Ashes of Time - Mei Ah DVD good?
11-26-03, 09:22 AM
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Ashes of Time - Mei Ah DVD good?
I just took a look (from the old-school KF thread) at Kung Fu Cinema's top 50 list.
I was under the impression that no good DVD of Ashes of Time exists, but the review of it there says "This particular DVD transfer from Mei Ah is highly recommended over other versions available. Other editions suffer from poor video and audio transfers, cropping and only being available in standard, pan and scan format"
Is it actually a good transfer? Or just somewhat better than the crop of lousy ones?
I was under the impression that no good DVD of Ashes of Time exists, but the review of it there says "This particular DVD transfer from Mei Ah is highly recommended over other versions available. Other editions suffer from poor video and audio transfers, cropping and only being available in standard, pan and scan format"
Is it actually a good transfer? Or just somewhat better than the crop of lousy ones?
11-26-03, 09:48 AM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Here's my review of Ashes of Time from 2 years ago...
Here's the link to the thread and discussion: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=160045
The Film - 6.5/10
It was very difficult to follow... It was a collection of stories that were very loosley tied together. It reminded me of Dragon Inn a little with different characters all ending up in one place, but it's very much different (except for Brigitte Lin's part). It's more of an artsy film (well Wong Kar Wai - what do you expect?) though and so if you're hoping for some conventional standards of HK cinema, you won't find many here. I did like the story for the most part - I will have to watch it a few more times perhaps so I can follow what characters are doing what and to whom. I was tired when I watched it so that might have something to do with it.
The DVD - 4/10
Mei Ah - burned in subs and 1.85:1 letterbox with the sides cut a little. The transfer is fairly clean for an earlier Mei Ah release though. No menu or extras or chapter stops.
The Action - 4/10
A few good dismemberments and some decent flashes of action, but all the action is handled the "artsy" way with choppy editing and ugly camera effects that just make the action really hard to follow - you almost have to wait until the motion sickness is over to see who won.
The Actors - 9.5/10
The acting was all superb though and it was a pleasure to watch all these fine A-list actors and actresses together on screen giving some of their best performances ever. I mean - we're talking Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Brigitte Lin, Jacky Cheung, Leung Ka Fai and Leslie Cheung. What more could you ask for?
Overall - 7/10
I think this film as a whole is better than if you dissect it. It works on a few levels and is different than most other HK films. If you're into Wong Kar Wai then you've probably seen it and if not then it should be on your list. If you're not really into artsy films and just like good action, then probably skip it.
It was very difficult to follow... It was a collection of stories that were very loosley tied together. It reminded me of Dragon Inn a little with different characters all ending up in one place, but it's very much different (except for Brigitte Lin's part). It's more of an artsy film (well Wong Kar Wai - what do you expect?) though and so if you're hoping for some conventional standards of HK cinema, you won't find many here. I did like the story for the most part - I will have to watch it a few more times perhaps so I can follow what characters are doing what and to whom. I was tired when I watched it so that might have something to do with it.
The DVD - 4/10
Mei Ah - burned in subs and 1.85:1 letterbox with the sides cut a little. The transfer is fairly clean for an earlier Mei Ah release though. No menu or extras or chapter stops.
The Action - 4/10
A few good dismemberments and some decent flashes of action, but all the action is handled the "artsy" way with choppy editing and ugly camera effects that just make the action really hard to follow - you almost have to wait until the motion sickness is over to see who won.
The Actors - 9.5/10
The acting was all superb though and it was a pleasure to watch all these fine A-list actors and actresses together on screen giving some of their best performances ever. I mean - we're talking Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Brigitte Lin, Jacky Cheung, Leung Ka Fai and Leslie Cheung. What more could you ask for?
Overall - 7/10
I think this film as a whole is better than if you dissect it. It works on a few levels and is different than most other HK films. If you're into Wong Kar Wai then you've probably seen it and if not then it should be on your list. If you're not really into artsy films and just like good action, then probably skip it.
11-26-03, 02:30 PM
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It's a crappy transfer and the film elements used are in bad shape. The only reason it even gets recommended is a) The World Video? release was heavily cropped and b) there ain't much choice.
11-26-03, 05:30 PM
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Another alternative is the Mainland China version from Zoke Culture. It is less cropped (horizontally) than they Mei-ah version.
Then there is the Taiwan release from Scholar which features more picture vertically, and includes a few shots of Joey Wang which they never removed (even though she was removed from the movie).
All transfers are pretty poor, but the World Video release has to be one of the worst DVD's ever made. They actually put black bars on the top and bottom of the fullscreen version to make it look letterboxed.
Ouch!
Then there is the Taiwan release from Scholar which features more picture vertically, and includes a few shots of Joey Wang which they never removed (even though she was removed from the movie).
All transfers are pretty poor, but the World Video release has to be one of the worst DVD's ever made. They actually put black bars on the top and bottom of the fullscreen version to make it look letterboxed.
Ouch!
11-27-03, 04:48 AM
#6
DVD Talk Legend
that'll be a long wait - the mei ah dvd is quite cheap and the quality is passable. It's not good and it's not awful. I say get it if you wanna see the film. What's 5 bucks?
02-09-04, 03:24 AM
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Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I really wish I knew about this before I rented it.
Yes, I even regret putting down $4 for this trash of a DVD from World Video.
I forced myself to sit through the whole movie. You guys aren't kidding when you said it was the worst DVD ever made.
At least the movie was redeeming. When I started the movie, I was like, "Oh god. This is like a nightmare! Am I really watching a DVD?" Then the movie was starting to confuse me.. then I sunk into it. Good movie, even though World Video screwed it all up.
At least I can say that I have seen one of the worst DVD's ever made!
Yes, I even regret putting down $4 for this trash of a DVD from World Video.
I forced myself to sit through the whole movie. You guys aren't kidding when you said it was the worst DVD ever made.At least the movie was redeeming. When I started the movie, I was like, "Oh god. This is like a nightmare! Am I really watching a DVD?" Then the movie was starting to confuse me.. then I sunk into it. Good movie, even though World Video screwed it all up.
At least I can say that I have seen one of the worst DVD's ever made!
