The Korean Cultural Centre Will Screen the film “Scenery” on May 11th

Scenery (2013) is a documentary film by Chinese-Korean director Zhang Lu. He has many features to his name and has toured the international film festival circuit including Europe. One of the director’s other films, A Quiet Dream (2016) was recently reviewed over on Windows on Worlds.

Here’s information on the latest film as pulled from the website:

The Korean Cultural Centre Will Screen the film “Bandhobi” on May 04th

Bandhobi is a film by Dong-il Shin, a Korean filmmaker who I had the chance to meet and talk to at the Osaka Asian Film Festival when he brought over his latest title, Come, Together (2017). His films cover a variety of social issues and Bandhobi looks at issues of racism, illegal immigration and the stresses faced by young people in education and work and those from broken homes and he does this through two sensitively drawn characters.

Here’s information on the latest film as pulled from the website:

London Korean Film Festival 2017 Will Screen the Korean Film “Missing” at the Picturehouse Central On April 10th

The London Korean Film Festival will have a special screening of E Oni’s 2016 thriller “Missing” at the Picturehouse Central cinema in London’s West End. This is the UK premiere and it will take place on Monday, April 10^th at 18:30. It is one of two screenings in the lead-up to the next London Korean Film Festival held later in the year to tease audiences as to some of the great films that will be programmed.

Here are the details:

Uzumasa Limelight Released on DVD/BLU-RAY and VOD April 25th

Third Window Films is going to release Uzumasa Limelight on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD on April 25th. It’s a totally great film as I revealed in my glowing review back in February just before it went on a theatrical tour of Britain as part of this year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme.

Here are the details from the press release and two old trailer posts:

Akira Kurosawa Classic Stray Dog Screened at Japan Society New York

If you are in New York and of the opinion that black and white films are boring then I have a screening to recommend for you thanks to the Japan Society.

Stray Dog (1949) is the famous classic police procedural from Akira Kurosawa where a cop goes looking for his missing gun. It is set during a sweltering summer in a bombed-out post-war Tokyo which is suffering from a heatwave. The characters, all sweating and seething in the heat and at their circumstances, search high and low for the missing weapon or try their best to conceal what has happened to it leading to a detailed investigation which creates a highly atmospheric and eye-opening view of Japan. We see soldiers returning from war, criminality, black markets and get a glimpse of a wrecked city and you see the police trying to keep order. Tension runs high all the way to a messy and breathless climax.

Third Window Films Chanbara Movie Uzumasa Limelight in UK Cinemas

The next major release from Third Window Films is Uzumasa Limelight which will get a theatrical release across the UK when it plays as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016 (here’s my preview). I watched it yesterday and enjoyed it a lot so I can easily recommend it. Expect a review soon.

Here are the details from the press release and an old trailer post:

Yakuza Apocalypse in UK Cinemas

Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld was at many of last year’s international film festivals and it has finally made its way to Britain via the UK anime distributor Manga Entertainment. It starts its cinema run from January 06^th and it will be screened at various cinemas across the country. To see if your cinema is going to play it and to book tickets, check the film’s UK website.

Third Window Films Release Ruined Heart

The latest Third Window Film release caught my attention earlier this year because it saw the collaboration between Wong Kar-Wai’s favourite cinematographer Christopher Doyle (the man responsible for the look for Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express) and the awesome actor Tadanobu Asano (Vital, Watashi no Otoko, Ichi the Killer, Survive Style 5+).

The film is a gangster flick which looks stylish and involves Asano falling for a gangster’s moll played by Mexican star Nathalia Acevedo (Post Tenebras Lux) and the two going on the run. They are working with the Phillipine director Khavn (Mondomanilla) and music is provided by German synth-pop duo Stereo Total. Long time readers will remember that I wrote about this when Asano and Stereo Total were at Nippon Connection earlier this year when trio played a concert and attended the screening of the film. Here are the details!

Third Window Films Release A Snake of June on September 28th

Third Window Films continues to do justice to the back-catalogue of director Shinya Tsukamoto by picking up and releasing one of his most critically acclaimed and internationally known works, A Snake of June.

This film is a psycho-sexual thriller that continues his experimentation with subject and method and daringness in shooting style by placing the rather excellent and underused actor Asuka Kurosawa in the middle of a visceral tale of sexual repression and release. With its monochromatic colours and humid rainy season atmosphere it becomes rather steamy but retains a rather dread-inducing atmosphere thanks to Tsukamoto’s editing and shot composition which becomes rather surreal.

It’s emotionally stirring stuff with complex performances to match the complex script and direction. You can read more of what I thought in a review of a version released by Tartan that I wrote back in 2012 as part of my Shinya Tsukamoto season. You can check out the director review archives for reviews from other directors who are contemporaries of Tsukamoto.

Here are the details of the newer and updated DVD release coming from Third Window Films:

Live-Action Litchi Hikari Club ライチ☆光クラブ Film Preview

I reviewed the manga Lychee Light Club/Litchi Hikari Club at the beginning of the week and in the post I mentioned that there would be a live-action adaptation of the manga created by Usamaru Furuya in 2005. He was inspired to create it when he was a stage adaptation in 1985 that was put on by Tokyo Grand Guignol Theatre. Here are the details: