Happy Together: HK 10th Anniversary Edition

 

This is the 10th Anniversary Edition of Happy Together, which was released in Hong Kong in 2006. In my opinion it's the biggest collection of WKW goodies ever released. It contains 2 DVDs (main feature and the documentary Buenos Aires Zero Degree), 1 CD (soundtrack), the Iguazu Waterfall lamp (as seen in the movie), boxershorts, 2 posters, some postcards and a certificate wich guarantees you the limitation of this edition. Well, I'll start off with a negativ aspect: This edition doesn't seem limited at all. I bought it four years after it was released. Officially, this edition is limited to 2046 copies... and each certificate should contain the number of the copy you got. Mine says "0000". And no, I'm not the only one! Nevertheless, this edition is a beautiful thing to own.

It comes in a very robust, thick cardboard box... Which is really big. And it looks so good! When you open it, this is what you get:

 

The insides of the box show great collages of pictures from the movie

 

Let's discuss the discs first, as they are probably the most important thing about this edition. Well, the main feature looks almost exactly the same as on the Kino International Special Edition DVD from 2004. It's the same remaster - unfortunately, a new remastered version was released in 2009 - and it looks so much better. I wrote a blog about the differences in April, so check that out if you want to.
The second disc contains the documentary about the movie and it contains lots of deleted scenes, interview clips and so on. It's a pity that this is presented in letterboxed format only and the image quality isn't the best either. But then again, today, we still haven't got a better version.
The soundtrack on the third disc is remastered and also has a slight tracklist alteration compared to the original one. On the original soundtrack, we got 2 tracks which feature the song "3 Amigos" (7min). This new one contains one track only (1,5min) and it also sounds very different. I guess it was taken from the actual movie soundtrack - we can even hear the protagonists speaking! And there is lots of echo on this track... It creates a nice atmosphere, but I miss the original versions. Generally, the remastered tracks seem to have more base than on the original versions.
I should point out that the cover design of all the discs is extremely beautiful, these are the front covers:

The Iguazu Waterfall lamp looks exactly like the one in the movie and it might look a bit cheesy, but actually, I don't care. Just turn it on and listen to the soundtrack... Creates a great atmosphere.

Then there are the postcards and the posters. These are postcards for Buenos Aires Zero Degree actually. I guess they could have looked better, but they're okay. The posters are folded, which is sad, but they couldn't have stored it in a different way. Therefore, this is fine. One poster is a reprint of the Cannes poster from 1997 and the red one is the 10th Anniversary one.

Last but not least: The boxershorts. I wore them once and they were pretty comfortable. Although they're too multicolored for my taste, I really like them.

This 10th Anniversary Edition is worth the money, given that you are a fan of the movie. The only thing that's missing is a little photobook, I would have really enjoyed that. And despite the transfer of the movie being dated (the bonus features make up for it) I higly recommend this set. (Get a newer DVD / BD of the main feature afterwards, of course.)

Ashes Of Time Redux: HK DVD by Sony (Limited Deluxe Gift Edition)

Yes, this will be my first review of a DVD. And I'm only doing this because the edition we talk about is a collectors' item. The DVD itself contains nothing special, therefore I won't go into detail here. It's simply the movie and the bonus features we all know from other international releases. Common stuff! The physical bonus products we get are definitely more interesting: Beautiful packaging, a 3-frame film cell and an A4-size 36-page photo booklet.

PACKAGING
The DVD and the film cell are housed in a thick cardboard box. I suppose there is also little magnet in it to ensure that the box stays closed when you want it to. Although it's certainly not that special, it's the nicest packaging of AOTR I have seen yet.

PHOTO BOOKLET
The thing I was looking forward to the most was the photobook. Unfortunately, it's not as good as expected. Being A4-sized, it's rather large. Big plus! BUT: The paper used is clearly not the best for a photobook. Black always looks like dark grey... Can be pretty annoying, as it makes contrast suffer on many pictures. I would have also liked to see some pictures I had never seen before... Well yes, there are some, but not too many. The booklet itself is parted into the 4 seasons, just like the movie. There are also some excerpts from the movie, but I can't read Chinese so I don't know what they mean. And a note for Western people: Remember that you have to read the book from behind! Otherwise you'll start with the last picture.
So all in all it's a welcomed bonus feature whose quality could have been better.

FILM CELL
Film cells are nice bonus features... Well, this one has only 3 frames, but nevertheless, it's a nice addition to the set. As you can see from the picture below, the frames are even anamorphic. The 3 frames I got aren't the best but it certainly could have been worse.

CONCLUSION
Although every single part of this set could have certainly been a bit more exciting, this set isn't bad at all. It's actually a welcomed edition and an interesting alternative to the international bare-bone releases of this movie. But why can't this contain a BluRay disc...

Happy Together: Official Limited Photobook

 

This official photobook was published in 1997 and was limited to 9999 copies - according to a fanpage dedicated to Happy Together. It comes with some extras: a map, a postcard, 2 letter papers, a film strip, a condom and a pen. As this book was released in 1997, you will only find copies on Ebay. That's were I got mine, actually. The book is packed in a cardboard box (take a look at the picture above). The book itself seems very robust, the front and back covers are made of thick cardboard. The paper used for the 148 pages is also rather thick.

 

 

When I unpacked the book for the first time, I wondered where the extras were. As I flipped through the book, I got the answer:

 

Well, I guess it has expired anyway...

 

The postcard, the map and the film strip are glued to other pages... The sad thing is that you can't unfold the map unless you detach it from the book... i didn't do it. The risk of the map getting torn was too high. You will find the 2 letter papers after the book's last page - but where is the pen? Well I know where it is, it's actually hidden in the cardboard sleeve. It's really hard to get to it without destroying the sleeve... So I just left it there. EDIT: I finally dared to get hold of the pen... It's actually a ball point pen and isn't not special at all. The film strip is very beautiful - I was able to release it from the book. 

 

 

The design of the book is splendid. Photographer Wing Shya created so many beautiful collages. Before I had seen the book I was a bit worried... I wanted plain photographs, I think that sometimes the beauty of photographs is drowned in an desperate effort to create something even more artistic with it. But Wing Shya obviously knows how to mix photographs, text, textures and other stuff to create something even more exciting.

 

Of course, there are also pages which only feature one single photograph. And I stumpled upon one page which is reflective... So you can see yourself and either Lai Yu-Fai or Ho Po Wing side by side.

Additionally, you can also find some notes by the crew in the book.

 

Well, now the negative aspects. Actually, there's only one. The pages are glued to the book cover. Over the time, the glue has become brittle... This means that it will sometimes be hard to open the book completely (left picture above) - the glue is really stiff. Moreover, the pages will become detached from the book cover. I handled it very carefully, but I couldn't prevent it. (That's also the reason why the film strip is loose, now.) This book certainly is a wonderful collector's item. Nowadays it's pretty hard to get and if you happen to find a seller, reckon that it won't be cheap.

As Tears Go By: HK BluRay by MegaStar

As Tears Go By is Wong Kar-Wai's directorial debut after he had been a script writer for years.
Wong has not yet found his style here and there are many fans who regard this one as his weakest work to date. It seems like the usual gangster movie from 80s Hongkong. But some techniques that would later become his trademarks are already introduced here, just take a look at the blurred action sequences!
In January 2009, MegaStar released this movie on BluRay in Hongkong. Let's see if it's worth to buy!


IMAGE (MPEG-4 AVC) AND SOUND (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)

Well, don't expect fine detail and sharpness here. This is a Hongkong movie from the 80s! Nevertheless, MegaStar did a fine job here. We get nice colors, good contrast and a clean transfer which probably couldn't look any better. Then again, the main problem about the image quality is its softness. Whereas Days Of Being Wild could at least offer a nice grainy structure, this one simply looks soft. But that's how it was made and I don't think it will look better on following releases. Enjoy some screenshots:
Sound is nice, too. Flat, but without any hiss or other disturbing stuff. Well, it definitely sounds better than on former releases. I should also point out that it's a 5.1 mix, probably made by Wong Kar-Wai, but I don't have no proof for that.
Additionally, some technical aspects:
Size: 20.040.505.344 bytes
Length: 1:38:57
Total Bitrate: 27,00 Mbps
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 20879 kbps / 1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: Chinese / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3637 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: Chinese / Dolby Digital Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Audio: Chinese / Dolby Digital Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps
Subtitle: English / 37,834 kbps
Subtitle: Chinese / 35,351 kbps
Subtitle: Chinese / 34,884 kbps
Subtitle: Japanese / 24,897 kbps

BONUS FEATURES
No bonus features except three trailers, one of them actually being the trailer for the main feature. And what a surprise - it's in HD! MegaStar didn't manage to provide us a HD trailer for Days Of Being Wild, but this time, they did. I like HD trailers... Just like the main feature, they should always get the HD treatment. Suprise #2, the trailer is actually pretty clean! Suprise #3, it also contains a few behind the scenes shots in the beginning... Here is a screenshot - a young Wong Kar-Wai doing his job:
The screenshot from somewhere above where you can see the 4 main actors was also taken from the trailer, by the way!

CONCLUSION
A fine release which only lacks some bonus features. Someone should do an interview with Wong about his first movies... Could be interesting!
If you like the movie, go out and buy this - and don't forget to buy MegaStar's Days Of Being Wild BluRay too!

You can find more reviews and screencaps here:
The Digital Fix - I don't agree with the reviewer, though.
AVS Forums
Asian BluRay Guide

Ashes Of Time Redux: German BD by Splendid Films

Two years after the first BluRay of Ashes Of Time Redux had been released in the UK, the German label Splendid Films released it in Germany. This release is called "special edition". Don't worry, there aren't many exclusive extras... In fact, there's only 1. The disc is region-free by the way and it's a BD-50.


IMAGE (VC1, 1080p) AND SOUND (DTS-HD 5.1)
Except for the different codecs everything I said about image and sound of the UK BluRay is true for this disc too. Unfortunately, Splendid didn't use a lossless soundtrack, but a DTS-HD is fine as well, although not as good as a lossless alternative. There is a German dub too, but who cares about that? The disc is not English-friendly, as there are only German subs.

Additionally, here are some technical aspects:
Size: 21.910.247.424 bytes
Length: 1:33:18
Total Bitrate: 31,31 Mbps
Video: VC-1 Video / 23687 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / Advanced Profile 3
Audio: German / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3775 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: Chinese / DTS-HD High-Res Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2046 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitle: German / 32,678 kbps

BONUS FEATURES
The same bonus features as the UK disc, almost. The only difference is that on the German disc there are 3 trailers instead of 1. On the UK BluRay there is the international trailer only, but on the German disc we have the international trailer (but dubbed in German), an alternate trailer which is also featured in the beginning of the Making Of - on both discs. The only really exclusive trailer is the last one, which lasts about 5,5min. This one is interesting. It was actually the first trailer that could be seen on the internet... that was in 2008 I think. Since then, I wanted to see the movie so badly. I think that is the trailer that captures the atmosphere of the film best. You can watch it here. Nice to have it on this disc.


CONCLUSION
Well, if you've already got the UK BluRay, keep it. This one is mostly the same... Except for one exclusive trailer. And the main feature doesn't contain English subs. The menu is better... But that's certainly not enough. It's a fine release for us Germans though.