Police Story 2 (1988)
警察故事續集
Action, Crime, Thriller • 1h 45m
Director: Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Bill Tung Biu, Maggie Cheung, Lam Kwok-Hung, Mars, Benny Lai Keung-Kuen, Kenny Ho Kar-King, Johnny Cheung Wa, Lung Tin-Sang, Wu Ma, Ben Lam Kwok-Bun, Guan Shan, Yeung Chak-Lam, Teddy Yip Wing-Cho, Wong Wai, Lau Siu-Ming, Lisa Chiao Chiao, Danny Chow Yun-Kin, John Cheung Ng-Long, Sean Lau Ching-Wan, Michael Chow Man-Kin, Dennis Chan Kwok-San, Wong San, Ken Lo Wai-Kwong, Tai Bo, Charlie Cho Cha-Lee, Chor Yuen, Billy Lau Nam-Kwong, Andy Tai Chi-Wai, Isabella Wong, Anglie Leung Wan-Yui, Crystal Kwok, Ann Mui Oi-Fong, Maryanna Yip, Alvina Kong Yan-Yin, Louis Roth, Chris Lee Kin-Sang, Wan Fat, Chan Tat-Kwong, Rocky Lai Keung-Ken, Chan Chi-Fai, Chen Chi-Hwa, Mai Kei, Lee Jun-Git, Kiki Sheung, Gam Kwok-Wai, Ng Sing-Fat, Kwan Kin, Seung-Goon Yuk, Lee Pooi-Ling, Mak Tin-Yan, Go Shut-Fung, Christopher Chan Sai-Tang, Tai Wan-Wai, Jim James, Chim Bing-Hei, Hui Sze-Man, Lee Wah-Kon, Mak Shu-San, Pedro Ernyes, Pang Hiu-Sang, Peter Kwok Bei-Dak, Louis Keung Kwok-Wah, Lai Sing-Kwong, Wong Man-Chun, Lui Kim-Kwong, Wong Ka-Kui, Nicky Li Chung-Chi, Hon Chun, Chung Chi-Yung, Szeto Yue-Wa, Hau Woon-Ling, Charles Chan Chi-Ping, Yeung Kim-Man
Best English-friendly & video release
Good 4K Blu-ray upgrades of Ritrovata's flawed restorations
Updated 1 year ago
UHD tiers
good UHD upgrades of Ritrovata's flawed restorations
About the film
The Hong Kong super-cop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers at the same time that the villains of the first Police Story are out for revenge.
Directors: Jackie Chan & Benny Chan
Arrow 4K Blu-ray from the Jackie Chan Boxset
Director: Jackie Chan
Director: Jackie Chan
88 Films 4K Blu-ray > Germany Nameless Media 4K Blu-ray
Director: Jackie Chan
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Good 4K Blu-ray upgrades of Ritrovata's flawed restorations
Director: Jackie Chan
Director: John Huston
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Eureka Blu-ray > StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Older DVD or LaserDisc probably even better
All blu-ray releases so far is from the 2010 scan.
Director: F. W. Murnau
2006 Restoration: Eureka Blu-ray
1995 photochemical restoration: BFI Blu-ray
Eureka with Murnau institute restoration featuring score based on original score, BFI uses Photoplay restoration with James Bernard score
Both Eureka and BFI Blu-rays are worthy of owning. Each restoration has unique positives and extras. The James Bernard score on the BFI is outstanding and the image tinting is different to how the Murnau institute official restoration was done. The Eureka MoC Blu-ray is stuffed with extras and remains one of the best-made Blu-rays of all time. Whatever you do: AVOID THE Kino Lorber Blu-ray!!! It uses the same Murnau institute restoration but drops frames for the whole feature - thus it loses a significant portion of the film! This was never acknowledged or addressed. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray remains one of the worst Blu-rays of all time for this reason.
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
MoC slightly better than Kino Lorber http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_76/anatahan_blu-ray.htm
Director: Fritz Lang
1984 Giorgio Moroder restoration: MoC Blu-ray or Kino Lorber Blu-ray
2001 Murnau restoration: MoC 2-disc DVD set > Kino Lorber 1-disc Restored Authorized Edition DVD
2010 Murnau complete restoration: MoC Blu-ray > Kino Lorber Blu-ray
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Eureka MoC Blu-ray, see caps
MoC is sourced from an earlier scan, but still looks more detailed than the later 4K restoration released by Kadokawa in Japan, which has some black crush and DNR. French Capricci disc is sourced from the same scan as MoC but with much worse encoding and wrong levels.
1991 Daiei LaserDisc
Director: Blake Edwards
Mono: Kino Lorber US Blu-ray
Mono: Kino Lorber US Blu-ray possibly?
Director: John Ford
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
USA Paramount has the best video transfer with the least amount of artifacts: https://slow.pics/c/sjZ3mqF6
Olive Films Blu-ray and Eureka MoC Blu-ray are sourced from the same restoration and are both very good.
Apart from some mild attenuation, the audio is the same on all releases of the newest restoration and is relatively untampered with: https://slow.pics/c/bWF9EGuM
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Directors: Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Probably. No comparison with French Factoris Films 4K Blu-ray, but former has Dolby Vision and higher bitrate.
For standard Blu-ray, the MoC/Cohen are a 4k transfer https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=112722&page=5
More Action on Blu-ray
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.
Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible. However, Artificial Eye also includes the 2.0 stereo mix in addition to the 5.1 mix, while Kino only includes 5.1 mix.
The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.
Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration
Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:
With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.
Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Arrow has a different grade and a better encode than the Shout! Factory, though the difference in either is not major. Imprint release, which leaves Shout! Factory's master and subtitles as is, is encoded by FiM. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24473097&postcount=56
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray (similar to Criterion LaserDisc, but less distorted)
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Arrow used the alternate mix, but with extra filtering and lowered dynamic range. The alternate mix has much better fidelity.
Imprint presumably used the Shout! Factory original mix and left it as is, though no official confirmation.
Director: Buster Keaton
Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027
Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films
Director: George Lucas
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.
Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.
2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed
OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.
Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.
Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray
5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray
5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: Michael Anderson
Arrow 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release
Paramount 4K Blu-ray Purist choice: Blu-ray
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Paramount 4K Blu-ray new improved master with color grading and slight issues. Blu-ray is old master with original color grading
Blu-ray 5.1
The Paramount 4K Blu-ray has a much better new scan that removes the original extremely dated color grading. This is an improvement on one hand but a definite revisionist change on the other. There is the expected grain management and slight HDR issues in addition to encoding quirks from Paramount. It is a giant improvement over the original Blu-ray but the color change and other issues means that the Blu-ray is one to keep for purists to have the as-is original iteration of the film's presentation. Audio wise the film has been remixed into Atmos but it merely seems like a slightly tweaked and frankly tamed version of the original 5.1. Of the two I prefer the Blu-ray 5.1. The original Blu-ray was Dolby TrueHD and the reissue Blu-ray in the four film Blu-ray collection boxset was DTS-HDMA.
DFIC extensive review: https://youtu.be/evsrJOTIjdA?si=wtdWGxZBfhPYTIeW
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