Fish Story

Out on July 26 is Fish Story (Third Window Films), a charming Japanese punk sci-fi tale. Here’s an extract of Eithne Farry’s review of the film: ‘It’s a brilliantly crafted piece of storytelling, and each chapter could survive independently, but Nakamura revels in the idea that seemingly random events are intertwined, resonating down the years, until they culminate in a moment freighted with meaning. Funny, melancholy, hopefully, helplessly optimistic, deliciously absurd, Fish Story is a quirky gem of a movie.’

Also out on July 26 is another Japanese film, Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (4Digital Media), which John Berra saw at the Nippon Connection in April: ‘Kaiji is a noncommittal job-hopper who lives month-to-month with little concern for his long-term financial security. When he suddenly finds himself burdened with a debt of two million yen due to the non-payment of a loan that he casually co-signed for a friend, Kaiji is forced to play a high-risk game onboard a cruise ship to try and clear it. It’s an ingenious premise, one that recalls the sinister escapism of David Fincher circa The Game (1997) and comments on current economic conditions in recession-hit countries where people are paying the price for taking out ‘easy’ credit. Unfortunately, Kaiji is undermined by an irritating central performance by Tatsuya Fujiwara while Yuki Amani is merely window-dressing as the initially icy, ultimately sympathetic credit collector. An over-reliance on fast edits and swirling camera movements makes Kaiji an unfortunate case of a neat idea undermined by erratic execution.’

July 26 also sees the release of Ki-duk’s acclaimed prison drama Breath by Palisades Tartan. We haven’t seen this one, but we love Kim Ki-duk and this is what the press release says: ‘Nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2007, the director’s 14th feature moves on from the extreme violence and provocation of his earlier works, to a more considered yet still poetic look at some of the inexpressible emotions between humans and taboo-breaking relationships. Elements from his previous works Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring and 3-Iron find new expression in this story of a prisoner on death row and the lonely housewife he confides in.’

Continuing with Asian cinema, the BFI have launched the Ozu Collection on July 19. Following its recent theatrical retrospective of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu’s entire surviving films, the BFI will release all 32 films on DVD over the next three years. Some of these films will also be made available on Blu-ray for the first time. The Ozu Collection was launched on July 19 with the Dual Format Edition releases (both a Blu-ray and a DVD disc in one box) of Tokyo Story (1953), Early Summer (1951) and Late Spring (1949). Extra features with each of these three titles, and with subsequent releases, will include an early Ozu film that has never been available in the UK before.

Other DVD releases this month include Todd Solondz’s caustic follow-up to Happiness, Life During Wartime (Artificial Eye, July 12), which John Berra reviewed: ‘It is arguable that Solondz has been somewhat marginalised in recent years, but this ‘sequel’ exhibits a newfound mellowness that those who lost interest following the middle-class mockery of Storytelling may find oddly endearing.’

In the well-crafted, tense Australian thriller The Dinner Party, released by Kaleidoscope on July 12, an unhinged young woman throws a dinner party where she plans to commit suicide with her boyfriend, but things don’t go according to plan.

And finally, the wonderful Iranian music film No One Knows about Persian Cats is released by Network on July 26. Lucy Hurst said: ‘Bahman Ghobadi’s exploration into the world of underground music in Tehran is a welcome antidote to the blasé, pedestrian, apathetic state of the music industry in the West. This bold and inspiring film was obviously a great risk to make but it is ultimately rewarding for its audience.’

The Sky Crawlers

Two excellent Japanese films are released on DVD this month, one the latest animé by the great Mamoru Oshii, the other a fresh and subtle tale looking at a relationship between two young women.

The Sky Crawlers
A glorious return to form for director Mamoru Oshii, The Sky Crawlers is a languid tale of young fighter pilots in a near future that evokes both real world conflicts, such as the 1940s War in the Pacific, and fictional ones, such as the perpetual warfare in George Orwell’s 1984. The Sky Crawlers is a dreamy, beautiful film that gently weaves its way around the lives of various young fighter pilots as they learn their skills, romance local girls, clash with authority and take part in graceful, exhilarating dogfights with the enemy. The general look of the film is inspired by the 40s and 50s but with a hard SF twist that adds additional poignancy to the notion of the brief lives of the (handsome) young when pressed into military service.

