Third Window Films Discussion Thread

[Daedolon]

Been waiting for this for so long, really happy to see it happen finally.

[FantasticMrFox]

TWF posted a Trailer today for A Samurai in Time. „Premiere at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival“

A Samurai In Time ä¾�タイãƒ*スリッパー Trailer - YouTube

[logboy]

scent of a spell by toshiharu ikeda for nikkatsu (1985)

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/scent...pwwc0xmdixnze2

[Yami]

Originally Posted by logboy

scent of a spell by toshiharu ikeda for nikkatsu (1985)

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/scent...pwwc0xmdixnze2

This is undoubtedly the most obscure of the Directors' Company series (so far!) but shares a director with Mermaid Legend and a writer with Somai's Love Hotel - it's a roman porno like the latter.

Never seen it, will definitely pick it up. Would be down for TWF getting some more roman porno from Nikkatsu. Or Akihiko Shiota's Moonlight Whispers and Harmful Insect would be a great two-fer.

[Takuma]

It's been a long time since I watched Scent of a Spell. Great to see more Roman Porno coming to BD, even though this is of course part of the Director's Company catalogue.

I could think of a number of Roman Porno films on my TOP 50 List that would perhaps suit Third Window. Particularly Kichitaro Negishi and Haruhiko Arai's badly mistitled Rape Ceremony (1980), which is basically an ATG youth film made without ATG, the same director's similar Crazed Fruit (1981), Kazunari Takeda's Wong Kar-Wai esque Woman’s Trail: Wet Path (1980), Yoichi Higashi's road movie Jealousy Game (1982), and Yoshimitsu Morita 's fresh slice of life picture Top Stripper (1982). All of these have HD masters available.

A real gem would be Bu-ra-i no onna (1988), one of the best yakuza films of the 80s, and the missing link between Okinawa Yakuza War and Sonatine, hidden in the RP catalogue. The film stars a very young Hitoshi Ozawa as an insecure young yakuza who is sent to Okinawa to kill a man, but he finds he might not have the guts to do it after all, and end up drifting on the streets and in live music bars while also running into childhood friends. Sadly no HD master as far as I know.

[Yami]

Your top 50 list has been a great guide, Takuma - I just wish I could find more of them with English subtitles! I did manage to see your #1 recommendation, Toshiya Fujita's Confessions of a Teenage Mother, and thought it was brilliant - a cool, stylish exercise in grit, smoke, and blood (and other bodily fluids), a film about creation and destruction that's unforgiving in its nihilism. With a great, groovy rock soundtrack! Would love to see that one released - and Fujita's later Play It, Boogie-Woogie.

From your recommendations, I'd also love to see Rape Ceremony, Bu-ra-i no onna, Jealousy Game, Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland, and An Unforgettable Affair.

I'm a bit surprised that labels here haven't released more Roman Porno, considering Nikkatsu seems a relatively easy catalog to licence from and they have certain...aspects that would seem like easy sells! I suppose there might be BBFC issues with some in the UK.

[jonboy24]

Originally Posted by Yami

Your top 50 list has been a great guide, Takuma - I just wish I could find more of them with English subtitles! I did manage to see your #1 recommendation, Toshiya Fujita's Confessions of a Teenage Mother, and thought it was brilliant - a cool, stylish exercise in grit, smoke, and blood (and other bodily fluids), a film about creation and destruction that's unforgiving in its nihilism. With a great, groovy rock soundtrack! Would love to see that one released - and Fujita's later Play It, Boogie-Woogie.

From your recommendations, I'd also love to see Rape Ceremony, Bu-ra-i no onna, Jealousy Game, Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland, and An Unforgettable Affair.

I'm a bit surprised that labels here haven't released more Roman Porno, considering Nikkatsu seems a relatively easy catalog to licence from and they have certain...aspects that would seem like easy sells! I suppose there might be BBFC issues with some in the UK.

