Heroes Two Media Blaster DVD Review by Ian

Heroes Two is considered by many to be one of the quintessential and milestone Shaw Brothers films. Cheng Cheh with the help of choreographers Tang Chia and Lar Kar Leung and actors Chen Kwan Tai and Alexander Fu Sheng deliver a truly remarkable kung fu film with the use of real martial arts and a wonderful tale of revenge and brotherhood. The film is set in the Qing Dynasty after the burning of the Shaolin Temple by the Manchu’s. It’s not exactly a tale told once, but with Cheng Cheh and cast and crew, it’s a tale told well! This is the first Shaw Brothers release from Media Blaster and an amazing DVD film with excellent extras and options that make this DVD a MUST BUY!

Video: Heroes Two is anamorhpically enhanced and looks wonderful Media Blasters, like Dragon Dynasty before and BCI in the future has utilized HD masters for their transfers which help to alleviate any of the problems associated with PAL to NTSC conversion (ghosting, smearing, softness) as seen on releases by IVL in Hong Kong or by Image in the United States. Heroes Two suffers from none of these problems. The disc has strong vibrant colors, excellent detail in the picture, and no damage or issues with the source material. In short until Heroes Two has a Blu-ray release, the image quality is not going to be better anywhere else.

Audio: The disc contains English Mono, Mandarin Mono (with English Subtitles or Slates for signs, notes, etc) and English 5.1. The English 5.1 remix I suspect was done by Media Blasters as it does not suffer from added sound effects or music. It simply expands the music and sound effects giving it a wider range. It is quite nice to hear the theme in 5.1 without any added effects or additional “music”. All the tracks are clear and free of any damage and sound great with clean audio that is easy to hear and understand.

Extras: This disc has a bevy of incredible extras that just scream buy me! The first one is an excellent audio commentary by Kung Fu Film Historian Linn Haynes. Linn’s commentary is amazing with rarely any downtime and a great sense of humor that listeners will greatly enjoy. The facts the Linn displays shows why he was the king of Kung Fu film knowledge. That aside this is a really wonderful track and gives you a great history of the film and the people who made and starred in it. The bar for Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Commentaries has now been set quite high.

Tragically though this is the only commentary track that Linn Haynes recorded, he sadly died in a car accident shortly after. Media Blasters included a slate after their credits (after the movie) in memory of Linn. I can say personally from knowing and talking to Linn frequently in the last two years, that I had never meet anyone before someone so kind and generous with, and boundless in their knowledge of martial arts movies. He will be greatly missed and I thank Media Blasters for including the memorial.

There is also a short, but excellent ~8 minute interview with Chen Kwan Tai (more parts will be appearing on future Media Blaster Shaws DVD release, such as I suspect The Master coming out in May). The interview is quite detailed as one would expect as something produced by Mike Leeder, Editor of Impact magazine and know for his work on the extras for Hong Kong Legends and Dragon Dynasty among others.

The DVD also features the short feature Three Styles of Hung Fist that preceded the movies by a few weeks in theatres and later attached to Heroes Two during its theatrical run. This short feature discusses the type of martial arts that will be in Heroes Two featuring demonstrations by the actors and including narration (even referring to the actor’s real name). There is an option to watch this separately or seamlessly attached to the movie. This feature is anamorphically enhanced looks great and is in Mandarin with English subtitles. Media Blasters also includes the English language version of this feature, taken from a European VHS source. It is certainly strange to hear the dubbers refer to the actors who they portrayed by their real name. This feature is a pretty beaten up and with foreign subtitles embedded on it. However, the fact that Media Blasters was able to include this extra (which also comes with the original English language credits and title fonts) is incredible and the unremastered nature of it (which is noted before any non-Celestial footage) is irrelevant. The original Mandarin trailer (along with a Celestial video promo) is also included along with the original English Language Export trailer sourced from a foreign VHS tape (but is still anamorphically enhanced). This trailer is something I’ve never seen and will be a real treat for fans. There is also a stills galley and Tokyo Shock trailers for other upcoming releases (including the original Mandarin trailer for the Master).

Overall: Buy it. I really should not need to say anything else. This is a wonderful package Media Blasters has put together for Heroes Two. I cannot wait to see what The Master (due around May 13^th) is like.

Just click http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.545350/aid.85597/qx/details.htm and grab your copy!

Heroes Two Media Blaster DVD Review by Ian

The Shaw Brothers Kung-Fu Collection Presents HEROES TWO on April 8th

From Richard York, Media Blasters Production Supervisor:

Hello. Below is some information about our upcoming release of the Shaw Brothers/Chang Cheh classic, HEROES TWO, due out April 8th.

