Miramax...Did You Hear About This Shit?!

[Kimberly]

Studio Warns Kung Fu Site

You know... maybe if they would stop pushing movies fucking back and cutting them... then there wouldn't be a need to seek out uncut/complete versions from places outside the US.

BTW... Hero is flat out the most gorgeous movie I've ever seen

[I am 138]

yeah, that sucked because Mark wasn't even selling the DVD. He was providing a link to a site that did. He's was recently polling the posters on the kung fu forum he co-moderates about even posting links on the forum to sites that sell the imports. It sucks, because the Miramax versions are genereally poopy.

[beyond]

These fucking entertainment dinosaurs will be dead soon enough.

And before i start any flamewar... No, i don't believe people will stop creating just because they can't make an instant fortune out of every tiny little piece of shit they're churning out.

If they like it, they buy it.

[beyond]

Note: I like Hero. It's very pleasing to the eye

[ROBERT]

Yeah, it turns out the links in question were ads selling licensed and legal import DVDs and not bootlegs like Miramax stipulates in it's pissheaded letter here.

It has come to our attention that you are selling, distributing and/or otherwise exploiting copies of the film Hero on DVD and/or VHS," the letter reads. "Please be aware that Miramax Film Corp. is the exclusive licensee of the right to distribute Hero on all home video formats, as well as through other forms of exploitation in, among other territories, the United States and Canada. Your actions in this regard are completely unauthorized and violate valuable rights held by Miramax."

They could prevent the selling of the import HK titles, or "copies" as they erroneously call them, if they would just release the original versions with no tampering. Until that happens no amount of threatening will stop people who want them from getting them.

[I am 138]

Yeah, Miramax set an EXCLUSIVE deal so only their versions are legal in North America (I'd intially heard it was worldwide), so you CAN'T import perfectly legal releases. This sucks because they tamper with the films, and don't release an alternate version with the film uncut/in its original language. Sometimes I think the cuts are an improvement (as with most of the missing footage in Armour of God), but a lot of times the films are cut for violence and adult content. Like in the HK release of Supercop, one of the gang's activities is doping up tourist girls and selling them as sex slaves, and in Mr. Nice Guy several seconds are snipped so less violence befalls a female character. If Miramax would follow Columbia's lead, they wouldn't need to ban the imports because everyone would want the superiour print quality available in the Miramax remasters.

Hell, even Iron Monkey, Miramax's art house, less tampered with film, was cut for violence.

[ROBERT]

Yeah, Miramax set an EXCLUSIVE deal so only their versions are legal in North America (I'd intially heard it was worldwide), so you CAN'T import perfectly legal releases.

This will absolutely not work,unless they're prepared to spend a very healthy amount of money in legal fees to enforce they're rights. Even then, the auction site bootleggers will have a field day(or year) if they decide to cut Hero.

Columbia is really no better. They absolutely truncated the hell out of all the violence, sexual or otherwise in Naked Killer. Something like 9 minutes of footage is cut.

[I am 138]

Guess I missed this one...

I agree, Miramax is going to have a very tough time stopping people from just hoping online and purchasing a DVD on e-bay from overseas. It's annoying more than anything, but they HAVE cracked down on these films recently.

Was Naked Killer cut, or was it simply the international version? Aren't there two versions, one of which is the international release or something? Not that I think Columbia are great, having heard that a few of their remaster Chan films are not any better than the old Simitar VHS...

[ROBERT]

Well, from what I remember the uncut Cat III HK theatrical version is the international version. Columbia deliberately cut the film to garner an R rating. The Media Asia OOP DVD is the complete uncut version. The current Universe HK version has audio censoring. The word "Cock" is bleeped. I do know they're are other shorter versions of Naked Killer distributed in other Asian and European countries. Columbia apparently has a really good transfer of Sammo Hung's Magnificient Butcher out on DVD. But I've heard various opinions and reviews of they're Chan DVDs. Some pretty bad.

[I am 138]

I get confused with Naked Killer 'cause I had the Tai Seng tape (with those beeps that for words that were translated as "penis"), then got the Mei Ah DVD, and heard both those were cut. Then the Tai Seng DVD came out, but was dubbed. I hadn't heard that the HKL version (which is where a lot of the new titles like Magnificent Butcher, City Hunter, Heart of Dragon, etc are coming from) was cut.

Heart of Dragon is disappointing because it contains the two additional fight sequences, but they're not included in the film itself. I expected that, as the extended H.O.D. is a Japan exclusive, but the fight scenes are overdubbed by a TERRIBLE up-tempo soundtrack. I'd rather it was completely silent. But for $6...

I have the Mega Star Magnificent Butcher, so never upgraded, but I hear good things about the new release. And, again, for $6...