Chameleon Films - Australia/NZ label for Asian Cinema

[dex14]

We're very excited to share that our new premium Blu-ray label focused on Asian cinema is almost ready to launch.

Our web store is not quite ready to open for pre-orders, but in the meantime we'll soon be able to reveal the first 3 titles that will be released.

The films are all new to Blu-ray in Australia/NZ and complemented with exclusive new special features, archival extras, expert audio commentaries and collector's booklets. Each is designed to catch the eye and look awesome on your shelf, with numbered spines and reversible sleeves in high quality clear cases.

We're really looking forward to hearing from you about our Blu-ray editions and discovering what you'd like to see from us in the future. Your thoughts and feedback are forever welcome and appreciated.

https://shop.chameleonfilms.com.au/password

Frank Djeng said he will be doing commentaries for 4 of their first releases... all Johnnie To films.

[dr727]

Psyched for this!

[dex14]

Title Announcement · Spine - 01
BREAKING NEWS · 大事件
Johnnie To · 2004 · Hong Kong · 90 mins
The premiere of Johnnie To’s Breaking News at Cannes marks the moment when art cinema finally embraced the Hong Kong action genre. Here is a film as intelligent as it is tense as it is well-made. From the breathtaking intricacy of its seven-minute opening take, shot on location in a grungy side street in the New Territories, the complex oppositions that form Hong Kong society are subjected to ruthless scrutiny. The familiar opposition of cops and robbers (led by pop-star Richie Jen) is complicated by a further division between no-nonsense street cops (led by Nick Cheung) and the media-savvy inspector (Kelly Chen).
A stake-out goes wrong and a very public shoot-out leads to an official panic. When the violent, though quietly decent bandits are run to ground in a typically cramped apartment building, it sparks a media circus. Inspector Rebecca Fong (Chen) sees the whole thing as a show, as imagery to be manipulated to her advantage, but the outlaws armed with mobile phones and an internet connection, show that two can play that game. Hong Kong may be a city where media spin is king, but To delves beneath the imagery to the gritty realities that make HK truly unique.
EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Limited first-pressing collector's booklet featuring new essays by film writer Hayley Scanlon and film historian Mike Walsh
• New audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
• "A Propaganda Duel" - a newly extended video essay on Breaking News
• Newly translated and improved optional English subtitles
Archival Extras:
• Melbourne International Film Festival 2004 Q&A with Johnnie To
• Behind the scenes
• Deleted scene
• Photo gallery
• Theatrical trailer
Technical Specifications:
• 2.35:1
• 1080p colour
• Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1 · LPCM 2.0
• English subtitles
• Region B
• BD-50
Packaged in a Scanavo full sleeved 14mm clear case with a reversible, numbered sleeve that is clean of classification markings and barcode on the alternative side.
Released June/July [TBC] and available to pre-order soon from the Chameleon Films web store: https://shop.chameleonfilms.com.au/password

[themp3000]

Oh my god I’m so hyped for this label! Ahhhhhh.

Bless being region free.

[Futurhythm]

Please support this label. The guy behind it knows what he's doing and is aiming for stuff that hasn't gotten a good English-friendly release anywhere else (although one of the launch titles will have overlap by accident).

I'm really glad I convinced him to do booklets as well. He's gotten some really good writers on board.

[yoloswegmaster420]

I'm so happy to see Breaking News getting an excellent release. I wonder if they will be using a older HD master or a new 4K master as the base of the disc.

[dex14]

Originally Posted by Futurhythm

Please support this label. The guy behind it knows what he's doing and is aiming for stuff that hasn't gotten a good English-friendly release anywhere else (although one of the launch titles will have overlap by accident).

I'm really glad I convinced him to do booklets as well. He's gotten some really good writers on board.

Is there fear of more possible overlap?

[Futurhythm]

Originally Posted by dex14

Is there fear of more possible overlap?

There shouldn't be. Chameleon aren't gonna license films that are already released by other labels. I feel like their taste also bucks the current trend a bit (with Hong Kong movies at least) so I'm not too worried.

The overlapping title hasn't come out yet and is pretty niche in my opinion. It was a weird coincidence that another label also picked it up, but they also deal in pretty niche titles. Both releases will have completely different extras so there won't be any overlap there.

[dex14]

Originally Posted by Futurhythm

Chameleon aren't gonna license films that are already released by other labels.

This is good to hear. I think there was some fear that there would be overlap with other Region B labels. Especially when it came to the interest in Johnnie To as of late.

[themp3000]

Man, if one of those To titles is A Hero Never Dies then I will freaking lose it. But I’m in regardless of what they are. I am always up for supporting Asian-focused BD labels. Always.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Futurhythm

The overlapping title hasn't come out yet and is pretty niche in my opinion. It was a weird coincidence that another label also picked it up, but they also deal in pretty niche titles. Both releases will have completely different extras so there won't be any overlap there.

Wait, is the overlapping title a Johnnie To title or something completely different?

[dex14]

Originally Posted by themp3000

Oh my god I’m so hyped for this label! Ahhhhhh.

Bless being region free.

Until we see the shipping charges...

[themp3000]

Originally Posted by dex14

Until we see the shipping charges...

If DiabolikDVD can get these, I think that’d erase some of the sting. Unless of course that’s not gonna be a viable option for you, I’m not certain where you are in this wide world.

[dex14]

Originally Posted by themp3000

If DiabolikDVD can get these, I think that’d erase some of the sting. Unless of course that’s not gonna be a viable option for you, I’m not certain where you are in this wide world.

In the US. Good point. Sometimes it isn't always cost effective for me to use Diabolik because I get hit with sales tax. We shall see!

[StarDestroyer52]

Hopefully, Diabolik will stock their releases.

[dex14]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

Hopefully, Diabolik will stock their releases.

Per Twitter, he is interested.

[Caustic]

Looking forward to seeing what this label does. I'm not expecting them to release any classics (Boiling Point in its proper uncut form released anywhere globally would be a godsend) but there's a heap of releases that would be good to have local options for, even recent stuff like Raging Fire would be nice

[Futurhythm]

Originally Posted by themp3000

Man, if one of those To titles is A Hero Never Dies then I will freaking lose it. But I’m in regardless of what they are. I am always up for supporting Asian-focused BD labels. Always.

Nothing confirmed, but they're looking into this one.

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Wait, is the overlapping title a Johnnie To title or something completely different?

It's not a Hong Kong movie.

[jamoweed]

Honestly this is the most exciting news. So happy Australia is getting a dedicated Asian movie label. It's been slim pickings since Madman cut back on their Asian releases. Happy Umbrella is getting in on the act with their Fists of Fury label but I didn't need another copy of the Bruce Lee movies.

And they couldn't have chosen a better movie to start the line off with. I was blown away when I first watched Breaking News (on my Eastern Eye DVD) and have been patiently waiting for this to come out on blu-ray.

While I'm loving all the classics coming out from the UK labels at the moment I'm hoping we'll be getting some more contemporary Asian cinema from this label.

(Now if only my Takeshi Kitano order from Third Window would turn up today my day would be complete)

[latehong]

Spine 02 revealed:

Spine 02 is audience fav SUMMER TIME MACHINE BLUES. Exclusive special features include a booklet with a new essay by Hayley Scanlon, audio commentary by director Katsuyuki Motohiro & writer Makoto Ueda with newly translated English subtitles, and a new interview with Makoto Ueda.