*Remastered Anamorphic 2.35:1 Feature from HD master

*Languages:

*Mandarin Mono with English Subtitles

*English Mono

*English 5.1

*Audio Commentary by Asian Film Historian Linn Haynes**

*Remastered "Three Styles of Hung Fist" available as an intro option for the first time on DVD (Mandarin with English titles only)

*Original Mandarin Trailer (with English subtitles)*New Mandarin Trailers (4 variations, with English Subtitles)

*"Three Styles of Hung Fist", original English language version (from unremastered video)

*Original English language export trailer (from unremastered video)

*Original English language opening (from unremastered video)

*"Made to be a Hero" An all-new interview with star Chen Kuan-tai (produced by Mike Leeder)*Stills and art gallery

**We're deeply honored to have had the invaluable (and irreplaceable) assistance of Linn Haynes. He dedicated his life to classic kung fu films. His knowledge runs deep and his enthusiasm and professionalism can be felt all through this release. He provided a lot of the great video extras you see above and his commentary does not disappoint. In fact, I'd say it's one of the most informative and entertaining I've heard in a long time.

He apparently ran into a snag or two in completing his commentary. It arrived to us late and still had to go to Celestial for approval. Due to the scheduling of the packaging printing, we weren't able to get commentary approval before it went to press. Therefore, unfortunately, his name does not appear on the packaging, which he was disappointed with but understanding of. But the commentary is on there (in the setup menu). In one of our last email exchanges, I was able to inform him of Celestial's approval and he was "very happy!"

It was a real pleasure working with him from the early stages of the process to the plans he had for upcoming editions. As we were working mainly on one film at a time, we weren't able to get too far on future releases before his untimely passing. We know his absence will be felt through the remainder of our Shaw Brothers releases but, hopefully, so will his spirit.

The Shaw Brothers Kung-Fu Collection Presents HEROES TWO on April 8th

An unpublished interview with Linn Haynes about Chinese Nationalism in Kung Fu Movies

From: Wed, 07 Mar 2007

Subjects

1.Jimmy Wang Yu

a. What was JWYs opinion on the Japanese?

I can't speak for Wang Yu, but in general I think the idea he hates Japanese is something that comes from the films and the climate they were made in rather than the real world.

b. He seemed to love killing them in the movies and loved even more going to conventions in Japan and doing interviews with his “mortal enemies”. How is JWY so popular in Japan.

He did quite a bit of publicity for kung fu films in the region, even made a couple of films there and he is well remembered. Virgin released most of his old films on video there in the 80s and 90s. As for why he "loved killing them," ACTING!

c. What was JWY’s relationship with Kurata?

My understanding is that Kurata and he were friends over the years from working in HK together.

d. Do you think JWY really cared about Chinese nationalism in any real sense? Seaman No 7 Was an Example you mentioned.

Correction, Seaman No.7 was an example of Wang Yu's character evolving. He was a Chinese that is beat up by Japanese and then trains under a Japanese Karate master.

e. Do you think he was heavily influenced technically by Japanese cinema?

I certainly think that kung fu films in general were. As for JWY, he did remake Seven Samurai more or less with the film Beach of the War Gods. :)

And I would say, a lot of his films featuring large groups of fighters certainly had a Japanese look to the action scenes. The Brave and the Evil, his first directing gig after the Shaw Brothers, would be an example.

2.Kurata

a. When did Kurata start working in Hong Kong?

1971's King of Boxers or King Boxer

b. How did Kurata feel about the roles he often had to take?

According to Kurata, he wasn't a big fan of some of the roles he took because of the way they painted the Japanese, but he also needed a job.

c. It’s been said the Kurata’s roles as Japanese villains brought him great acclaim in Japan how was this so?

Because he was seen less of a Japanese actor playing crappy bad guy roles, and more as a Japanese doing well in the greatest action market in the world. He was a home town boy doing good more or less.

d. Heroes of the East was said to have been viewed as very important by

Kurata even to the point that he turned done better work in Japan. Is this true?

Correct. He was supposed to do a TV series or movie at the time and was asked by Lau Kar Leung to come back to HK to film the movie. The role was so good, he pretty much dropped everything to do it.

e. Who were Kurata’s main friends during his first stint in Hong Kong?

Bruce Lee, Bruce Liang, and Chen Kuan Tai.

f. Why do you think Kurata was invited to the HKFA’s action chorography dinner as an honored guest? He was the only non-Chinese?

