The Sogo Ishii thread

[HungFist]

Is there a proper DVD release of Angel Dust? Particularly with English subs? I have a VHS release, that seriously can't be all there is!

As far as I know the HK disc is the only subbed one, and the R2J is the only other one that exists.

[hanshotfirst1138]

How does the HK disc look?

[HungFist]

No idea. The R2J is the only one I've owned.

[hanshotfirst1138]

I suppose that's better than Fukusaku's Black Lizard, which as far as I know has no official DVD release. It used to be on YouTube, but even that's gone now, it's impossible to find.

[HungFist]

I think Black Lizard is on US Hulu... maybe. I saw the film from 35mm in Tokyo last summer

[hanshotfirst1138]

I think Black Lizard is on US Hulu... maybe. I saw the film from 35mm in Tokyo last summer

Dear God, you're lucky!!!! I assume you must speak Japanese? I have no such luxury. God, I'd kill for an experience like that, I wish I lived near a revival house of some kind. It might've been on Hulu at one point, I don't think it is now. It was up on YouTube for a while and my dumb ass put it in a playlist so I could watch it "someday," and never got around to it and now it's been taken down. On a side note, I'm assuming that the R2 Japanese DVD of Angel Dust is gorgeous without subtitles? Is the HK disc even still in print? Who put it out?

EDIT: Apparently the film on Hulu was the film of which the Fukusaku film was a remake.

[HungFist]

On a side note, I'm assuming that the R2 Japanese DVD of Angel Dust is gorgeous without subtitles?

No, it looks more like VHS: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4958#p145891

[hanshotfirst1138]

So basically there isn't any version that looks good? All choices look like crap? Just great. The Japanese DVDs can usually be relied up to look pretty good, wonder if it's an issue with the print?

[HungFist]

So basically there isn't any version that looks good? All choices look like crap? Just great. The Japanese DVDs can usually be relied up to look pretty good, wonder if it's an issue with the print?

The problem is probably with sloppiness and the age of the releases. The R2J was released 12 years ago and probably used a laserdisc (or something similar) transfer. Old HK dvds rarely were good quality either. Probably no one ever bothered to go for the original negatives...

[hanshotfirst1138]

And since there are probably twelve people on earth who've seen the film, another DVD release with proper materials in the modem age doesn't look likely.

[HungFist]

Isn’t Anyone Alive? (Ikiteru mono wa inai no ka) (2012)

Sogo Ishii reborn. The legendary punk director changed his name to Gakuryu Ishii and announced he now believes in dialogue. The absurdist end-of-the-world theater play adaptation follows this new philosophy in filling its 113 minute running time with endless student talk. Yet at the same time Ishii’s skills as an audiovisual storyteller are evident, from stylish cinematography to effective use of music. The film is often surreal, even in terms of dialogue, and darkly funny, but runs 20 minutes too long. The ending is nevertheless a satisfying, giving a punchy conclusion to an original film that has been bashed by many foreign viewers. In Japan, the film seems to be doing better, with relatively wide theatrical run followed by home video release that seems to be a small hit in rental stores (at the local Tsutaya it has retained its place in the “front shelf” for nearly 4 months now).

(yes, "4 months", because I was so slow that it first took me 4 months to rent this, and then another 2 months to hit the "post" button after already having finished the mini review that was referring to the "present day" back then)

caps from the R2J:

[HungFist]

Trailer for new Ishii: Shanidar no hana
- http://youtu.be/vX3YJ41Prqw

[lally]

SOGO ISHII ALSO DIRECTED A MUSIC FILM/DOCUMENTARY IN 1985 FOR INDUSTRIAL MUSIC LEGENDS FROM GERMANY--EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN--(WHO WERE ALSO NICK CAVES FRIENDS) IT WAS CALLED 1/2 MENSCH--IT WAS RELEASED IN THE UK--ON DVD--BY CHERRY RED. IT IS PUNKEE-INDUSTRIAL---THE GROUP WERE KNOWN FOR USING SCRAP METAL FOUND OBJECTS AS INSTRUMENTS.

[HungFist]

Toei is releasing Burst City on BD in January.



- http://www.toei-video.co.jp/BD/burstcity.html
- http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B017LKRQJO

[Guro Taku]

Toei is releasing Burst City on BD in January.

I totally didn't expect that to happen. Any idea if more classic Ishii will get the HD treatment in the future? I'll be all over this BD for sure as BURST CITY remains one of only a handful of films that I can rightfully claim blew my mind and left me slackjawed and in awe.

[HungFist]

I wouldn't necessarily expect them anytime soon. Burst City is the only Toei title.

It's not among my favourite Ishii films, actually. Somehow Ishii films seem to come in odd pairs for me. I love Crazy Thunder Road, but I don't like Burst City. I also like August in the Water a lot, but dislike Angel Dust...

[Guro Taku]

That's amazing, because I'm your exact opposite. I worship at the altar of BURST CITY but wasn't taken with CRAZY THUNDER ROAD at all. And I consider ANGEL DUST a superior thriller but found AUGUST IN THE WATER too esoteric for my tastes...

[HungFist]

- https://twitter.com/ryuganji/status/729832159666544640

[HungFist]

Japanese Crazy Thunder Road BD coming 2016/11/04
- https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01KLQ8JPU/ ... Txb50VNZHV

[Guro Taku]

Artwork: