Chameleon Films Releasing 2 Johnnie To Films

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

New Australian label is releasing Exiled in June.

Wo (Nick Cheung) unwisely returns to Macau where Boss Fay (Simon Yam) has put a price on his head. His childhood buddy Blaze (Anthony Wong) is given the contract, while another lifelong friend, Tai (Francis Ng) is sworn to defend him. The scene is set for the kind of simmering confrontations that fans of Johnnie To prize so much. As characters loom out of the darkness, the tension is so thick you could pick it up with a pair of chopsticks.

Exiled is undoubtedly the high point of To’s work in the gangster genre. It seizes on elements central to the Hong Kong action film, such as the conflict between loyalty and self-preservation, and the way that male bonding is certainly stronger than death, and maybe even stronger than automatic weapons. It succeeds brilliantly in making these genre elements fresh through Johnnie To’s enormous talent and passion for filmmaking. The film is full of memorable set-pieces where taut confrontation is savoured in the moments before it explodes, and where inventive wide-screen compositions and crisply edited action provide a feast for any cinephile.

Exclusive Special Features:

Limited first-pressing collector’s booklet featuring new essays by film historian Stephen Teo and Dylan Cheung
New audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
“The Weight of Honour” – a new video essay on Exiled
Newly translated and improved optional English subtitles
Archival Extras:

The Making of Exiled
Behind the scenes
Photo gallery
HK trailers x2
US trailer
Technical Specifications:

2.35:1
1080p colour
Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1 · LPCM 2.0
English subtitles
Region B
BD-50
Packaged in a Scanavo full sleeved 14mm clear case with a reversible, numbered sleeve that is clean of classification markings and barcode on the alternative side.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

They've also got Breaking News in the works for June/July.

The premiere of Johnnie To’s Breaking News at Cannes marks the moment when art cinema finally embraced the Hong Kong action genre. Here is a film as intelligent as it is tense as it is well-made. From the breathtaking intricacy of its seven-minute opening take, shot on location in a grungy side street in the New Territories, the complex oppositions that form Hong Kong society are subjected to ruthless scrutiny. The familiar opposition of cops and robbers (led by pop-star Richie Jen) is complicated by a further division between no-nonsense street cops (led by Nick Cheung) and the media-savvy inspector (Kelly Chen).

A stake-out goes wrong and a very public shoot-out leads to an official panic. When the violent, though quietly decent bandits are run to ground in a typically cramped apartment building, it sparks a media circus. Inspector Rebecca Fong (Chen) sees the whole thing as a show, as imagery to be manipulated to her advantage, but the outlaws armed with mobile phones and an internet connection, show that two can play that game. Hong Kong may be a city where media spin is king, but To delves beneath the imagery to the gritty realities that make HK truly unique.

Exclusive Special Features:

Limited first-pressing collector’s booklet featuring new essays by film writer Hayley Scanlon and film historian Mike Walsh
New audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
“A Propaganda Duel” – a newly extended video essay on Breaking News
Newly translated and improved optional English subtitles
Archival Extras:

Melbourne International Film Festival 2004 Q&A with Johnnie To
Behind the scenes
Deleted scene
Photo gallery
Theatrical trailer
Technical Specifications:

2.35:1
1080p colour
Cantonese DTS-HD MA 5.1 · LPCM 2.0
English subtitles
Region B
BD-50
Packaged in a Scanavo full sleeved 14mm clear case with a reversible, numbered sleeve that is clean of classification markings and barcode on the alternative side.

[Jack J Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jack J]

I must admit I find it very odd that people are going wild over the upcoming HK film bluray releases from several UK labels, but the EXILED bluray has been pretty much ignored. I own an old HK dvd and I think it's a great film.

Trailer:

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I have Exiled on DVD as well and will happily upgrade. I'd also really like a nice HD version of Fulltime Killer.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

From their FB page:

"Unfortunately, we've been having one of those unexpected situations in production that has delayed final disc authoring and replication. At the moment the street date for the initial 3 titles is still to be advised, but we're doing everything we can to hasten the process.

I'm sorry for this disappointing news, but please hang in there and bear with us a *little* while longer. We're very close! The majority of av assets have been encoded and passed qc. All the artwork has been finalised and sent to the printer. Our scanavo cases are here and ready for final product assembly. A cool thing about operating a blu-ray label in australia is that technicolor still maintains local replication and packaging facilities, meaning freight of the finished stock to our fulfilment centre will be very fast (it's just a 10-minute drive up the highway).

I'm also happy to announce that there will now be two audio commentaries by frank djeng on exiled: The first providing an overview and scene-specific response to on-screen action, the second a more analytical track that digs deeper into thematic and other aspects of significance."

[Darcy Parker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy Parker]

It's 2 Johnny To Furious!

(I'll see myself out.)