WRITE TO ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY RE: ACCIDENTAL SPY
In issue #667, Entertainment Weekly has a review of the Dimension release of The Accidental Spy, written by Jennifer Armstrong. It lists the 87 minute running time and makes no mention of Dimension's butchery. EVERYONE, please send them an e-mail pointing this out...if they get lots of e-mail about this one subject, they're much more likely to print one of them, or a correction of some kind. I strongly urge you to include the word INCOMPLETE; don't use terminology to which we have become jaded, like "cut" or "American version."
The address to write to is ew_letters@ew.com
All correspondence must include your name, address, and daytime phone number.
Here's what I just sent them:
Jennifer Armstrong probably would have given the Jackie Chan film The Accidental Spy a higher rating if she had seen the original, 108-minute version instead of the INCOMPLETE, 87-minute travesty released by Dimension.
"It is said that nobody becomes a politician just to play with the lives of others. If we valued history more, we would have seen this for the lie it is." -Robert McX, TRANSMETROPOLITAN #58
At least-if I remember-they mentioned the title change to Jet Li's The Hitman. (Now being called Contract Killer.) Sony still needs to put out bilingual Jet Li films(High Risk is NOT Meltdown!)and Godzilla films.
I forgot
Artisan also has the dub-only version of Black Mask, while Miramax has the sequel. And Universal just picked up Gen Y Cops, but I have some hope in them, because they of Brotherhood of the Wolf, and because their label USA Films was allowed to put out In the Mood for Love in its Cantonese language.
The other compaines
I think that the company, besides Miramax, to focus on would be New Line, since they've got a number of movies that are actually good, such as POLICE STORY 1 and 2. Those would make nice, uncut, Platinum Edition discs. New Line's re-done early titles before (look what they did with SEVEN), and they've got more HK titles than anybody but Miramax and Sony. This is the obvious main secondary focus.
Artisan - morons. Won't do a widescreen release of Argento's SLEEPLESS or the Canadian horror flick GINGER SNAPS. Used the original music from BLACK MASK in their trailers for it, after pulling that music out of the film. They're at least a true independent, not bound to the MPAA the way Miramax is, but it doesn't mean they have a clue. They do tend to release things over and over again, though, so it's worth considering an effort - and I'm sure BLACK MASK is a consistent seller for them.
I can't think of a more painfully embarassing thing to have to do than to fight for an uncut GEN-Y COPS... I just couldn't bring myself to fight for that one. As for ITMFL, it's an arthouse title, and I guarantee there was never even any discussion of releasing it dubbed - it was never targeted towards a mainstream, MUMMY RETURNS audience, and cutting/dubbing it would have been total suicide with the arthouse audiences it was made for.
Gen Y Cops
Even though it got called Metal Mayhem in the cable versions, the fact that it's been given its original title for the dvd release does give it hope. Oh, and Artisan also sucks for overhyping the Blair Witch Project. As for New Line, they also need to put out Japanese versions of Sonny Chiba's The Street Fighter series.
New Line
The main reason why we haven't really gone after New Line is because they haven't placed restrictions on the sale of imports, unlike Miramax. You can still get the first two Police Story films (the REAL ones, I mean) from North American retailers like HK Flix and Poker Industries. Besides, New Line doesn't seem to have shown any interest in HK cinema as of late. Too busy hyping Lord of the Rings?
"It is said that nobody becomes a politician just to play with the lives of others. If we valued history more, we would have seen this for the lie it is." -Robert McX, TRANSMETROPOLITAN #58
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies