POLICE STORY/POLICE STORY 2 coming April 30th from Criterion!

Police Story (1985) and Police Story 2 (1988), two of Jackie Chan's finest films, will be available from The Criterion Collection on April 30th, 2019, on Blu-ray (two discs) and DVD (3 discs).

Here's what Criterion has to say about this upcoming release:

The jaw-dropping set pieces fly fast and furious in these breathtakingly inventive action comedies, two smash hits that made Jackie Chan a worldwide icon of daredevil spectacle. The director/star/one-man stunt machine plays Ka-Kui, a Hong Kong police inspector whose methods are, ahem, unorthodox; the phenomenal Maggie Cheung, in a star-making role, plays his much-put-upon girlfriend, May. (Police Story, it's worth mentioning, also features the fabulous Brigitte Lin.) Packed wall-to-wall with astoundingly acrobatic fight choreography, epic explosions, charmingly goofball slapstick, and awesomely 1980s electro soundtracks, Police Story and Police Story 2 set a new standard for rock-’em-sock-’em mayhem that established Chan as a performer of unparalleled grace and daring and would influence a generation of filmmakers, from Hong Kong to Hollywood.

Special Edition Features include:
- New 4K digital restorations of Police Story and Police Story 2
- Alternate 5.1 surround and English-dubbed soundtracks for both films
- 35 mm subtitled theatrical print of the condensed Hong Kong version of Police Story 2, presented in 2K for the first time
- New programs on Chan’s screen persona and action-filmmaking techniques featuring author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix
- Archival interviews with Chan and actor and stuntman Benny Lai
- Television program from 1964 detailing the rigors of Peking-opera training, akin to the education that Chan received as a child
- Chan stunt reel
- Trailers
- New English subtitle translations
- An essay by critic Nick Pinkerton

For years I've owned DVDs of each of these fantastic films in both their import and their Dragon Dynasty versions. Still, I can't wait to get my hands on the Criterion releases. Will certainly be reviewing them as soon as possible.

ACF 1631: Happy Birthday wishes to Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung

Maggie in Heroic Trio (1993)

Actress Maggie Cheung was born in Hong Kong on September 20, 1964. Over the years she's grown from a cute young thing (see the first Police Story movie) to an accomplished actress on the world stage (Irma Vep and Clean).

Here's a list of some of the films that I've loved her in:

- Police Story (1985)
- As Tears Go By (1988)
- Center Stage (1992)
- The Heroic Trio (1993)

Green Snake

 - Green Snake (1993)
- Ashes of Time (1994)

Irma Vep

- Irma Vep (1996)
- In the Mood for Love (2000)
- Hero (2002)
- Clean (2004)

So Happy AsianCineFest Birthday wishes to 48-year-young Maggie Cheung.

ACF 218: Wong Kar-wai's Days of Being Wild at Lincoln Center

Days of Being Wild / A Fei zheng chuan
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Hong Kong, 1990, 94 min.

One of Wong Kar-wai's great Hong Kong films, Days of Being Wild will be shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 7:30pm. The theater is a terrific venue, with comfortable stadium seats. Here's the info put out by the FSLC:

“A rapturous film about cool men, hot women and the thousand and one nights and cigarettes they share. - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Few films are able to evoke the bittersweet path from romanticism and heartbreak as seamlessly as Wong Kar-wai’s vibrant second feature. Set in Hong Kong in 1960, Days of Being Wild follows a charming playboy (the late Leslie Cheung) and the lives of the women he exploits: a baby-faced concession stand girl (Maggie Cheung) and an energetic showgirl (Carina Lau).

Considered the first in a trilogy of provocative romantic explorations that includes In the Mood for Love and 2046, this erotically charged, sumptuously shot film stands among recent cinema’s world-class achievements and with Hong Kong’s best films. An official selection of New Directors/New Films 1991.

Jaime Wolf, a journalist and screenwriter, will introduce the screening and there will be a post-film party with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres in the Furman Gallery, adjacent to the Walter Reade Theater's lobby.

Admission (includes screening and reception):
- Young Friends of Film members receive one complimentary ticket.
- Admissions for guests of Young Friends of film members, regular members and the public is $25.

Please note: there is a $2.50 service charge per ticket ordered online and cash only transactions at the box office. No passes ~ no vouchers accepted to this event.

FSLC webpage for Days of Being Wild, including link to order tickets.

Due to construction, access to the Walter Reade Theater is on the north side of West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Look for the FILM banner and use the escalator, elevator or stairs.

ACF 201: Police Story 2

Police Story 2 / Ging chaat goo si juk jaap

Directed by and starring Jackie Chan

Hong Kong, 1988, 122 min

With the release of Supercop on DVD only three days away, it's time to look at the second film in Jackie Chan's Police Story series.

Shooting this sequel to the original Police Story (see ACF 200) began quickly after the original became a big hit. The shot ran long and producer Leonard Ho reportedly urged Jackie to wrap things up quickly. (Both of these facts come from extras on the Dragon Dynasty disc.) This haste produced what to me is a somewhat less satisfying film than Police Story, but still a very fine film.

Jackie is back as police officer Chan Ka Kui, Maggie Cheung returns as his girlfriend May, and Yuen Chor reprises his role as Mr. Chu, the crime boss Jackie apprehended in the original. Several other key cast members are also back, as are the members of Jackie's stunt team, natch.

This time around Chor has been released because he has a fatal medical condition. His henchmen keep trailing and harassing May. Meanwhile, a group of bombers is extorting some wealthy building owners. Jackie, who's been demoted to traffic cop, is brought back to capture the extortionists. He also has to protect May. This is no small matter because she gets kidnapped. But the question is by whom?

For me the problems with Police Story 2 start with the beginning of the film, which is a montage of the great stunt scenes from the original. This would be o.k. if a really fine set-piece came up soon afterwards, but we have to wait quite awhile - too long in my opinion - for some real, new action. There are two terrific fight scenes in the middle of the film, one at a restaurant, the other a truly outstanding one at night at a children's playground.

The finale takes place at a five-story abandoned factory warehouse. But unlike the end of Police Story, where Jackie takes on numerous bad guys and performs an incredible stunt, here he only fights three guys, and the ending - while explosive - isn't a Jackie stunt at all.

The U.S. release from Dragon Dynasty is another single disc edition, like the original Police Story. Again, Brett Ratner and Bey Logan do the feature commentary and comment separately in a featurette celebrating the sequel.

Besides outtakes and trailers, the other extras include another look at Jackie's stunt team and a very nice location guide hosted by Logan. In it he revisits many of the places where the film was shot. Always informative, here he's also pretty charming. It's nice to see him as something other than a "talking head."

I rate Police Story 2 at 3 out of 4 stars, a good, solid entertainment.

As was the case with the Police Story DVD extras, those for Police Story 2 easily merit 3.5 out of 4 stars, superior offerings.