Because he was truly considered one of them by that point. It must be remembered that Kurata put up with a lot of "ribbing," both physical and mental, for being Japanese and in these films from the people on set.

But he showed that he could do the work and over time gained the respect of most of the people he worked with.

g. Are there any other Japanese actors who were as respected as Kurata working in HK?

Hmm...good question. I think they're TONS of Japanese actors respected in HK, but you'll note very few ever made their way there. Sonny Chiba

comes to mind. Many guess this is because they (Japanese actors) couldn't take the pressure, but it was more likely they were making too much money at home.

3.Shaws

a. Was the standing order by Run Run to try and emulate Japanese cinema

technically for Shaw Brothers films?

Yes. Shaw went to the point of running Japanese films in the Shaw Studios' theater for his directors to see.

b. Is it true that Run Run would often screen Japanese cinema for his directors?

See above. :)

c. What directors do you think adopted the most Japanese techniques in their films?

Chang Cheh and Ching Gong (Cheng Kang) are perhaps the most Japanese outside of the Japanese directors that worked for the Shaws.

d. What was Cheng Cheh and LKL opinions on the Japanese. LKL rarely had Japanese enemies when compared to CC.

I think from LKL's Heroes of the East, it was clear he respected them at least. As for Cheng, he many times talked about how much he looked up to Japanese directors, particularly Kurosawa.

e. Is it true the Shaws employed numerous Japanese technicians on their films but using Chinese names?

Yes. Directors and craftsmen.

f. How big were the Shaws in Japan?

My understanding is that they were more known for their distribution than their films there. Though many of their films played there, they handled the distribution in HK of many Japanese films.

4. General and Miscellanies

a. What was the first film (to the best of your knowledge to use Chinese Anti-Japanese nationalism as a main plot point?

It was a Wong Fei Hung film, I believe Huang Fei Hong's Combat With The Five Wolves. This featured sequences cited by the HK Film Archives as being an influence on Fist of Fury.

b. Where there any directors who really did have it in for Japan and wanted to use their films as platform for doing this?

Not sure.

c. What effect did these types of plotlines have on foreign Chinese and

Westerners when they saw these films (as they plot device came up in a large number of films)

d. Do you think the portrayal of Japanese in Hong Kong action cinema has ever changed? If so what time period?

In the 80s is when it really changed. They're some instances beforehand, but I think it was consistently better in the mid to late 80s with films like Heroes of the East, Ninja in the Dragon's Den, etc.

e. Would you say Johnnie To’s Throwdown shows how far HK cinema has come in its view of Japanese ideas?

Yes, and also continues to show how much it's influenced it. I mean, swordplay cinema from the Shaws during the 1960s IS their answer to samurai cinema. Throwdown is To's equivalent to the early work of Kurosawa, specifically Sugata Sanshiro AKA Judo Saga.

An unpublished interview with Linn Haynes about Chinese Nationalism in Kung Fu Movies

RIP Linn Haynes 1974-2008

We have lost a giant in the field of Kung Fu research. I haven't posted since I've heard this as it's been very shocking. We have plans for a tribute to Linn Hanyes, but until then I'm going to post an exclusive interview he did with me for a research paper. You can also post you thoughts on the Flashlegs Forum, DVD Manics (in the Off Topic Forum), Kung Fu Cinema Forum, and MHVF.net. You can also send condolences via the information contained below.

This is truly a horrible tragedy. However, through plans for his works, the name and talents of Linn Haynes will live on forever.

We will miss you greatly, but you will not be forgotten.

MACON: Linn Haynes, 33, of Atagahi Trail, died Thursday, February 28, 2008. Family visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00pm, Saturday at Bridges Funeral Home in Gray. Graveside services will be at 2:00pm, Sunday, March 02, 2008, at Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Gray, with Rev. Steve Johnson conducting the services.

Linn was born in Macon on May 27, 1974, and grew up in Gray. He was a 1992 graduate of Cross Keys Christian Academy, earned an Associate's Degree from Georgia Military College, graduating with Honors and earned his Bachelor's Degree in English at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, where he also minored in Journalism. Linn was the assistant manager at Books-A-Million in Macon and was a freelance writer. An avid comic book, video and book collector, he also did commentary on DVDs for various Asian films.

Linn is survived by his devoted wife of six years: Monica Nalin Haynes of Macon; parents: Bobby and Rita Haynes of Gray; father-in-law and mother-in-law: Bob and Maureen Nalin of Thomasville; his dog: Maggie; his cat: Lucky; and by several aunts and uncles.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Bradley Baptist Church Building Fund, Post Office Box 61, Gray, Georgia 31032.