Alex Fitch

Kakera – A Piece of Our Lives
Kakera – A Piece of Our Lives does what its title suggests. Kakera presents a slice of life. No grand narrative; no neatly conceived conclusions; just a segment of a relationship between two women, Haru and Riko, as they define their feelings for each other. Shooting with a microscopic attention to detail, first-time director Momoko Ando creates a thoroughly compelling world – beautiful, surreal, romantic and personal – aided by an excellent soundtrack and strong visual sense.

Eleanor McKeown

The Reykjavik Whale-Watching Massacre

Director Júliús Kemp and screenwriter Sjón Sigurdsson’s attempt to bring a breath of fresh air into the survival horror genre concerns a group of whale-watchers whose vessel breaks down after their captain dies during an unfortunate accident. They are picked up by a shady-looking man who promises to rescue them but instead takes them to his family of inbred whale-hunters who now spend their time tormenting a different kind of prey.

On a technical level the film looks promising: the dull, moody greys of the Icelandic sky are matched by the crumbling whaler, which makes a suitable equivalent to the house in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – the obvious point of reference here. The gore effects are reasonably well done, but there’s nothing here we haven’t seen a million times before – although, having said that, special mention must go to a unique rendition of a Björk song.

Despite its technical qualities, most of the film is flat and boring, and the intended ironic humour never quite comes across. The lack of a central character tosses the plot hither and thither, causing the audience to quickly lose interest. The performances are mostly average, with only Nae standing out as Endo, a put-upon translator for a Japanese businessman and his wife. Trying for a broader comedy-horror feel seems to have encouraged most of the actors to ham it up like there’s no tomorrow.

Although the director and the screenwriter should be applauded for trying to imbue a classic plot with an Icelandic sensibility, they might have done much better if they had focused on a more original script. The film was billed as Iceland’s first horror film and it’s hard to shake off the feeling that the country deserved something a little more unique for that special occasion.

Evrim Ersoy

Inferno

This documentary about Henri-Georges Clouzot’s unfinished 1964 psycho-thriller L’Enfer is as tantalising as it is frustrating. Clouzot remains one of the most masterful of French directors, having produced such unsurpassable classics as The Raven (Le Corbeau, 1943) and The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur, 1953). A meticulous filmmaker as well as a master of suspense to rival Alfred Hitchcock, he inexplicably seems to have lost control on the big-budget production of L’Enfer. The long-lost raw footage is intriguing and dazzling, infused with swirling lights and blue-lipped, cigarette-puffing fantasy temptresses. A real shame, then, that although directors Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Mederea have managed to speak to numerous members of the original crew, this behind-the-scenes investigation has so little to say about the reasons behind Clouzot’s failure to complete the film. In spite of this, the undiminished power of Clouzot’s extraordinary images makes the documentary a fascinating watch.

Pamela Jahn and Virginie Sélavy

Buy Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno [DVD] [2009] from Amazon

Breathless

DVD of the month hands-down (and one of the most powerful films of the year) is Breathless (Ddongpari): In Yang Ik-joon’s stupefying film, gangsters are only marginally more violent than wife-beaters and equally as contemptible. There is nothing glamorous about the outlaws who inhabit the directorial debut of South Korean actor Yang, or about the astounding ultra-violence that punctuates the film. The main character, the psychotic Sang-hoon, and the boys under his command work in parasitic packs, intimidating and beating up unfortunate people because it is the only life they know. But Breathless is a lot more than a film about domestic violence in South Korea: it is no issue movie, but a profoundly singular, devastatingly powerful, intensely personal vision of both the explicit and hidden violence underlying social and familial relationships. Read more.

South Korean cinema has also produced Chaw, a new contender to most ludicrous Korean monster movie ever made, although it is nowhere near as deliciously bonkers as The Host. This time, a huge human-eating boar attacks a small mountain village, and a crew of assorted misfits goes on the hunt. There’s the seen-it-all detective, the authoritarian, unprincipled chief, the moronic country cops and a comically professional gadget-laden, Finland-trained hunter. It’s silly and not one bit scary but it’s fun while it lasts.

