Hong Kong film fans will know Bey Logan as the multi-tasking, multi-talented driving force behind many film projects across the globe. His writing and producing, such as in the popular documentaries "Jackie Chan: My Story" and "Jackie Chan: My Stunts", and feature films, including "The Twins Effect" and "The Medallion", have gained him a recognisable body of work that includes his critically acclaimed book; "Hong Kong Action Cinema" and acting roles in films such as "Infernal Affairs II" and "Dragon Heat". UK audiences will also know him as the guiding figure behind "Hong Kong Legends" DVD releases, as he garnered a loyal fan base from his informative commentaries, documentaries, interviews and essays.
Since "Hong Kong Legends" ceased to continue, Bey can now be found working with "Dragon Dynasty", a new American distributor under The Weinstein Company, who are already developing a solid catalogue of Asian and Hong Kong DVD releases. Bey was kind enough to take time out from his schedule to answer some of the questions we had about his new work with "Dragon Dynasty"...
|
|
interview |
 HKCinemagic : How did you first come to be involved with The Weinstein Company and have the opportunity to work on their new label; "Dragon Dynasty"? |
| Bey Logan : I was lucky that, when the new company was formed, I was approached to run the Asian office. I suggested that we start a speciality label to release Asian action films, and this evolved into Dragon Dynasty. It was an idea whose time had come! |
| |
| HKCinemagic : For fans of your contributions to the "Hong Kong Legends" catalogue of releases, what's new about "Dragon Dynasty" DVDs and how will they differ from HKL previous releases? |
| Bey Logan : I think HKL was a great learning experience. The fan reaction to the DVD commentaries was very rewarding, and this will continue with the Dragon Dynasty titles. I think that, being a division of a major company like The Weinstein Company, we have even greater resources at our disposal. We're making every effort to bring the fans of our kind of cinema the quality releases they deserve. |
| |
| HKCinemagic : With the new DVD release of Donnie Yen's Flashpoint, among others, is it safe to say "Dragon Dynasty" will pay greater emphasis to releasing new Hong Kong and Asian films, as opposed to re-treating older titles, as seemed to be the case with HKL? If so, can you explain the motivation behind this? |
| Bey Logan : It’s down to market forces. The American audience seem to be resistant to some of the older titles, especially the more obscure ones. We're still developing the brand, so I hope we can eventually build an audience that will accept a variety of different releases. The Shaw Brothers titles have been well received, but we will continue to focus on major recent releases, such as Invisible Target. |
| |
|
|
| |
| HKCinemagic : A few titles that have been re-issued in the past under HKL, such as Jackie Chan's Crime Story and Police Story 1 & 2, have now seen yet another release under "Dragon Dynasty". As you've been closely involved in both label's releases, do you think there are new features for fans of these films on the "Dragon Dynasty" versions that make re-buying these titles worthwhile? |
| Bey Logan :
I hope so. We've certainly done everything we can to make sure that can provide sufficient fresh material that fans feel its worth the 'double dip'. We had Brett Ratner on the commentaries for "Police Story" 1 & 2, Kirk Wong for "Crime Story". We didn't have these kind of big guns available at HKL, so I think this shows we're trying to bring the fans more of what they want. |
| |
| HKCinemagic : Is there anything particular you hope to accomplish with "Dragon Dynasty", that perhaps you were unable to do with HKL? |
| Bey Logan : I want to conquer an international market with the brand. HKL really only succeeded in the UK, but I hope Dragon Dynasty can find an audience throughout the English speaking territories. |
| |
| HKCinemagic : Hong Kong film fans in Europe will know that "Dragon Dynasty" DVDs are not yet available locally, and so at the moment ordering the films from North America is the only option. Do you plan to have the label's films distributed in Europe? |
| Bey Logan : Not Europe as such, but certainly the UK, as I mentioned above. |
| |
| HKCinemagic : Can you give a sneak preview into any forthcoming titles under the "Dragon Dynasty" banner? |
| Bey Logan : Here's an exclusive : we just picked up "Empress and The Warriors", starring Donnie Yen, directed by Ching Siu-tung. Its going to be a blast bringing this movie to the audience it deserves. |
| |
| HKCinemagic : Are there any titles you, as a fan, would like to have re-released? |
| Bey Logan : Many! Here are five : "Pedicab Driver", "Dragon Gate Inn" (old and new), Tsui Hark's "The Blade", "Drunken Master II", "Martial Club"... |
|
| HKCinemagic : Any closing words about "Dragon Dynasty", to the Hong Kong Cinemagic fanbase? |
| Bey Logan : Thanks so much for your support! I really appreciate the time and energy that Hong Kong film fans devote to the genre, and we'll do whatever we can to be worthy of it. |
|
Intext Links
