Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted July 31, 2010 Member Share Posted July 31, 2010 I heard on FLKcinema that To Kill A Mastermind, was remastered and ready to be pressed by Celestial... but then it all came into a stand still. Why? Financial problems apparently. Probably because everyone is downloading there releases through torrents and rapidshare! What a SHAME! Here are some pictures from the remastered version: Interesting but is a film as rare as To Kill A Mastermind a big deal on torrents?? I don't think anyone knows that a film like that exist even a hardcore kung fu fan like myself.. I haven't heard about it until I came upon these boards... I mean I can understand if it was a film like Iron Man 2 where everyone will download it one way or another... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member loempiavreter Posted July 31, 2010 Member Share Posted July 31, 2010 Interesting but is a film as rare as To Kill A Mastermind a big deal on torrents?? I don't think anyone knows that a film like that exist even a hardcore kung fu fan like myself.. I haven't heard about it until I came upon these boards... I mean I can understand if it was a film like Iron Man 2 where everyone will download it one way or another... No you understood me wrong, it's about all Celestial releases. They are making a huge loss of it since all their moves are available to download. And now they've come to a stand still, they can't press To Kill A Mastermind and a bunch of others flicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member VenomsFan Posted July 31, 2010 Member Share Posted July 31, 2010 Ip man 2 was available for download during it's second 2 week in the theatres. They still released the DVD a month later. And, um Celestial's releases are still being sold at fye, best buy, etc. Even though they all are available for download and even ebay for cheaper. Not an excuse. Btw, those aren't screen grabs from a Celestial remaster. They are lobby cards. They should get smart, that's all. Raging Phoenix was only available on HD Blu ray for a year (going at $40 each). It will be a few more months before a stripped down, DVD (downloadable size) will make it to the public. The problem, if thats the excuse, is they did the distribution backwards. They tried to make money get-quick style and now it's backfiring on them. They don't think they will make the money or don't have people on board to figure out how to. That's why. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Celestial overpaid for the Shaw catalogue then made an arse of negotiating deals for them. Almost every decision they've made has backfired and and as a result money has been lost and films remain stuck in limbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted July 31, 2010 Member Share Posted July 31, 2010 You're right! I really appreciate the restoration and releasing of all those great Shaw movies they put out. But I have seldom seen a company make worse business decisions across the board... It's mindblowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 The only way To Kill a Mastermind will see the light of day is if a distributor (ie. Media Blasters) specifically requests it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member loempiavreter Posted August 1, 2010 Member Share Posted August 1, 2010 The only way To Kill a Mastermind will see the light of day is if a distributor (ie. Media Blasters) specifically requests it. I want this movie so bad And I'm just bummed because Celestial was real close from releasing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fang Shih-yu Posted August 1, 2010 Member Share Posted August 1, 2010 What would it cost a distributor to license a Shaw movie from Celestial? Is the licensing fee the same for all the films, or do some have their own special rates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member BigDruDogg Posted August 2, 2010 Author Member Share Posted August 2, 2010 What would it cost a distributor to license a Shaw movie from Celestial? Is the licensing fee the same for all the films, or do some have their own special rates? you would think for most shaw films, there would be a set price for all the licensing for every movie... but from my understanding companies have to buy deals like that in bulk... like a 10 movie deal or something along those lines.. and during that time, it just depends on how your negotiation skills are I would assume, speaking on the money aspect... But man I would be blown away if this was released.. I've still never seen it, and with all the hype surrounding it and constant build up.. I doubt it would live up to my expectations lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member VenomsFan Posted August 2, 2010 Member Share Posted August 2, 2010 you would think for most shaw films, there would be a set price for all the licensing for every movie... but from my understanding companies have to buy deals like that in bulk... like a 10 movie deal or something along those lines.. and during that time, it just depends on how your negotiation skills are I would assume, speaking on the money aspect... But man I would be blown away if this was released.. I've still never seen it, and with all the hype surrounding it and constant build up.. I doubt it would live up to my expectations lol That's about it. And the actors and crew don't see a dime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Stuntman Jules Posted August 7, 2010 Member Share Posted August 7, 2010 I hate and love what Celestial has done. The Good: They (along with Tarantino's press by making Kill Bill) definitely boosted those films' exposure in the public eye. We got to see ultra rare films we wouldn't have seen otherwise or could only see on bootlegs that are to seeing them in 35mm when they first opened to looking at the Rape of Europa through a dirty goldfish bowl. It was fun collecting all the DVDs and even VCDs and waiting for the new ones. The Bad: They paid too much money and overvalued these mostly obscure Hong Kong cult niche movies. They freaked and got greedier and greedier when the movies didn't make millions, releasing great films (I like Shaw's sleazy horror/cult/exploitation stuff mostly better than their kung fu) on VCD only. They overdid the remastering process, making the films look pastel in the hues, smudging shots out of focus to hide grain and scratches and superfluously coloring in the credits. They apparently ruined many of the prints with their remastering process and only did SD masters of many of them, making the possibility of transitioning the Shaw stuff to the HD age impossible, a strange move considering they started in 2001 or 2002 and people were already looking forward to HD even then and studios were beginning to use HD masters for their DVDs. The Ugly: Because of such marketing blunders, now they can't release the rest of the movies and many great films will never be seen. They probably would have been able to if they paid less for the films, charged less for them and allowed more companies to release single titles and did a more natural, less extensive remastering/restoration process more like what Fortune Star did to the Golden Harvest. And they could have probably released another hundred alone had they saved the money and not colored in and digitized the credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member VenomsFan Posted August 7, 2010 Member Share Posted August 7, 2010 The Ugly: Because of such marketing blunders, now they can't release the rest of the movies and many great films will never be seen. They probably would have been able to if they paid less for the films, charged less for them and allowed more companies to release single titles and did a more natural, less extensive remastering/restoration process more like what Fortune Star did to the Golden Harvest. And they could have probably released another hundred alone had they saved the money and not colored in and digitized the credits. Agreed. They ended up doing it anyway (like the Tokyo Shock releases). If they started off this way, we'd have a larger selection and more rares released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron Boat Posted August 7, 2010 Member Share Posted August 7, 2010 I don't think this film not being released has anything to do with celestial overpaying for the catalogue or any marketing decision. I think this film is simply lost or damaged as its been reported for the past 20 years. Those sceenshots look promising but how do we know they are truly from a remastered celestial print? They could just be touched up screenshots from years past. I am certain Celestial pictures are aware many fans want this film so if they are truly concerned about getting a return on this investment it makes no sense for it to go unreleased. I have accepted that they probably just don't have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Those sceenshots look promising but how do we know they are truly from a remastered celestial print? They could just be touched up screenshots from years past. What screenshots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron Boat Posted August 7, 2010 Member Share Posted August 7, 2010 What screenshots? the images posted in this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Stuntman Jules Posted August 7, 2010 Member Share Posted August 7, 2010 Those are publicity stills, not screencaps. Now you are right that maybe there's no official "believe it when you see it" proof, that said, the movie is out there unremastered in bootleg form and doesn't really look worse than most of the other Shaw Brothers movies in their raw form in that time period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 the images posted in this thread Stuntman Jules already said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron Boat Posted August 8, 2010 Member Share Posted August 8, 2010 Those are publicity stills, not screencaps. Now you are right that maybe there's no official "believe it when you see it" proof, that said, the movie is out there unremastered in bootleg form and doesn't really look worse than most of the other Shaw Brothers movies in their raw form in that time period. Thanks for correcting me but this means there is even less evidence a proper print exists or that it has been remastered in any way. Basically I see no reason why they wouldnt rekease this film if they could, afterall Celestial has released many rare films over the years, I see no conspiracy where they opt to hold back on TKAM just to annoy fans. I know its worth it to have hope but for too many years weve been told the print was burned, damaged, unusable, maybe thats simply the truth. I dont know if they could remaster that "crappy" bootleg or not (I've never seen it) its an interesting question. Basically, the only thing I know about this film is what I've learned from you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted August 8, 2010 Member Share Posted August 8, 2010 I know I mentioned this before, maybe in this thread, but I have to mention it again. This movie is a must see just to see Yuen Wah have a big role and use real eagle claw. Not just making your fist into an eagle claw, but he has a metal claw attached to his hand and forms an eagle claw. His role starts out small, but he's so tough in this movie I seriously thought that he was going to suddenly become the main character. Everyone that tries to kill him, they can't get the job done because he's too damn tough! Plus as a bonus you have Wang Lung Wei using double spears. How often do you get to see double spears action?! I don't don't even know what's going on in this movie because there's no subtitles, but it's the shit!