Futureshop? The previous wave showed up there (for that same price), but not many other places in my area.

If you live in Toronto or the surrounding area, you will be able to find copies of the Wave 4 at the Sherway Garden. The store name is Hollywood Video (I'm not 100% sure) but they are located upstairs beside the food court and Sporting Life. They had all of them at $9.99 with the exception of Knockabout which I took the last copy yesterday. They may have more copies at the back but don't quote me on it.

Forget Best Buy since I already checked and don't have any in stock nor does the people working there know what you are talking about. In HMV, you can only special order them but it cost $11.99. I haven't checked Future Shop but I was able to get some of the Wave 3 last time at $9.99

Good luck.

Fox/Fortune Star have added the original Mono Cantonese audio to the Wave 4 releases.

One of the biggest complain that people had was the lack of the original audio and just being stucked with the remixed 5.1 DD audio.

Nice to see that they have listened to our request. Now if they could only add a little bit more extras to the releases...

What was with the subtitles on Prodigal Son? The words were tiny (And often mispelled) compared to the few other Fox/Fortune Star DVDs I own. Has anyone else come across any other problems?

damn i just watched The Iron Fisted Monk and Battle Creek Brawl and those two movies were pretty bad...
I hope Mr Vampire is as good as Knockabout or Postman Fights Back

To all of the Canadian shoppers that have yet to buy the latest wave, Futureshop.ca has the following titles for $7.99. They have them in stock as of today 09/19/04 and its free shipping.

- Knockabout
- The Postman Fight back
- Iron Fisted Monk
- Battle Creek Brawl (you have to search using the English name of "Big Brawl"

Unfortunately, they don't carry Mr. Vampire.

Also Futureshop.ca does not ship items to the US.

Happy shopping.

Just a note, I picked up Postman Fights Back, and Battle Creek Brawl last weekend at Wal-Mart in the $5.50 dump bin.

Annoying as that may be, if it's any consolation, the sound on the HK release (well, the one I bought) was incredibly, incredibly, INCREDIBLY bad. The North American release of MW is much better overall.

The Futurestop B&M stores have them on sale for that price too. (but for some strange reason, I couldn't find Mr. Vampire there either). I picked up KNOCKABOUT there last week because that film is pretty well the best of the bunch. I'm not really interested in getting the other 3 right now, but would like to find MR. VAMPIRE.


It's nice that Fox has finally done away with "dubtitles" on these, and have included the original mono soundtracks. I just hope that the next wave has some better films.

I wanna see Sammo's "Ghost Punting" with all the others!

Pity we'll probably not see it as this hasn't even seen a HK DVD release!

Is the Battle Creek Brawl DVD not-OAR? I picked it up at Wal-Mart today and the back says 1.78:1 but I could swear this movie is 2.35:1 Am I ok to open it or should I take it back?

DVD Answers have posted new information in regards to the upcoming wave

"20th Century Fox has released the artwork for three upcoming Sammo Hung discs. Unfortunately we don’t have any details on release dates or retail prices yet, and we’re not sure if these will be new versions of the films, or simply re-releases of the old DVDs. Obviously we’ll bring you more information as soon as it’s available, but until then here’s a look at the artwork for Winners and Sinners, Spooky Encounters, and Warriors Two."


Artwork link

Chris, the problem with the R1 MW release is that it's dubtitled. I just wish Fox had started off with real subs from the beginning. I've got two of their dubtitled DVDs (MW and Operation Scorpio) and I find them really annoying. I'm really glad that they did do away with them altogether. The mono track is a little less important for me, but I'm really glad they're showing respect to their buyers. Probably the only company doing that now.

JJE, you're right, Battle Creek Brawl's OAR is 2.35:1, but the DVD is formatted at that ratio. Maybe the box is wrong. I don't have the DVD but I've seen screencaps.

Winners and Sinners and Spooky Encounters are definitely a nice addition to their library. Sammo Hung is great and I'm glad they're releasing those flicks. I haven't seen Warriors Two yet but I've heard good things.

If they could actually find and release Pedicab Driver, I'd be through the roof. Another HK movie not even released in HK.

Yeah, Pedicab Driver!

I need to replace my VHS copy of it.

Spooky 'Counters!!!!!

So I guess it's safe to say that Fox/Fortune Star is acquiring the Golden Harvest library.

Review of "Warriors Two" from Kung Fu cinema:

Warriors Two (1978)
AKA: n/a

Premise:
After discovering a plot to kill the headman in Fu Shang, Cashier Hua finds himself on the run from the conspirators. He hides out with a renowned Wing Chun instructor who agrees to teach him kung fu and Hua eventually confronts the villains.

Review:
How do you know you're watching a good kung fu movie? Just compare it to Warriors Two and see if it even comes close to the peerless quality of one of the greatest martial arts epics of all time.

Leung Kar Yan gives the best performance of his career as the elder Mr. Tsang, a doctor and master of Wing Chun, whose martial lineage traces back to the style's founder. He is grudgingly persuaded by Fei Chun (Sammo Hung), his lead student to teach kung fu to Cashier Hua (Casanova Wong), a patient hiding out at his residence. Hua had previously overheard a businessman named Mo (Fung Hak On) and several of his men plotting to take over the town by killing the town's headman. Unfortunately, Hua made the mistake of warning Mo's wormy henchman and a trap was set that nearly cost the poor cashier his life. While in hiding, Hua sends Fei Chun to warn the headman. The headman ignores the advice and is later attacked by Mo's men, although its unclear whether he escapes or is killed after a protracted fight.

Meanwhile, Tsang runs Hua through an elaborate and entertaining series of Wing Chun training sessions before he falls victim to a vicious trap set by Mo who has learned of Hua's whereabouts. With nothing left to lose, Hua, Fei Chun, and another student split up to use specific Wing Chun styles against Mo's leading fighters. Trouble mounts when its discovered that Fei mixed up the fighter's names and each of Tsang's students have to improvise in order to win against their opponents.

Warriors Two is a film Sammo Hung can be supremely proud of. As the film's director, co-choreographer, and co-star, Sammo is as the very peak of his game and gives evidence of his measured and masterful control of the action that is nearly impossible to duplicate. Only The Prodigal Son (1982), with a more "realistic" approach to the action reaches the same lofty heights of martial bliss and its a toss-up as to which is better. The direction and fight choreography are simply flawless. The opening credits set the tone with a stunning bout between Leung Kar Yan, who is wearing credible age-enhancing makeup and Casanova Wong in a bamboo forest as smoke gathers about them. Sammo is really an outstanding director and choreographer who hasn't received as much credit for these skills as his more distinctive peers like Yuen Wo Ping and John Woo have. The camera is constantly moving and cutting, but also allows enough time to actually see the stars performing their stunts. Some wirework is employed, more noticeably towards the end, but its checked in favor of showing off the stars' ample abilities.

Although I'm no expert on Wing Chun, its clear that Sammo Hung is going to great lengths to highlight the style. The training sequences are done exactly as they should be, by actually showing how an activity is teaching the student a particular skill. Leung Kar Yan is brilliant in his role as the teacher. He adds just the right amount of austerity and presence without overdoing it. Its also obvious why he was chosen for this role over an older actor. To the layman, he really looks like a Wing Chun expert and his physical grace is undeniable. Casanova Wong doesn't seem to perform as much Wing Chun style which focuses mainly on upper body work, but he is a very strong kicker who possesses a vibrant personality onscreen. He does a leaping, spinning kick over a table near the end that must be seen. Sammo's own performance is played mostly for laughs, which is what he was known for at the time. Yet, he does give himself plenty of quality screen time and reminds us that you don't have to be thin to be agile. Fung Hak On, who plays the lead villain is a small disappointment in that he only fights at the end. He seems to become an almost supernatural fighter with a Dracula hair cut and some partial levitation mantis-style kung fu that brings the fun factor back into the film. Sammo also couldn't resist throwing in a humorous side-fight against the film's token weasel right near the end that provides a nice break from the increasing intensity of the main finale.

For a "classic kung fu" title of the '70's, Warriors Two has one of the most polished looks of any production. The sets are detailed and elaborate while the outdoor settings are picturesque. Its clear that a lot of effort went into this film and it pays off big time. With top performances, action and humor, I guarantee you will not walk away from this film disappointed!

Mark Pollard

just a heads up...

dvdsoon is having a crazy sale right now. among hundreds of other titles they have all the Fortune Star discs for $6.66 CAD a piece. That's $5.50 US.

free shipping too.

I noticed today that Big Lots (B&M) has all of wave 2 as part of their $5.88 dvd section.

DVDAnswers.com has unveiled information for the next wave of Fox/Fortune Star movies to be released on April 5th.
The wave consists of The Hand of Death starring Jackie Chan, Legacy of Rage starring Brandon Lee, Spooky Encounters starring Sammo Hung, Warriors Two which also stars Sammo Hung, and lastly Winners & Sinners which stars Jackie Chan.

Here is the link for the cover images:
COVER ARTS

Looking forward to Wave 5. Is anybody still able to find the previous releases. I only have one from each wave and am looking to get some more.

So is anyone else picking up some or all of the titles next week?

I'm particularly interested in Warriors Two, Spooky Encounters and Winners and Sinners.

To all Canadians interested in purchasing the next wave, I ordered all 5 titles at Futureshop.ca for $8.99 each plus is free shipping.

Edit - However, the movies are indicated as fullscreen. However, I believe this is the website error since only one version of the Fox/Fortune Star DVDs are released. I'll find out when I get them.

Third dat. In fact, at this point, I'd say that it's the single biggest missing jewel in my DVD collection.

I hate my damn Tai Seng VHS copy... but I still watch it often.

First time poster, but a very prominent kung fu buyer. While looking online for DVD info, I've recently found out Hong Kong Legends uses Fortune Star prints for their new DVDs. and During this info search, I've found HKL's 5 newest DVD releases, being Odd Couple (76), Duel to the Death (80), Iceman Cometh (89), Millionaire's Express (86) and Dragon's Forever (88). Sorry if some of the dates are wrong, Im a bit off on newer kung fu. Regardless, since Fortune Star is doing the prints for these, aren't Fox releases inevitable? Wouldn't you all agree that these next 5 movies might be foxes Wave 6 of DVDs? Id enjoy it very much, since Ive been looking like a bandit for Iceman Cometh, and those mono tracks are so great. Hopefully Fox will take notice of this and release these 5 great movies.