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The 88 Films Blu-Ray Thread


Chemical Lemon

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Drunken Monk

I don’t particularly care for 88 Films releasing Erotic Ghost Story again, but I’ll definitely pick it up, since it’s now a trilogy.

i’ve never seen Magnificent Bodyguards so look forward to that one.

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Each of the Erotic Ghost Stories have a distinct style and flavor. 1 is Witches Of Eastwick with sideboob, 2 contains far more style and artful touches than you might think comes with a Category III film (it was directed by a cinematographer after all) and 3 is the funniest. Shing Fui-on shrinks in order to get inside a vagina and it means they built an oversized set for him to walk around in. Cool.

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KUNG FU BOB
5 hours ago, Knetan said:

Hope it includes a viewing option in old school 3D, with included glasses. The 3D releases of wuxia films from this time are great fun to watch. Thinking Dynasty, revenge Of The Shogun Women. Shot using the same 3D system as on Bodyguards.

 

5 hours ago, starschwar said:

I'm sure it will have the classic red and cyan anaglyph style.  Honestly, I'd be more surprised if it were encoded in the modern format for those 3D tvs that were being pushed as the big new thing about... 10 or so years ago?  Do they even make those anymore? 

 

4 hours ago, KenHashibe said:

Echoing what @Knetan said, I'm really hoping I won't need a 3D-compatible TV and 3D-compatible Blu-ray player just to watch this. The Dynasty release was great; just a regular Blu-ray that came with the anaglyph glasses.

I'm not sure which 3D format MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS will be in, but I suspect, as @starschwar theorizes, that it will be "classic red and cyan anaglyph style." Other than the most high-end models manufacturers are not making 3D TVs anymore.* I can't see 88 Films putting this out in a format that hardly anyone could watch. Although, it would be neat if it came with both versions of 3D. I think I have a release like that. I can't remember which film it is. Anyway, I'm so glad 88 is releasing it in 3D as it was originally intended to be seen. When I rewatched the film in preparation for doing the artwork I enjoyed it a lot and was thinking how much fun it would be to view it in that format as it was filmed with plenty of "comin' at ya" bits. The new print looks gorgeous too with spectacular colors and clarity.

I hadn't seen the film in a long time and I really dug it. I especially like the gruesome bit where they demonstrate (James Tien's) swordsman Chang Wu-Yi's skills when his opponent stumbles out of a building after a heard but not seen exchange with him.  :xd:

*I think that's a shame because the 3D on these TVs looked fantastic and I have quite a few 3D Blu-rays that I'd like to continue watching that way. I had two 3D TVs, and both of them conked out eventually. One had the screen go bad- no fix for that. But the other one can likely be repaired. I kept both, hoping between the two they could be "Frankensteined" into one working TV. Getting these huge TVs to a repair shop is no easy task as they won't fit safely into my vehicle. The other option is to have the service people make a house call, which is not cheap, so the whole thing has been on the back burner for years with the 2 TVs stored in an extra bedroom. Perhaps someday I'll have both the time and money to give it a try.

4 hours ago, KenHashibe said:

Can't believe I didn't mention this in my first post, but the Magnificent Bodyguards cover art by @KUNG FU BOB is fantastic as always.

Thanks, brother.

 

3 hours ago, DiP said:

Tai-Chi Master in 4K on September 9.

81DYJoV1afL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

One of the most exciting new releases coming!

I love Sam Green's artwork for this.

 

 

 

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The Dynasty and Shogun Women BDs offered up a 3D TV and glasses-viewing if you will but being a few years old, maybe that option made more sense considering the customer base might've largely had such TVs.

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Yihetuan
On 6/12/2024 at 2:51 AM, ShawAngela said:

There is a Korean version of this one? That wasn't in the previous 88 release?

The original 88 release with the Dude Designs cover art didn't have the "alternate Korean footage from the Lo Wei vaults" nor the Frank Djeng & FJ Desanto commentary. It's reason enough to upgrade even if you intend to buy just the blu ray and not bother with the 4K UHD edition.

16 hours ago, Knetan said:

The Dynasty and Shogun Women BDs offered up a 3D TV and glasses-viewing if you will but being a few years old, maybe that option made more sense considering the customer base might've largely had such TVs.

Most TV manufacturers gave up 3-D and no longer offer it, so it would be beyond stupid if 88 didn't include anaglyph glasses with the blu ray. But let's be honest here, anaglyph looks horrible compared to polarized glasses with a proper 3-D compatible TV or projector.

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WaverBoy
Posted (edited)
16 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

I'm not sure which 3D format MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS will be in, but I suspect, as @starschwar theorizes, that it will be "classic red and cyan anaglyph style." Other than the most high-end models manufacturers are not making 3D TVs anymore.* I can't see 88 Films putting this out in a format that hardly anyone could watch. Although, it would be neat if it came with both versions of 3D. I think I have a release like that. I can't remember which film it is. Anyway, I'm so glad 88 is releasing it in 3D as it was originally intended to be seen. When I rewatched the film in preparation for doing the artwork I enjoyed it a lot and was thinking how much fun it would be to view it in that format as it was filmed with plenty of "comin' at ya" bits. The new print looks gorgeous too with spectacular colors and clarity.

