Hello and welcome to today’s update. No review or editorial this week due to work obligations, but I did not want to leave an empty weekly slot on the blog, so I thought that I would share some positive news with enthusiasts of Japanese Cinema out there.
That is to say, Yoan Orszulik- a contributor at Monsieur Bobine and Furyosa- has recently informed me that France-based distributor Spectrum Films is going to release two(!) Nobuhiko Obayashi’s features on Blu-Ray.
The titles in question are School in the Crosshairs (a.k.a The Aimed School) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I have already reviewed both films because these were released in the UK by Third Window as part of a limited release boxset. Consequently, it is a bit sad that we are not going to get new Obayashi’s titles in Europe this year, but if you missed the Third Window collection set, then you still have the chance to get two titles which Obayashi made for the Kadokawa company.
In addition, it should be emphasised that School in the Crosshairs and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time are going to be released separately, not as a dual disc package. Therefore, you need to prepare your wallet for possible extra shipping costs. With regard to releases themselves, you can read the official info on the distributor’s site.
It appears that the movies are going to have classic theatrical covers with English as well as Japanese titles on the front. As for the special features, I am not fluent in French but it is easy to infer from the description that some (if not many) bonus materials are going to be the same as the ones from the Third Window set. Nevertheless, Yoan Orszulik and Aurélien Gouriou-Vales from Monsieur Bobine did manage to prepare two original interviews.
There is no information about English subtitles on these releases, so it is safe to assume that we can only expect French translations. The movies are going to be available on the 19th of October, so basically next week. Below, you can watch the original trailers.
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Welcome to today’s update, which is in fact yet another continuation of a post I made a few weeks ago. If you don’t know what’s going on, I encourage you to check out the original post however, if you don’t have the time and want to skip to nitty gritty right now, then please do know that I decided to compose a list of my favourite trailers for Asian productions. This is actually going to be a three-part list with a descending order, so I am going to provide my choices from spot 30 to 1 together with justifications. So please make yourself comfortable and let’s check out some trailers!
10. Supermarket Woman (1996)
Juzo Itami always had a conventional approach to theatrical trailers of his movies. Regardless of the film, each trailer has a tight pace and brisk visuals just to sell the audience on a given premise. Supermarket Woman is no exception. And I do love the big date announcement card at the very end of the video.
9. Four Sisters
Come on, it’s a movie by Nobuhiko Obayashi and I love it! The trailer also rocks because it is short and sweet and has a ballad song as well, so it is a double win. Four Sisters will always have a special place in my heart.
8. Taipei Story
I have to be honest in this instance and say that as time goes by I like all the stuff associated with Taipei Story more than the movie itself, from posters to trailers. These visual forms always go well with Edward Yang’s movies that are so deeply rooted in the 1980s and the 1990s.
7. Kamikaze Taxi
If I understand correctly, this is the DVD announcement trailer for Kamikaze Taxi, but still it does the job. The music score for this film is everything, and it is a pleasure to hear it in the trailer. It immediately sets the mood and makes you relate to the plight of the main character played by Koji Yakusho.
6. The Family Game
Original theatrical trailer that is just as whacky as the film itself. To date, I have not yet seen the drama adaptation of the source material, but I always fondly recall the 1983 movie directed by Yoshimitsu Morita.
5. Raise the Red Lantern
Again, I am not sure if this is the original trailer or a recut made for the American market, but whoever edited the video really managed to capture and reflect the tension of the film. Time and time again, whenever I revisit the film, the more I think of it as a Gothic story that just happens to be set in a Chinese setting and lacks classic English architecture.
4. Peking Opera Blues
What’s there more to say… Peking Opera Blues is one of my favourite movies with Brigitte Lin in the leading role. The original Hong Kong trailer thankfully manages to shit emphasis from standard action set pieces to the emotional drama that the main characters undergo in the course of the story.
3. A Scene at the Sea
And we are moving to the big three. Here, allow me to highlight the trailer for Takeshi Kitano’s A Scene at the Sea. I absolutely adore this movie(!), and this trailer perfectly reconstructs the calming and soothing ambience of the original motion picture. The problem is, however, I doubt that it is the original theatrical trailer. It seems to be a French trailer made for the release of a restored version of the film.
2. The Longest Summer
At spot number two, we have the trailer for the second entry of Fruit Chain’s The 1997 Handover Trilogy. I just can’t express enough how cool this trailer is. The marriage of Hong Kong visuals with the (unknown to me) instrumental music is literal perfection. In fact, I kind of regret that the music is not the actual film. The Longest Summer is arguably the best movie about the handover of Hong Kong from the UK to China, but this trailer elevates it to the heights of nostalgia wave.
1. April Story
Behold. This is undoubtedly the most wholesome movie trailer I have ever seen! You might think, “Yeah, right,” but director Shunji Iwai managed to turn the trailer for April Story into a little art piece. In fact, this trailer should be called a trailer. It does not reveal anything about the film or the story. We only get to see the leading actress Takako Matsu holding a clapperboard at the beginning of each scene of the film. However, the whole compilation is done so graciously that it is enough to get you excited for the movie.
So this was the end of the third and final part. I hope that you enjoyed this rundown. Thank you for reading.
«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»
Welcome to today’s update, which is in fact a continuation of a post I made a few weeks ago. If you don’t know what’s going on, I encourage you to check out the original post; however, if you don’t have the time and want to skip to nitty gritty right now, then please do know that I decided to compose a list of my favourite trailers for Asian productions. This is actually going to be a three-part list with a descending order, so I am going to provide my choices from spot 30 to 1 together with justifications. So please make yourself comfortable and let’s check out some trailers!
19. The Naked Director 2 (2021)
Given that this post is a sequel, this particular list is also mainly focused on sequels. I already mentioned previously how much I enjoyed the original trailer for the first season of The Naked Director, but Netflix’s trailer for Season 2 is by no means a step down. You can tell that people had a blast in the editing room when putting this together. No Pet Shop Boys time, however. Unfortunately, I’m unable to identify the bombastic song that plays in the background. If you know, then please let me know in the comments.
18. Shuto Kousoku Trial 2 (1990)
Whoever put the Shuto Kousoku Trial movie trailers on Youtube, I just want to say thank you! These are truly outstanding pieces of obscure media that should never become forgotten. Evidently, the purpose of this trailer was to sell this little video gem that was denied the traditional theatrical run due to alleged promotion of illegal racing. The trailer includes a much needed dosage of car action as well as music by Saori Saitoh.
17. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
I think that Godzilla haters could say, “If you have seen a Godzilla theatrical trailer, then you have seen them all”. Well, I don’t mind the Godzilla trailers because even though they may seem formulaic, they never fail to get you hyped for a film. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II trailer delivers awesome F/X visuals done by Koichi Kawakita and his team as well as haunting music by Akira Ifukube.
16. A Class to Remember 2 (1996)
In this instance, I actually wanted to share a trailer for A Class to Remember, the first movie from 1993, but the trailer is no longer to be found on YouTube. So, I decided to share A Class to Remember 2 which is done in the same fashion as the one I had in my mind and contains the same music cues.
15. Project S (1993)
A spin-off Police Story movie featuring badass Michelle Yeoh in the lead. My nostalgia feels go through the roof whenever I revisit the film, and the same goes for the trailer which contains not only action, but also crazy awesome Cantonese music.
14. Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla (1994)
Yet another Godzilla trailer, this time it’s a bit different from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II because this one does not have Akira Ifukube’s music, but an idol song playing over the movie clips. For a Godzilla film, it is a weird oddity from the 1990s, but it is not an uncommon thing for modern trailers from Japan which often include Pop songs.
13. Bayside Shakedown: The Movie (1998)
Honestly, I like the first Bayside Shakedown movie a bit more than the second one, that’s why the trailer for part 1 is actually on a higher spot of my rundown list. What I appreciate the most in this trailer is that it uses not so much the main theme of the franchise but other incidental music composed by Akihiko Matsumoto.
12. Battle Royale (2000)
Whenever I think about Battle Royale adaptation, I always think about Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Dies Irae musical piece. Although the music is not prominently featured in the film itself, the theatrical trailer undoubtedly highlights it to the max.
11. Akira (1988)
Without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite anime features. The tightly-paced theatrical trailer with Geinoh Yamashirogumi vibes really makes you think as if you are watching a live-action movie rather than animation. Akira both and trailer are truly for keeps.
So this was the end of the second part. If you enjoyed this rundown, I invite you to stay tuned for part 3. Thank you for reading.
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