A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (1986-1989) 4K UHD (Shout! Factory)

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by PNguyen

His earlier work seems a lot better, I particularly really like the Dred steelbook he designed. Maybe he's just being overworked, it seems like Shout, Lionsgate, and many other studios use him a lot and he might be pressured by deadlines to rush them out and the quality as the end result aren't great.

Yeah, I think so. I feel he's getting way too many commissions now and his work is suffering. Some of his older stuff definitely felt more unique and creative compared to a lot of what he's doing now, which often lacks finer detai.

[themadbutcher]

Originally Posted by PNguyen

His earlier work seems a lot better, I particularly really like the Dred steelbook he designed. Maybe he's just being overworked, it seems like Shout, Lionsgate, and many other studios use him a lot and he might be pressured by deadlines to rush them out and the quality as the end result aren't great.

Looks like he's trying to get more and more realistic with his portraits and likenesses (maybe at the behest of the studio), which totally clashes with his vector style. I guess for such a time consuming process, he does really have a big output of work to show for it.

[Danespina]

Oh man this is incredible. I am so damn excited.

[ikhon]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Christ that art is awful

Take a Quick Look at the upcoming Howling release.

[AlanClarke]

Originally Posted by themadbutcher

Right: if one specific thing is good, that makes the rest of the things automatically good. There's never any need to be critical of ANY thing, shut this place down.

One thing is so vastly more important than the other that the disproportionate amount of yapping about the cover is ludicrous. It's like writing a critique of Citizen Kane and spending 90% of it complaining about the fact the the bird has no eyes. Any reviewer who'd do that would get fired immediately, so please don't frame this forum as some bastion of film criticism.

Yes, the cover sucks. Most modern covers suck. The actual contents of the release are far more interesting, however. I'd much rather know about this workprint than investigate Mexifunk's workflows.

[darkness2918]

Pre ordered. Glad these are finally coming.

[MrGarmonbozia]

I'm less bothered by the cover art then I am by them using James Mudge as commentary on these. I loooooath his tracks for his constant (and I mean every few minutes) giggling and chuckling.

Wish they'd got Frank on these.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by MrGarmonbozia

I'm less bothered by the cover art then I am by them using James Mudge as commentary on these. I loooooath his tracks for his constant (and I mean every few minutes) giggling and chuckling.

Wish they'd got Frank on these.

They got David West for the third at least .. I haven't listened to any of Mudge's tracks, but have heard mixed things. Shout definitely uses him a lot more than others, so I assume he's either more available and/or has lower asking prices for his work.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

They got David West for the third at least .. I haven't listened to any of Mudge's tracks, but have heard mixed things. Shout definitely uses him a lot more than others, so I assume he's either more available and/or has lower asking prices for his work.

West is good once you get beyond a rather mono-tone delivery.

I mean, Mudge has great info in the tracks I made it through but I finally had to stop as the giggling/chuckling just got on my nerves. Some have said they don't mind it as it's more laid back commentary so to each their own.

[apollo828]

Originally Posted by AlanClarke

They included 30 minutes of deleted scenes from the now mythic director's cut (basically the Hong Kong counterpart to The Magnificent Ambersons) and everyone here is having a moan about the cover art. Maybe we don't deserve nice things.

That and the extended Mandarin edit. (Well, one of them, as there are technically two, albeit with only a couple of very slight differences compared to each other.) I believe it was sorta possible to reassemble the cut from the deleted scenes on the DVD, but still, a clean HD edition, referenced against the appropriate materials (VCD/LD/DVD) to ensure everything's present, is another welcome bonus in my eyes.

Of course, the ABT2 workprint is a far bigger deal. While I'm sure John would've trimmed it a bit before releasing it if he'd had final cut rights, this will presumably still be far closer to his original vision than the TC. Shut up and take my money, Shout!

[Old Bones]

A Better Tomorrow Trilogy Leather Bound Collection - YouTube

I have this , wish it was 4K , would be pricey

[AnimalCMan]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

They got David West for the third at least .. I haven't listened to any of Mudge's tracks, but have heard mixed things. Shout definitely uses him a lot more than others, so I assume he's either more available and/or has lower asking prices for his work.

It's definitely an availability thing. I think I'm not alone in finding Frank Djeng the best guy delivering commentary on these Hong Kong releases and his name was all over the City on Fire release, not just on the commentary, but the interviews too. From his Facebook posts a few months ago, he sounded like he worked on many of these releases, but as Shout is trying their hardest to get the Woo films out ASAP, I think Frank got sidelined for others who were available first.

I know he was vocal about his frustration some other guy got to interview Woo, when Frank was planning to, but had availability issues. So yeah, sadly fan demand and Shout not wanting to sit on the golden geese of this deal probably means they settled for some folks that may not be as popular.

[Markgway]

No joke. What is Bey Logan doing now?

[UncleJoshC]

Will the audio from the scene during the end shootout in BT2 in the Cantonese version where the gunshots are almost inaudible be fixed? I assume not even though they are correctly mixed in the English dub. But anyone listening to the dub other than as a curiosity shouldn't even be allowed to watch these movies in the first place. LOL

[hanshotfirst1138]

Originally Posted by Markgway

No joke. What is Bey Logan doing now?

Didn’t he get accused of some really horrible things?

[cooey]

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by AlanClarke

One thing is so vastly more important than the other that the disproportionate amount of yapping about the cover is ludicrous. It's like writing a critique of Citizen Kane and spending 90% of it complaining about the fact the the bird has no eyes. Any reviewer who'd do that would get fired immediately, so please don't frame this forum as some bastion of film criticism.

Yes, the cover sucks. Most modern covers suck. The actual contents of the release are far more interesting, however. I'd much rather know about this workprint than investigate Mexifunk's workflows.

Finding a workprint with unseen footage is hard. Having a person with taste approve the artwork is easy. City on Fire gave me hope that we'd be getting original artwork for these releases, but so far everything commissioned for the HK line(outside of the SB classics sets IMO) has been awful.

It's up to Shout if they want to fumble at the 5 yard line, luckily we've got options with Arrow releasing these films, hopefully with nicer packaging.

[hanshotfirst1138]

Originally Posted by cooey

Huh?

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

Didn’t he get accused of some really horrible things?

Yeah, sexual harassment while he worked for Harvey W.

That was a few years ago.

Just wondered if he was still involved with Hong Kong cinema.

[cooey]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

Huh?

Usually every time someones Bey Logan, you get a mix of people defending and attacking, which then results in a load of sh*t and threads getting locked...