I really hope 88 Films have licensed some for their Japanarchy label

[Takuma]

Originally Posted by Yami

Your top 50 list has been a great guide, Takuma - I just wish I could find more of them with English subtitles! I did manage to see your #1 recommendation, Toshiya Fujita's Confessions of a Teenage Mother, and thought it was brilliant - a cool, stylish exercise in grit, smoke, and blood (and other bodily fluids), a film about creation and destruction that's unforgiving in its nihilism. With a great, groovy rock soundtrack! Would love to see that one released - and Fujita's later Play It, Boogie-Woogie.

From your recommendations, I'd also love to see Rape Ceremony, Bu-ra-i no onna, Jealousy Game, Retreat Through the Wet Wasteland, and An Unforgettable Affair.

I'm a bit surprised that labels here haven't released more Roman Porno, considering Nikkatsu seems a relatively easy catalog to licence from and they have certain...aspects that would seem like easy sells! I suppose there might be BBFC issues with some in the UK.

Thanks for the kind words. A much nicer response than years ago when someone accused me of trying to make people watch boring art crap. I guess there wasn't enough Naomi Tani and S&M on my list

[Yurakucho]

I've got 38 minutes to go on Tokyo Heaven and... it's bloody awful. It mainly consists of people hiding from each other and conversations being cut short before anything informative can be conveyed. Incredibly annoying.
EDIT: I've finished it and it was fine.

Oh and the music in DOOR is reminiscent of the music used in the Inca levels in the PlayStation game Croc 2.

[Cinematt]

Originally Posted by Takuma

Thanks for the kind words. A much nicer response than years ago when someone accused me of trying to make people watch boring art crap. I guess there wasn't enough Naomi Tani and S&M on my list

If you have a list of boring art crap I'd be interested

[Takuma]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

If you have a list of boring art crap I'd be interested

Oh, I was talking about those Roman Porno films (it was before I had made that specific list, but the contents were roughly the same). It was some fan to whom Roman Porno = S&M sleaze, and they weren't pleased with me recommending youth films and slice of life dramas from the Roman Porno catalogue.

But hey, each to their own. I'm sure 88 Films made that person happy this week

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Takuma

Oh, I was talking about those Roman Porno films (it was before I had made that specific list, but the contents were roughly the same). It was some fan to whom Roman Porno = S&M sleaze, and they weren't pleased with me recommending youth films and slice of life dramas from the Roman Porno catalogue.

But hey, each to their own. I'm sure 88 Films made that person happy this week

there are some non-fans for whom RP = S&M sleaze, of course.

nobody talks about this, which i also rate as you do >

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288905/

far better than lots of the stuff which has a solid, almost untouchable reputation.

[FantasticMrFox]

TWF announced that Typhoon Club LE is now OOP. Last stock is with retailers like Arrow or Terracotta. Standard without Slip and Booklet will coming soon.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by Yami

I asked Adam yesterday if there was any new Obayashi planned and his response was "Not at the moment, but will give it a think".

What would everyone's most wanted Obayashi be?

The Drifting Classroom for me because Im a fan of the Manga and based on that alone, would make it a cool double feature with Housu.

[Yurakucho]

I'd always imaged they printed the entire 2000 copies in about 30 seconds, like the Royal Mint. What do they manage, like 5 a day?

[Rutger Lundgren]

Vital and Shadow of Fire confirmed for the end of September, both available for pre-order at Terracotta. Amazing.

Vital

Special Features

• Making of Vital
• Archival Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto
• Video Essay - An Assault On The Senses
• Tom Mes Audio Commentary
• Music Clips
• World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival
• Special Effects Featurette
• Trailer
• Slipcase with artwork from Ian MacEwan (limited to 2000 copies)

Shadow of Fire

Special Features

• Tom Mes feature audio commentary
• “The Reality Of Violence” Video Essay by Robert Edwards
• Shinya Tsukamoto and author Kota Ishii talk event
• Director and cast cinema stage greetings
• Trailer
• Slipcase with artwork from Ian MacEwan (limited to 2000 copies)

[logboy]

vital is superb. that artwork is ... something else.

[TooOldToDieYoung]

Amazing, looking forward to both of them!
Those slipcases will be thrown away, though.

[T4ffer]

I think the artwork looks great. Will get both

[roguejp]

Maybe the first post can get updated? It's missing about a year of releases.