Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 It's almost too ironic to be true. And I am NOT kidding when I say this... But when I first heard about Celestial remastering and releasing all these Shaw films over a five year period or so, can you guess what the very first movie on the top of my wish list was?? Yup. TO KILL A MASTERMIND. I know there's probably a few people on here who are no doubt sick of hearing about this film every other day without having seen so much as a sh#tty looking clip. Yup. Number one at the VERY top of my list since the day they announced these films were going to get a proper release. No joke. No lie. And of course, out of over 700+ films, TO KILL A MASTERMIND remains one of the very FEW film titles that apparently WONT be released. The chances are so small, so slim, that something like this would happen, that it's almost too much to honestly believe. You gotta laugh. Laugh, cry, vomit. The whole nine. :rollin :x >: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ivy Ling Po Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Hi sevenhooks This is an unknown movie to me. Why do you like it so much? Is it the action? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Many things. But, yeah. Mainly the fight action. Which comes fast and furious throughout the picture, performed by a cast of relative unknowns. Helmed brilliantly as usual by the always reliable Sun Chung, who was in between classics like Avenging Eagle and Kung Fu Instructor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Along with sevenhooks, I've also been pushing this release w/ no success as of yet. This film has betrayal, mystery, and the foremost, action. I kid you not, that from the start of this movie to the end it is a kung fu fans dream. From the VHS copy I have, I'm able to fill in the blanks on the subtitles and I'd mostly compare it to Avenging Eagle plotwise. If you can find a watchable print, give it a try and maybe you'll get on the mastermind bandwagon too. Check it out. www.youtube.com/profile?user=5thYang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 At the end of every year, I said to myself, "maybe NEXT year, maybe NEXT year." I kept saying that to myself for what? Four years straight? "At least I have my most anticipated title to still look forward to", I said to myself. Then of course this year came, and the release titles and dates started getting leaked on a month-to-month basis. Nothing. No TKAM. Not yet anyway. Then there was Ivy's ominous post stating the remaining titles still yet to be released by Celestial. I scanned that list SPECIFICALLY looking for TKAM (as I always did when I looked at these lists). To my almost expected sense of dread..... nothing. Nothing. I wanted to not believe Ivy's list, but Ivy was not the type of member known to BS the rest of the board like that. Also, something else told me that it HAD to be true. That the kung fu movie Gods were just busting their guts laughing at all of this. At the irony. Of course the one film you've most looked forward to seeing will never be seen. It HAS to be that way. It will almost certainly enhance it's legendary status. It HAS to be this way. Ya know what? It's almost BETTER this way. Seriously. If theyre going to leave ONE movie out. If they were going to hold just ONE classic back. What better movie, what better classic could they decide to hoard then TO KILL A MASTERMIND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I feel your pain. And no its not better this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kermit Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I spoke to Celestial today about To Kill a Mastermind. They said the reason they're not remastering it is because the print is in terrible condition and unrepairable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 damn I guess that's that thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 They said the reason they're not remastering it is because the print is in terrible condition and unrepairable. I hope you told them that whatever condition the print is in, it can't possibly be any worse than the available VHS copy. TKAM s essentially a cult, collectors title - as are many of the martial arts titles. You know that the majority of people who buy TKAM would purchase a dvd struck from a "terrible" print, knowing that it HAS to be better than what's available. They can release it as a special edition and actually use such a disclaimer as a selling point! At least they could if they had any marketing people with brains over there. And I hope Mona is proud of herself. After touring the US a decade ago and making the rounds at her old Shaw theaters, tossing out all the old film prints in the dumpster to thwart potential bootleggers. Smart move. Now it appears all we have left are single copies of prints???!!! Unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kermit Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Celestial arent interested in releasing something that hasnt been remastered. You can understand why. They have a certain standard and image which they wish to uphold. Releasing a battered up TKAM on dvd/vcd would be a little like Rolls Royce releasing a line of cars that come with cracked windscreens and the bumbers hanging off. Unless someone happens to stumble upon a good print and hand it to them or they happen to stumble across something in their mighty warehouse, TKAM just aint coming out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Unless someone happens to stumble upon a good print and hand it to them or they happen to stumble across something in their mighty warehouse, TKAM just aint coming out Again, we have Mona to thank for that. Celestial arent interested in releasing something that hasnt been remastered. You can understand why. They have a certain standard and image which they wish to uphold. Releasing a battered up TKAM on dvd/vcd would be a little like Rolls Royce releasing a line of cars that come with cracked windscreens and the bumbers hanging off. Nice analogy. And nice to see that they put their "image" well above their consumers. Sorry, but to think that ONE Special Collectors Edition release with a disclaimer explaining the condition of the print would somehow ruin Celestial's rep is laughable at best. Nobody would give a sh#t except the folks who turn around and buy the disk. And they would love Celestial even more as a result. But this shouldn't come as any shock. Celestial's proved time and time again to be shortsighted when it comes to these kinds of decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 With this horrible news.... I put hope in that a usable print will be found in a rusted storage locker last opened in 1978. In a good light at least we have more Bruce Li films! (cough cough)|I Kermit your supposed to be the bringer of good news by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Kermit your supposed to be the bringer of good news by the way Exactly! Not sure I'm used to this new vocation of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 sevenhooks, Do you have any scans from TKAM? I know there was a Martial Arts Movie mag.(issue #16 i believe) that had a full article on this film but I cant find this issue anywhere. There was a full cast shot similar to the Avenging Eagle cast pic if i remember correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Brigadier Chow Posted May 18, 2007 Member Share Posted May 18, 2007 I know what...let's take up a collection from all members and buy the print from Mona Fong, HAVE IT REMASTERED OURSELVES!!!!:rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I know what...let's take up a collection from all members and buy the print from Mona Fong, HAVE IT REMASTERED OURSELVES!!!! You know thats actually not a bad idea Brigadier. I'm all for it. I'd put a good chunk of $$$ into purchasing the reel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Brigadier Chow Posted May 18, 2007 Member Share Posted May 18, 2007 Just joking...you know after the laughter comes tears. I've been hoping for years they release this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Brigadier Chow Posted May 18, 2007 Member Share Posted May 18, 2007 But on the real side... if we all were serious, I wonder if this could be proposed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Just joking...you know after the laughter comes tears. I've been hoping for years they release this too. yeah i know.... but I would be interested in knowing how much $$ it would be to obtain that supposed damaged print from Celestial if they're not remastering it anyway. (just for curiosity) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 sevenhooks, Do you have any scans from TKAM? I know there was a Martial Arts Movie mag.(issue #16 i believe) that had a full article on this film but I cant find this issue anywhere. There was a full cast shot similar to the Avenging Eagle cast pic if i remember correctly. Below are scans taken from both Southern Screen and HK Movie News. I have the complete run of Martial Arts Movies magazine and I don't recall them ever running anything on the movie. There was awrite up or two in the fanzines like Jade Screen and M.A.M.A., but that's it. As far as I know, TKAM has never once been mentioned in a major western publication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! Thanks seven, you just made my day. Thanks a lot! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sevenhooks Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Re: $$$, I'll put up $2,500. Who'll match me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I dont have much but I'd put in $1,000 no problem. It's sad that this is what its come to... but I have to do what I have to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kermit Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 haha You two a mental for this flick, eh? Kermit your supposed to be the bringer of good news by the way. Sorry lads.....i'll try deliver some good news..ermm Kid from Kwantung is coming out in December Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 5th Yang Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Maybe we can have a topic for the purchase of TKAM pinned to kung fu forum boards across the net for donations. Just let everyone know the situation at hand. ;) ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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