Movie Going Madness in Japan

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I went to see The Way of the Dragon yesterday (part of the Japanese theatrical re-releases). Now, this was interesting because not only did it have the English dub with the great Mike Remedios songs, it was a slightly longer cut with about 2 minutes of new title and logo screens at the beginning and end to allow the songs to play in full.

- In the beginning there was a Japanese language title screen and a credits screen (about 1 min in total) before the standard opening credits. The theme song would play throughout the new screens and the standard opening credits.

- At the end there was a “dragon logo screen” (about 1 min) after the closing credits. Again, the song would play throughout the closing credits and the new logo screen.

This version of the film is not present on the Criterion or Shout BDs, which do have the Japanese theatrical audio track, but in cut form since we are missing the above mentioned footage.

Curiously, I don't think there was a Fortune Star logo at all, unlike in the earlier films. Maybe they omitted it by accident?

I had a blast with the film, as it's my favourite Lee film. I also took my girlfriend to see it (her first ever kung fu film!). I figured The Way of the Dragon would be the most beginner / girl friendly of Lee's films since it's rather humoristic, features some nice Rome scenery and if nothing else, she could rest her eyes on Chuck Norris' hairy chest Much to my surprise (and delight), she loved the film! “One of the best films!” I agree!

I also couldn't resist the temptation to put on my Sister Street Fighter t-shirt, and have her wear my Return of the Sister Street Fighter t-shirt. There's a Japanese word that might be useful here… bakappuru. It's a combination of the words “baka” (stupid or silly) and kappuru (couple)

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I went to see The Way of the Dragon again, since I love it so much. Here are corrections and additions to my previous post:

I went to see The Way of the Dragon yesterday (part of the Japanese theatrical re-releases). Now, this was interesting because not only did it have the English dub with the great Mike Remedios songs, it was a slightly longer cut with about 2 minutes of new title and logo screens at the beginning and end to allow the songs to play in full.

- In the beginning there was a Japanese language title screen and a credits screen (about 1 min in total) before the standard opening credits. The theme song would play throughout the new screens and the standard opening credits.

Actually the theme song plays only during the new title and credits screens (about 1 minute). Then the original Mandarin score plays during the standard opening credits that follow.

- At the end there was a “dragon logo screen” (about 1 min) after the closing credits. Again, the song would play throughout the closing credits and the new logo screen.

This was correct alright.

This version of the film is not present on the Criterion or Shout BDs, which do have the Japanese theatrical audio track, but in cut form since we are missing the above mentioned footage.

The Criterion / Shout version has also another change: it replaces the opening credits score with the Mike Remedios song, even though in the DCP Japanese version the Remedios song played before the credits and the credits retained the original score. Dammit.

Also, the audio quality on the BDs is inferior, with evident hiss. The DCP sounded much better. I guess I will have to buy this new Japanese version on BD if they ever put it out...

The image quality was quite nice as well. Some (only a few) shots had some blue tint whereas the same scenes have a greenish tint on the Criterion. Shout probably has the best image quality, but I think all three look good and considering the audio, I think the DCP had the best overall presentation.

Curiously, I don't think there was a Fortune Star logo at all, unlike in the earlier films. Maybe they omitted it by accident?

No Fortune Star logo, but also no Toei logo. It only has Concord and Golden Harvest logos (brief still-type logos, not the usual long Golden Harvest fanfare).

[AngelGuts Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AngelGuts]

WAY OF THE DRAGON my favorite Lee film by far. Saw it first as a kid at a drive-in.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

WAY OF THE DRAGON my favorite Lee film by far. Saw it first as a kid at a drive-in.

That must have been so great! :gory:

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I went to see Game of Death, the last one of the Japanese theatrical re-releases. Quite an awkward Frankenstein job indeed, but it does have a fantastic score, great Lee footage at the end, and a heart-warmingly exploitative touch throughout. It was certainly the right choice to make the film… just not to make it this way. Surely they could have done it with a better plot that doesn't need the lazy Lee insert shots, and without the constant confusion about whether we are supposed to be seeing Bruce Lee or Billy Lo on the screen. And whose idea was it to make Hugh O'Brian the final opponent after Kareem Abdul Jabbar?

The version screened was again (advertised as) a reconstruction of the Japanese theatrical cut. It had the full opening with the John Barry score over the Golden Harvest logo before the Bruce yells. However, the audio was NOT the same Japanese Theatrical track that is on the Criterion BD. This version played the Ji Han Jae fight without the John Barry score, and also had some audio issue in either the Ji Han Jae or the Dan Inosanto fight (I forgot which) where the audio source clearly changed to something inferior for about 10 seconds. There may be other differences, but I wouldn't know since this was probably only the 3rd time I've ever seen the film.

