A very nice set of films by a legendary director!
One of my favourite movies and I can’t wait to watch the 4K UHD version. Shout out to Terracotta Distribution for having a great selection of Asian cinema. They also shipped very quickly to Australia, even during the busy holiday period. Everything arrived safe and secure.
This is an gritty, beautiful and enthralling musical detective story. Visually it’s like a William Friedkin wet dream. Dirty, rainy, gloomy, the environment seeping into everything. The blues music is an absolute vibe in this film from start to finish. Great visual storytelling choices, like how they’ll show part of a scene and have voice-over playing from a different part of the scene we don’t see. There is slightly dark sense of humor and a subtle bisexual love story. BJ is offbeat, can be very lighthearted and doesn’t kill. An outstanding performance by Yusaku Matsuda, uniquely stylish in that purple coat, scarf, scraggly hair and that weird red handkerchief that he puts to his face sometimes. The film also doesn’t spoonfeed all the answers, it demands you pay attention to details and interpret things through emotional cues. I just watched it twice in a row and I’m glad I did. What a film!
Set in Kowloon walled city, this is a gritty, tale of heroic brotherhood. I honestly could wax lyrically for ages about this film, but you need to watch it.
Its like a love letter to HK cinema. Sure there are some fantastical elements to it, but you have to remember where HK cinema came from. People always did superhuman things and yes the film has spiritual kung fu in it, but...Just go with it.
The action left me on the edge of my seat and when the credits rolled i felt I had lived every moment.
Ordered two bluray from italy, they arrived perfectly!
This is not a review on the movie, this is a review about Terracotta's service. I live in the USA, and I buy movies from all around the world. Some places a careless with their shipping and packaging, and others take it seriously. Terracotta is one of the sites that take it seriously. I had never bought from Terracotta before, so I was pleased to see they shipped my movie in a box with plenty of bubblewrap to ensure that it arrived safely and not damaged. Because of this, I'll definitely buy movies from Terracotta again.
Ugetsu is a monumental meditation on the destructive nature of greed, its innermost motives and devastating consequences. An ethereal ghost story, a war drama and a moral fable all in one; this film is a whole universe and universal as well. All in less than 100 minutes.
Ine of my favorite movies of all time. Happy to finally find a copy!
Terracotta always delivers some of the best Editions there are on this Planet, with great remastered pictures and sound, full of Extras. There´s never ever anything to complain about. As is with this J-Horror Box.
Thank you very much!!
Nobuhiko Obayashi spent decades working on the script for this film, and finally got to make it towards the end of his life. It is a stunning visual achievement. I must confess, it's not my favourite Obayashi film. But I do respect the themes and story he is tackling, and the vision he has put on-screen - and in a way that he could maintain full creative control (as detailed on this Blu-ray). If you only know Obayashi in terms of his earlier work, such as Hausu and his 1980s films, you will be very surprised (and pleasantly so) by his later films.
I am biased towards samurai films, and I love a good mockumentary. So I'm definitely biased. What I can say is that if you know enough about Japanese cinema, in terms of samurai film conventions, and the controversial actors and directors that have made them in the past, then you will most likely laugh the whole way through this film. I even find the contrasting final act really funny, due to its tonal whiplash. On top of these points, the film has many a crude joke, hilarious lo-fi special effects, and perfect comedic performances. One of the best Japanese comedy films that I've seen - which is actually an Australian film in disguise (!).
The cast here is great. Yuya Yagira and the others have gone on to so many great works in film and TV. And Tetsuya Mariko's work is not widely known or available outside of Japan, which also makes this title highly recommended. It's not the happiest of stories, but when you realise the difficulties that younger generations have to face in Japan - especially when growing up in rural towns and villages - you can see why the director has tried to tackle this issue in such a violent and confrontational way. Here's hoping that no younger generations actually feel this despondent in current day Japan, and that opportunities and circumstances change in future.
I don't know what I can add to what's already been written and said about these films, by fans and critics. They are stunning, even decades after they're release. I first saw them very quickly in succession, as Tartan Asia DVDs. I've loved both ever since, despite hearing many people say they prefer one over the other. And due to their length, they are a fantastic double bill of scrungy, gruesome, and philosophical Japanese body horror - from a master filmmaker who has remained a true independent ever since.
I have not seen many of Uchida's films, but I am a big fan of Greatful Dead and Lowlife Love. If you like those films, definitely give Love and Other Cults a watch. It has so many elements that shouldn't work, and yet they do, in terms of putting an engaging story on screen. You could argue that there might be too much going on in this movie, within a runtime of 90 minutes. And some of the tonal shifts really jar. But I was definitely engaged throughout, and never bored. So, as mentioned, not my favourite Uchida film, but still recommended if you know his other work.
... says this is their favourite Tsukamoto film. Mine is Kotoko, because I think it is so brave, beguiling and fascinating. I can easily see why this is such a popular Tsukamoto film, and I agree it is one of his best. At first the visuals and the premise may make you think this is comparable to Tetsuo, but this is a very different film. It is erotic, but not sexually explicit. There is bizarre imagery and special effects, but everything works thematically together - including the performances, the props, the music, and of course the cinematography. If you don't like the colour blue, then that might be the only reason you could possibly not like this film. Fans of Tsukamoto's other work may most likely appreciate and "vibe" with this film. But if you like the sound of a sexually staid marriage being explored and disrupted - at first by a voyeur, and then many other twists - definitely give this film a go, and then a re-watch, as it definitely deserves multiple viewings.
The title and the cast, if you know anything about Japanese comedy films, should appeal to dedicated cinephiles. Japanese comedies are not often laugh out loud, or slapstick, like many British and American examples (though there are some similar examples within Japanese cinema). Many are gentle comedies with dramatic moments in them. This one also has a fascinating performance from Miyuki Oshima, a female comedian who convincingly plays a male character. If you like this film, with its multiple bizarre and humorous supporting characters, do check out Yosuke Fujita's other comedy films, several of which have also been released by Third Window.
This film has stayed with me over the years after Third Window first released it. I really liked it after my first watch. The images have never left my brain since, so now I think it is one of Tsukamoto's best. His vision of Meiji era Japan via inspiration from Edogawa Rampo is both darkly delicious and visually rich and detailed. The performances are great, alongside the production design and music. I cannot recommend it more highly.
This film has stayed with me over the years after Third Window first released it. I really liked it after my first watch. The images have never left my brain since, so now I think it is one of Tsukamoto's best. His vision of Meiji era Japan via inspiration from Edogawa Rampo is both darkly delicious and visually rich and detailed. The performances are great, alongside the production design and music. I cannot recommend it more highly.
If you think you have seen it all, in terms animated films, then you need to watch this. If you can face the thought of blood, gore, bodily fluids, mutations, and violence against children. Yes, this film is all made from paper cut outs and drawings. But you will most likely be grossed out beyond belief of all the visuals on screen. No wonder Ujicha's work is now notorious around the world.
