Third Window Films Discussion Thread

[Doomhunter]

Would be nice to have Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers upgraded to blu ray

[MifuneFan]

Alone in the Night (1994) rated by BBFC for Third Window Films

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/alone...pwwc0xmdi1oti3

I've never seen it, but the poster for it is awesome

[Anthony Thorne]

I checked out screenshots of a rip floating around, looks very stylish. I'll be getting it.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Anthony Thorne

I checked out screenshots of a rip floating around, looks very stylish. I'll be getting it.

distinctly nsfw

https://vimeo.com/74333931

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Alone in the Night (1994) rated by BBFC for Third Window Films

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/alone...pwwc0xmdi1oti3

I've never seen it, but the poster for it is awesome

I'd like to see a double bill of the director's Gonin films & although I haven't seen either film I have one of them on DVD somewhere.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

I'd like to see a double bill of the director's Gonin films & although I haven't seen either film I have one of them on DVD somewhere.

i'm pretty sure there was a mention earlier this year that there could be a number of ishii films from TWF? certainly rang a bell to see 'alone in the night' mentioned here, as though i already knew it was happening. i'm sold on it (pretty much) and would like to see many of ishii's films including 'gonin', but also very aware he was considered to have gone off the boil as a filmmaker in his later years, despite turning out a number of projects.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by logboy

i'm pretty sure there was a mention earlier this year that there could be a number of ishii films from TWF? certainly rang a bell to see 'alone in the night' mentioned here, as though i already knew it was happening. i'm sold on it (pretty much) and would like to see many of ishii's films including 'gonin', but also very aware he was considered to have gone off the boil as a filmmaker in his later years, despite turning out a number of projects.

Maybe they could do a triple bill of my suggestion instead & include Gonin Saga.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun worked really well for me, so I went on a Shinji Somai splurge with these from Terracotta:

[Show spoiler]

Last night I saw Love Hotel. It begins with an nihilistic exploitation vibe, but like he did with Sailor Suit & Machine Gun, Somai shows how he can take a genre stereotype and give it his own spin. He builds it into a tragic romance. The lead actors get a lot of credit for their performances, especially Noriko Hayami. Somai controls the mood of the film with evocative music. It was a beautiful experience, and I'd definitely recommend it as a watch.

The transfer was very solid and colorful. The image was soft and some detail is swallowed up in the blacks, but that is likely source-related. The sound is clear without any noticeable hiccups and the music comes across nicely. Extras include a commentary track, a video essay and an archival interview.

[MifuneFan]

Keishi Kondo's New Religion / Neu Mirrors Limited Edition Blu-ray releasing on March 10th.

Amazon - Zavvi

After her daughter's death in an accident, Miyabi gets a divorce, starts working as a call girl and moves in with her new boyfriend. In a meeting with a new customer, he asks to take a picture of her body -- first her spine, then, her feet, and after that, he begins to photograph her every time they meet. One day, while at home, Miyabi feels a small hand touching her leg and soon realizes that every time she allows her body to be photographed she can feel her daughter's spirit reaching closer and closer.

Neu Mirrors is a spin-off short film that attempts to answer certain unanswered questions of New Religion and begins just after a scene in the previous film.

Aizawa wakes up in a strange hotel room. A voice calls him from his earphone. Aizawa notices a man in a white shirt in the room and a photo book at his feet. There are the faces of many strangers and his own face printed on it.

Then, Aizawa's reality dissolves into a nightmare world.

EXTRAS:

• Neu Mirrors - Short Film (30 mins)

• Director Interview (30 mins)

• Behind the Scenes (30 mins)

• Outtakes (11 mins)

• Director Feature Length Audio Commentary

• Early Concept Movie

• Crowdfunding Teaser

• Theatrical Trailer

• International Trailer

• Slipcase and Reversible Sleeves with original artwork for both films

[blackdiesel]

Originally Posted by thirdwindowfilms

Just checked with them and it’s just very temporarily turned off while they change some display settings

Originally Posted by Ben_C

That’s good to know, thanks for checking.

It’ll probably turn out that I won’t have accrued as many points as I thought I had anyway

The points system still seems to be switched off. I'm gonna pre-order the new Directors Company releases + New Religion, but think I'm actually close to having £10 in points to spend, so I'm inclined to wait a bit.

[thirdwindowfilms]

Originally Posted by blackdiesel

The points system still seems to be switched off. I'm gonna pre-order the new Directors Company releases + New Religion, but think I'm actually close to having £10 in points to spend, so I'm inclined to wait a bit.

It’s showing back on the site again

[Grethiwha]

TWF teasing some Toshiaki Toyoda reveal on Tuesday.

