Third Window Films Discussion Thread

[Richard A]

I wouldn't call watching Kotoko particularly enjoyable but it must have been one of the most immersive viewing experiences I've had in many a year. It's an extraordinary film.

[NormanicGrav]

I watched Killing finally. I loved it. The ending scene is probably my favourite of the whole film. Music and characters were great too.

[revoloution]

I'm kinda new to Shinya Tsukamoto's films although i watched Bullet Ballet a few years ago I t never really checked out his filmography in any great detail. Can any of you guys recommend the best film to start with and also the best versions/ collections to get?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[nitin]

Snake of June is the only I have seen so far but that is an easy enough recommendation.

[Sinthetic]

Adam, can I ask about the Arrow US release of Tsukamoto Solid Metal Nightmares? Are they using your masters/encodes from the UK releases? I know you guys are affiliated with each other somehow so I’m wondering if that’s the case here.

Cheers!


Also, would recommend you dive into the Tetsuo films to get a good taste of his work.

[thirdwindowfilms]

Originally Posted by Sinthetic

Adam, can I ask about the Arrow US release of Tsukamoto Solid Metal Nightmares? Are they using your masters/encodes from the UK releases? I know you guys are affiliated with each other somehow so I’m wondering if that’s the case here.

Cheers!


Also, would recommend you dive into the Tetsuo films to get a good taste of his work.

yeah, same masters/encodes, plus most of the same extras and used our new trailers and such too.

[thenexus6]

Just watched Kotoko on the Arrow channel. Man what a film! I will not be rushing to watch that one again!!

[NormanicGrav]

BFI recently posted their top picks of best Japanese films from 1925 to 2019 and at least three Third Window Films titles made the list:

[Show spoiler]1989: Tetsuo: The Iron Man
2008: Love Exposure
2017: Hanagatami

[thirdwindowfilms]

Originally Posted by NormanicGrav

BFI recently posted their top picks of best Japanese films from 1925 to 2019 and at least three Third Window Films titles made the list:

[Show spoiler]1989: Tetsuo: The Iron Man
2008: Love Exposure
2017: Hanagatami

2010's VILLAIN too!

[Yami]

It's a great, varied list and it's flagged up to me a few titles I was unaware of - Tale of Iya, To Sleep So as to Dream, The Shiranui Sea, Sandakan No. 8...

It's also reminded me how great Aoyama's Eureka is. Any chance of making it available again, TW? I see that, never mind a Blu-Ray, even the DVD is OOP in Japan which seems odd for an acclaimed Cannes prize winner.

[aewb]

Originally Posted by thirdwindowfilms

2010's VILLAIN too!

Good film, one of my favourite TW discoveries.

Do you have any interest in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's films?

[jonboy24]

Originally Posted by aewb

Good film, one of my favourite TW discoveries.

Do you have any interest in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's films?

I have the Japanese release of Happy Hour. Just to let you and others know it is a fully English subtitled and region free release. Even the extra features are subtitled.

I would like to see Third Window release more of the quirky comedies. Films like Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers and Story of Yonosuke. I would like to see more of Satoshi Miki. I can imagine sales would not be great.

[thirdwindowfilms]

Originally Posted by jonboy24

I have the Japanese release of Happy Hour. Just to let you and others know it is a fully English subtitled and region free release. Even the extra features are subtitled.

I would like to see Third Window release more of the quirky comedies. Films like Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers and Story of Yonosuke. I would like to see more of Satoshi Miki. I can imagine sales would not be great.

BBFC are the main reason why films like Happy Hour and some of Hamaguchi's other long films cannot get out in the UK as they charge by the minute!

Would also love to release more quirky comedies, and still wish this was the time of DVD when we could take chances on small films because of the low costs involved in releasing them. Blurays are just really expensive to make and that coupled with the fact that their retail prices are getting lower and lower means that they can only recoup with large quantity of sales. Unfortunately there are just not enough people out there buying them to make back bluray costs. Also, there just haven't been that many good quirky comedies from japan in a while (or many good films in general either tbh)

[Richard A]

Originally Posted by thirdwindowfilms

... Also, there just haven't been that many good quirky comedies from japan in a while (or many good films in general either tbh)

I'm sure you'll be aware of these but I'll put in a word for a couple of J-comedies which I've enjoyed recently. They are:

• Thermae Romae (2012) - this was the first of two live action features based on the manga / anime series of the same name. It's about a Roman architect who gets (involuntarily) transported between ancient Rome and Japan where he gets inspired by various sanitary innovations he finds there which he tries to recreate in Rome, while simultaneously getting caught up in Emperor Hadrian's campaign in Pannonia. It's daft but fun.
• Flea-picking Samurai (2018) - Also starring Hiroshi Abe, it's about a samurai who, having displeased his lord is assigned to the nominally humiliating task of picking fleas of cats - in fact, the job offers opportunities of quite another kind with the wives of soldiers who are away at war. Good fun, with a hint of social satire included.

Neither of the above are what you'd call highbrow but I preferred them to (I hope you don't mind me saying this) The Suffering of Ninko.

No idea what the rights status / costs would be although I note that Thermae Romae and its sequel have been released in Hong Kong on DVD and BD.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by thirdwindowfilms

BBFC are the main reason why films like Happy Hour and some of Hamaguchi's other long films cannot get out in the UK as they charge by the minute!

That's probably why ONLY one of Lav Diaz's (King of slow cinema) long films has had a UK release & why we probably won't get a release of "La Flor" on BD any time soon.

[PowellPressburger]

Can anyone confirm the audio on the PINK FILMS Volume 1 Blu-Ray

Is the audio compressed DD? Or is it PCM or HD dts audio?

Also any comments on the image quality?

UPDATE found a review online that confirms Dts HD Audio.

[blueman_Richie]

What’s the consensus on Destruction Babies?

[Faustus]

Originally Posted by thirdwindowfilms

Would also love to release more quirky comedies, and still wish this was the time of DVD when we could take chances on small films because of the low costs involved in releasing them. Blurays are just really expensive to make and that coupled with the fact that their retail prices are getting lower and lower means that they can only recoup with large quantity of sales.

Speaking only for myself, given an option I typically buy the Blu-ray of a TWF title rather than the DVD (partly because the subs are much sharper on the Blu), but as a lover of film and storytelling, if the content is good, then format is a secondary concern.

I don’t care about o-cards or fancy boxes, in fact I find them wasteful and unnecessary, so if DVD is the only or most viable way to get certain films on shelves and in my player, then I’ll gladly support it.

I believe that if a film-lover limits his or herself to only Blu or 4K, then they’ll miss out on the full spectrum of what’s out there. For example, I’m extremely grateful to TWF for giving us things like Adrift in Tokyo and Underwater Love, which, afaik, were DVD only.

[super56k]

Originally Posted by blueman_Richie

What’s the consensus on Destruction Babies?

This one's fresh in my mind since I only watched it yesterday. Forty five minutes in and I was about to give up on it. It had me in this weird position where I found it both disturbing and repetitive as I waited for the film to gain some momentum. I stuck it out, however, and I'm glad I did.

Yuya Yagira turned in quite a performance as the Terminator like Taira. As did those playing the roles of Nana and Yuya. It gained the momentum I was hoping for and then some. It had the cult film vibes of something like Natural Born Killers, but with less flash and sizzle.

[thirdwindowfilms]

Originally Posted by Richard A

I'm sure you'll be aware of these but I'll put in a word for a couple of J-comedies which I've enjoyed recently. They are:

• Thermae Romae (2012) - this was the first of two live action features based on the manga / anime series of the same name. It's about a Roman architect who gets (involuntarily) transported between ancient Rome and Japan where he gets inspired by various sanitary innovations he finds there which he tries to recreate in Rome, while simultaneously getting caught up in Emperor Hadrian's campaign in Pannonia. It's daft but fun.
• Flea-picking Samurai (2018) - Also starring Hiroshi Abe, it's about a samurai who, having displeased his lord is assigned to the nominally humiliating task of picking fleas of cats - in fact, the job offers opportunities of quite another kind with the wives of soldiers who are away at war. Good fun, with a hint of social satire included.

Neither of the above are what you'd call highbrow but I preferred them to (I hope you don't mind me saying this) The Suffering of Ninko.

No idea what the rights status / costs would be although I note that Thermae Romae and its sequel have been released in Hong Kong on DVD and BD.

Yes, they're MASSIVE films in Japan, by the very biggest film studio (TOHO) with the biggest budgets, so it's not really fair to compare them to Suffering of Ninko, which had so little of a budget that the director had to learn to make animation over years to cover up parts of the film he didn't have the money to make.
And their budgets are reflected in acquiring them too.
Dealing with TOHO is not easy. They cost a fortune and are very strict with their contracts and backends. They're like dealing with a major Hollywood studio and third window is a tiny tiny company.
Being in Asia, Hong Kong is a major market for Asian films and therefore they can afford to release such films as would make their money back. Having to deal and pay over the odds for comedies is more complicated for a small company in a small territory. Dealt with TOHO just twice, but that was with CONFESSIONS and LESSON OF EVIL, so titles which obviously have a much bigger chance to recoup their massive costs.