Bridges Funeral Home in Gray has charge of arrangements. Please visit the online memorial at: www.bridgesfh.com.

RIP Linn Haynes 1974-2008

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media Blaster Releases

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media
Blaster Releases.


1.Can you tell us a little about yourself and how did you first got interested into Shaw Brothers films?

Now that is a LONG story, here's the short version: When I was kid, I just watched kung fu films, not really knowing about the production companies and the like, but I DID watch everything around the age of seven or eight. As for the Shaw Brothers, like a lot of U.S. fans, I caught their films as part of the Black Belt Theater package on TV. We could actually barely get the station (this was before we got cable), and I stayed up late at night to catch it. Luckily my parents never caught me! I saw a handful of movies in the theater locally, but mostly television was where I really watched most of the films. When BBT stopped, I started watching Kung Fu Theater on USA Network. Saturdays were usually spent watching cartoons until noon when my parents changed the channel to USA for the rest of the day. I've still got an old tape of Kung Fu Instructor off of Kung Fu Theater that's a prized possession of mine.

After that, I took a break and saw just a few films over the next six years or so. I had started reading martial arts magazines as a kid, so I never really fell out of some of what was going on, but I didn't really have access to any current films. By that same logic, it helped me out a bit, because I could only watch period kung fu films on video. It wasn't until towards the end of high school that I really got back into the genre with a great deal of force.

I went to a convention in Atlanta called Dragon Con and came across a guy selling kung fu tapes. He was talking up a few films, and I recognized Jackie Chan's Police Story. I had heard about the film and wanted to see it. So I got that, Dragons Forever (the dealer said it was great), and A Chinese Ghost Story (still one of my all time favorite films),and went home. That night I watched them all and that was all it took. The next day, I went back, and bought something like twenty tapes. What's funny is, I recognized a LOT of actors from my Kung Fu Theater days, so I wasn't a lost as I thought I would be. I didn't know Sammo Hung's name, but I certainly knew his face! From that point on, I was a kung fu fanatic and started looking everywhere for kung fu tapes. I started renting films and making copies. I soon found a kung fu trading site online called Rindge on the Fringe that listed people from around the world with their lists and wants where I made a lot of friends I still stay in contact with today. I started doing everything I could to learn about these films, from digging in Chinese groceries to buying Chinese books and magazines. I even hired a guy at a local Hong Kong restaurant to translate some things for me! Within two years, I saw perhaps two hundred films. Now, I don't even want to think how many I've seen!

I started writing about the films where I could, first in a college newspaper. Damon Foster gave me a break with some reviews in his Oriental Cinema Magazine, and then I was off! Later I discovered a voice online and joined a couple of forums, notably Kung Fu Fandom, which I became an administrator for. In a couple of years, I'd written for and been interviewed in publications all over the world. Though I didn't start off doing this, it seemed everything I wrote of any substance was dealing with Shaw Brothers films. I realized just prior to doing this interview, I've never written anything that's been published on Golden Harvest. For whatever reason, I really gravitated to the Shaw Brothers films. Part of it was my local video store had some of the old “Shaw Brothers Video” releases, so the core films were easier for me to see. And of course I remembered seeing that Shaw Brothers films as a kid, as they were the main staple until about 1984 or 85, when it became more Taiwanese films.

2. How long has Media Blasters been interested in distributing the Shaw
Brothers films?

For as long as I've been involved with the company, since the release of Seven Grandmasters a few years ago. The issue has often been one of availability of titles, or viability of the market. It certainly hasn't been lack of want, as many of the people there are fans themselves of the films. I think their list of titles speak to that fact.

3. Media Blasters got some very well known titles, it was long thought that anything well known was controlled by Dragon Dynasty or Image. How could such well known titles slip through the cracks?

You'd be surprised how often this happens. It often comes down to one of three things: 1. Companies don't know enough about the films to make a valid judgment on the titles they're looking at. 2. The people viewing availability lists don't know the original international titles (meaning titles prior to them being changed for US releases), so they don't recognize the “good” films. 3. There's of course certain titles a company is looking for and some are naturally not chosen due to a set limit they have. To be honest, it's often VERY surprising to me what's not picked and what is picked. In the case of the Shaw Brothers films, many were not available until they were set for release in Hong Kong.

4. Shaw Brother releases in the United States have been extremely un-even at times. Is Media Blasters committed to doing more than just ports of the IVL discs?

First off, the majority of Media Blasters titles will be from High Def masters. That means that they'll be no issues with the PAL to NTSC transfers that have plagued all the IVL releases and some of the US DVDs.