They've already released most of his films, so there's only so many left it could be:

The Blood of Rebirth (2009)
Crows Explode (2014) (sequel to 2 Takashi Miike films)
The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan (2018)
Planetist (2019) (documentary)
Shiver (2021) *
Ikiteiru. (2022) (short)

The only one of these I've seen is Shiver which is just, like a cinematic taiko drum music concert. I always thought it would be a great thing to see in theatres, but a blu-ray would be cool too, since the online film festival thing I streamed it on wasn't great quality.

If this is another boxset that would be pretty impressive since they could have practically his entire catalogue covered at that point. The documentary and Crows Zero sequel strike me as least likely to make the cut. Maybe more likely it's a single release, maybe with the latest short film included as an extra.

Anyway looking forward to the announcement and whatever it is, pre-ordering it along with the lovely-looking New Religion set.

[Cinematt]

I have no idea how well Shiver would sell on its own but I watched it online too and would love to see it again in good quality and with a proper soundtrack.
If they've managed to get the Crows films I'd expect they'd be teasing a Miike reveal, and it would be odd to release the third without the first two having a UK release.
I'd guess The Blood of Rebirth is most likely. It's a good film worthy of a standalone release, though a little short so a great opportunity to get something else on the disc, or maybe do a mini collection like the Tsukamoto Killing/Haze/Denchu-Kozo release.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Grethiwha

TWF teasing some Toshiaki Toyoda reveal on Tuesday.

If this is another boxset that would be pretty impressive since they could have practically his entire catalogue covered at that point.

i'd be surprised, but happily. by the time the first toyoda set came along, it felt like those paying attention at the time of 'blue spring' and '9 souls' had already disappeared. perhaps this was due to the charges neutralising his career's momentum and giving too many the impression he was done. at least, it didn't feel as though anything further was likely to happen, or be beyond very modest.

as it was, you could pick up that first set for £15 for a long time (it felt like) and the second stuck around for ages. fwiw, i think he's a fantastic film maker, and even i stopped paying attention many years ago - perhaps that's why i also imagine many others appear to have, because i just don't spot any interest in him in the west. fingers crossed for something great tuesday, anyway.

[Cinematt]

Originally Posted by logboy

i'd be surprised, but happily. by the time the first toyoda set came along, it felt like those paying attention at the time of 'blue spring' and '9 souls' had already disappeared. perhaps this was due to the charges neutralising his career's momentum and giving too many the impression he was done. at least, it didn't feel as though anything further was likely to happen, or be beyond very modest.

as it was, you could pick up that first set for £15 for a long time (it felt like) and the second stuck around for ages. fwiw, i think he's a fantastic film maker, and even i stopped paying attention many years ago - perhaps that's why i also imagine many others appear to have, because i just don't spot any interest in him in the west. fingers crossed for something great tuesday, anyway.

I don't know if I'd have any idea who he is without TWF, but because of them I've seen practically his whole filmography. It's a shame the drug charge (possession of 3.9g of 'stimulants' for personal use, which got him a suspended sentence) got him blacklisted, it was nearly 20 years ago and a laughably minor crime by hollywood standards, especially if you're someone with talent. I'm sure we would have seen a very different filmography from him if he could get hired/get funding more easily, but I still look forward to everything he puts out.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

I don't know if I'd have any idea who he is without TWF, but because of them I've seen practically his whole filmography.

he was heading somewhere and was seen as something of a rebel when the charges hit. it did feel at the time like someone felt the need to see him neutralised. can't remember why it felt like that though.

i suspect TWF has a close personal connection to him that's now long standing. same with shinya tsukamoto. both have been served well here.

[Grethiwha]

lol I guess they weren't teasing a new blu-ray release, rather the festival premiere of Toyoda's latest film was announced...

[bleedandtrim]

From the most recent TWF newsletter;

"We have a strong output planned for 2025, including box sets of films from Takashi Ishii and Kaizo Hayashi, plus new Gakuryu Ishii and a classic from Fran Rubel Kuzui!"

I'm guessing that's the Gonin films for Takashi Ishii as previously suggested in the thread, the Maiku Hama Trilogy for Hayashi, The Box Man from Gakuryu (if we're taking 'new' in terms of a recent work and not a 'new to Blu' angle), and the aforementioned Tokyo Pop from Kuzui.

[Cinematt]

We know Angel Guts: Red Flash, and Alone in the Night, have gone through the BBFC so the Ishii set might not have anything to do with Gonin, but could well be quite a mixed set.

[Yami]

Glad to hear that there will be more Gakuryu Ishii this year - it sounds like it'll probably be The Box Man, but hopefully there's a chance for That's It, Kyoshin, or August in the Water.

Great to see some Kaizo Hayashi coming too - I think the fact it's a box set all but confirms the Maiku Hama trilogy. Would quite like someone to restore Circus Boys too