Bad Airbrushing Believe it or not, that IS them! Miramax just makes horrid horrid covers for their asian movies. Don't believe me? Check out the cover for their US release of Hero. Aint it Cool News said it best when they said that Miramax accomplished the impossible by making Zhang Ziyi look ugly. It's sad how little respect they have for these movies. posted by Mehrdad1December 30, 2004 at 5:29 [ e ]

um to repeat what has been said: it IS them.   The Hong Kong DVD blows away the American DVD, and was legally available for the last 3 or so years. Chow's GOD OF COOKERY (inspired by numerous Japanese entertainments, namely IRON CHEF) and was superior to SS and should be sought out. posted by StoneColdSteveAustinHasLeftT heBuildingJanuary 3, 2005 at 5:19 [ e ]

Yucks! yucks... what's wrong with the publishers who printed these covers? Definitely doesn't help in selling the products if I was a Stephen Chow fan! posted by ycJanuary 3, 2005 at 22:16 [ e ]

God of Cookery I don't think God of Cookery was inspired by the Iron Chef TV series but then I have no reason to be believe that so But, I didn't find it remotely as good as SS.  I saw God of Cookery in a theater in Monterey Park in like 97.  I enjoyed it over all but there was quite a lot of boring bits.  I've seen it 2 or 3 times since then and it still doesn't quite hold up for me.  I mean, I enjoy it but I couldn't really recommended it to most of my less patient friends.  But, Shaolin Soccer has been enjoyed by pretty much everyone I've recommended it to. What makes the HK DVD better than the American one?  Are there some extra features? posted by greggmanJanuary 3, 2005 at 23:21 [ e ]

I so want to see Kung Fu Hussle... posted by HarveyJanuary 5, 2005 at 10:51 [ e ]

American Shaolin Soccer DVD Sucks! Well, I finally got around to watching the DVD I picked up.  I had already seen the HK version a couple of times.  The American DVD is CRAP!!!! DO NOT BUY IT!  First, it claims it has both the Chinese version and the American version. The American version of course sucks rocks because they changed the soundtrack to be as cheesy as humanly possible.  Clearly the guys that changed the soundtrack were a bunch of marketing buttheads that had no respect for the original But, that would be okay for me because I could watch the Chinese version......except.......Th ey re-wrote the subtitles on the Chinese version and therefore changed the story. If you watch the original HK version, Steven Chow's character wants to spead the message of Kung Fu to the world and he's always trying to think of a way to present it.  He tries the singing thing etc and then finally lands on soccer as a way to spread it.  Then when they win the championship it makes sense that everyone in public has learned Kung Fu because he met his goal and spread his message. In the American version all that dialog has been re-edited so that none of that "wanting to spread kung-fu" exists.  He just wants a job, that's it and in the end there is no point.  You can try to guess that people seeing a bunch of kung-fu guys win the soccer championship would be inspired but you have to infer it.  It's not the clear arrival of his long term goal like it is in the HK version. Who's the bunghole that decided it needed to be edited? posted by greggmanJanuary 26, 2005 at 11:34 [ e ]

Theatrical Murder Miramax (owned by Disney, which has the story-writing talent of a lima bean, and proves it by tying up Studio Ghibli's excellent movies in contractual bullshit that allows Disney to brush them under the rug so the world doesn't realize that Disney doesn't have half of Ghibli's talent, thus forcing Disney to acquire a work ethic, but I digress) is a lousy company with a lousy history and complete inability to understand what warrants a good movie.  Comparitively, the HK version had several things that can be linked to determine Miramax's goals.  As Miramax saw, the adult demographic would have no interest in kung-fu movies.  Miramax removed the bribery check at the beginning of the movie, removed blood from the goalie's hands, added the dance scene, turned the most dramatic moment of the film into a joke about adultery (the last two parts were actually filmed by Stephen Chow, who left them out because they suck, and a good director does not use film that sucks, nor would one even dream of taking said film and REINSERTING IT INTO THE MOVIE when it was removed for suckage in the first place.)  Point in fact, Miramax wanted to make sure that poppa Disney's lame soccer movies for kids didn't look like crap in comparison, so they dumbed up the plot of Shaolin Soccer and tried to play it to a children's audience that had no chance in hell of ever understanding it.  All the drama was removed from the movie, making it seem like one giant cesspool of toilet humor.  Thankfully, Stephen Chow learned his lesson and sided with Sony for the US release of Kung-fu Hustle, which had four changes from the original that were so minor they didn't matter, although they didn't make sense (such as the dripping blood from the Beast's fist after laying it on Stephen, even though there was plenty of blood elsewhere in the movie).   The world is lacking in great director's and writers, and the refreshment of Stephen Chow should not be overlooked by the assholes at Miramax.  What the hell does Disney have anyway?  The Incredibles?  The script for that show was so full of forced lines and over-acting, not to mention at LEAST seventeen themes, it made me want to gag and twitch so violently I would give myself rugburn. posted by CameramanJakeMay 5, 2005 at 22:21 [ e ]

For those of you intent on quality... Not sure where he got it, but a friend of mine did get a professional quality English dubbed DVD of it with the original soundtrack and dialogue, I've watched it myself and own the original HK version and can confirm they're identical in all but the voices, so it is out there for those willing to put the effort into looking. posted by anonJune 2, 2005 at 0:05 [ e ]

Must watch The WHITE DRAGON I highly recommend The White Dragon for anyone who wants a combination of "martial arts super-heros" taking place in the era of ancient colonial China, plus lots of goofy humor. When I saw this I thought maybe it was a Stephen Chow movie, but it's not. It's Frank Ng and also starring Cecilia Cheung. Very funny movie, even though the english subtitling was horrible. posted by RayBJuly 11, 2005 at 11:21 [ e ]

In the American version all that dialog has been re-edited so that none of that "wanting to spread kung-fu" exists.  ----------------------------------------------------   I am not sure what you man -- I have only seen the American release, and the characters explicitly state they are looking for ways to promote shaolin kung-fu.  Not having seen the HK version, it may be that this is stressed even more in that one -- but as someone who only has the American release to go by, that motivation is pretty clearly expressed. If you have seen the HK version, decide for yourself whether to get the American release.  But, if you have never seen the movie, get it today.  Even if all these negative comments about the relative merits of the releases were true, which Idon't concede, you still owe it to yourself to get to know Stephen Chow.  His skills as an actor and director and his very likable screen presence are a welcome addition to any movie-buff's life. posted by SomeHickNovember 29, 2005 at 19:16 [ e ]