Other March DVD releases include Takeshis’, part of Takeshi Kitano’s ‘auto-destruct’ series of films, Xei Fei’s Black Snow, the politically inflected tale of a former prisoner’s isolation and despair in Beijing, Sinking of Japan, a competent if by-the-numbers big-budget disaster movie that emulates Hollywood’s apocalyptic blockbusters. New horror releases include heavy-handed, exploitative Australian revenge thriller The Horseman, Chris Smith’s derivative but engaging time travel horror movie Triangle, awful low-budget Brit horror Salvage. Michael Haneke’s masterful The White Ribbon and Franti ek Vlácil’s Valley of the Bees, enticingly described as ‘a visionary and haunting medieval epic from the director of Marketa Lazarová‘, are also released this month.

Watch the trailer for Breathless:

Buy from Amazon:
Breathless (2-disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2008]
Chaw [DVD] [2009]
Takeshis’ [DVD] [2005]
Black Snow [DVD] [1990]
Sinking Of Japan [DVD] [2006]
Triangle [DVD] [2009]
The White Ribbon [DVD] [2009]
Valley of the Bees [DVD] [1967]

Exhibit A, Best UK Feature winner at the Raindance Film Festival and 3x British Independent Film Award nominee (Best Achievement in Production, Most Promising Newcomer (Bradley Cole), The Raindance Award), is now available to buy on Collector’s Edition DVD from www.exhibitathemovie.com.

Exhibit A tells the timely story of a normal family disintegrating under financial pressure, eventually driven to the unimaginable. All is not as it seems as the King family go about their day-to-day lives oblivious of the horror to come. Dad Andy (Bradley Cole) is nursing a secret that ultimately leads to terrible consequences for them all. We witness these chilling events unfold through daughter Judith’s (Brittany Ashworth) video camera, which subsequently becomes Exhibit A. The film is inspired by the many men in real life who are known to their neighbours as devoted husbands and fathers, but for unknowable reasons suddenly decide to take drastic action to protect their loved ones.

In Exhibit A we learn that “True Horror” is other people… So dim the lights, bolt your door and get ready for an experience that won’t leave you the same person.

Written and directed by Dom Rotheroe (My Brother Tom, A Sarajevo Diary) and produced by Darren Bender (The Hamburg Cell), the film is a co-production between Bigger Pictures and Warp Films (Dead Man’s Shoes, This is England) and has left a trail of stunned audiences at festivals all over the world.

The film received support from the Screen Yorkshire and Screen East Production Fund.

The Associates are delighted to announce the return of the much loved and celebrated Tartan Films name and catalogue – now rebranded as Palisades Tartan – and to welcome them to their valued roster of clients.

In July 2008, the highly respected US company Palisades Pictures and its parent company Palisades Media Corp acquired a majority of Tartan Film UK’s 400-plus film library assets and branded their new division Palisades Tartan. Now bigger, better and bolder than before, Palisades Tartan will continue to expand on an already distinctive and provocative catalogue of films and to re-introduce the most popular elements of the former Tartan label to a whole new audience through DVD re-releases and exclusive DVD box sets, as well as through brand new releases in both the theatrical and home entertainment markets.

First of all, in late-September 2009, Palisades Tartan will be releasing the Andy Lau-starring Asian thriller “A World Without Thieves” and the New Queer Cinema classic “Swoon” on DVD. In the next few days we will announce the Palisades Tartan DVD and Blu-ray titles scheduled for release in October, November and December.

Additionally, in October, Palisades Tartan in association with Metrodome Distribution will be releasing Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner “Thirst” in UK cinemas.

WIN TICKETS TO THE UK PREMIERE OF “THIRST” AND THE CHANCE TO MEET DIRECTOR PARK CHAN-WOOK!

To tie-in with the forthcoming UK theatrical release of “Thirst”, Palisades Tartan is offering movie fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a trip for two to London to attend the UK premiere of “Thirst” and to meet Park Chan-wook in person.

All entrants have to do is visit http://www.palisadestartan.com/contest_uk.asp between now and midnight on Wednesday 23rd September 2009 and enter their details on the competition page.