A diehard Lee fan might find this version interesting (if it comes out on Japanese BD later), but the opening aside I think the above mentioned changes are to the worse, so I'll be quite happy the US BDs. And I don't know if those changes are correct or an accident (how is the Japanese print on the Shout disc? Barry in the Ji Han Jae fight?).

Anyway, I must say I had a blast with this “Bruce Lee 4K Revival Festival”, going to cinema every week for 4 weeks. The local (4 screen) theatre also honoured Lee by putting all the films on their biggest screen and having the original Japanese posters on display. I'd say this was the coolest thing to hit mainstream multiplexes in Japan since Nikkatsu's Roman Porno reboot.

[Killer Meteor Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Killer Meteor]

The Ji Han Jae fight on the bona fide Japanese print as seen on the SHout! disc had no John Barry music, as it was sourced from the Cantonese version of the film, where that fight was moved to the middle of the movie. The dialogue in this scene on the Japanese print is Cantonese, there is no dialogue in the English version.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

The Ji Han Jae fight on the bona fide Japanese print as seen on the SHout! disc had no John Barry music, as it was sourced from the Cantonese version of the film, where that fight was moved to the middle of the movie. The dialogue in this scene on the Japanese print is Cantonese, there is no dialogue in the English version.

That's interesting. I can't imagine how the Cantonese version plays with one of the ending fights moved to the middle of the film!

I don't recall any Cantonese dialogue in the DCP, though. But maybe that was the "some audio issue in either the Ji Han Jae or the Dan Inosanto fight (I forgot which) where the audio source clearly changed to something inferior for about 10 seconds" part that I mentioned.

[Killer Meteor Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Killer Meteor]

Well, the HK cut moved the fight to the middle. The alternate version made for Singapore lost the fight altogether, and it was shown on UK TV in 2001, it lost the Dan Inosanto fight due to UK censorship, so there was only one genuine Bruce fight left in the movie!

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Sonny Chiba Retrospective in Shin bungeiza (Oct. 20-30, 2021)

It's been more than two months since Sonny Chiba's passing, and Shin Bungeiza held a program for him. I took a few days off from work to attend, even if it was a brief program with only 12 films. I had not been to Tokyo since Jan. 2019 (Teruo Ishii and Toho New Action retrospectives).

Chiba on silver screen is always a great thing, even if time had not been kind on the prints. Wednesday's double feature was Killing Machine and Karate Bullfighter, two excellent and violent karate biopics. Both prints were pretty beaten and missing some frames, but very watchable.

Jail Breakers and Golgo 13 were playing on Thursday. Again, relatively beaten and faded prints, but perfectly watchable. In fact, found myself having great time with Golgo's lovely Hong Kong street cinematography and exploitative action projected on the big screen, and I almost exploded when the villain used the drug factory's self-destruction switch, which had a 0 second timer!





I'd been looking forward to Friday's Hiroshima Deathmatch and Okinawa Yakuza War, having only seen Okinawa in 2014 from a print that barely held together and was missing Chiba's final scene entirely! Alas, the wait was for nothing. Hiroshima was switched to DCP on the last moment due to undisclosed issues with print distributor, and while Okinawa was a complete print this time, the heavy green tint it had developed didn't give much reason to celebrate.

Saturday I had to apply a bit of movie slalom to catch Samurai Reincarnation in the morning at 9:45 (packed theater, perhaps due to Kenji Sawada fans), Shogun's Samurai in the evening, and unrelated A Colt is My Passport in the middle at Jimbocho theater. I've fond memories of Reincarnation in Cinema Vera in 2014 as one of the most beautiful projections ever, and while it didn't look quite as great this time, it was still a thing of beauty. Shogun was partly damaged with occasional dirt and missing frames, but otherwise beautiful. I'd rather watch this print anytime than a digital 37K copy!



Saturday also produced a fun little story to tell: between Colt and Shogun, I wandered into a Spanish restaurant for a late lunch or perhaps early dinner, and it turned out the proprietor was a Shaolin Karate practitioner who had appeared in Killing Machine as an extra. It was my Sister Street Fighter t-shirt that initiated the conversation. Then one of the other customers (actually, the only other customer) then informed us that he does "Oyama Karate" (Kyokushin karate, the topic matter of Karate Bullfighter). Whoa! Good thing they didn't fight. Talk about cool random encounter!

Overall, great 4 days! I missed 4 films (The Street Fighter, Karate Warriors, Karate Inferno and Bodyguard Kiba) but I had already seen them in 35mm before. It's a bit of a shame the prints weren't as good as most Toei films screening in Tokyo, and that Bungeiza went really bare-bones with no original posters on display, though the Chiba theme songs playing in the theater between the films nicely upped the atmosphere.





Bonus photo: ads for upcoming Mamoru Oshii, Hiroyuki Sanada and Denis Villeneuve all night programs!

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Complementing Bungeiza's Chiba program was Tokyo Seoul Bangkok Drug Triangle in Laputa Asagaya. Near-excellent print, and the film just keeps getting better every time I see it. I also caught (unrelated to Chiba) Koreyoshi Kurahara's fascinating, unreleased-on-video hippie road movie epic Sunset, Runrise (1973) (shot in France, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and India), screening from a beautiful print. Bad luck my trip finished one day early for Laputa's Battles without Honor and Humanity screenings, starting Oct. 31!













As mentioned before, I also made a brief stop at Jinbocho Theater for A Colt is My Passport, which was such a joy in 35mm! It was playing in a novelist Shinji Fujiwara series. Teruo Ishii's The Flower, the Storm, and the Gang was also included in the series.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Shin Bungeiza's Toei Yakuza Films series just started today. The program is:

- Tales of Japanese Chivalry (日本侠客伝) (1964) (DCP)
- Brutal Tales of Chivalry: I Sincerely Want to Kill You (æ˜å’Œæ®‹ä¾ ä¼ æ»ã‚“で貰います) (1970) (DCP)
- Gambling Den: A Life of Cards (博奕打ち いのちæœ) (1971) (35mm)
- Gambling Den: Big Time Gambling Boss (博奕打ち 総長è³åš ) (1968) (DCP)
- The Tattooed Hitman (山口組外伝　九州進攻作戦) (1974) (35mm)
- Japan's Violent Islands: Murder in the Capital (日本暴力列島 京阪神殺しの軍団) (1975) (35mm)
- Street Mobster (現代やくざ 人斬り与太) (35mm)
- Graveyard of Honour (仁義の墓場) (1975) (DCP)
- Red Peony Gambler (緋牡丹博徒) (1968) (35mm)
- Red Peony Gambler: Oryu's Return (緋牡丹博徒 お竜参上) (1970) (DCP)
https://www.shin-bungeiza.com/schedule#d1201

Nice program, but why on earth are they doing digital screenings for half of them??? You used to be able to count on Toei when it come to film prints, but looks like now even Toei is pushing digital garbage to theatres.

Now I regret I went to see No Pants Nurses instead of Graveyard of Honour a few years ago. Damn, what a mistake! 😖 Thankfully I have seen Graveyard of Honour from a beautiful 35mm print in Laputa before. I thought there would be more opportunities to view that beauty…

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

More yakuza mayhem going on in Laputa, who are on their last week of their Battles without Honour and Humanity 5 week screening series.

《仁義なき戦い 阿佐ヶ谷æ»é—˜ç¯‡ RETURNS》
10/31(日)～11/06(土)　「仁義なき戦い」(Battles without Honour and Humanity)
11/07(æ—¥)～11/13(土)　「仁義なき戦い 広島æ»é—˜ç¯‡ã€(Hiroshima Deathmatch)
11/14(日)～11/20(土)　「仁義なき戦い 代理戦争」(Proxy War)
11/21(日)～11/27(土)　「仁義なき戦い 頂上作戦」 (Police Tactics)
11/28(日)～12/04(土)　「仁義なき戦い 完結篇」(Final Episode)
http://www.laputa-jp.com/laputa/prog...nakitatakai_r/





After Battles, they will be screening Hiroki Matsukata films for the next 2½ months

《松方弘樹 ギラギラNIGHTS》
12/05(日)～12/11(土)　「８９３愚連隊」(YA-KU-ZA-Hoodlums)
12/12(日)～12/18(土)　「脱獄広島殺人囚」(Escaped Murderer from Hiroshima Prison)
12/19(日)～12/25(土)　「新 仁義なき戦い」(New Battles without Honour and Humanity)
1/05(水)～1/11(火)　「暴動島根刑務所」(Prison Island Riot)
1/12(水)～1/18(火)　「暴力金脈」(Violent Money Network)
1/19(æ°´)～1/29(土)　「おç¥ã‚Šé‡ŽéƒŽ éšæ²³å²¸ã®å…„弟分」(Festival Champ)
1/30(日)～2/05(土)　「強盗放火殺人囚」(Robbery, Arson and Killer Convicts)
2/06(日)～2/12(土)　「実録外伝 大阪電撃作戦」(Authentic True Account: Osaka Shock Tactics)
2/13(日)～2/19(土)　「沖縄やくざ戦争」(Okinawa Yakuza War)
2/20(日)～2/26(土)　「北陸代理戦争」(Hokuriku Proxy War)
http://www.laputa-jp.com/laputa/prog...tsukatahiroki/



Unlike in Shin bungeiza, ALL films will be screened in 35mm!

