Showing posts with label 1988. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1988. Show all posts

2.12.24

SUB VS. DUB #1: Police Story (Fortune Star's 2010 Japanese Blu-Ray vs. Cinema Group's 1988 American VHS)


Police Story is the 1985 Hong Kong movie that people love so much that it has 2 re-edits and 4 dubs. Today we're going to be looking at one of those re-edits, the 1986 international export dub!

Original version is the Japanese Bluray on the 2010 Fortune Star DVD. I figure since the credits say 2010 on the SBS on Demand version it's the right release. 

Trailers

Export Trailer

1986

Media Asia

International

 Theatrical trailer

1985 

Media Asia

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong trailer - spoils all the big stunts but doesn't actually tell you anything about the movie. Also is way too long, a trailer should be 1 minutes & 30 seconds at max if it's in cinema. Of course, the background music "Hero Story" by Jackie Chan is completely amazing, but it's in Cantonese, and the trailer has no subtitles (this is a DVD version on the video so that's why it does) That might suck if you watched the movie and weren't from China. 7/10

The USA trailer - Gives away the plot in a good, short, sweet way that is easy to understand and that doesn't spoil much at all with amazing kick-butt music by Kevin Bassington. The trailer also shows clips that will make the average viewer hella excited to watch the film. 10/10

VIDEO QUALITY

BLU-RAY

 VHS


 So.. how is it that a VHS released 22 years before a Blu-Ray has better color quality? 

 

SCRIPT 

On the SBS on Demand version, the script adds a bunch of un-needed, unnatural words. The re-release also adds some unnecessary profane words like "b1tch" which actually makes Kevin sound like a jerk and it turn, makes the scenes with May more funnier. The re-dub actually has funnier dialogue, as well. I guess it's better when you understand the language.

In turn - the re-dub script's better.

CUT / SWAPPED SCENES 

The US dub has a lot of cut scenes, so I will list every cut scene here.    

  • All the scenes with the agitated Frank (the cop who shoots a mirror). A few seconds of Kevin after one of the scenes.



  • The photo-shoot scene is cut out, thus resulting in 47 seconds of the film gone.
  • In the Hong Kong version during the fake murder attempt, you get more shots of tired Selina. 
  • Mars bumping his head on the lights.
  • Kevin biting his way into the mask.
  • 46 seconds in the courtroom are removed.
  • Koo watching Kevin on the news in his office.
  • The entire phone scene. However, a few seconds before this scene (Kevin getting told what to do, asking a question, getting an answer and talking to a cop who works for Chu on the phone and telling him he only has 3 days.) are still there.
  • The angry speech Kevin makes in Li's office.  

The Japanese version is 1 hour & 48 minutes.

The original Hong Kong version is 1 hour & 36 minutes. 

The export version is 1 hour and 27 minutes.

13 minutes have been cut out from the theatrical version.

ADDED SCENES

In the US theatrical version, a shot of Selina clicking "record" on the tape recorder is added. 1 second long, which does fix a minor minor MINOR plothole.

 MUSIC

The original score is composed by Lai Siu-tin, and the re-dub score is composed by Kevin Bassington.
Lai-Siu Tin's score - Inspired by the main theme song, and has a lot of re-used tracks. Still a banger and is definetly worth listening too. Especially the tracks with Ondes Martinot.
Bassington's score - A slap-bass synthesizer score that is incredibly 80s and satisfying to listen too. Sometimes a bit of the instruments get a little bit annoying and go on for a while though.
Lai Siu Tin's score: 11/10
Bassington's score: 7/10
COVERS

VHS


 BLU-RAY

The VHS cover is more exciting and summarizes up the film on the back well. 

OVERALL: THE RE-DUB VHS FROM 1988 WINS!!

 


10.6.24

From Legal Eagle to Eco Warrior: Dragons Forever - Jackie Chan & Samo Hung take on Toxic Tyrants and Fall for Love

 

Directed by and starring Sammo Hung

Directed by

Corey Yuen

Screenplay by Roy Szeto

Story by 

Gordon Chan

Leung Yiu-ming

Produced by Leonard Ho

Starring  Jackie Chan

Yuen Biao

Deannie Yip

Pauline Yeung

Crystal Kwok

Distributed by  Golden Harvest

Release date

    11 February 1988


 

Synopsis 

 Three successful Hong Kong lawyers are hired by a chemical company of questionable ethics and must eventually make a difficult decision when their employer's motives become clear.