I hadn't seen the film in a long time and I really dug it. I especially like the gruesome bit where they demonstrate (James Tien's) swordsman Chang Wu-Yi's skills when his opponent stumbles out of a building after a heard but not seen exchange with him.  :xd:

*I think that's a shame because the 3D on these TVs looked fantastic and I have quite a few 3D Blu-rays that I'd like to continue watching that way. I had two 3D TVs, and both of them conked out eventually. One had the screen go bad- no fix for that. But the other one can likely be repaired. I kept both, hoping between the two they could be "Frankensteined" into one working TV. Getting these huge TVs to a repair shop is no easy task as they won't fit safely into my vehicle. The other option is to have the service people make a house call, which is not cheap, so the whole thing has been on the back burner for years with the 2 TVs stored in an extra bedroom. Perhaps someday I'll have both the time and money to give it a try.

You can tell from the spine cover art that it will be in the Blu-ray 3D format, as the logo is present and correct. And to that I say, THANK FUCKING ZEUS, because it beats the shit out of anaglyph. Contrary to popular belief, 3-D compatible projectors are still being manufactured and sold, and there are lots of working 3-D sets still out there as well; you should definitely either repair your 3-D set or replace it with a used one from Craigslist at a bargain price. (We found a 75” Sony Bravia 3-D set for my girlfriend for $299!) We are a niche but still passionate and thriving community, and a trickle of Blu-ray 3D releases still come out every year. For the sake of the poor unfortunate souls who aren’t Blu-ray 3D compatible, and to maximize sales I’m hoping they include a restored anaglyph option as well, like the 3-D Film Archive does with their vintage 3-D releases through Kino. And for those of us lucky ones who are, this is a cause for double celebration! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

23 hours ago, KenHashibe said:

Echoing what @Knetan said, I'm really hoping I won't need a 3D-compatible TV and 3D-compatible Blu-ray player just to watch this. The Dynasty release was great; just a regular Blu-ray that came with the anaglyph glasses.

Both Dynasty and Revenge of the Shogun Women were in the Blu-ray 3D format, and also included anaglyph versions.

Edited by WaverBoy
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Yihetuan
17 minutes ago, WaverBoy said:

Both Dynasty and Revenge of the Shogun Women were in the Blu-ray 3D format, and also included anaglyph versions.

That's why having 3D compatible TV or projector & polarized glasses is crucial to getting the most out of these releases. Anaglyph doesn't do it for me. I'm glad I kept my old C1 LG OLED just for that purpose. To see 3D without ghosting & crosstalk is a revelation.

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kuenfist

Oh what a year !!!! Magnificent Bodyguards in 3D !!!! 3 years ago i bought a Sony Bravia 3D TV second hand because i want to see Dynasty in 3D. Thereafter Shogun Woman came out and i bought some classic horror movies in 3D. Not that i am want to watch 3D every day ( it is a little stressful for the eyes ) but if i am in the mood i can do it. And i must say it was one of the best decisions i made to buy this used TV ( was very cheap with a Blu Ray player for 250 Euros ).  It is so much fun to see 3D fu or Andy Warhols Frankenstein, Jaws 3D. Friend of mine gave me his old 3D beamer cause he bought a real big 4k TV. Have no glasses for this. But now with Magnificent Bodyguards i must buy some. Best two or more so i can share with friends the experience of 3D home cinema !!!

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Chemical Lemon

I gotta check out Dynasty and Shogun Women now. I have a few of the 3D archives movies but skipped those because they looked a little silly. I haven’t dug out my 3D glasses in quite a few years, I hope they still charge. I’ve also never seen magnificent bodyguards so this will be a fun way to see it

Is magnificent bodyguards any good? It’s probably worth watching just for the 3-D, but I haven’t seen too much discussion about the content of the film? Is this on par with Jackie’s Lo Wei era films?  What might be the best comparison to other Jackie films?

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lilmanjs

Am I the only one concerned that Project A is nowhere to be found on the huge slate of releases that they put out on social media?

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Chemical Lemon
Posted (edited)
40 minutes ago, lilmanjs said:

Am I the only one concerned that Project A is nowhere to be found on the huge slate of releases that they put out on social media?

I wouldn’t be too concerned. They didn’t list any of the other delayed US releases (like inspector wears skirts 3 & 4). I’m guessing they’re presuming that project A collection will make it out by June. Their release date guesses are infuriatingly bad. I don’t mind it as much when they’re US releases and I can order them separately with free shipping. But I tend to get my UK only discs through terracotta and order in bulk to try to save on shipping. Inevitably one of the 88 discs is postponed and causes everything in the order to take an extra couple months to ship

Edited by Chemical Lemon
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KenHashibe
1 hour ago, Chemical Lemon said:

Is magnificent bodyguards any good? It’s probably worth watching just for the 3-D, but I haven’t seen too much discussion about the content of the film? Is this on par with Jackie’s Lo Wei era films?  What might be the best comparison to other Jackie films?