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Tokyo-Osaka, part 1/3

I’m back from my movie travels. I had hectic two days after being unable decide between Osaka and Tokyo, and then choosing to visit both cities since the former had Girl Boss Guerilla (1972) and the latter was playing Rica (1972), in 35mm of course. So I made a two day schedule with 2 cities, 4 flights, 7 movies and too little sleep. And then on the third day I’d get up at 5:30 in my capsule hotel, head to the airport and fly to work because I had work on that day! Admittedly not something anyone in their right mind would do.

Day 1

The 1st day was for Osaka, and required a bit of “outside the common sense” thinking to pull it off. With no cheap direct flights in the morning, I ended up flying to Osaka via Tokyo, then spend a mere 7 hours in Osaka to catch two films, and then fly back to Tokyo at night so that I’d be ready for a 5 film set the following day. I had ramen for dinner after midnight because there was no time to dine earlier.

The Osaka trip was for Shinsekai Toei who do nothing but Toei double features from morning to night (they used to do all nighters too, but not now) in 35mm. I had wanted to visit them for years, but since Osaka and Kyoto don’t have that many 35mm screenings, I hadn’t found enough value for money to warrant a trip before. But this time I figured why not, for the sake of the experience, as well as a few movies!

Shinsekai Toei’s program has been rather conservative in the past (mostly ninkyo and samurai films), but they’ve screened more jitsuroku and Pinky Violence films recently so I thought now would be the time to visit. Note that the theatre doesn’t have a webpage: all you can find is Twitter and Facebook fan pages with handwritten weekly screening schedules.
https://twitter.com/FanTouei



This week's program: Girl Boss Guerilla (1972) and Prison Island Riot (1975)


The theatre is located in the Shinsekai district, aptly described by Japan Guide as “developed before the war and then neglected in the decades afterwards” and “has a reputation as one of Japan's more seedy and dangerous neighbourhoods”. I might describe the difference between Tokyo and Osaka in yakuza film terms: Tokyo has Teruo Yoshida type gangsters in suits; Osaka has those sweaty Kawatani and Murota type motherfuckers in rags.

I brought this up because it also describes Shinsekai Toei. The theatre is located in a building that also hosts a pink theatre with two screens: a straight one and a gay one. They all share the same lobby, vending machine, and an employee sitting behind a desk smoking tobacco (he was a nice guy though). The screening room itself has dirty looking floor and walls, and the decently sized screen had two big tears and a few smaller ones. The seats contain ads for cheap apartments! It’s relatively bright in the room even during screenings, and the exit sign above the door can cast some light to the screen in dark scenes.





Alright, so we’re are in genuine grind house setting as opposed to Tokyo’s clean and beautiful (new or old) screening houses. What could go wrong? A lot, it seems. Girl Boss Guerilla is the first film I watch. Mediocre print and surprisingly soft image. And then around halfway into the film the image goes out of focus for the rest of the feature. I thought that was a print issue, but when it happened again with in Prison Island Riot (this time I looked at my watch, it was at approx. 44 min, which sounds like a reel change spot to me) I figured someone just doesn’t know how to do their job. Perhaps the projectionist was drunk or absent on that day, I dunno. Oh well, it was an experience at least.









Ads for the pink screens

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Tokyo-Osaka, part 2/3

Despite the projection issues I enjoyed revisiting the two films, particularly Girl Boss Guerilla which is supremely enjoyable in a laidback way despite not being quite as good as the best Pinky Violence films. After the films I had 10 minutes to grab a few photos of the neighbourhood, and one thing that caught my eye was Shinsekai Kokusai. This must be the only theatre in the world that is displaying Spiderman: No Way Home and a sleazy pink film poster side by side on the street.



Look carefully and you can see Bond is also paired with a Porno.


Spidie with Porno


One good thing about the Shinsekai district is that it’s extremely accessible. There’s a direct train connection from the airport with rapid airport trains stopping at Shin Imamiya Station (it takes about 45 min from the airport). Shinsekai Toei is only a few hundred metre walk from the station. You don’t even need map/navigation, just look for the famous Tsutenkaku Tower: Toei and the Pinks are located right next to it.



After that it was back to the airport for another 5000 yen / $50 flight to Tokyo, followed by an hour train ride to Ueno for my usual capsule hotel. Ramen, shower and hit the sack.

Midnight ramen at 0:30. Had not eaten anything since lunch at 11:00 a.m., besides one onigiri, one ice cream and one chocolate brownie.

[Jason C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jason C]

Wow, that is so cool. If I were single those posts would be enough to get me on a plane. I would love to experience that. Thank you so much.