Also, in the rare case a HD master isn't available for a title, they will be working with the original PAL masters to do a transfer, so those titles should be a step above the HK releases. One thing to keep in mind, all of the Media Blasters releases will also be 16:9 enhanced, which nearly all of the HK DVDs of these titles were not.

5. When do you expect the first title to hit retail and is Media Blasters planning to make the Shaw Brother titles a major part of their 2008 releases?

The first title is currently set to come out the second quarter of 2008. The idea is that one title a month afterward. Black Magic 2 is a natural for October I think. The Shaw releases are one of the cornerstones of Media Blasters release schedule for next year and they really want to do a good job on these.

6. Does Media Blaster rights extend only to DVD or also to next generation formats?

Media Blasters at the moment have no plans to release Shaw Brothers films on next generation formats.

7. Will sub-titles be retranslated by Media Blasters?

The plan is to retranslate problem subtitles.

8. Will the original English dubs be used? What steps are being done to find dubs that Celestial does not still have? Also would Celestial allow the use of collector prints for rare dubs (which seem to be coming out of the woodwork once again)?

Yes, the original dubs are being used. As a matter of fact, some may be 5.1 audio. And before fans freak out, mono tracks for both English and original languages will also be included. For the titles Media Blasters are releasing, there's only a couple that don't have complete English audio available, and every attempt is being made find missing elements if they exist.

9. What type of extras is Media Blasters aiming for the discs?

I talked to Mike Leeder (Editor of Impact Magazine, interviewer for Hong Kong Legends) almost immediately after I heard about the Media Blasters releases. Mike is on my short list of the most knowledgeable people on Hong Kong films in the world. Mike and I have been hoping to do something together for a while. I also contacted a lot of friends around the world looking for footage for extras and the like. I've contacted Frederic Ambroisine, an old friend of mine in France who handled the extras for the well known French Wildside releases, about looking into interviews he had done. I'm still looking for English trailers for these films BTW, so if anyone's got some out there, contact this site!

10. Are their attempts to interview some of the more uncommon subjects for the discs (English dubbers, Shaw crew members and non-actors, major actors who did not appear on the DD discs such as Ti Lung and Lar Kar Leung)?

If everything goes as planned, I think fans will be VERY happy with the extras for these releases. Media Blasters, Mike and myself are trying to set the bar high, some might say too high, for the extras. If everything works out, there's no way fans wouldn't enjoy what they find extras-wise. And yes, every effort is being made to get interviews.

11. Many people were pleasantly surprised with the skill the RZA displayed on the 36th Chamber of Shaolin commentary, is there any ideas about working with the RZA or other Wu-Tang Clan members on the discs? It seems with the new release of a Wu-Tang Clan CD in December entitled 8 Diagrams that it would be good marketing (with the Wu-Tang Clan in the news) to get them on the discs.

I was also impressed with the 36th Chamber commentary. As for getting him on the Media Blasters discs, we'll see.

12. Are there any plans for documentaries about the Shaws and how should documentaries be handled.

We've got some ideas we're floating around, but nothing set in stone at the moment. I don't want to get fans to excited and then something come up to slow things down. This is not an exact science after all.

12. Are there any plans for audio commentaries?

Media Blasters have asked me to do some. To tell the truth, I'm hesitant to do it, as every time I have, something bad has happened. The last time I agreed to it, I brought in a friend to be on it, only to have the DVD canceled the night before the commentary was to be recorded. I worked in radio for a couple of years, so I don't have a problem being on the mike, and I practice every time I watch a film with someone. I drive a few of my friends nuts!

14. Is it possible for footage of lost/un-made Shaw films to be licensed by Media Blasters as extras? Is it also possible for films to be licensed that Celestial declined to re-master themselves (ie Hong Kong Godfathers and To Kill A Mastermind)?

Mike and I have plans to try and find anything we can as far as vintage materials go. I sent him some things to look for, but it's currently too early to really comment on that. As for titles Celestial hasn't remastered: It's a possibility. You certainly mentioned the top two on my list. [Note: Just after this interview was done, it was revealed that BCI had purchased the rights to Hong Kong Godfathers and fourteen other films. Linn was responsible for picking those titles and specifically requested BCI to seek out the film for release.]

13. Any hint on what the first title will be?

The first title at the moment is Heroes Two. That doesn't mean something can't change between now and then, but I personally think it's a perfect title to start with.

14. Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview with HK AND
CULT FILM NEWS.

Thank you. And thanks to everyone reading this for supporting Asian
film releases throughout the world.

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media Blaster Releases