It's a decent enough movie with a bare bones story. Jackie, James Tien and Bruce Leung transport a person through a treacherous mountain region full of bad guys. Fights ensue. I put it on par with To Kill With Intrigue, but not nearly as good as some of Jackie's other films with Lo Wei (i.e. Dragon Fist, Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin, Fearless Hyena). Again, nothing really going for it with its characters or story, but the fights are pretty good and there are some creative moments to show off the 3-D tech. Worth a watch, in my opinion.

59 minutes ago, lilmanjs said:

Am I the only one concerned that Project A is nowhere to be found on the huge slate of releases that they put out on social media?

Most recent update from them was May 29th on their Instagram with the caption "The wait is almost over". Diabolik still lists it as coming July 9th, but I'm honestly expecting it to come a little later. Hope to be wrong.

Here's the recent post:

88 Films (@88_films) • Instagram photos and videos

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starschwar
9 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

i’ve never seen Magnificent Bodyguards so look forward to that one.

It's one where I can say I both have and haven't!  While all the other Lo Wei Jackie movies I had way back when were on the lowest possible quality of VHS in terms of A/V quality, Magnificent Bodyguards was a different beast.  It was taken from an Asian theatrical print - burnt-in subs and all.  However, it was cropped all the way down to 4:3.  So besides the usual pitfall of losing out on cinematography and visible action, I only got the middle third of any sentence as well. 

 

Mostly, I remember lots of Friday the 13th Part 3 style "object moves to foreground" shots and blatant use of Star Wars music.   In this compromised form, it was near the middle of my Lo Wei Jackie movie rankings, but I expect my opinion to revise sharply in this new context.

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lilmanjs

Since somebody asked on Facebook, 88 Films did reply to their comment. Good to see them notice as they said this: Just taken a million times longer than we thought it would, we just don’t have enough man power to do everything.

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lilmanjs

Sorry for the double post but saw another comment where 88 Films replied and stated only the first film is fully done for the Project A set. Shortly they will start work on the sequel. I'm betting early 2025 for this set at this point. No way they hit a July release date. Attached picture is not mine.

IMG-1146.jpg

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AlexanderFu

This will be great, but To Kill a Mastermind will be the grail of the year so far.

I was lucky, the clones cox came 2 days ago, & the 4k To Kill With intrigue yesterday, so some great stuff to check out.

My Vizio is 3D capable (and has the nicest picture quality 0f of the 3 TV's I use).

My 4K TV seems a bit too dark (Samsung)

I probably got a cheap one. If anyone has any  4K TV recommendation, please let me know & thank you!

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Drunken Monk
1 hour ago, AlexanderFu said:

I probably got a cheap one. If anyone has any  4K TV recommendation, please let me know & thank you!

Before you buy a new one, put the model of your tv into Google followed by the word "calibration." Oftentimes, someone on Reddit or other sites, will break down the perfect calibration for a tv. I did that with my TCL tv (which I also thought was a bit "off" in regards to the picture) and not I'm super happy with how it looks.

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ChillyChong

As amount of forthcoming interesting titles is pretty large and it is 88 easy to guess several goods are delayed I figured most convenient way is amazon.uk place several pre-orders at once. For shipping first item is quite lot, sth like 14€ but additional items do not increase amount much like 1,5€/item or so. Movies are charged and shipped when they are in stock(unless they havev changed policy) and delays won`t hold other items.

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Yihetuan
3 minutes ago, ChillyChong said:

As amount of forthcoming interesting titles is pretty large and it is 88 easy to guess several goods are delayed I figured most convenient way is amazon.uk place several pre-orders at once. For shipping first item is quite lot, sth like 14€ but additional items do not increase amount much like 1,5€/item or so. Movies are charged and shipped when they are in stock(unless they havev changed policy) and delays won`t hold other items.

Unfortunately for US buyers we are charged tax in addition to the high shipping, so that option is not as attractive to me anymore since there are several US retailers specializing in boutique labels that do not charge tax (unless you live in the State where the company is located) & offer free shipping. The downside is they take payment upfront & will only ship once all your orders are in stock.

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Chemical Lemon

I thought Amazon.uk used to remove the tax when you finally got to checkout. I switched to terracotta during the pandemic and never switched back to Amazon.uk, maybe the process has changed

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AlexanderFu
2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Before you buy a new one, put the model of your tv into Google followed by the word "calibration." Oftentimes, someone on Reddit or other sites, will break down the perfect calibration for a tv. I did that with my TCL tv (which I also thought was a bit "off" in regards to the picture) and not I'm super happy with how it looks.

Sounds good, thank you. I'll give that a try. :cool

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starschwar
5 hours ago, AlexanderFu said:

My 4K TV seems a bit too dark (Samsung)

Have you verified that your player (and any receivers, scalers, or anything else between the player and your TV) is outputting the correct color mode?  Often times, it can be set to the wrong color space - using the color values meant for a computer monitor rather than a TV.  HDR could also be an issue if your TV does not support that.

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