A winner and two runners-up will be randomly selected from those who enter. The grand prize winner will win a trip for two to London to attend the UK premiere of “Thirst” at the Curzon Soho cinema on Monday 5th October 2009, hosted by Metrodome Distribution in association with Palisades Tartan UK. The winner and a friend will also have the opportunity to meet and have lunch with the film’s celebrated director, Park Chan-wook. The grand prize includes roundtrip transportation to London from the major airport or train station nearest to the winner’s home address, as well as overnight hotel accommodation for their stay in London.

The two runners-up will each receive a copy of the Vengeance Trilogy DVD Box Set released by Palisades Tartan UK.

“Thirst” will open at UK cinemas on 16th October 2009.

COMPETITION:

http://www.palisadestartan.com/contest_uk.asp

THIRST TRAILER:

http://onlinemoviepromo.com/newplayer.php?id=3318

2008 saw the launch of Provocateur Pictures, an independent DVD label for alternative cinema.  Founded by curator and co-founder of Other Cinema Digital, Noel Lawrence, Provocateur aims to create a space for challenging and offbeat works to thrive within an increasingly competitive media marketplace.

“When Hollywood rejects your work, I’ll screen it,” says Lawrence. “When your film is called weird or subversive, I’ll embrace it. I am interested in taking chances on the films that other distributors appreciate but decide against releasing because they are too deemed too risky. It is my belief that there is an audience for quality alternative cinema.”

Providing major backbone and backup, Provocateur has enlisted Microcinema International, to distribute its film catalog both in the retail and institutional sectors. Founded in 1996, Microcinema is a leading international rights manager, exhibitor, and specialty markets distributor of the “moving image arts.”

“We are proud to be distributing Provocateur’s releases,” says Joel S. Bachar, Founder of Microcinema International. “Noel’s vision and curatorial aesthetic is in perfect sync with our distribution efforts and his acquisitions will add significant value to our repertoire of unique and diverse titles.”

Provocateur Pictures released its first title, Rob Nilsson’s “Words For The Dying,” in September, a revealing cinema verité portrait of the former Velvet Underground musician, John Cale, in creative collaboration with Brian Eno. Director Nilsson (“Northern Lights” – Camera d’Or, Cannes, “Heat and Sunlight” – Grand Jury Prize, Sundance) follows them to Moscow, London and Wales for the recording of a new album, “Words for the Dying”, built around four Dylan Thomas poems.

2009 will see many more releases from Provocateur Pictures including:

“Experiments in Terror 3″ – The third installment in Noel Lawrence’s collection of avant-garde works that borrow tropes and footage from the horror genre.  Pounding a stake through the heart of genre convention, this shocking program expands the cinematic language of fear, breaking the chains of narrative logic and leaving only the black void of the infinite unconscious. Includes work from Mike Kuchar, J.X. Williams, Clifton Childree, Jason Bognacki, Carey Burtt, and a collaboration with Marie Losier & Guy Maddin.

“Fidel” – Saul Landau’s controversial 1969 profile of Fidel Castro.   Fidel drives around the countryside, talks to locals, philosophizes and plays baseball in this personal profile of the leader which chronicles a unique moment in Cuban history, ten years after the revolution. “The great quality of this remarkable film is that it is educational in the best possible sense. It gives you a feeling for what revolution – any revolution – is actually about, what it means in all its implications and how it affects the lives of the people. I found it completely absorbing from the start to finish. A tapestry for history” – Ralph Gleason, Rolling Stone

“New York Nihilism” – Curated by critic and author Jack Sargeant (“Deathtripping,” “The Naked Lens”), NYN is an anthology of works from the seminal 1980s underground film movement known as The Cinema of Transgression. A mix of sex, death, hate, and power, this DVD showcases a cross-section of works from these radical underground filmmakers, most of which have never been released on video in the US outside of hard-to-find artist’s tapes. The final program is under wraps for now but let’s just say “the usual suspects” are involved.

ABOUT PROVOCATEUR PICTURES

Provocateur Pictures champions the practice of cinema as an art form.  They promote alternative visions from the contemporary underground as well as oddities from the archives that challenge, stimulate, inspire…provoke.

Provocateur Pictures is exclusively distributed by Microcinema International

For more info, go to: http://www.ProvocateurDVD.com