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member loempiavreter Posted August 8, 2010 Member Share Posted August 8, 2010 Thanks for correcting me but this means there is even less evidence a proper print exists or that it has been remastered in any way. Basically I see no reason why they wouldnt rekease this film if they could, afterall Celestial has released many rare films over the years, I see no conspiracy where they opt to hold back on TKAM just to annoy fans. I know its worth it to have hope but for too many years weve been told the print was burned, damaged, unusable, maybe thats simply the truth. I dont know if they could remaster that "crappy" bootleg or not (I've never seen it) its an interesting question. Basically, the only thing I know about this film is what I've learned from you guys. I got those photoset from here: http://www.hkflix.com/interact/xq/asp/bid.136/qx/blogs.htm So I didn't really check for authenticity. However, Death Kick Kung Fu (Flashlegs pete jr. if Im correct?) said this a while ago on FLKcinema forum, and I quote: Tantao2 was here in Dubai recently and he mentioned to me and my father To Kill A Mastermind was re-mastered and ready to go to PRESS...but poor old Celestials came to a STAND STILL sadly.....The greatest mainstream release company of OUR TIME IMO!!! Ok again haven't check the sources again if Tantao2 is a Celestial employee or representative, but I think I can believe the lot at FLKcinema (especially if it's one of the owners).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted August 8, 2010 Member Share Posted August 8, 2010 Why not just PM him as he's a member here as well. Perhaps he'll shed some light on this. Ok again haven't check the sources again if Tantao2 is a Celestial employee or representative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted August 9, 2010 Member Share Posted August 9, 2010 Here are some pictures from the remastered version: Not sure about publicity stills, but as venomsfan already stated, these images are culled from the lobby set as well as the original poster artwork. I have both and posted several of the lobby cards here a couple years ago. 4 of the cards have a single image and six of them are made up of inserts. Regarding the films release, I'd say it might be beneficial if as many fans (and I mean those who will actually buy the DVD) that truly want this movie (as well as possibly some others that didn't get released before the license ran out) to send very polite, mature emails to Media Blasters, Well Go, Funimation (insert other company here), whoever and everyone do it at once. A petition to get a particular film released has been done several times, and multiple ones could be sent to various companies if there is interest on their part on obtaining more titles. I already asked Don May of Synapse about releasing some HK fare and he said he'd be up for it, but nothing has come their way. I sent over a list (including this title), but if enough people signed a petition for even just this film, it would show an obvious interest that MIGHT aid in said title(s) seeing a possible DVD release. If not, no one can say they didn't give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bobo Posted August 9, 2010 Member Share Posted August 9, 2010 i already have e mailed media blasters and funimation about this and other lost dub shaws.( no answers yet ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member venoms5 Posted August 9, 2010 Member Share Posted August 9, 2010 i already have e mailed media blasters and funimation about this and other lost dub shaws.( no answers yet ) In my view, a list with multiple names will likely (hopefully) grab someone's attention more than a random email from a fan here and there. Then an individual who has access to said company can submit the list and then see what happens and hope for the best. One thing can be said about a company obtaining lesser known, rare films is that they shouldn't have to worry about an outfit like Red Sun ripping them off if there's nothing already out there. If they're a bit unsure about obtaining some of these titles, there are still a good deal more name titles that haven't gotten a R1 release yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fang Shih-yu Posted August 9, 2010 Member Share Posted August 9, 2010 In my view, a list with multiple names will likely (hopefully) grab someone's attention more than a random email from a fan here and there.About how many people do you think it would take [on a petition, or equivalent] to make a company pay notice to a request? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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