At the beginning of the week Adam Torel of Japanese film distributor Third Window Films revealed to Twitch some great news: Love Exposure on Blu-ray, Tetsuo 1 & 2 on Blu-ray, and Are Any of You Alive? will get distributed in the UK.
Love Exposure Blu-ray
When I reviewed the Love Exposure as part of my Sion Sono Season I revealed my love of the film. Many of the commenters were well aware that the four hour masterpiece of love and identity was missing at least an hour of footage and they were curious as to what that might hold. Well they will now get their chance to see it sinceThird Window Films is giving the film is getting the Blu-ray treatment which means way more storage space for way more movie goodness. According to Adam:
The film will be a new transfer to HD (they’re making a new HDCAMSR from the original master and definitely no upconversion or anything like that) and will put the film on 1 Blu-ray, then extras on a separate DVD. This is really going to be an amazing release
Extras are to include:
Nearly an hour of deleted and extended scenes, New exclusive interview with Sion Sono plus the 1 hour long ‘making of’ which was on our original DVD release
Anybody who owns the DVD version will know that they have to swap disks halfway through but thanks to the power of Blu-ray there is no need to do that thus we don’t need to break the spell of the film. Plus we get to see what was cut from theatrical versions on a disc dedicated to extras. Sounds awesome.
Tetsuo 1 & 2 Blu-ray Release
Shinya Tsukamoto (Nightmare Detective, Vital) burst into the film world with his debut Tetsuo, The Iron Man (1989) a film that instantly earned him comparisons with David 
Cronenberg due to its body horror and a film that left me dazed and disturbed. Well Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequel Tetsuo: Body Hammer will be getting a Blu-ray release to coincide with the DVD/Blu-ray release of Kotoko. In the words of Adam:
Tetsuo 1 & 2 will be released together as a Blu-ray double-pack in October 2012 with brand new transfers restored from the original negatives by Shinya Tsukamoto himself. Along with these 2 new restorations, we will also include Shinya Tsukamoto’s 45 minute Tetsuo-prototype film ‘The Adventures of Electric Rod Boy‘ (Denchu Kozo no Boken) in the package. Also included will be a new interview with Tsukamoto regarding the restoration as well as talking about the re-release of these cult classics
The Tetsuo 1/2 set will coincide with the DVD/Blu-ray release of KOTOKO which is also scheduled for October 2012
Third Window Films will distribute Are Any of 
You Alive?
This is the announcement that has really caught my attention since I’ve already watched Tetsuo 1 and 2 and I own Love Exposure on DVD but Are Any of You Alive is a new film that was only released in February and it has a very intriguing trailer that left me wanting more.
Are Any of You Alive?
Director: Gakuryu Ishii, Starring: Shota Sometani, Rin Takanashi, Hakka Shiraihi, Asato Iida, Mai Takahashi, Running Time: 113 mins.
Set in a university campus that is attached to a hospital, there is an escaped female patient, a strange man, students and a café worker in a love triangle, a mother looking for a lost child, a love-sick doctor and an unreceptive nurse and an urban legend which could be linked to the end of the world.
Adam told the Twitch film site:
“Third Window Films have secured the rights to the latest film from Gakuryu (Sogo) Ishii’s ‘Isn’t Anyone Alive?‘ (Ikiteru mono inai no ka). Gakuryu Ishii’s independent punk style has seen him, like Shinya Tsukamoto, become a cult icon in Japanese cinema with such classics as Crazy Thunder Road, Burst City, The Crazy Family and more recently Angel Dust, Electric Dragon 80000V and Gojoe. ‘Isn’t Anyone Alive?‘ is his first film in nearly 10 years and is a black comedy based on the play of the same name by Shiro Maeda and stars a variety of talent including Himizu‘s award winning star Shota Sometani, plus Jun Murakami (Land of Hope), Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Blue Spring), Mai Takahashi (Fish Story) and a lot of newcomers.
No release date planned yet, but will be sometime towards the end of 2012”
As well as starring Shota Sometani (Himizu) it also stars Rin Takanashi (Goth: Love of Death) who will next be seen at the Cannes Film Festival in Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love.
Third Window Films will also release Sion Sono’s Himizu in selected cinemas across the UK at the start of June, followed by a DVD/Blu-ray release of the film on the 6th of August. I highly recommend this film so to find out if it is screening near you check out the events page.
Any excuse to display this awesome poster!
60 mins of deleted scenes for Love Exposure! This is excellent news.
I’ve never been a fan of the cyber punk genre so I’m kinda meh about the Tetsuo movie news. I’ve tried so many times to try and like the genre but apart from Electric Dragon 80000V I have found myself frustrated and scratching my head out of what I’ve just seen.
The news about Love Exposure is most welcome – I like the film as it is but I’d like to see what didn’t make the cut. I kind of share your feelings about Tetsuo – I’m not a big fan of the franchise even though I like cyberpunk titles. Plus I have it on VHS already. That said it’s bringing a title that many regard as classic (and is a striking work) to a new generation and giving it a great treatment. Are Any of You Alive? looks awesome! I’m going to check out some of Ishii’s titles.
I haven’t gone blu yet but when I heard the news of the extra footage it tipped me over the edge.
Everything is getting the Blu-ray treatment – Ninja Scroll recently got a re-release in Japan and with English subtitles. The thought of updating my anime and live-action film collection… Must resist. My wallet is going to take out a restraining order against me.
Must see KOTOKO!!
Have you watched Nightmare Detective?
Vital is another that is well worth seeing.
I had the pleasure of seeing that in a cinema back when Tartan were releasing movies in cinemas. Definitely recommended (especially for Asano fans).
Before Tartan went insane…….or probably just on the edge.