Tony Leung Chiu-wai
17 films on Best Blurays8 in 4K7 in HD1 in SD1 with no official release
Biography from TMDB
8 in 4K
UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Leading role · Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · hd-dvd.over-blog.fr (opens in a new tab)
4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.
Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD
Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.
HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.
The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.
Leading role · Director: John Woo
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > US Shout! Factory, better encoding by Engine House and redone opening credits, errors present in Shout! Factory fixed
Mono is from an alternate higher fidelity source than Shout! Factory.
Leading role · Directors: Alan Mak Siu-Fai & Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
Leading role · Directors: Alan Mak Siu-Fai & Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
The master is heavily DNR'd.
Leading role · Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Correct grade and archival extras missing from the Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Both Arrow 4K Blu-ray and Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray are worse.
Criterion USA LaserDisc [CC1397L]: Original Cantonese mono.
Best Cantonese mono still was from Criterion LaserDisc, as the Shout one was boosted with clipping, with some filtering and losing dynamic range over the Criterion LD.
There’s no need for other Cantonese audio, as all 5.1 remixes are extremely bad and not worth including.
For English Dub the Shout offered the best, it was pure mono. All other 5.1 remixed of said dub are also terrible and offer no value, only less fidelity and more echo.
Leading role · Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has original SDR master while Plaion Germany and France has a subtle additional HDR-regrade. Either one is good depending on user preference.
Important to note, Criterion 4K Blu-ray still has different color timing from 2008 Criterion Blu-ray see https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=15680&d2=15679&s1=165346&s2=165329&i=10&l=0
Original mono is on the 1996 Japan DVD and 2005 Spain Boxset DVD. But 2008 Criterion Blu-ray’s 5.1 remix at least is in the correct pitch. All 5.1 tracks on later 4K-resto BDs have a raised pitch. Furthermore, the 2008 5.1 and 4K-resto 5.1 differ in content in the scene where Tony Leung drinks coffee in slow-mo, with the 2008 version having only background / ambient sound, while the 4K-resto version plays Faye Wong’s song. Note that it's quite easy to pitch correct the 4K-resto 5.1 to match the original pitch and only a delay adjustment is needed to sync.
Supporting role · Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
2022 Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray
7 in HD
Blu-ray or HD streaming
Leading role · Director: Ang Lee
Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Kino Lorber Blu-ray has original 1.85 aspect ratio, and better encoding but with a few caveats: some scenes are in a lower quality than the rest of the film see DVDBeaver
Make sure you have the replacement disc with correct location title card
Leading role · Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Criterion is filtered. Comparisons
Leading role · Director: Zhang Yimou
Leading role · Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate
4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master
The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.
1 in SD
DVD, SD streaming, LaserDisc or VHS
Leading role · Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · web.theculvertheater.com (opens in a new tab)
4k restoration was done in 2023 (see 4K trailer) and is having north america premiere so hopefully a home release is coming soon
1 with no official release
Unofficial sources only, no home media, or lost
Leading role · Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Short, only in theaters https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2274
Sources: janusfilms.com (opens in a new tab)
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