 2. I wonder which film will have number 1 on the spine?

From the latest MoC site update...

"This week we have a new theatrical release at the ICA in London, and then branching out around the country, it’s Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai’s latest — Mad Detective. It will find its way into the MoC Series in October on both DVD and Blu-ray (it will be our first Blu-ray release, and it’s looking absolutely glorious in 1080p). Copious extras to be announced shortly… meanwhile, here’s our special microsite with trailer, photos, and more…"

Copious extras. I like the sound of that. I almost pinned this as a barebones title due to the retail price. I also like the sound of "will be announced shortly".

What a fortunate era to like movies in.

What A Disgrace wrote:Copious extras to be announced shortly…

1.) will these copious extras be PAL SD, and therefore unwatchable for those of us in the United States?

2.) as someone asked earlier (i don't believe there was a response), will this release be region locked?

jurples wrote:

What A Disgrace wrote:Copious extras to be announced shortly…

1.) will these copious extras be PAL SD, and therefore unwatchable for those of us in the United States?

2.) as someone asked earlier (i don't believe there was a response), will this release be region locked?

Yes, given that this title has an HK release on Blu-ray that's playable in my US-region BD player, this information is crucial.

I'd prefer to wait and support MOC - and I suspect MOC's release will be superior anyway - but if it's going to be unplayable outside of Region B, this information is as important as any!

MoC MAD DETECTIVE Blu-ray will be not be region-locked, and all the SD extras will be NTSC, so playable globally -- (should you choose to purchase it on your holidays, or should you be emigrating shortly.)

\:D/

peerpee wrote:(should you choose to purchase it on your holidays, or should you be emigrating shortly.)

Touché!