 Review

Petaia's Entertainment World, a channel ran by an action fan who uploads clips from movies starring Jackie Chan, Michelle Khan and Bruce Lee in 4K uploaded the English dub of the extended Japanese release of "Dragons Forever". Knowing this would make for a good review (and it's a goddamn Jackie Chan movie), I watched the film and did not regret it

 Normally, whenever I watch a movie, it annoys me when there's more of something in the film - like more drama then action, or more comedy then drama. In Dragons Forever, there are 22 minutes worth of fight scenes, and I'm not complaining.

The romantic scenes in this movie were actually heart warming and when Johnny and Mei-ling  got back together I was super happy.

The fight scenes were super intense and my heart was beating the whole time.

And, I admit, I gasped when everyone in the factory was looking at Luke. I knew blud was walking out with 5 black eyes after that one (he didn't).


 

The choreography is clean, timed out, and it actually was better then I thought it'd be.

I thought it would be a bit of a boring flick, but nooo, the fight scenes start 3 minutes and 55 seconds in the Japanese release (also, it's a 2 v 4 fight, which is slightly more realistic then most JC fights).

Nobody ever comes to a Jackie Chan film wanting Romeo and Juliet. Then after watching this film, they actually do.

Rating: 10/10

Watch Dragons Forever on


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtF0zLUpXO0

 (Extended Japanese cut, English audio)





 

22.1.24

Police Story Part II: China becomes Boomtown

 

 

Starring, directed and written by Jackie Chan

 Written by
    Edward Tang
    Masahiro Kakefuda

Produced by Leonard Ho

Starring

Maggie Cheung

Bill Tung 

Lam Kwok-Hung
Chor Yuen
Charlie Cho
Benny Lai
Mars

Release date (Hong Kong): 20 August, 1988

October 10, 2007 (Australia)


Synopsis

 His personal war against crime has earned Royal Hong Kong Police Force Detective Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) a demotion from detective to traffic cop just as Hong Kong is hit with a wave of bomb scares. Chan tracks down the bombers but not before his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung) is abducted.

 

Review

While Police Story 2 is an amazing film, there's something that Police Story 1 just had that Police Story 2 doesn't. Police Story 2 has 4 major fight/stunt/beat up scenes like with Police Story, but Police Story 2 had more comedy, and all the fights were for a reason. Two fights in Police Story 2 is started by the villains of Police Story (John and Tom Chu) disrespecting May and Kevin, but the fights in Police Story were started by the bad guys. The first fight was another attempt to get Selina, the second was an attempt to beat Kevin so he didn't rescue Selina, and the third was so that all of Chu's men didn't get the briefcase with the proof of a murder in it. 

Anyways, Police Story 2 also lacks funny parts. May entering the men's bathroom and acting like a moron is supposed to be funny, but it isn't. It just makes me not like May even more. That's how you know they're a good actor. 

The big stunt in Police Story 2 was also very cool, but it wasn't played at 3 angles (and wasn't as cool as the mall slide in Police Story 1).

Maybe one day Australia will be hit with a bomb and I'll stop the bombs...

Watch Police Story 2 at

www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/jackie-chans-police-story-2/1464150595940 (Extended Japanese version, Chinese audio, English subtitles)

Rating: 7/10

Believe's rating: 7/10



15.1.24

Die Hard will blow you through the backwall of the room


 



Directed by John McTiernan

Starring Bruce Willis

Bonny Bedelia

Alan Rickman

Written by Steven Souza

Jeb Stuart

Based on Nothing Lasts Forever by Rodrick Thorp

Produced by Lawrence Gordon

Joel Silver

Release Date: July 15, 1988

October 6, 1988 (Australia)


 

Synopsis 

 New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him.

 

Review 

Everyone's heard of Die Hard or Bruce Willis or Alan Rickman at least once. This was me for a long time, but then in February of this year after my family finally got a Disney+ subscription, I finally got to watch the movie, and it was amazing.

The main character is actually a believable realistic person who'd you want to be around. Alan Rickman does a great job as being the charming killer (even though he still bad) and Reginald VelJohnson was the funniest part of the movie, and the only reason I mark it as an action-comedy.

Not to mention the epic Yippie Ki Yay catchphrase by McClane. The film might not have any over-the-top stunts (if jumping off a 80 something story building isn't an over the top stunt), but it's a great flick and is a great option to watch, bored or not.

The film has a lot of swearing, a nude magazine, extreme violence and deaths. But what were you expecting from a film named "Die Hard"?

Watch Die Hard on 


https://archive.org/details/DieHard_201804 | Original version


https://tubitv.com/movies/610703/die-hard

Original version

Rating: 7.5/10

Believe's rating: 55/10






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